The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently released a review of the status of lynx, which were listed as threatened on the Endangered Species list in 2000. Now, in the new world of Trumps fact-free, anti-science, war-on-wildlife administration, the FWS recommends removing lynx from Endangered Species Act protections completely, writing: Considering the available information, we found no reliable information that the current distribution and abundance of resident lynx in the contiguous United States are substantially reduced from historical conditions. The agency does not even attempt to provide the public with an estimated current population number of how many lynx there are because the agency has no idea. Fish and Wildlife Service has no idea how many lynx there are for one simple reason: The agency no longer monitors lynx populations. What the agency, if it was being truthful, should have written in their report is: Because we no longer monitor the population of lynx we have no evidence of how many lynx there are and therefore also have no evidence that lynx numbers are declining or increasing or doing anything at all. Also, because we have decided to ignore all of the historical records of lynx presence, we have no evidence of any change from historic conditions." Seventeen years ago, lynx trapping was outlawed due to the Endangered Species listing, but lynx numbers continued to decline because past and current logging has destroyed the dense mature and old growth forests upon which lynx rely for reproduction and survival. Lynx can no longer be found in the Gallatin Range and lynx numbers are falling in the Seeley-Swan Valley, which is the largest lynx population in Montana. Until 2010 there was also still a resident population of lynx in the Garnet Mountains northeast of Missoula. They had most likely been living there since the last Ice Age, but now they are gone as well. What we do know is that the last estimate of the number of lynx in Montana by Dr. John Squires, a Forest Service lynx scientist, was that there were about 300 lynx in Montana. What the FWS should have done to determine whether the population has declined from historic conditions was ask Montanas Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks, which estimated there were 700 to 1,050 lynx throughout Western Montana in 1994. This means there has certainly been a decline. The Fish and Wildlife Services own scientist, Megan Kosterman, found that 50 percent of each lynx home range must be mature, dense forest to provide optimal habitat for lynx to breed and raise kittens and that no more than 15 percent of each lynx home range should be clearcut. Not a single National Forest is complying with this recommendation. What is the impact of that failure on population trajectories? FWS ignores this issue. The truth is that FWS is only arguing that lynx should be delisted because of a court deadline this week that required that FWS finally, after 17 years of delay, produce a recovery plan for lynx. Rather than produce the court-ordered recovery plan by the deadline, FWS simply filed a document arguing that lynx no longer need any protections under the Endangered Species Act, and therefore FWS does not need to produce a recovery plan. This is a transparent attempt to evade the law. We urge you to contact FWS and demand that they revoke their delisting recommendation and produce the recovery plan that the law and science require. The number of newborns fell to 17.23 million in 2017, from 17.86 million in 2016. The workforce has shrunk by over 5 million units. The social security system is at risk. Tangible signs of the damage of the harsh population control measures adopted by the government in the last forty years. Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - China's demographic picture is starting to look a lot like that of Japan: births are declining, the workforce is getting smaller and the population is aging. This is what the latest official figures from the Beijing government report. While the country's economy grew 6.9% in 2017, from 6.7% in 2016, its demographic statistics are less positive. Despite the national introduction of the two-child policy in 2015, last year the number of new births fell to 17.23 million, from 17.86 million in 2016. This is stated by the National Statistics Bureau. At the same time, the workforce - defined as that between the ages of 16 and 59 - fell by over 5 million in 2017. Meanwhile, the percentage of people over the age of 65 continues to grow. The authorities declare that at the end of 2017 this band represented 11.4% of the total population, increasing compared to 10.8% of the previous year. This means that China has 158.31 million people over the age of 65, a number greater than the entire Russian population. Since rising to power in 2012, Chinese President Xi Jinping has gradually eased population controls. The infamous one-child policy, introduced in 1979 to control population growth, was revised towards the end of 2013, when couples were granted the right to conceive a second child, if one of the parents was an only child. Two years later, the one-child policy ended and all the couples were allowed to have two children. The government's tough population control measures have reduced the number of new births by about 200 million over the last forty years, undermining the country's growth potential. This is what emerges from research conducted by Zhou Tianyong, deputy director of the Institute for International Strategic Studies of the Beijing Central Party School. "If no provision is taken to address it [the population decline] ... it will only increase the cumulative damage resulting from a reduction in the labor force on demand, income and GDP production," says Zhou. The effects of demographic changes are tangible. The government is under increasing pressure as provincial pension funds quickly deplete reserves, as the aging of the population puts a strain on the social security regime. According to a report by the Academy of Social Sciences, about half of the funds are in deficit and the burden of supporting older people is up to the younger workforce. The study reveals that the problem is particularly severe in the north-eastern provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning, where the percentage of retired people has increased, while the workforce has decreased as the workers move elsewhere. The rich coastal areas, like Guangdong, and cities like Beijing have more money to cover pensions because they tend to attract migrant workers. The victims were all Uzbeks. Yesterday, the repatriation of bodies. 30 of them have already been identified. "We still have a lot to do for our people" forced to look for work abroad. Tashkent (AsiaNews / Agencies) - "The tragedy in Aktobe indicates many things, including the fact that we still have a lot to do for our people. People must look for a job in other countries, because we have not created any possibility for them ". This is how Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev comments on the death of 52 Uzbek citizens in a bus explosion on January 18. The Uzbek head of state prayed yesterday for the victims at the Khakimi at-Termez mausoleum (see photo 2). Prayers of condolences were held in all the mosques of the predominantly Muslim country. The "Ikarus" bus caught fire on the 1,068 kilometer of the Samara-Shymkent road in the Irgiz district. On board there were two drivers and 55 passengers, almost all - with the exception of two Kazakh citizens - of Uzbek citizenship. Of the people on board, only five managed to save themselves. At the moment, investigations are still under way, but a malicious origin of the fire has been excluded. Yesterday morning, the plane of the Uzbek Ministry for Emergency situations left the region of Aktobe carrying the 52 bodies, 30 have already been identified. Shukhrat Teshaboyev, Uzbek consul in Kazakhstan, adds that the bodies still lacking in identity will be subjected to DNA tests in Uzbekistan. Hi there, My Australian partner and I are currently living in the UK (I'm British). We had always planned to lodge our partner visa application while in the UK and then when it was granted move over to Aus. However, we've heard recently that you can actually apply for the visa while in Australia, and then be placed onto a bridging visa (and able to work) while it's being processed. The only problem is I've already used up my holiday working visa, and so would only be able to go over on a 3 month tourist visa. Our question is - are you able to lodge a de facto partner application while on a 3 month tourist visa in Australia. Our main concern would be the border authorities being funny about letting someone in on a tourist visa who "plans to apply for a partner visa" and has no return flight back to the UK and essentially not letting me in. Has anyone done this or know if this can be done? 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. Two juveniles were taken to the hospital and released after being hit by a school bus in a Legacy High School parking lot early Friday morning. Bismarck Police Sgt. Mark Buschena said police received a report at 7:47 a.m. of two juveniles who had been hit by a bus while walking in the parking lot. An ambulance transported them to a local hospital to be checked and they were released, according to a statement from Bismarck Public Schools spokeswoman Renae Hoffman-Walker. BPS would not confirm that they were students, citing the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Both "individuals" were expected to return to school Friday, Hoffman-Walker said. Buschena said the bus driver told police he did not see the juveniles walking in the parking lot toward the school, and he attempted to brake to avoid hitting them, but was unsuccessful. There were no passengers on the bus at the time. The bus driver was not cited, according to Buschena. Revised natural gas numbers released this week show North Dakotas oil industry failed to meet the state gas capture target in October. The latest numbers from the Department of Mineral Resources show the industry flared slightly more than 16 percent of Bakken natural gas produced in October, not 15 percent as the agency reported from preliminary figures. That means the industry did not meet the targets set by the North Dakota Industrial Commission, which requires companies to capture 85 percent of Bakken gas, or flare no more than 15 percent. Overall, the industry flared an average of nearly 348 million cubic feet per day of natural gas in October, the revised numbers show, up from the 320 million cubic feet per day initially reported. The Industrial Commission policy allows regulators to limit oil production for companies that fail to meet gas capture targets. However, the policy also includes many exceptions, making those oil production restrictions rare. For example, regulators do not limit production from wells that already produce less than 100 barrels per day. In October, 11 companies flared more than 15 percent of the natural gas they produced, but none of the companies were ordered to limit oil production because they met one of the conditions in the policy, said Alison Ritter, spokeswoman for the Department of Mineral Resources. The state releases preliminary oil and gas numbers two months after it is produced, then releases revised numbers three months later based on amendments submitted by companies. Gas capture goals are evaluated based upon the preliminary numbers, according to the policy. In September, the state initially reported the industry missed the gas capture target, but revised figures later showed that companies met the goal. In November, natural gas flaring decreased to 282 million cubic feet per day, according to the preliminary figures released this week. The industry flared 13 percent of Bakken natural gas in November, meeting the states target. The gas capture policy is based on flaring from Bakken and Three Forks wells, which represent the majority of production. Overall flaring in November was 14 percent. More investment needed The states gas capture targets are set to become even more aggressive later this year, at 88 percent in November. Director of Mineral Resources Lynn Helms said this week it will take serious investment in natural gas gathering and processing to meet that target. Helms and Justin Kringstad, director of the North Dakota Pipeline Authority, are meeting with the North Dakota Petroleum Council board of directors next week to talk about the need for more infrastructure. Kringstad said the states natural gas production, more than 2 billion cubic feet per day, will soon exceed the capacity of natural gas processing plants. To help meet that demand, Oneok recently filed an application to the Public Service Commission to expand its Bear Creek natural gas processing plant north of Killdeer. The company proposes to expand the plant from a capacity of 80 million cubic feet per day up to 175 million cubic feet per day. Crestwood Equity Partners has also applied to the commission to expand the Arrow Bear Den gas processing plant near Watford City, adding another 120 million cubic feet per day of processing capacity. The Oasis Wild Basin processing plant is expanding to process 345 million cubic feet per day in McKenzie County. A man was killed in a deputy-involved shooting Saturday, according to the Polk County Sheriffs Office. Man accused of shooting at Polk County deputies Deputies responded to home after domestic violence call Deputies returned fire, striking the man Deputies initially responded at about 8 a.m. to a home on Cottage Hill Street in Lake Wales after receiving a domestic violence call. According to deputies, 46-year-old Shannon Cables threatened his 45-year-old wife and 19-year-old daughter with various weapons. His wife told deputies he hit her with in the head with a pool cue and sprayed mace on her and the daughter. Cables then armed himself with a gun, Sheriff Grady Judd said during a news conference. Thats when the 19-year-old actually jumped on the suspect and wrestled and choked him, and somehow, they got the gun away from him, Judd said. The women fled the home and went to a neighbor's house before calling law enforcement. Both women were taken to a hospital for treatment. When deputies arrived, they set up a perimeter around the house. However, they discovered that Cables had fled into the woods nearby. Investigators spent hours searching for Cables but were unable find him. Hours later, deputies escorted both women back to the home. Once inside, one of the women spotted Cables outside the house. He was walking toward the house while holding an AR-15 and a shotgun, deputies said. One of the deputies confronted Cables and told him to put down his weapons. Cables pointed the AR-15 at the deputy and gunfire was exchanged, the Sheriff's Office said. The other deputies who were inside the house came outside and returned fire. Cables was critically injured in the shooting. He was taken to Lake Wales Regional Medical Center where he died. No deputies were injured in the shooting, the Sheriff's Office said. "In one week, two different suspects have chosen to shoot at our deputies," Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement. "Our message is clear--if you point a gun at or shoot at a deputy sheriff, we will shoot back until the threat is eliminated." Four deputies have been placed on administrative leave while the case is investigated, Judd said. The incident remains under investigation. UPDATE: New High Wind Warning for Oregon Coast, More Beach Hazards Published 01/19/2018 at 5:35 PM PDT - Updated 01/21/2018 at 12:35 AM PDT By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff (Oregon Coast) The storms and dangers are not over yet on the Oregon coast. The latest: the National Weather Service (NWS) in Portland has issued a new high wind warning for Saturday evening through Sunday afternoon, with gusts up to 65 mph possible. Sneaker waves and heavy seas will remain a problem throughout the weekend, with wave height sticking around 20 feet or higher at times. (Photo above courtesy Cannon Beach Surf Shop: more than 100-foot-wave towers over Tillamook Rock Lighthouse on Thursday). The high wind warning is from around midnight Saturday to 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon. Meanwhile, Oregon Coast Beach Connection is advising everyone to stay off all beaches throughout the weekend, even though most tourism organizations are not officially declaring this warning. The NWS said the high wind watch means south winds 30 to 40 mph will accompany gusts up to 65 mph on beaches and headlands. The strongest winds will happen Sunday, the NWS said, and the impact may well be power outages. Strong winds may blow down trees, branches, and power lines, the NWS said. Isolated power outages are possible. A High Wind Watch means hazardous high wind conditions are favorable in and close to the watch area in the next 12 to 48 hours. On Saturday night, combined seas rise to 20 feet with a dominant period of 12 seconds, bringing the likelihood of some big sneaker waves on the beaches. The pattern continues with combined seas 23 to 25 feet on Sunday morning through the day, easing slightly at night. More large waves on the beaches and toppling jetties is in store, with low-lying parking lots still posing some risk once again. Monday, seas drop to 17 feet, while Tuesday sees a further drop to 12 but rising again on Wednesday to 16 feet. Thus, Oregon Coast Beach Connection is still advising people stay off the beaches all beaches until at least Tuesday, with extreme caution in mind on Wednesday. Oregon Coast Lodgings for this event - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours Plenty of interesting things should turn up on the beaches after this set of waves, but it won't be a good time to look for them until wave height subsides to below 15 feet on a regular basis. Even then, smaller beaches like parts of Lincoln City, Gleneden Beach or Oceanside should be avoided. Add Oregon Coast News to Your OWN WEBSITE with the Free News Widget Offshore waters are under a storm watch, likely turning to a storm warning, with heavy winds and choppy seas making for extremely dangerous conditions for seafaring vessels. The rest of the week's forecast for the coastline is for very rainy conditions, with highs and lows in the 40s. See Full Oregon Coast Weather. Also see: Video: Damage, Injuries on Oregon Coast Extensive; One Death 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 GRAND FORKS -- Today marks the one-year anniversary of Donald Trumps presidency, with approval ratings nationwide historically low for much of that time. And among North Dakota and Minnesota leaders, Trumps performance reviews are mixed. Pressed to grade Trumps first year in office, members of both states delegations to Washington gave a range of answers, from 2017 left a lot on the table to (Trump) is on the right agenda. Heres a look at how those leaders rated Trumps inaugural year -- during which Trump chafed at a special prosecutors investigation, was criticized for reportedly profane remarks about foreign countries and signed a significant tax overhaul bill. The presidents report card ranges from a B+ to an incomplete, with multiple instances in which no grade was provided. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D. Grade: Incomplete Its encouraging he has expressed the need for investments in infrastructure, which is important for our state, and he nominated members to the Export-Import Bank Board so the bank can fully operate and support American workers and businesses, Heitkamp said in a statement provided by her office. But Id like to see him focus more on the needs of rural America. Unfortunately, he has advocated for trade policies, like threatening to pull out of NAFTA, that would hurt farmers and ranchers, pushed for a bill that would take health care away from families and children with disabilities, and has proposed large cuts to the federal agency that helps combat opioid abuse. I hope he switches gear on these issues, and Ill press him on them. Sen. John Hoeven, D-N.D. Grade: none provided Rather than simply giving the president a letter grade, I would instead tell you that he is on the right agenda, Hoeven said in a statement provided by his office. That includes regulatory relief, tax relief, judicial appointments who will uphold the law and strong support for the military and veterans. Rep. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. Grade: B+ Given the first year, in one year, to have accomplished the milestones that hes accomplished is incredible, especially in the economic realm, Cramer said, noting a rising stock market and the passage of a tax overhaul bill. Cramer added that hes disappointed that more couldnt be done to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, a failure he said the House, Senate and White House all share. "Phantom Thread" costume designer Mark Bridges created dresses for the film that reflect Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis)' inner turmoil. Photo: Focus Features/HO In "Phantom Thread," Daniel Day-Lewis plays an imperious and eccentric fashion designer named Reynolds Woodcock in 1950s London in the years after World War II. His character approaches fashion as a religion that requires silence and solitude. His various self-indulgences masquerade as near-sacraments. Day-Lewis' character is not meant to represent any real designer, living or dead, but the ecclesiastical nature of his atelier takes inspiration from Cristobal Balenciaga, and his personal quirks call to mind the fastidiousness of Karl Lagerfeld. Woodcock's designs, however, have a look all their own. They are gently beautiful guideposts. But they are not outre, distracting or referential. That is thanks to costume designer Mark Bridges. Because this is a story that revolves around a designer's creative and emotional impulses, one might presume the film would feature any number of extraordinary and memorable ensembles. But there are none. Which doesn't mean there aren't plenty of gorgeous clothes in this film. In a particular moment of exasperation and frustration, Woodcock laments to his sister about a horrible little word: chic. Woodcock spits it out with incredible disdain. The fashion world has gone in search of "chic," he says, and satisfying that obsession has become his burden. But Woodcock has no interest in chasing chic and delivering it to his clients because chic implies that something has been shaped by a fleeting moment or an ephemeral mood. It suggests an aesthetic that has been culturally vetted and agreed upon. Woodcock is aiming for lasting beauty. And so the clothes he creates have a soothing elegance. They are a lovely resting place for the eye as the narrative unfolds. The genesis of each dress is written into the script, Bridges says. "Instead of a light bulb going off and you're creating something," he says, "things in the script dictated what would be made." But much of the script speaks to Woodcock's inner turmoil, his blossoming love for Alma (Vicky Krieps), his fear and anger over her disruptive presence and other notions that are felt but not necessarily seen. Woodcock invests incredible time and mental energy in creating a wedding gown for a longtime client. But in a moment of both physical and mental pain, he declares what looks to be a perfectly elegant gown, ugly. How do you convey those complicated emotions in a dress? By making an especially beautiful gown but one that has subtle references to a garment that Alma has worn earlier in the film. It's not the dress he hates but the way in which Alma has become enmeshed with the most sacred part of his life - his professional world. "We are our own worst critic. You see that in Reynolds. No one else is feeling the weight of Alma in his life," Bridges says. The audience looks at that wedding dress, and "we're like, 'You're crazy, man!' " During an exchange between Alma and Woodcock while he is fitting a dress on her, she notes her dislike of his chosen fabric. The designer doesn't flinch. He simply tells her that she is wrong. That her taste is wrong and that she should change her taste. He is domineering. She is quietly determined to make her point. "That dress is supposed to be part of the spring collection, and you think pastel, silk and cotton voiles, not black and purple and cobalt blue," Bridges says. "She's coming in as a young girl with a fresh eye in this May-December, May-November relationship." The heaviness of the dress reflects the way in which Woodcock relates to fashion and to life. There is no lightness and air in his atelier. It's oppressively grave. Alma is right about the dress; she is also right about his life. The relationship between Alma and Woodcock evolves into a torturous, strange love story. But it begins as an example of how a designer leans on a muse. As Bridges created clothes for the film, he inhabited the mind of Woodcock. And what he learned was that, as a technical matter, Alma would be "a dream to dress because of her physical attributes - the long neck, slim stature, fairly minimal bosom. She really has an ideal figure for the period, for those fashions." "She really took to them well," Bridges adds, referring in a way to both the character and the actress who plays her. "Once the underpinnings are on, she really takes on this air." Which is to say that a muse is not simply a mannequin. An actress eerily becomes her character. And a dress, chic or not, can still tell a story. RATON, N.M. (AP) Five friends, including a Zimbabwean opposition leader, traveling to a ranch in New Mexico died when their helicopter crashed in a remote area. Raton police released 911 recordings Friday from the crash two days earlier in remote northern New Mexico. The recording indicates Zimbabwe opposition leader Roy Bennett was injured but still alive as authorities tried to determine the location of the fiery New Mexico helicopter crash that ultimately killed him, his wife, Heather, and three others. Copter crash victim: 'I'm watching my family burn' Andra Cobb, the 911 caller and the crash's sole survivor, was frantic as she spoke to a dispatcher, saying that she was watching her "family burn." She also said her partner, Charles Burnett III, was alive but suffering from a head wound. Her father, Paul Cobb, was the co-pilot. Bennett owned the ranch where the group was headed for vacation. Both were killed Wednesday. Authorities say pilot Jamie Coleman Dodd also called 911, but later died. Here's more about the prominent people on board: CHARLES RYLAND BURNETT III, 61 Born in England, Burnett was an investor and philanthropist with links to a wide range of businesses and a love of entertaining friends extravagantly. Burnett was based in Houston and listed as an officer in dozens of companies registered with the Texas secretary of state's office. The Guardian newspaper reported in 2009 that he drove a steam-powered car at an average speed of 139.8 miles per hour (225 kilometers per hour), setting a world record. He purchased the Emery Gap Ranch, a sprawling, mountainous property on the Colorado-New Mexico border, in February 2017, said Sam Middleton, a real estate broker in Lubbock, Texas, who worked with Burnett on the purchase. That's where the group was headed Wednesday. Middleton on Thursday recalled being invited to Burnett's 60th birthday party at another ranch he had helped the wealthy businessman purchase. A dance floor and lights powered by a generator were set up on a pasture, with guests brought in by bus and a film crew hired to document the party. "He had a lot of fun, and he had a lot of people around him all the time," Middleton said. He was in a long-term relationship with Andra Cobb, the only survivor of the crash and daughter of Paul Cobb, who was the co-pilot of the helicopter. Burnett was friends with the elder Cobb and the others aboard. ___ PAUL COBB, 67 He was shot down while flying a helicopter in the Vietnam War, according to his wife, Martha. He went on to serve as a police officer for three decades in the Houston suburb of Pasadena, Texas, rising to police chief until his retirement in 2004. Cobb flew a historic Vietnam-era helicopter during an event to celebrate the Fourth of July in 2016, according to Houston television station KTRK. Martyn Hill, Burnett's personal attorney, described Cobb as an experienced, cautious pilot who had "survived many battles." "He was a great person as well," Hill said. Martha Cobb said her daughter told her after the crash that she passed at least one body on the ground as she tried to escape, before the helicopter burst into flames. "She's just very distraught," Cobb said in a telephone interview, her voice breaking. "I'm just glad my daughter is OK, but I hate that my husband of 41 years is gone." ___ JAMIE COLEMAN DODD, 57 He was a decorated search and rescue pilot who plucked people to safety in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and during one flood season, rented a helicopter on his day off to help rescue dogs stranded on rooftops. "He was a natural pilot. He was so good at it. When he was in search and rescue, he saved countless lives," said Jacqueline Dodd, his wife of 25 years, describing him as an adrenaline junky. Her husband, who went by J.C., received the national "Jeep Hero" award in 2006 for his search and rescue efforts. He donated the award, a new Jeep Commander, to a nonprofit organization that helps the homeless, according to the website of the New Mexico Military Institute, where he went in the mid- to late 1970s. "He was the kind of guy that you just wanted to be your friend," Jacqueline Dodd said. "He was above reproach. He was just such a good person." Since September, he had worked as Burnett's private pilot at the Emery Gap Ranch, she said. She and her husband filed separation papers in December after he moved to Trinidad, Colorado, the previous September. "He took that job against all my wishes," said Jacqueline Dodd, who lives in Applegate, California, in the foothills northeast of Sacramento. Her husband enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserves in 1979. Dodd transferred to the Army's Warrant Officer Flight School in 1983 and was later assigned to Howard Air Force Base in Panama, flying medical evacuation missions throughout Central and South America, according to New Mexico Military Institute website. Dodd moved back and joined the California Highway Patrol in 1990, where he was a search and rescue helicopter pilot. He was inducted into the institute's Hall of Fame in October 2010. ___ ROY AND HEATHER BENNETT Roy Bennett, 60, was a founding member of Zimbabwe's main opposition party, Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change, who angered former President Robert Mugabe by winning a parliamentary seat in a rural constituency despite being white. Bennett, who spoke fluent Shona, was earthy and engaging and won a devoted following of black Zimbabweans for passionately advocating political change. He was known as "Pachedu," meaning "one of us" in Shona and was often called the sharpest thorn in Mugabe's side. At one point, his successful coffee farm in eastern Zimbabwe was seized by war veterans. One of Bennett's farmworkers was killed by the invaders and wife Heather miscarried after the assault. In 2004, Bennett was jailed for a year for assaulting a Cabinet minister who had said Bennett's "forefathers were thieves and murderers" during a debate. He emerged thin and told of prisoners' mistreatment. Bennett fled Zimbabwe after receiving death threats but came back in 2009 after being nominated for the deputy agriculture minister in a coalition government with Mugabe's ZANU-PF party. The strongman accepted other opposition leaders into his Cabinet, but he refused to swear in Bennett. Bennett later returned to South Africa but remained a vocal critic of Mugabe's rule. Yeastar, a Chinese UC, gateway and phone player just announced its Yeastar Cloud PBX will be unveiled at ITEXPO next month in Florida. We are excited to be back at ITEXPO East again this year, said Alan Shen, CEO of Yeastar, We deem ITEXPO a great platform to launch our brand new offering, Yeastar Cloud PBX, to the world. Having been field-tested in the beta program, this profitable multi-instance hosted business voice solution could be a perfect fit for most of the ITEXPO attendees. When we learned the news, the first thing that came to mind was a similar competitive situation last decade. Asian players Huawei and ZTE were competing hard against Nortel in the carrier equipment space. Nortel was outcompeted and went bankrupt. The courts sold their enterprise voice business to Avaya who also went bankrupt. Asian cloud vendors arent very popular in the U.S. so it isnt a given that Yeastar will take a great deal of marketshare in North America. But Yeastar is also well-known internationally. They have websites in five languages. Their distribution is greater than a lot of the domestic United States companies they compete with. The only possible response to this new competitive threat will be for existing cloud players to go upmarket and add features and potentially cost. This is how Nortel competed with Asian competitors. It didnt work too well for them as we know. The UCaaS market is however a different animal because selling to companies takes a lot more resources than selling to carriers because there are so many more customers. The inertia in a company is tough to overcome and switching your UCaaS provider can be painful. New customers however will potentially consider going to an Asian company instead of one from the U.S. It comes down to how commoditized the market is. There is something Yeastar may need to overcome. The name of the service, Yeastar Cloud PBX uses the term PBX which many in the industry have been going away from (at least in the U.S.). Its surprising to hear it used for a new product, even if it is preceded by cloud. Moreover, software is harder for non-U.S. companies to do well. Well see how their offering looks. Finally, from a feature perspective they dont seem to have left much out. Take a look. Business Features AutoCLIP Dial by Name Blacklist/Whitelist Do Not Disturb (DND) Custom Prompt Emergency Number DISA Fax to Email Distinctive Ringtone Feature Code DNIS Queue Music on Hold Ring Group One Touch Recording SIP Forking Paging/Intercom SLA PIN List Speed Dial YMP Features Time Condition Alarm Notifications Video Calls Branded Company Name and Logo Voicemail Create/Delete PBX instance Voice to email Dashboard Web access to voicemail Multi-level User Access Management Schedule Backup Backup and Restore Upgrade Event Center Call Features Image Upgrade Attended Transfer Import/Export Extensions Automated Attendant (IVR) Multi-language System Prompt Blind Transfer Multi-language Web GUI Call Back Multi-level User Access Call Detail Records (CDR) Phone Provisioning Call Forwarding Schedule Backup Call Monitor Troubleshooting Call Parking User Portal Call Permission YMP Security Call Pickup Blacklist Call Routing Fail2ban Call Transfer Dynamic Defense Caller ID Limited Country Access Conference Static Defense So domestic cloud players may be safe for now but whenever new competitors come into a market and they have been successful in adjacent spaces, you need to be concerned. Especially when they have a different cost model. The threat to the market is downward pressure and commoditization. Fighting it is likely best done by adding integration and features and touting solutions as business transformation enablers. This new offering is available as a private or public cloud solution and can be white-labeled. Moreover, the company will be running pre-show seminars on the solution in English and Spanish. The seminar will be on February 13th and ITEXPO starts on the 14th. Among the 200,000 people from El Salvador who will lose their temporary legal immigration status next year are more than a thousand classroom teachers. Earlier this month, the Trump administration announced that these immigrants, who received Temporary Protected Status after earthquakes hit their country in 2001, must return to El Salvador by September 2019 or be subject to deportation. The decision could have severe ramifications for K-12 schools: Thousands of Salvadoran students could be affected , and data from the Center for Migration Studies found that 1,400 Salvadoran teachers in the United States have Temporary Protected Status as well. An additional 1,900 college and university professors in the United States are part of this group. These workers and their families contribute to our economy and our country every day. They teach in our classrooms, care for patients, and serve our communities, said Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, in a statement. See also: Trumps Latest Immigration Move Could Affect Thousands of Salvadoran Students The CMS data dont show where those teachers are located across the country, but there are significant Salvadoran populations in metropolitan areas including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Miami, New York, and the District of Columbia. Over the last 17 years, many of the Salvadoran immigrants with Temporary Protected Status have developed deep roots in their communities, including by having children who are now U.S. citizens. These children may also be aspiring teachers: 10-year-old Gabriella Martinez is a U.S. citizen. Her mother is from El Salvador and is in the country with #TPS . Martinez says she needs her family here to accomplish her dream of becoming an ESL teacher. pic.twitter.com/ogSagCzFWC -- Shannon Dooling (@sdooling) January 10, 2018 Its worth noting that teaching in El Salvador is a dangerous profession: A 2015 report from Reuters found that teachers regularly receive death threats from gang members , and some students are too scared to go to school. And the Los Angeles Daily News reported that dozens of teachers have been killed in recent years by gang members, over actions like disciplining a student or giving a failing grade. One teacher, who was shot by gang members because her colleague confisticated marijuana from a student, said that after the attack, she returned to the classroom: "[My love for teaching] hasnt been taken away from me. Were in the classrooms, trying to reinforce values in the few that remain to be rescued. As my colleague Corey Mitchell reported, the Trump administration has been phasing out Temporary Protected Status for immigrants from several countries, including Haiti and Nicaragua. Honduran immigrants under this program are waiting to hear if theyre next . Previous presidents have also canceled the protection for immigrants from countries across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Trump has also said he plans to cancel Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, which grants temporary deportation reprieves and work permits to people who were brought to the United States illegally as children. That move puts about 8,800 educators at risk for deportation. Photo: CASA de Maryland, an immigration advocacy and assistance organization, holds a rally in Lafayette Park, across from the White House in Washington on Jan. 8, in reaction to the Trump administrations announcement that it will rescind Temporary Protective Status for immigrants from El Salvador. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Reciba en su email: noticias de ultima hora, analisis tecnicos o el cierre de mercado Email no valido Nombre requerido Recibira las informaciones mas relevantes del dia en tiempo real Que informacion desea recibir? Noticias de Ultima hora Boletin Cierre de Mercado Boletin analisis tecnico Boletin Fundsnews Debe seleccionar un tipo de boletin Acepto la Politica de privacidad Debe aceptar la politica de privacidad Responsable EMPRESAS DEL GRUPO WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Finalidad La remision de informacion, novedades y promociones Establecimiento o mantenimiento de Relaciones Comerciales. Legitimacion Consentimiento del interesado. Interes legitimo en el desarrollo de la relacion comercial Destinatario Empresas del Grupo WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Derechos Acceso, rectificacion, supresion, limitacion, oposicion y portabilidad Informacion adicional Politica de Privacidad de nuestra pagina Web + INFORMACION Independent News and Media (INM) chairman Leslie Buckley and a non-executive director will step down from its board, as a major overhaul at the top of the media firm continues, writes Eamon Quinn. INM has been enveloped in an extraordinary corporate row for over a year which led to an ongoing investigation by the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement, the ODCE. Former chief executive Robert Pitt, who resigned in October, had used whistleblowing legislation as a dispute involving Mr Buckley raged inside the media firm over the potential acquisition of Newstalk. The broadcaster is owned by Denis OBrien, who also holds a large stake in INM. INM named four new non-executive directors, including Murdoch MacLennan, current deputy chairman of the UKs Telegraph Media Group, and former group managing director at Associated Newspapers, the Daily Mail publisher. The other appointments include John Bateson, managing director of Dermot Desmonds International Investment and Underwriting, which has a shareholding in INM; and Fionnuala Duggan, who heads KNect365 Learning. She has enjoyed success in repositioning traditional industries for the digital age, INM said. Seamus Taaffe, a former member of the KPMG Ireland board, will also join the board. INM shares rose over 4%. Despite 90m in the bank, the firm is valued at 141.43m. Mr Buckley thanked colleagues for their support during what has been an eventful and challenging time for the company and for the Irish newspaper industry as a whole. It comes as many UK retail shares slumped in London, led by Carpetright after official data confirmed the slide in the value of sterling since the Brexit vote in mid-2016 had pushed up British prices and damped down retail spending in UK shops over the key Christmas trading period. Shares in Carpetright which has over 500 stores, including over 415 in the UK and 21 in the Republic crashed by more than 40%, to value the firm at only 62.5m (70.8m), after a profits warnings. The British retail rout spread to a wide range of UK-listed retailers, including DFS Furniture, down 3%; Debenhams, down almost 1% at one stage; B&Q-owner Kingfisher, down 2.5%; Dixons Carphone, down almost 3%; and JD Sports, whose shares fell 0.5%. Darren McKinley, senior equity analyst at Merrion, said despite their exposures toconsumer spending in the UK, that Irish-listed companies had shown resilience to the challenges they faced from the slide in sterling over the past 18 months. Nonetheless, many quoted companies, including Ryanair, Dalata Hotel Group, Grafton Group, as well as Greencore and Total Produce, rely on the British market for 20% to40% of their sales. Analysts have said UK consumers are being pinched by the Brexit-driven increase in UK prices, while UK average wages have not increased by the same rate. Data showed British shop sales slid by much more than expected in December. That capped the weakest year for UK retail since 2013. This certainly ties in to much of what we have seen this year, said Colin McLean, managing director at SVM Asset Management. In the past, demand has been quite stable and now its just a bit more fluid. Consumers changing tastes and disruption by online businesses were also putting pressure on the UK high street retailers, Mr McLean said. Carpetright chief executive Wilf Walsh said: Despite a positive start to our third quarter, we have seen a significant deterioration in UK trading during the important post-Christmas trading period. He said: The severity of the decline in footfall over this key trading period and our more cautious view of the outlook for the balance of the year leads to a significant reduction in full-year expectations. UK consumers have got much more nervous about purchasing big-ticket items, said Charles Allen, a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst. Dublin will host a gala ball this evening in aid of Haiti. It is still considered one of the poorest countries in the world and has suffered a series of devastating natural disasters, including Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Orlaith Grehan from the charity Haven, outlined what the money raised at tonights event will be used for. "The Haiti Ball basically allows us to do our work in Haiti every year," she said. "This year were launching a new business development programme, and were going to see 60 people in Haiti set up their own new businesses. "Its the support and generosity of the people of the Haiti ball that makes this kind of work possible and help the communities of Haiti that need a hand up at the moment." - Digital desk Sinn Fein's Mary Lou McDonald has been nominated to replace Gerry Adams as party leader. The Dublin Central TD was confirmed as the sole nominee for the position following a party meeting today. "If you wanted this job, youre too late," Mr Adams quipped as he introduced his successor. Mary Lou McDonald will be the new leader of Sinn Fein, succeeding Gerry Adams pic.twitter.com/ZJWbWNqYPk Sky News (@SkyNews) January 20, 2018 Mr Adams announced in November that he was stepping down after 34 years in the role. A special party conference to ratify a new leader will be held on February 10. Nominations for the position closed at 5pm on Friday. Ms McDonald has been a TD for Dublin Central since 2011. Before getting elected to the Dail, she was an MEP representing the Dublin constituency - becoming Sinn Fein's first MEP in the Republic of Ireland in 2004. Many party members have been tweeting their support for Ms McDonald. Fiachra McGuinness, son of the late Martin McGuinness, said his father was a "huge admirer of her ideas, dedication and commitment", and that she was the "ideal candidate to lead Sinn Fein into the future". I am honoured to propose Mary Lou McDonald as next Uachtaran Shinn Fein. @MaryLouMcDonald #shestheone pic.twitter.com/YekZEJidPf Fiachra McGuinness (@fiachramcg) January 17, 2018 - PA Police in the North are appealing for witnesses to a shooting in Belfast. It is after a 24-year-old man was shot in the Whiterock Drive area of the city last night. A march will be held today in Galway protesting against Direct Provision. The scheme which aims is to meet basic needs of asylum seekers in Ireland such as food and shelter, has been criticised by campaigners. A small personal allowance is also paid each week to individuals. "In Galway, there's a couple of hundred people living in Direct Provision, and then across the country there are four to five thousand asylum seekers arriving in centres around the country," said Joe Loughnane from the Galway Anti Racism Network. "Most of these centres are completely secluded, they're cut off from the main towns and communities, and the main issue with all these people living in the centres is that they've no autonomy, they've no independence." - Digital desk After 34 years, the changing of the guard has come - with Mary Lou McDonald set to take over the role of Sinn Fein leader. The Dublin woman has been clear favourite for some time to replace Gerry Adams, one of the longest serving party leaders in the world. She was once described by her party colleague Caral Ni Chuilin as "one of the most formidable women in politics". United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Kevin JORDAN, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. SECRETARY, FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES, Donald Sawyer, in his individual capacity as Facility Administrator at Florida Civil Commitment Center, Rebecca Jackson, in her individual capacity as Clinical Director at Florida Civil Commitment Center, Mark Snyder, Inspector, Defendants-Appellees. No. 17-11363 Decided: January 19, 2018 Before JORDAN, ROSENBAUM, and FAY, Circuit Judges. Kevin Jordan, Pro Se Pam Bondi, Attorney General's Office, Criminal Division, Tampa, FL, for Defendant-Appellee Secretary, Florida Department of Children and Family Services Gregory A. Kummerlen, Wiederhold Kummerlen & Waronicki, PA, West Palm Beach, FL, for Defendants-Appellees Donald Sawyer, Rebecca Jackson, Mark Snyder Kevin Jordan, an involuntary civil detainee at the Florida Civil Commitment Center (FCCC), proceeding pro se, appeals the district court's order that dismissed, pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), his pro se complaint filed under 42 U.S.C. 1983 and Florida state law; and denied his motion for leave to amend his complaint. Jordan was involuntarily committed to the FCCC in 2014 as a sexually violent predator. In March 2015, Mark Snyder, the inspector at the FCCC, initiated criminal charges against Jordan for indecent exposure in the FCCC for exposing himself and masturbating in front of staff. The charges were dismissed, and Snyder later initiated new charges when Jordan allegedly committed indecent exposure again. Based on the filing and prosecution of these charges, Jordan sued (1) Kristina Kanner, the Secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Family Services; (2) Donald Sawyer, the facility administrator at the FCCC; (3) Rebecca Jackson, the clinical director at FCCC; and (4) Snyder in federal district court. He alleged malicious prosecution, due-process violations, Fourteenth Amendment violations, equal-protection violations, negligent hiring and retention of Snyder, and defamation. He did not refute that he had committed indecent exposure in the manner alleged. Defendants-Appellees Sawyer, Jackson, and Snyder moved to dismiss. In response, Jordan moved to amend his complaint. The district court granted Defendants motion to dismiss, denied Jordan's motion to amend his complaint, and dismissed the case. On appeal, Jordan argues that his complaint should not have been dismissed because he was maliciously prosecuted by Snyder, who knew that Jordan could not control his deviant behavior and knew that Jordan had been diagnosed with a sexual illness and could not control himself. Jordan also contends that he was singled out from comparators at the FCCC who also committed indecent exposure but were not prosecuted. In addition, Jordan asserts that Sawyer and Jackson negligently hired and retained Snyder and that Snyder defamed his character by filing criminal charges. Finally, he argues that his motion for leave to amend should have been granted. After careful review, we affirm the district court's dismissal and denial of leave to amend. I. We review de novo the district court's grant of a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6), accepting the allegations in the complaint as true and construing them in the light most favorable to the plaintiff. Leib v. Hillsborough Cty. Pub. Transp. Comm'n, 558 F.3d 1301, 1305 (11th Cir. 2009). Under Rule 12(b)(6), a complaint must allege enough plausible facts, on the face of the complaint, to support the claim stated. Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007). We begin with Jordan's malicious-prosecution claims. To establish a federal malicious-prosecution claim under 1983, the plaintiff must prove a violation of his Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable seizures, in addition to the elements of the common-law tort of malicious prosecution. Wood v. Kesler, 323 F.3d 872, 881 (11th Cir. 2003). We have determined that, among other elements, a lack of probable cause for the arrest is a required element of a 1983 malicious-prosecution claim. Id. at 882. Similarly, under Florida law, a plaintiff must establish, among other elements, an absence of probable cause for the original proceeding in order to support a claim of malicious prosecution. Durkin v. Davis, 814 So.2d 1246, 1248 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2002). Here, Jordan's behavior, which he does not deny, fell under the umbrella of indecent exposure as defined by Florida law. See Fla. Stat. 800.03. Under Fla. Stat. 800.03, [i]t is unlawful to expose or exhibit one's sexual organs in public or on the private premises of another, or so near thereto as to be seen from such private premises, in a vulgar or indecent manner, or to be naked in public except in any place provided or set apart for that purpose. Fla. Stat. 800.03. Since Jordan does not deny that he engaged in conduct satisfying this description, probable cause for his arrest and prosecution existed. As a result, Jordan did not have a viable claim for malicious prosecution under Florida law or 1983. See Durkin, 814 So.2d at 1248; Wood, 323 F.3d at 881-8; Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955. And because the arrest was based on probable cause, Jordan's complaint did not sufficiently show that Defendants inflicted mental or physical abuse on him by merely reporting his crime. See Kyle K., 208 F.3d at 943. Jordan's constitutional claims fare no better. We first note that a plausible claim that those charged with the responsibility of providing daily care to an involuntarily civilly committed patient inflicted physical or mental abuse on him does state the denial of a constitutional right for purposes of a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss. Kyle K. v. Chapman, 208 F.3d 940, 943 (11th Cir. 2000). Here, though, Jordan's complaint states no such claim. Concerning the specific rights Jordan alleges were transgressed, we begin with Jordan's equal-protection claim. A plaintiff states an equal-protection class of one claim if he alleges that he has been intentionally treated differently from other people who are similarly situated to him and that no rational basis supports the difference in treatment. Griffin Indus., Inc. v. Irvin, 496 F.3d 1189, 1200-02 (11th Cir. 2007). To be similarly situated, the comparators must be prima facie identical in all relevant respects. Grider v. City of Auburn, 618 F.3d 1240, 1264 (11th Cir. 2010). In addition, a plaintiff must allege more than broad generalities in identifying a comparator. Griffin Indus., 496 F.3d at 1204. Here, Jordan did not provide sufficient facts about comparators to show that they were similarly situated and that he was treated differently from them. See Griffin Indus., Inc., 496 F.3d at 1202-05; Grider, 618 F.3d at 1264. As a result, he did not allege enough plausible facts on the face of the complaint to support the claim stated. See Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955. Turning to Jordan's due-process claim, Jordan bases it on claims of defamation and slander. But injury to reputation, by itself, does not constitute the deprivation of a liberty or property interest protected under the Fourteenth Amendment. Behrens v. Regier, 422 F.3d 1255, 1259 (11th Cir. 2005). In order to invoke the procedural protections of the Due Process Clause, a plaintiff must establish the fact of the defamation plus the violation of some more tangible interest. Paul v. Davis, 424 U.S. 693, 701-02, 96 S.Ct. 1155, 47 L.Ed.2d 405 (1976). Jordan, however, failed to establish even the fact of defamation. See Paul, 424 U.S. at 701-02, 96 S.Ct. 1155. He never described how he was defamed, how his reputation was harmed, or what untrue statement was made about him. See Paul, 424 U.S. at 701-02, 96 S.Ct. 1155; Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955. Nor did he deny that he committed indecent exposure in the way that Snyder reported to police. The district court therefore did not err in dismissing this claim. Finally, we address Jordan's state claims. The supplemental-jurisdiction statute provides that a district court may decline to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over pendent state-law claims if, in relevant part, the district court has dismissed all claims over which it has original jurisdiction. 28 U.S.C. 1367(c). Under the circumstances of Jordan's case, the district court did not err in dismissing without prejudice the state-law claims. See Leib, 558 F.3d at 1305. Jordan's negligent-hiring-and-retention claim was a state-law claim, and his defamation claim may also be characterized as a state-law claim. See Behrens, 422 F.3d at 1259. Because, as we have discussed, the district court properly dismissed the federal claims, it had the discretion to dismiss the pending state law claims. 28 U.S.C. 1367(c). In short, the district court did not err in dismissing the complaint as to all of Jordan's claims. See Leib, 558 F.3d at 1305. II. We now consider the district court's denial of Jordan's motion to amend. Generally, we review the district court's refusal to grant leave to amend for abuse of discretion, but we exercise de novo review as to the underlying legal conclusion that an amendment to the complaint would be futile. SFM Holdings, Ltd. v. Banc of Am. Sec., LLC, 600 F.3d 1334, 1336 (11th Cir. 2010). Rule 15, Fed. R. Civ. P., states that courts should freely give leave to amend when justice so requires. Fed. R. Civ. P. 15(a)(2). Nevertheless, a district court need not grant leave to amend where, among other things, the amendment would be futile. Bryant v. Dupree, 252 F.3d 1161, 1163 (11th Cir. 2001). On this record, the district court did not err in concluding that an amendment would be futile. Consequently, it did not abuse its discretion in denying Jordan's motion for leave to amend. See SFM Holdings, Ltd., 600 F.3d at 1336; Bryant, 252 F.3d at 1163. Jordan raised the same claims in a similar manner in his proposed amended complaint as in his original complaint. Notably, in the proposed amended complaint, he did not allege that no probable cause existed for his arrest, did not contend that he did not expose himself to staff or masturbate in front of staff, did not provide comparator information, did not explain how he was defamed, and did not make further arguments as to his state-law claims. As a result, allowing the filing of the proposed amended complaint would have been futile. See SFM Holdings, Ltd., 600 F.3d at 1336; Bryant, 252 F.3d at 1163. For these reasons, we affirm the order of the district court dismissing Jordan's case and denying leave to amend his complaint. AFFIRMED. FOOTNOTES . Kanner was not served. . Jordan also couches his 1983 malicious-prosecution claim as a violation of the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment as guaranteed under the Fourteenth Amendment's due-process clause and as a taking of liberty without due process, in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment. But even if the filing of charges against a prisoner could, in some circumstances, violate the Eighth Amendmenta question we need not addressas we have explained, here, probable cause supported the charges. And charges supported by probable cause do not violate the Eighth Amendment. Similarly, the mere filing and prosecution of charges supported by probable causewithout moredo not even arguably violate the Fourteenth Amendment. PER CURIAM: by Gordon Deegan An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar said today that he is absolutely certain that it was the right Government decision to give Shannon airport its independence. Speaking at a Shannon Chamber of Commerce event at Dromoland Castle this afternoon, Mr Varadkar said that passenger numbers at Shannon airport have increased from 1.4m to 1.7m per annum since the airport secured independence in January 2013. In his role as Minister for Transport, Mr Varadkar steered the legislation through the Oireachtas giving Shannon its independence from the DAA and he said today that his work on Shannon has given him a personal connection to the Midwest region. In his address, Mr Varadkar stated: I am absolutely certain that it was the right decision to separate Shannon from the other airports and give its independence but I am also absolutely certain that we are only getting started and there is so much more that can be done to develop the area. Mr Varadkar said that the move to independence has rekindled the pioneering spirit at Shannon. He said that the airport should be aiming to hit the 3.5m passengers per annum. Mr Varadkar said that in 2012, there were 40 aviation related companies employing 1,600 in Shannon and this has grown today to 55 companies employing 2,500. The Taoiseach also stated that the Government will remain firm in defending the 12.5% corporation tax rate. He said: It is not going to change. It is Government policy to leave it as it is. Our view is that tax is a national competence and national Governments should set national taxes." He added: "Are we coming under pressure on it? You bet...We will continue to resist. Mr Varadkar also confirmed that the Government will be increasing the number of embassies around the world this year and will be soon have a diplomatic presence in Mumbai in India, New Zealand, Bogota, in Columbia, Santiago in Chile and a presence in Vancouver in Canada and Oman in Jordan. A pilot on a British Airways flight who was suspected of being drunk was arrested at Gatwick Airport on Thursday evening. Police said they received a call at 8.25pm on Thursday regarding "a member of airline staff suspected to have been under the influence of alcohol". The flight, from Gatwick to Mauritius, was scheduled to leave at 8.20pm on Thursday, but the plane was left waiting at the gate while airline staff looked for a third pilot. A 49-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of performing an aviation function while his alcohol level was over the prescribed limit, police said. He was taken into custody and later released under investigation. British Airways said it was taking the matter "extremely seriously". "We are sorry for the delay to our customers," said a spokesperson. "The aircraft remained at the gate until an alternative third pilot joined the crew. "The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority." The airline added that it is assisting police with inquiries. Paul Bocuse, the master chef who defined French cuisine for nearly half a century and put it on tables around the world, has died aged 91, Frances interior minister has announced. Minister Gerard Collomb tweeted that "Mister Paul was France. Simplicity and generosity. Excellence and art de vivre". Mr Bocuses temple to French gastronomy, LAuberge du Pont de Collonges, outside the city of Lyon in south-eastern France, has held three stars - without interruption - since 1965 in the Michelin guide, the bible of gastronomes. Mr Bocuse, who underwent a triple heart bypass in 2005, had also been suffering from Parkinsons disease. Often referred to as the "pope of French cuisine", Mr Bocuse was a tireless pioneer, the first chef to blend the art of cooking with business tactics - branding his cuisine and his image to create an empire of restaurants around the globe. As early as 1982, Mr Bocuse opened a restaurant in the France Pavilion in Walt Disney Worlds Epcot Centre in Orlando, Florida, headed by his son Jerome, also a chef. In recent years, Mr Bocuse even dabbled in fast food with two outlets in his home base of Lyon. "He has been a leader. He took the cook out of the kitchen," said celebrity French chef Alain Ducasse, speaking at a January 2013 gathering to honour Mr Bocuse - then just shy of his 87th birthday. While excelling in the business of cooking, Mr Bocuse never flagged in his devotion to his first love, creating a top class, quintessentially French meal. He eschewed the fads and experiments that have captivated many other top chefs. "In cooking, there are those who are rap and those who are concerto," he told the French newsmagazine LExpress before the publication of his 2005 biography. He added that he tended toward the concerto. In traditional cooking, like his, there is no room for guesswork. "One must be immutable, unattackable, monumental," he declared. Born of a family of cooks that he dates to the 1700s, Mr Bocuse stood guard over the kitchen of his world-famous restaurant even in retirement when he was not travelling, keeping an eye on guests, sometimes greeting them at the table. The red and green Auberge by the Saone River, his name boldly set atop the roof, is a temple to Mr Bocuse - who was born there - and to other great chefs. Born on February 11, 1926, Mr Bocuse entered his first apprenticeship at 16. He worked at the famed La Mere Brazier in Lyon, then spent eight years with one of his culinary idols, Fernand Point, whose cooking was a precursor to Frances nouvelle cuisine movement with his lighter sauces and lightly cooked fresh vegetables. Mr Bocuses career in the kitchen traversed the ages. He went from apprenticeships and cooking "brigades", as kitchen teams are known, when stoves were coal-fired and chefs also served as scullery maids, to the ultra-modern kitchen of his Auberge. - AP US vice president Mike Pence has greeted soldiers at Shannon Airport in Ireland hours after the federal government shutdown in America. Mr Pence shook hands and posed for photos with the troops in the airport terminal during a re-fuelling stop by Air Force Two. United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. L.M.P., ON BEHALF OF E.P., D.P., and K.P., minors, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. SCHOOL BOARD OF BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA, Individual Defendants, et al., Defendants-Appellees. C.C. and P.C., on behalf of A.C., a minor, and on behalf of all other similarly situated disabled children, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. School Board of Broward County, et al., Defendants-Appellees. No. 16-16412, No. 16-16418 Decided: January 19, 2018 Before WILSON and ROSENBAUM, Circuit Judges, and TITUS,* District Judge. Neil D. Kodsi, The Law Offices of Neil D. Kodsi, Miami Shores, FL, Jordan M. Lewis, Jordan Lewis, PA, Fort Lauderdale, FL, David J. Pyper, Law Offices of David J. Pyper, PA, Weston, FL, for PlaintiffsAppellants. Michael Thomas Burke, Hudson Carter Gill, Johnson Anselmo Murdoch Burke Piper & Hochman, PA, Marylin C. BatistaMcNamara, The School Board of Broward County, Florida, Wayne Morris Alder, Fowler White Burnett, PA, Fort Lauderdale, FL, Anastasia Protopapadakis, GrayRobinson, PA, Stuart Isaac Grossman, Levine Kellogg Lehman Schneider Grossman, LLP, Mark A. Hendricks, Lydecker Diaz, LLC, Miami, FL, for DefendantsAppellees. This Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) case comes before this Court after a twelve-year battle by two sets of parents on behalf of their children to receive the specific therapy they believed their children deserved. Beginning in 2005, Appellant L.M.P., a mother of triplets acting individually and on her children's behalf, sought the aid of the courts to force Appellee School Board of Broward County (School Board) to include one-on-one Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy in each child's Individual Education Plan (IEP). Appellants C.C. and C.P., parents acting individually and on their child's behalf, intervened in those efforts to try to achieve the same therapy for their child. Appellants allege that the School Board's refusal to include the desired therapy in the children's IEPs reflects its predetermined policy of never including any ABA-based method or strategy in a child's IEP, in violation of the IDEA, 20 U.S.C. 14001482. But as much as Appellants want to overturn their children's original IEPs based on impermissible predetermination, they do not have standing to challenge the policy that they allege exists. While they argue to the contrary, an ABA-based therapy was, in fact, included in their children's IEPs, albeit not the specific one that they desired, thus defeating their standing to challenge an alleged policy that was not applied to them. The Court will explain how it reached this conclusion through exploration of what ABA is and how it fits into the IDEA framework. 1. Applied Behavioral Analysis 1 ABA is an applied science whose purpose is to produce socially significant changes in behavior. D.E. 549 at 23. ABA is not a method of instruction or method of teaching. Id. at 2. Rather, it is a broad umbrella under which numerous intervention strategies fall. Id. There is no singular technique that must be used in all circumstances. Id. at 5. There are hundreds of different ABA intervention strategies that can be provided. Id. One strategy is called discrete trial training (DTT). Id. DTT is a highly structured form of implementing the principles of reinforcement and stimulus control. Id. Although DTT is often done one-on-one, it can also be done in group settings when appropriate. Id. at 6. Just as DTT is a method under the umbrella of ABA, there are multiple intervention strategies that have been developed under the umbrella of DTT. Id. Different methods of DTT include the Lovaas method, the pivotal response method, and the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) method. Id. PECS is a scientifically-validated ABA-based intervention strategy for teaching communication skills to children with autism. Id. 2. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act The IDEA is a comprehensive statute that sets forth the intent of Congress that children with disabilities be entitled to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). See Winkelman ex rel. Winkelman v. Parma City Sch. Dist., 550 U.S. 516, 523, 127 S.Ct. 1994, 167 L.Ed.2d 904 (2007) (citation omitted). Under Part B of the IDEA, states must provide disabled children between the ages of three and twenty-one with the opportunity to receive a FAPE by offering each student special education and related services under an IEP. 20 U.S.C. 1412. An IEP must include a statement of the special education and related services and supplementary aids and services to be provided to the child. Id. 1414(d)(1)(A)(IV). Determining an IEP is supposed to be the culmination of a collaborative process between parents, teachers, and school administrators outlining the student's disability and his educational needs, with the goal of providing the student with a [FAPE]. R.L. v. Miami-Dade Cty. Sch. Bd., 757 F.3d 1173, 1177 (11th Cir. 2014) (citing 20 U.S.C. 1401(9), 1412(a)(1)(A), 1414(d)(1)(A)(B), (d)(3)). Once an IEP has been determined, it should comply with the procedural and substantive requirements set forth in the IDEA and should be reasonably calculated to enable the child to receive educational benefits. Id. at 1177 (quoting J.S.K. ex rel. J.K. v. Hendry Cty. Sch. Bd., 941 F.2d 1563, 1571 (11th Cir. 1991)). The IDEA's framework recognizes that not all stakeholders will agree on all aspects of an IEP. Id. The statute thus provides for procedural safeguards through which a child's parents, if they believe that the IEP does not comply with the IDEA's requirements, can challenge the IEP. 20 U.S.C. 1415; R.L., 757 F.3d at 1177. The parents may unilaterally withdraw their child from the school system and pursue alternative placement options. R.L., 757 F.3d at 1177. Even if the parents do not withdraw their child, they, or the state, can file a complaint with the appropriate state administrative agency and get a due process hearing before an [Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ] to resolve the dispute. Id. (citing 20 U.S.C. 1415(f)(1)(A); Fla. Stat. 1003.57(c)). The complaint may be based on any matter relating to the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of the child, or the provision of a [FAPE] to such child. 20 U.S.C. 1415(b)(6). Either party can then challenge the ALJ's decision by appealing to either a state court or a United States District Court. R.L., 757 F.3d at 1178 (citing 20 U.S.C. 1415(i)(2)(A)). A court has broad discretion to grant the relief it deems appropriate in light of the IDEA's purpose. Id. In reviewing a challenge under the IDEA, the court will conduct a two-part inquiry: First, has the State complied with the procedures set forth in the Act? And second, is the individualized educational program developed through the Act's procedures reasonably calculated to enable the child to receive educational benefits? Bd. of Educ. of Hendrick Hudson Cent. Sch. Dist. v. Rowley, 458 U.S. 176, 20607, 102 S.Ct. 3034, 73 L.Ed.2d 690 (1982) (footnotes omitted). The state must meet both the procedural and substantive prongs of the Rowley test for the court to find the state has complied with the IDEA. See id. at 207, 102 S.Ct. 3034. Only procedural violations that cause a party substantive harm will entitle plaintiffs to relief. See Sch. Bd. of Collier Cty. v. K.C., 285 F.3d 977, 982 (11th Cir. 2002); Doe v. Ala. State Dep't of Educ., 915 F.2d 651, 66063 & nn. 910 (11th Cir. 1990). In this case, Appellants have asserted challenges solely under the procedural prong of Rowley and have explicitly disavowed any challenge under the substantive prong. Appellants' Consol. Reply 6. Thus, any question as to the sufficiency of the IEPs to provide educational benefits to the children of the Appellants is not before this Court. 3. Background and Procedural History 3 This case involves consolidated appeals. Appellant L.M.P. is the mother of E.P., D.P., and K.P. (the Triplets). Appellants C.C. and P.C. are the parents of A.C. The parties all appeal from the same district court order issued after a joint bench trial. The bulk of the factual background pertains to the Triplets as reflected in the district court's factual findings. The Triplets were born on January 4, 2001 and were diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder (autism) in 2003. D.E. 549 at 10. A.C. was also diagnosed with autism at an early age. Id. at 16. Autism is a neurological disorder that results in deficits in social communication and social interaction. Id. at 2. An autistic child qualifies as a child with a disability under the IDEA. 20 U.S.C. 1401(3)(A). In May 2003, shortly after the Triplets' diagnosis, their father had the children examined by David Garcia, the clinical supervisor for Behavioral Analysis, Inc. (BAI). Id. at 10. After the examination, the father hired BAI to provide each child with thirty hours per week of one-on-one ABA-based therapy. Id. On December 8, 2003, a meeting took place between the School Board and the Triplets' parents to discuss the transition of services their children had been receiving at the early intervention stage. Id. at 12. The parents expressed their desire that the Triplets continue receiving the thirty hours per week of one-on-one ABA-based therapy provided by BAI. Id. Carol Bianco, one of the School Board employees present at the meeting, allegedly advised the parents that ABA-based therapy was not provided by the School Board as an intervention service. Id. After the transition meeting, the School Board's team evaluated the Triplets. Id. Following the evaluations, the School Board scheduled a meeting for December 18, 2003 to develop IEPs for the children. Id. at 1213. Before the scheduled meeting, the Triplets' father requested copies of the School Board's evaluations, as a result of which the meeting was postponed until January 5, 2004. Id. at 13. The Triplets' father attended the meeting with a court reporter and Garcia. Id. The father renewed his request for the Triplets to receive thirty hours per week of one-on-one ABA-based therapy. Id. The meeting ended without a resolution, and a continuation was scheduled for February 3, 2004. Id. The parents were notified of the meeting, but did not attend. Id. At the February 3, 2004 meeting, the School Board developed initial, temporary IEPs for the Triplets. Id. at 1314. The initial IEPs stated under the assistive technology section that each child would receive instruction using the PECS method. Id. at 14. The School Board sent a letter including the initial IEPs to the Triplets' parents. Id. On February 5, 2004, the father notified the School Board that the parents did not consent to the IEPs. Id. at 1415. The parents ultimately did not enroll the Triplets in any of the Broward County public schools for the 20042005 academic year. Id. at 15. The Triplets continued to receive one-on-one ABA-based therapy from BAI until July 2004 at their parents' expense. Id. On August 17, 2004, the parents requested a due process hearing, which took place before an ALJ on January 24, 25, 27, and 28, 2005. Id. The parents requested reimbursement for the ABA-based therapy provided to the Triplets since they turned three years old that the parents claimed the state was obligated to cover under the IDEA. Id. On April 25, 2005, the ALJ issued a final order denying any relief to the Triplets and their parents. Id. at 1516. The School Board conducted A.C.s IEP meeting on July 17, 2007. Id. at 16. C.C. and A.C.s private behavioral specialist attended the meeting. Id. The IEP developed for A.C., similar to the Triplets', listed under the assistive technology section picture/symbol communication system. Id. The district court found that this was a reference to the PECS method. Id. L.M.P. filed the original Complaint in this case on May 24, 2005. L.M.P. ex rel. E.P. v. Sch. Bd. of Broward Cty., No. 05-cv-60845-KAM, ECF No. 1. The final version of the Complaint asserted four counts: (1) a claim asserting multiple violations of the IDEA, including that the School Board engaged in improper predetermination regarding the inclusion of ABA therapy in IEPs; (2) a claim under Section 504(a) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. 794(a); (3) a claim under Florida Statute 1003.57; and (4) a claim under 42 U.S.C. 1983. D.E. 549 at 17. In essence, Appellants argued that the School Board subjected them to a predetermined policy of always denying ABA services. Id. On January 22, 2008, C.C. and P.C. filed a Motion to Intervene, alleging predetermination issues and other claims similar to those asserted by L.M.P., which the court granted on March 20, 2008. L.M.P., No. 05-cv-60845-KAM, ECF Nos. 177, 190. The court, however, later bifurcated the cases on January 8, 2010. Id. ECF No. 283. After the court disposed of the 1983 claims in both cases on summary judgment in favor of the School Board, the parties agreed to consolidate the cases for trial. D.E. 549 at 1819. The district court held a bench trial on the remaining claims. Id. On September 7, 2016, the district court entered its Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law. Id. The district court found for the School Board on all counts except for one. Id. at 32. The court found that the School Board had impermissibly excluded the Triplets' parents from attending the initial child study meeting. Id. However, because that procedural violation was harmless, the court only awarded nominal damages of one dollar. Id. at 3233. The School Board did not challenge this finding. The only conclusion Appellants appeal is the district court's finding that Appellants lacked standing to challenge an alleged School Board policy of never including ABA services in IEPs. 4. Standing Appellants challenge the district court's finding that even if the School Board has a policy of not including ABA services on an IEP, [Appellants] in this case lack standing to challenge such a policy because it was not applied to them. D.E. 549 at 28. The relevant question, then, for this Court to decide is narrow: did Appellants suffer harm by the School Board's alleged policy of never including ABA services in an IEP, i.e., did they suffer an injury in fact. Article III of the U.S. Constitution limits the judicial power of the federal courts so that they may only exercise jurisdiction over Cases and Controversies. U.S. Const. art. III, 2; see Lujan v. Defs. of Wildlife, 504 U.S. 555, 559, 112 S.Ct. 2130, 119 L.Ed.2d 351 (1992). Accordingly, subject matter jurisdiction requires a justiciable case or controversy within the meaning of Article III. See Allen v. Wright, 468 U.S. 737, 75051, 104 S.Ct. 3315, 82 L.Ed.2d 556 (1984), abrogated on other grounds by Lexmark Int'l, Inc. v. Static Control Components, Inc., U.S. , 134 S.Ct. 1377, 188 L.Ed.2d 392 (2014). Standing constitutes one component of justiciability. Lujan, 504 U.S. at 56061, 112 S.Ct. 2130. Whether a plaintiff has standing presents a threshold question in every federal case, determining the power of the court to entertain the suit. Warth v. Seldin, 422 U.S. 490, 498, 95 S.Ct. 2197, 45 L.Ed.2d 343 (1975). To establish standing, a plaintiff seeking to invoke this Court's jurisdiction bears the burden of demonstrating: (1) an injury in fact; (2) a causal connection between the injury and the alleged misconduct; and (3) a likelihood that the injury will be redressed by a favorable decision. Lujan, 504 U.S. at 56061, 112 S.Ct. 2130. In order to satisfy the first prong, the injury in fact requirement, a plaintiff must show that he or she suffered an invasion of a legally protected interest that is concrete and particularized and actual or imminent, not conjectural or hypothetical. Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins, U.S. , 136 S.Ct. 1540, 1548, 194 L.Ed.2d 635 (2016) (quoting Lujan, 504 U.S. at 560, 112 S.Ct. 2130). The Court reviews issues of standing de novo. Eng'g Contractors Ass'n of S. Fla. Inc. v. Metro. Dade Cty., 122 F.3d 895, 903 (11th Cir. 1997). All of the children's IEPs either explicitly listed the PECS method or listed a clear reference to PECS under the assistive technology section. D.E. 549. at 28. This fact is not contested. The district court also found that the PECS method is a scientifically-validated (i.e., effective) ABA-based intervention strategy that is a form of DTT. Id. at 28. Appellants do not challenge the district court's finding that the PECS method is an ABA-based intervention. Instead, they argue that the singular reference to the PECS in the assistive technology portion of the children's IEPs was never meant by the School Board to be anything more than a suggestion to the schoolroom teacher. Appellants' Consol. Br. 52. [A]s written, [they argue that] the parents would be left with no ability to enforce the use of PECS for any particular length or time, or for any particular purpose in educating their Children. Id. Appellants assert that the inclusion of PECS was never intended to be the adoption of the specific ABA-based program the children had been receiving, and thus evinces the School Board's application of its policy of refusing to include ABA-based services, generally. Id. at 53. Despite any possible merit that Appellants' arguments may have as to the substantive quality or sufficiency of the inclusion of the PECS method in the children's IEPs, they are irrelevant under the procedural prong of Rowley. The narrow question here, as stated above, is whether Appellants suffered harm from an alleged procedural violation. Appellants allege that their injury in fact was the denial of their [sic] right of their parents to meaningfully participate in the IEP process, caused by the School Board's alleged predetermined policy of denying ABA-based services across the board. Appellants' Consol. Br. 55. Appellants attempt to show denial of meaningful participation by asserting that the School Board's policy is to presumptively deny the inclusion of all ABA-based services in IEPs. But, as the district court found, each child's IEP in this case included an ABA-based intervention strategy. Therefore, the School Board's inclusion of an ABA-based service in the children's IEPs in this case, regardless of how it was intended to be used or whether it matched the specific services requested by the parents, refutes Appellants' argument that they were denied meaningful participation. Appellants simply were not denied any ABA-based service in their children's IEPs. The question of whether the included ABA-based intervention strategy was comprehensive enough or appropriate for the children's particular needs is a question that falls under the substantive Rowley prong, i.e., whether the way in which the PECS method was utilized in the IEP was reasonably calculated to enable the child to receive educational benefits. See Rowley, 458 U.S. at 20607, 102 S.Ct. 3034. Appellants could have challenged the IEP on substantive grounds or they could have accepted the IEP and then challenged the sufficiency of the School Board's implementation of the IEP, specifically regarding the implementation of the PECS program. See L.J. ex rel. N.N.J. v. Sch. Bd. of Broward Cty., 850 F.Supp.2d 1315, 1319 (11th Cir. 2012). But they chose not to bring any substantive challenges. Although Appellants may claim to suffer injury because the School Board did not adopt the specific ABA services they were requesting, such a claim is not a cognizable injury in fact under the procedural prong of Rowley because the children's IEPs included an ABA-based service. Therefore, Appellants do not allege any invasion of a legally protected interest that is concrete and particularized and actual or imminent, not conjectural or hypothetical that relates to a procedural violation under Rowley. See Spokeo, 136 S.Ct. at 1548. As such, even if the alleged School Board policy exists, Appellants lack standing to challenge the policy because it was not applied to them. Accordingly, the district court's decision is AFFIRMED. FOOTNOTES . Citations to the IDEA are to the language that is now in effect. A comparison between the language in effect today and the language in effect at the time the conduct at issue took place shows no material change to the provisions relied upon in this case. . Under Part C of the IDEA, states must provide disabled children under three years of age with an individualized family service plan, setting forth specific early intervention services necessary for the toddler or infant and their family. 20 U.S.C. 14321435. . C.C. and P.C.s separate case was docketed under Case No. 10-cv-60032-KAM. . This Court makes no finding as to whether such a policy, in fact, existed. TITUS, District Judge: What are they talking about in Middletown Township? The ADA-accessible playground at Cobalt Ridge Park, home-improvement projects, climate change or the towns female police officer? Actually, all those topics -- and more on the townships own podcast, Middletown Township Talks. It recently celebrated its first anniversary and is doing quite well, say show organizers. Middletown Township Talks provides residents the... Administrators from Interpath Advisory say they will explore a potential sale of lifestyle brand Joules after receiving overwhelming interest in the business, which fell into administration earlier this week. Interpath Advisorys Will Wright, Ryan Grant and Chris Pole were appointed joint administrators of Joules Group and Joules Ltd on November 16. Founded in 1989, Joules is...continue reading At 30, with a degree in liberal arts, a satisfactory job in the United States, a green card and the great American dream staring him in the face, Vikas Jhunjhunwala found himself in the midst of a mid-life crisis a decade earlier than he wouldve perhaps liked. Three quarters back, when HDFC Banks gross non-performing asset (NPA) ratio climbed over a per cent, the hope was that it would only be a one-off blip. But, the bank hasnt been able to regain its sub one per cent level since then. Provisioning and gross NPA ratios have only been climbing up sequentially and the December quarter (Q3) results were no exception. Nagarjuna Oil Corporation Ltd (NOCL) has received an extension of another 90 days for its Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP), even as public sector and private investors get set to bid for control of the company. The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approved the extension, as the process could not be completed within the stipulated 180 days. A single bench of the NCLT issued an order extending the CIRP for 90 days, starting January 21, in response to an application filed by Resolution Professional S Rajendran. The application was filed as per a resolution of the Committee of Creditors (CoC). United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit. UNITED STATES of America, Appellant v. Andrew RAMEY No. 17-1339 Decided: January 19, 2018 Before: CHAGARES, VANASKIE, and FUENTES, Circuit Judges. Mark E. Coyne, Esq., Bruce P. Keller, Esq., Office of United States Attorney, Newark, NJ, for Plaintiff-Appellant Alison Brill, Esq., Lisa Van Hoeck, Esq., Office of Federal Public Defender, Trenton, NJ, for Defendant-Appellee OPINION * In this appeal, the Government challenges a sentence imposed by the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Andrew Ramey, the appellee and defendant in the underlying criminal action, argues that the District Court acted within its discretion when it applied a downward variance and sentenced him to 30 days of imprisonment for possession of child pornography. For the reasons stated below, we will vacate the sentence and remand for resentencing. I. As this Opinion is non-precedential and we write mainly for the parties, our factual recitation is abbreviated. In 2012, a law enforcement investigation discovered that Ramey possessed over 250 child pornography videos, some of which involved toddlers. Ramey was arrested and charged with possession of child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. 2252A(a)(5)(B). He pleaded guilty to the offense, admitting in his plea agreement that the material involved a prepubescent minor or a minor under the age of 12 and that [t]he offense involved 600 or more images. App. 144. Having accessed the videos via a peer-to-peer file sharing network, Ramey also admitted that his offense involved distribution of child pornography. Id. The Probation Department and the parties agreed that the applicable sentencing range under the United States Sentencing Commission Guidelines (the Guidelines) was 63 to 78 months of imprisonment. At his sentencing hearing, Ramey requested that the District Court apply a variance and sentence him to probation. He argued, inter alia, that the Guidelines are flawed with respect to child pornography cases, that there were no sadistic or masochistic images in his collection, that this is his first offense, and that he had some developmental cognitive issues growing up. App. 1216. Ultimately, the District Court imposed a sentence of only 30 days of imprisonment and a subsequent five-year term of supervised release. Providing an explanation for the variance, the District Court theorized that Congress did not intend to punish defendants like Ramey for the victimization of children in child pornography: The horror of the victims suffering, unfortunately, cannot be visited, addressed with punishment directly to the persons who actually acted out so as to physically assault these children. This is a unique crime because the punishment is directed toward persons such as this defendant who were the viewers, customers who chose to look at the material that was produced from this victimization of these children. So, unfortunately, we do not have before the court for punishment the persons who actually physically injured and assaulted these children. Its a unique situation with child pornography offenses. We have before us somebody who went into his computer and went to software and some mysterious peer-to-peer association and finds images and for months was looking, peering at these images of the horror that the victims were suffering and his offense is the looking, going into his computer to look at this. Now, thats what we have with this kind of offense and the offender in this particular case it would seem to me is probably not the person that Congress had in mind who should be punished for the horror and the suffering that these children went through. App. 2728. The District Courts explanation then concluded with a brief discussion of the four-year gap between Rameys arrest and sentencing, his childhood development, the support of his siblings, the harm that incarceration would inflict on him, and the lack of deterrent value of incarceration under these circumstances. App. 2830. The Government objected and then timely filed this appeal. II. The District Court exercised jurisdiction pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 3231. We have jurisdiction over this appeal pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 3742(b). We review sentences for abuse of discretion, and review them for both procedural and substantive reasonableness. United States v. Grober, 624 F.3d 592, 599 (3d Cir. 2010) (citing United States v. Tomko, 562 F.3d 558, 567 (3d Cir. 2009) (en banc)). III. Our review of the District Courts sentencing is deferential; however, that deference is not limitless. Although the Guidelines are advisory and there is no mandatory script for sentencing, United States v. Goff, 501 F.3d 250, 256 (3d Cir. 2007), a district court must follow a three-step sentencing process. It must first correctly calculate the defendants Guidelines range. United States v. Merced, 603 F.3d 203, 215 (3d Cir. 2010). Next, it must rule on any motions for departures. Id. Finally, after giving both parties an opportunity to argue for whatever sentence they deem appropriate, the court must exercise its discretion with meaningful consideration of the sentencing factors contained in 18 U.S.C. 3553(a). Id. We have twice reversed this same District Court for extraordinary downward variances in cases involving the possession of child pornography. See Goff, 501 F.3d at 262 ([A] sentence of four months is a drastic reduction and unreasonable in light of the facts and circumstances revealed in the record.); United States v. Lychock, 578 F.3d 214, 229 (3d Cir. 2009) (We conclude that, by ignoring relevant factors and failing to offer a reasoned explanation for its departure from the Guidelines, the District Court once again put at risk the substantive reasonableness of any decision it reached. That risk of unreasonableness was realized, under the particular circumstances of this case, in Lychocks sentence of probation.) (quoting Goff, 501 F.3d at 256). In both Goff and Lychock, we detailed the significant harm caused by possession of child pornography, the seriousness of the offense, and the clarity with which Congress has expressed its view on the matter. On this third occasion to consider the District Courts drastic sentencing reductions, we reiterate that the possession of child pornography alone, even absent any physical contact between the offender and a minor, is an extremely serious crime that causes substantial harm. See United States v. Williams, 553 U.S. 285, 307, 128 S.Ct. 1830, 170 L.Ed.2d 650 (2008) (Child pornography harms and debases the most defenseless of our citizens.). As we noted in Goff, [t]he simple fact that the images have been disseminated perpetuates the abuse initiated by the producer of the materials and [c]onsumers such as Goff who possess child pornography directly contribute to this continuing victimization. 501 F.3d at 259. Moreover, possession creates a market for child pornography that incentivizes further production of such materials. Id. As such, there is no mere or passive act of possessing child pornography. To possess such material is to victimize children in a significant and active manner. A. We first consider procedural unreasonableness. In this analysis, we must ensure that the District Court committed no significant procedural error, such as failing to calculate (or improperly calculating) the Guidelines range, treating the Guidelines as mandatory, failing to consider the 3553(a) factors, selecting a sentence based on clearly erroneous facts, or failing to adequately explain the chosen sentenceincluding an explanation for any deviation from the Guidelines range. Tomko, 562 F.3d at 567 (quoting Gall v. United States, 552 U.S. 38, 51, 128 S.Ct. 586, 169 L.Ed.2d 445 (2007)). A significant variance from the Guidelines range requires a more significant justification than a minor one. Grober, 624 F.3d at 599 (citing Gall, 552 U.S. at 50, 128 S.Ct. 586). The extraordinary variance here, which is 98% below the bottom of the applicable Guidelines range, necessitates a careful and significant justification; however, the District Court proceeded in a conclusory fashion. The conclusion that Ramey is probably not the person that Congress had in mind who should be punished for the horror and the suffering that these children went through is troubling, particularly because Congress has criminalized possession of child pornography as a separate offense from the physical abuse of children. To the extent that the District Court asserted a policy disagreement with the Guidelines, that reasoning must fail. Although a district court is permitted to vary from the Guidelines based on such a policy disagreement, its rationale should take into account all of the sentencing factors, not just one or two of them in isolation and it must provide sufficiently compelling reasons to justify the variance. Merced, 603 F.3d at 221. Although the District Court offered a brief discussion of the 3553(a) factors, it failed to provide compelling justifications for its sentence based upon the factors as a whole. Instead, the District Court offered vague descriptions of Rameys individual characteristics and largely unsupported conclusions regarding deterrence and the harm of incarceration. App. 2830. Thus, the District Courts sentencing in the instant case was procedurally unreasonable. B. Though we may remand based solely upon our conclusion that the District Courts sentencing was procedurally unreasonable, we will also consider substantive unreasonableness as we did in Goff and Lychock. Our substantive review of a sentence is based upon the totality of the circumstances, Merced, 603 F.3d at 214, and we will vacate a sentence on substantive grounds only if no reasonable sentencing court would have imposed the same sentence on that particular defendant for the reasons the district court provided. Tomko, 562 F.3d at 568. Our consideration of substantive unreasonableness is guided by the 3553(a) factors. Merced, 603 F.3d at 214. Although the District Court relied heavily upon the first 3553(a) factorthe nature and circumstances of the offense and the history and characteristics of the defendantthat factor does not support the District Courts downward variance. The facts and circumstances here are similar to those in Goff and Lychock: possession of hundreds of child pornography videos, some depicting prepubescent minors or those under the age of 12; limited or nonexistent prior criminal history; and the ready support of family members. In those prior cases, we found that comparable sentencing reductions were substantively unreasonable, and the facts of this case do not warrant a different result. Rameys learning disability and his exhibition of some unusual childhood behaviors do not meaningfully distinguish the case, because while these facts might warrant a reduction in sentencing, they do not support one of this magnitude. In addition, as we recognized in Goff, [s]ubsection (a)(2) requires consideration of the need to provide just punishment, which includes the avoidance of unwarranted sentencing disparities, as required by [subsection] (a)(6). 501 F.3d at 258. Here, the 98% downward variance from the bottom of the applicable Guidelines range would provide little punishment at all and create a significant sentencing disparity, which undercuts the interest in uniform sentencing practices and the perception of fair sentencing. Thus, the second and sixth of the 3553(a) factors gravitate strongly in favor of remand. On balance, these and the remaining factors simply do not support the extreme variance in this case. No reasonable court would impose a sentence of 30 days of imprisonment on these facts. Thus, as we did in Goff and Lychock, we conclude that the District Courts sentence is substantively unreasonable. IV. For the reasons stated above, we will vacate the District Courts sentence and remand for resentencing in accordance with this Opinion. FOOTNOTES . The District Court did not specify how Rameys developmental issues impacted his offense or culpability. At sentencing, the court stated that [t]here was a learning disability that was spotted and that Ramey had an unusual [childhood] behavior of eating pencils and tissues, a predilection for touching walls and photographs in some kind of tactile exploration, fixation, as yet unexplained. App. 29. The court continued, [r]eading through this presentence report there is something that is not the normal development that evidently has never been addressed. Id. . About a month after the Government filed its Notice of Appeal, Ramey submitted a request to the District Court that, in accordance with Local Appellate Rule 3.1, it issue a written amplification of its sentencing decision. The District Court responded on May 26, 2017 with a letter addressed to counsel. App. 12830. The brief letter was untimely as it was filed more than thirty days after the notice of appeal was docketed. See 3d Cir. L.A.R. 3.1. Furthermore, it provided little extra explanation and is insufficient for the same reasons that the justification for the substantial downward variance articulated at the original sentencing was deficient. . A district court need not, however, recite and make findings as to every one of the 3553(a) factors, as long as the record makes clear that the factors have been considered in deciding the sentence. Merced, 603 F.3d at 222. CHAGARES, Circuit Judge. State-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) will acquire the 51.1 per cent government stake in Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) at a cost of Rs 369.15 billion. The deal is expected to be completed by the end of this month. A Delhi court on Saturday granted bail to suspended Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Kapil Mishra. Mishra was summoned by the court as an accused in a defamation case filed by Delhi's Urban Development Minister Satyendra Jain for levelling graft charges against him. The court also asked him to furnish a personal bail bond of Rs. 10,000. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa, another accused in the same case, did not appear before the court. The court has fixed the next date of hearing for March 31. The court had earlier taken cognisance of two complaints filed by Jain, one against Mishra and another criminal complaint against Sirsa. Jain had filed two separate criminal complaints against Sirsa and Mishra alleging that they had made defamatory statements against him in the media. On May 7, 2017, Jain in his complaint said that Mishra, who earlier headed the water department in the Delhi government, had made a statement accusing him of giving a bribe to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on May 5, 2017. He added that said these statements by Mishra had caused irreparable damage to his reputation. As I speak with Shani Himanshu, founder of the fashion label 11.11/eleven eleven, he is heading to Mumbai international airport. For his airport look, he is dressed from head to toe in khadi. I am wearing a kala cotton khadi denim jacket with my track pants, made from fibre sourced from the dev vruksha. This is organic tree cotton, single spindle-spun, with zero count and dyed beautifully in indigo, he says. The garment is very contemporary I imagine it will look just as chic on the streets of Paris as it exudes comfort and convenience at Mumbai airport. And yet, the character remains distinctively, recognisably Indian. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for open defecation-free nation is giving tough time to the residents of Atsalia village of UP's Shahjahanpur district. The villagers are complaining about 'marriages being called off due to lack of toilets in the area.' State-run NMDC Ltd has offered to augment mineral production in Odisha, which is likely to be hit by shortage of due to closure of mines. N Baijendra Kumar, CMD of NMDC, has written to the in this regard, official sources said. A delegation from the company had also recently met Odisha Chief Secretary A P Padhi to discuss the matter. "NMDC is interested to operate three mining leases of OMDC (Orissa Minerals Development Company Ltd) in case allots in favour of NMDC," an official said, adding that the Ministry of Steel had already requested the state government to consider the operation of OMDC leases by NMDC. Operations have been suspended at a number of mines, where leaseholders failed to meet a deadline on 31 December, fixed by the Supreme Court, for paying penalties in connection with alleged illegal mining. In another proposal, NMDC said it has asked the to allot new leases under the government dispensation route, in which the company would conduct exploration work and develop them into operating mines. NMDC has also shown interest to put up a pellet and benificiation plant in the state for which allocation of low grade deposits are sought. This would maximise the utilisation and conservation of iron ore, it said. According to industry sources, nearly 20 million ton of production has been affected since the closure of mines from January 1. A Centre of Excellence on Virtual and Augmented Reality tasked with incubating start-ups and fostering high-end, futuristic research, would start functioning at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bhubaneswar on Saturday. The incubator, the first of the kind in the country, is expected to spur other institutes to set up similar facilities. Two were recovered near the Mahabodhi temple in Bihar's Bodh Gaya, where Tibetian spiritual leader Dalai Lama is camping, prompting authorities to heighten security, police said on Saturday. The bombs were found on Friday night, police said. Police have denied media reports that claimed that the bombs were found inside the Mahabodhi temple. "The explosive materials were found in the vicinity of the Kalachakra ground near the temple and kept far away from the temple," Inspector General of Police, Patna Zone, N.H. Khan said. "Security was already tight in Bodh Gaya but it was further reinforced," he added. Security of foreign monasteries and other sensitive places have also been beefed up and additional security forces have been deployed. #Bihar: Security intensified in and around #Mahabodhi temple at Bodhgaya after recovery of four bombs. pic.twitter.com/FMlRp87uD1 All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) January 20, 2018 A senior police official camping in Bodh Gaya said that three suspected persons have been found roaming in Bodh Gaya. Police will identify them soon, he said. Meanwhile, an NIA team from Delhi will reach Bodh Gaya on Saturday to start probe. A team of FSL from Patna has already reached to investigate the matter. In 2013, a series of bombs exploded at Bodh Gaya's Mahabodhi temple in which two Buddhist monks were injured. The IMF and the World Bank have commended the for its "remarkable progress in strengthening banking supervision" saying the regulation by the central bank has improved in recent years. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank had released two separate main Reports of the 2017 India Financial Sector Assessment Programme (FSAP) in December 2017. In continuation, the IMF and the World Bank yesterday released two detailed assessment reports (DARs) relating to the 2017 India FSAP. The report providing 'Detailed Assessment of Observance Basel Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision' has been released by the IMF and the World Bank. The report providing 'Detailed Assessment of Observance of Clearing Corporation of India Limited (CCIL) Central Counter Party (CCP) and Trade Repository (TR)' was released by the World Bank. Market regulator Sebi in a statement noted that the DAR on the observance of Basel Core Principles commends the Reserve Bank for the remarkable progress in strengthening banking supervision since the last FSAP. "It notes that the supervision and regulation by the Reserve Bank remain strong and have improved in recent years," the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) said. The DAR states that the system-wide asset quality review (AQR) and the strengthening of prudential regulations in 2015 testify to the authorities' commitment to transparency and a more accurate recognition of banking risks. The report also notes that most of the Basel III framework (and related guidance) has been implemented and cooperation arrangements, both domestically and cross-border, are now firmly in place. The DAR, Sebi said, acknowledges that banking reforms, including the Indradhanush Plan for revitalising the public sector banks and the Bank Board Bureaus, have helped usher in an era of transparency and improved discipline and will go a long way in resolving the problem of bad loans in India. The DAR relating to the assessment of the CCIL on CCP system and TR systems' benchmarking against the applicable principles of financial market infrastructure concluded that the CCIL systems have a high degree of observance of the principles. A visiting high-level delegation from Italy has evinced interest in investing at the aluminium downstream park at Angul (Odisha). The cluster spreading 240 acres, is being developed jointly by National Aluminium Company (Nalco) and state-owned Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco). Unlock 30+ premium stories daily hand-picked by our editors, across devices on browser and app. Full access to our intuitive epaper - clip, save, share articles from any device; newspaper archives from 2006. Curated newsletters on markets, personal finance, policy & politics, start-ups, technology, and more. Pick your 5 favourite companies, get a daily email with all news updates on them. 26 years of website archives. United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit. Norman Kevin WILKERSON, Petitioner-Appellant, v. Harold W. CLARKE, Dir. of VDOC, Respondent-Appellee, Commonwealth of Virginia, Respondent. No. 17-7059 Decided: January 19, 2018 Before KEENAN and FLOYD, Circuit Judges, and HAMILTON, Senior Circuit Judge. Norman Kevin Wilkerson, Appellant Pro Se. Virginia Bidwell Theisen, Senior Assistant Attorney General, OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF VIRGINIA, Richmond, Virginia, for Appellee. Norman Kevin Wilkerson seeks to appeal the district court's order accepting the recommendation of the magistrate judge and denying relief on his 28 U.S.C. 2254 (2012) petition.* The order is not appealable unless a circuit justice or judge issues a certificate of appealability. See 28 U.S.C. 2253(c)(1)(A) (2012). A certificate of appealability will not issue absent a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right. 28 U.S.C. 2253(c)(2) (2012). When the district court denies relief on the merits, a prisoner satisfies this standard by demonstrating that reasonable jurists would find that the district court's assessment of the constitutional claims is debatable or wrong. Slack v. McDaniel, 529 U.S. 473, 484, 120 S.Ct. 1595, 146 L.Ed.2d 542 (2000); see Miller-El v. Cockrell, 537 U.S. 322, 336-38, 123 S.Ct. 1029, 154 L.Ed.2d 931 (2003). When the district court denies relief on procedural grounds, the prisoner must demonstrate both that the dispositive procedural ruling is debatable, and that the petition states a debatable claim of the denial of a constitutional right. Slack, 529 U.S. at 484-85, 120 S.Ct. 1595. We have independently reviewed the record and conclude that Wilkerson has not made the requisite showing. Accordingly, we deny a certificate of appealability, deny leave to proceed in forma pauperis, deny the pending motions, and dismiss the appeal. We dispense with oral argument because the facts and legal contentions are adequately presented in the materials before this court and argument would not aid the decisional process. DISMISSED FOOTNOTES . Wilkerson has also filed a supplemental notice of appeal from the magistrate judge's earlier order denying his motion for release pending review. We may exercise jurisdiction only over final orders, and certain interlocutory and collateral orders, of the district court. See 28 U.S.C. 1291, 1292 (2012). Except when a magistrate judge acts under 28 U.S.C. 636(c) (2012), we lack jurisdiction over appeals from a magistrate judge's order. See United States v. Baxter, 19 F.3d 155, 156-57 (4th Cir. 1994). PER CURIAM: Dismissed by unpublished per curiam opinion. Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit. Despite the expected fiscal stimulus and higher government spending due to incremental revenues on account of the GST, the overall investment cycle is unlikely to revive. A high-level meeting of Indian and European stakeholders engaged in the seafood sector is slated to take place later this month in Goa to discuss solutions for complying with food safety regulations in the production and trade of shrimp. Cyber space emerges as the fourth dimension to threats to national security: Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh attends Closing Ceremony of the 8th All India Police Commando Competition at Manesar Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh has said a fourth dimension has been added to threats national security faced till now. Addressing the Closing Ceremony of the 8th All India Police Commando Competition at Manesar, Gurugram in Haryana today, Shri Rajnath Singh said commandos should also train to stamp out threats from the cyber space, apart from conventional threats emanating on the land, emerging from the seas and in the air. Hacking websites and data leaks also indirectly imperil national security, he added. Commending the smart turnout of the Commandos, the Union Home Minister said he is confident that their iron fists can sniff out any evil eye casting aspersions on our soil. A Commando is not only physically agile and deft in firing weapons, but it is the composed mindset to make threat assessment and application of ones resources to overcome the threat that gets into making a Commando out of a soldier, he said. Shri Rajnath Singh said Commandos have made the nation proud, having proved their mettle during the 2001 Parliament attack, 2002 Akshardham temple attack, 2008 Mumbai attack and the recent Pathankot terrorist attack. Union Home Minister declared an honorarium of Rs. 5 crores towards the NSG Welfare Fund. On the occasion, the Union Home Minister released a compendium and a coffee table book. He took salute of the march past and presented medals and trophies to the winners. The week long 8th All India Police Commando Competition was organised by the National Security Guard, wherein 25 teams from different Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and State Police Forces participated. The NSG team won the prestigious competition. The teams from BSF and Maharashtra Police secured second and third positions, respectively. A Sniper Shooting Competition was also introduced first time in the All India Police Commando Competition. An equipment display was organised on the sidelines of the competition where the latest weapons and equipment for the security forces were showcased. Director General, NSG, Shri Sudhir Pratap Singh and Director, IB Shri Rajiv Jain were among the dignitaries present. Defaulter of Income Tax TDS arrested and sent to jail by ?the ?Tis Hazari Court Tis Hazari Court has ordered judicial custody of the Director of a Delhi based Real Estate and IT Solution Company for non-compliance in Income Tax TDS Default case. It was found during investigations that the company had deducted TDS but had not deposited in the Government account despite there being a statutory obligation by the Income Tax Act. This also led to harassment of many innocent persons whose TDS had been deducted but the TDS returns had not been filed by the Real Estate Company. It was found that during FY 2013-14, FY 2014-15 and FY 2015-16, amounts of Rs. 45,68,990/-, Rs. 35,45,290/- and Rs. 33,36,970/- were deducted by the assessee company. The assessee company was found to be defaulting on filing of TDS return statements. Taking into account all defaults, show cause notices were served upon the Director to explain why sanction for prosecution should not be granted under section 278B read with 276B of Income Tax Act for not complying with the provisions of the law in respect of non -deposition of the Income Tax deducted at source. However, during the proceedings, the assessee asked for repeated adjournments, instead of giving reasonable explanations for the defaults during the proceedings. Hence, it was concluded that there is no justifiable reason for the delay in depositing the TDS. This clearly showed the non-serious behaviour of the assessee towards the provisions of deduction and depositions of tax at source. Therefore, TDS Wing in exercise of powers under Section 279(1) of Income Tax Act sanctioned the filing of criminal complaint against the company as well as the Director under Section 276B read with 278B, 278E and 279 of the Act for FY 2013-14, FY 2014-15 and FY 2015-16 in 2017. Non-bailable warrant was issued against the Director in December 2017 for non-compliance with the case proceedings. The Non-bailable warrants returned to the court unexecuted with the report that accused is avoiding execution of the warrants. Hence, on 19 Jan 2018 accused was taken into custody and was remanded to judicial custody. The accused has been sent to Tihar Jail for the same. Fourth India International Science Festival to be held in Lucknow The fourth edition of the India International Science Festival will be held in Lucknow. The exact dates and other details will be decided later. The decision to hold the Festival in Lucknow was taken at the first preparatory meeting for the 4th India International Science Festival (IISF) chaired by Union Minister for Science & Technology, Environment, Forest & Climate Change and Earth Sciences, Dr. Harsh Vardhan. Officials of Ministries of Science and Technology, Earth Sciences and DG, CSIR and representatives of Vijnana Bharti (VIBHA), the partner organisation for the festival, were among those who attended the meeting. President of India to Visit Gujarat on January 21 and 22, 2018 The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, will visit Gujarat on January 21 and 22, 2018. On January 21, 2018, the President will grace the 66th annual convocation of Gujarat University in Ahmedabad. On January 22, 2018, the President will address the 66th annual convocation of the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. On the same day, the President will grace the 150th anniversary celebrations of Akshar Deri at Gondal, before returning to Delhi. States pledge to galvanise behaviour change efforts to ensure ODF India in 2019 On 19th and 20th January, 2018, the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation organized a two-day National Consultation on Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) in Gurugram, Haryana. The Consultation was attended by the senior most officers from States and Swachh Bharat Mission Directors from across the country. The participants focused on a variety of issues related to SBM(G), including progress so far, way forward, with a particular focus on IEC (Information Education Communication) efforts underway in the States. With the SBM entering its pre-final year of implementation, the States shared their plans on achieving an Open Defecation Free status in 2018, with a strong focus on behaviour change communication, delivered through a mixture of targeted inter-personal communication and mass communication. The States shared their plans for sustaining their ODF status after achievement, by ensuring that the toilets constructed under the Mission are used by all members of every household in a village. The State IEC plans for 2018 were presented and discussed with the Ministry. The Ministry also held special sessions on resolving issues faced by the States on a case-to-case basis, with a special focus on the States of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha. Young professionals, deployed as Zila Swachh Bharat Preraks in districts, also attended the workshop and interacted with Ministry officials to share the work being done by them at the grassroots and were assured of consistent support by the senior officers of the Ministry in their role as valuable resource persons for the districts and States. Entrepreneurs in the sanitation sector were also invited to make presentations to the States on innovative toilet technologies developed by them that can help scale up the design and production of toilets, and help design toilets that are easier for use by senior citizens and the differently- abled persons . The Secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation Shri Parameswaran Iyer in his inaugural address at the workshop, spoke about the long way that the Mission had come since its launch. He shared that 3 lakh villages, 300 districts and 10 States/Union Territories have been declared Open Defecation Free, and that the rural sanitation coverage today stands at over 76%, up from 39% at the time of the launch of the Mission in October 2014. He also expressed confidence that, with the sustained and focused implementation that the Mission was receiving by the State governments, the Prime Minister's vision of a Swachh Bharat by October 2, 2019 would be realized. <><><><><> AR/SNC The Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi felicitated 112 exceptional women achievers in New Delhi today. The Minister of Food Processing Industries, Smt Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Ms. Anupriya Patel were also present on the occasion. These women achievers FIRST LADIES are those who are first to set a milestone in their respective fields like the first female Merchant Navy Captain, first train driver of passenger train, first female fire fighter, first female bus driver, first Indian woman to reach Antarctica among others. Welcoming the First Ladies, the Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi said that the First Ladies are a unique group of women who are the first in their respective fields of achievement and each one deserved to be recognized. " Your achievement will inspire other women to break the glass ceiling and do the women of India proud", she said. Smt Maneka Gandhi said that the WCD Ministry has been organising similar events to recognise women achievers in different ways which has yielded great results. The Minister of Food Processing Industries, Smt Harsimrat Kaur Badal congratulated the First Ladies and hoped that their number will grow bigger and bigger. The Minister said that women in India face a number of challenges, and achieving the distinction of being a first in any field would have been truly challenging for most women. " You have shown and proved that it can be done and it will happen" Smt Harsimrat Kaur said. The Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Ms Anupriya Patel appreciated the WCD Ministry for its unique initiative "First Ladies". The initiative is in the spirit of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao programme and the women achievers will act as a role model and inspiration for women across the country. "You have started a journey which will take India forward", the Minister exhorted. China will impose "special emissions restrictions" on enterprises in major industrial sectors in northern China later this year, as it bids to ensure its war on pollution continues once a tough winter anti-smog campaign ends in March. To meet politically crucial air quality targets last year, China forced 28 cities in northern China to cut concentrations of hazardous, breathable particles known as PM2.5 by 10-25 per cent from October 2017-March 2018. But amid concerns that enterprises and local governments could lower their guard once short-term campaigns to meet air quality targets have been completed, China has been trying to "normalise compliance" and put firms under more permanent scrutiny and pressure. In a notice published on its website late on Friday, China's Ministry of Environmental Protection said all new industrial projects in 28 key northern Chinese cities would now have to comply with even tougher emission curbs when undergoing environmental impact assessments from March 1. Existing industrial boilers as well as facilities in sectors like thermal power, steel, petrochemicals, chemicals, non-ferrous metals (excluding aluminium) and cement, will be subject to tougher emission limits for sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and volatile organic compounds beginning from Oct. 1, the notice said. Coking chemical plants will have longer to comply with the new restrictions and will have to renovate by October 2019. The notice said existing enterprises must take effective measures to comply with the new restrictions by the required deadline. If they fail to do so, they can be fined, ordered to restrict output or forced to shut down completely. As part of the winter campaign, the 28 cities were subjected to an unprecedented central government inspection regime and have been under orders to cut industrial output, thin traffic and curb coal use in order to reduce smog build-ups. All 28 met their targets in the final quarter of 2017. China has been aiming to establish a nationwide, real-time, 24-hour monitoring system that puts firms under permanent pressure to comply with environmental rules, and it has also been trying to empower police and courts to take on persistent offenders. Byton, the Chinese electric-car start-up founded by former BMW executives, is seeking about $400 million in a new round of funding, people with knowledge of the matter said. United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit. UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Rick E. BROWN & Mary C. Talaga, Defendants-Appellants. Nos. 15-3117 Decided: January 19, 2018 Before Bauer, Easterbrook, and Ripple, Circuit Judges. Joanna K. W. Bowman, Attorney, Ellen Meltzer, Attorney, Department Of Justice, Criminal Division, Fraud Section, Washington, DC, Kevin R. Gingras, Attorney, Department Of Justice, Criminal Division, Washington, DC, PlaintiffAppellee. Carol A. Brook, Attorney, Rosalie L. Guimaraes, Attorney, Office of the Federal Defender Program, for DefendantAppellant. A grand jury indicted Rick E. Brown and Mary C. Talaga with one count of conspiracy to commit health-care fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1349, six counts of health-care fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1347, and three counts of falsifying a matter or providing false statements, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1035(a). A jury convicted them on all counts. The district court sentenced Mr. Brown to eighty-seven months' imprisonment on the health-care fraud counts and terms of sixty months' imprisonment on each of the falsification counts to run concurrently with each other and with the fraud counts. In doing so, the district court explained that a significant sentence was warranted for several reasons, including general deterrence. Ms. Talaga was sentenced to concurrent forty-five-month sentences on all of the ten counts. Both defendants now maintain that the district court erred in imposing their respective sentences. Mr. Brown maintains that the district court's assumptions about the need for general deterrence were unfounded and constituted procedural error. Ms. Talaga argues that, when the district court calculated the amount of loss for which she was responsible, it impermissibly included losses that occurred before she joined the conspiracy. The inclusion of these amounts resulted in a higher loss amount, corresponding to a higher offense level and sentence. Because the district court did not err in its reasoning or in its sentencing determination, we affirm its judgments. I BACKGROUNDA. Medicall Physicians Group, Ltd. (Medicall), a company that provided home physician visits to patients, employed both Mr. Brown and Ms. Talaga. Mr. Brown served as Medicall's office manager, and Ms. Talaga had responsibility for medical billing. Dr. Roger Lucero, a third defendant, was the owner and medical director of the company. He pleaded guilty to the conspiracy count, cooperated with the Government, and testified against both Mr. Brown and Ms. Talaga. Beginning at least as early as January 2007, Mr. Brown and Dr. Lucero began submitting false and fraudulent claims to Medicare. Ms. Talaga, who had been trained as a medical biller, joined Medicall in August 2007. She reported to Mr. Brown and was paid a percentage of Medicall's earnings. According to the evidence, the fraud at Medicall took at least three forms. First, Mr. Brown and Ms. Talaga billed Medicare for prolonged visits, using the prolonged care code, as a way to pay for employees' travel time. Second, regardless whether the patient qualified for, or received, the billed-for care, every patient was billed for Care Plan Oversight, a type of physician supervision for patients requiring complex or multi-disciplinary care. Finally, Mr. Brown and Ms. Talaga billed Medicare for services purportedly provided to deceased patients, as well as services by providers who no longer were associated with Medicall. After hearing the evidence, the jury convicted both defendants on all counts of the indictment. 1. Mr. Brown The probation office prepared a presentence report (PSR) for Mr. Brown. The PSR calculated a base offense level of six under U.S.S.G. 2B1.1(a)(2), and then applied an eighteen-level increase under 2B1.1(b)(1)(J) for an intended loss of approximately $4.3 million. The PSR also applied (1) a two-level increase for a federal health-care offense involving a loss of more than $1 million but less than $7 million; (2) a two-level increase for use of sophisticated means; (3) a four-level increase for being a leader or organizer; and (4) a two-level increase for obstruction of justice because Mr. Brown had testified falsely at trial about his role in the offense. These increases yielded a total offense level of thirty-four that, when combined with Mr. Brown's criminal history category of I, yielded a sentencing range of 151 to 188 months. Mr. Brown objected to various aspects of the PSR's calculation. The district court agreed with Mr. Brown that the fraud did not involve sophisticated means. It also gave Mr. Brown the benefit of the loss table in the new Guidelines, which yielded a sixteen-level increase, as opposed to an eighteen-level increase, for amount of loss. When combined with Mr. Brown's criminal history category, the new calculation yielded a guidelines range of 121 to 151 months. The district court then considered the 3553(a) factors one by one. It also observed that [s]ubsection (a)(2) requires the Court to consider the need for the sentence imposed to accomplish the various purposes of criminal punishment. The first purpose is to reflect the seriousness of the offense, to promote respect for the law, and to provide just punishment for the offense. The court considered the crimes to be serious because they occurred over an extended period of time and involved $4.3 million in false claims. The second purpose articulated in 18 U.S.C. 3553(a) is to afford adequate deterrence to criminal conduct. The court considered this purpose a significant factor because Medicare fraud unfortunately is widespread in this country; and those who are in the medical field and who are tempted to engage in fraud must know, they have to know, that the penalties are severe, particularly given the low likelihood of getting caught. The court stated that it agreed with the Government that people in the healthcare business and in the home healthcare business in particular will know about this sentence, and this sentence has to send a signal. It's not the only consideration, and it's not the most important consideration, but it is a consideration that 3553(a)(2)(B) directs me to consider, and I do have to consider that.[6] Finally, the court noted that, with respect to specific deterrence, it was highly unlikely that Mr. Brown would commit a crime in the future. The court then sentenced Mr. Brown to eighty-seven months' imprisonment. The court reiterated many of these considerations in its oral statement of reasons: I don't think that anything less than 87 months would be sufficient to fulfill the purposes of 3553(a), and here's why: The duration of the scheme. It went on for several years. This wasn't a momentary slip This was a sustained course of knowing criminal conduct. The amount actually stolen, over $1.3 million. That's a lot of money. I'm going to come back to general deterrence. This is a white collar crime, so the sentence imposed here is far more likely to have a deterrent effect on Mr. Brown's cohorts, those also involved in the medical profession, than a sentence in a drug case or an illegal re-entry case. I do agree that people in the healthcare field, people who are businessmen and women who are business people, they engage in a cost/benefit analysis. And the benefit is the benefit if you don't get caught, and the cost is the probability of getting caught multiplied by the sanction. And there's a low probability of getting caught, so the sanction has to be serious. It has to be real, if there's any hope of ensuring that at least when people look at the cost and the benefits, when they're contemplating fraud, that they realize that cost will outweigh the benefits. And finally, there's Mr. Brown's failure to accept responsibility, and in particular his repetition of the claim that he wasn't responsible for the fraud.[8] 2. Ms. Talaga The probation office also prepared a PSR for Ms. Talaga. It set her base offense level at six pursuant to 2B1.1, and applied an eighteen-level increase for the amount of loss (greater than $2.5 million, but less than $7 million). It also included a two-level increase for use of sophisticated means and a two-level increase for a federal health-care offense. These de-terminations yielded an offense level of twenty-eight that, when combined with a criminal history category of I, yielded a guidelines range of seventy-eight to ninety-seven months. Ms. Talaga objected to various aspects of the PSR. Her primary argument was that the intended loss amount should be reduced. She submitted that her intended loss could not have been more than the amount that Medicare actually paid because Ms. Talaga knew that Medicall would not have obtained the full $4M+ that Medicall fraudulently billed. Specifically, she noted that an application note to the fraud guideline states that the aggregate dollar amount of fraudulent bills is evidence sufficient to establish the amount of [the] intended loss, if not rebutted by the defendant. She claimed that [u]nlike co-defendants Rick Brown and Dr. Roger Lucero, [she] was intimately familiar with the billing procedures of the medical practice as well as with 42 U.S.C. 1395w-4(a)(1), which provides that Medicare can never pay any more than the amount determined under the Medicare fee schedule. The Government's own investigation establishes that Ms. Talaga successfully completed Medical Billing, a course at Triton Junior College, and the Medical Billing course syllabus explains than the course is all about Medicare and medical billing problems, but that the course covers mostly Medicare issues. Further, Triton College staff and a Triton Medical Billing course professor confirmed that the course cover[s] in depth the Medicare regulation that Medicare can never pay any more than the Medicare fee schedule. Even aside from Ms. Talaga's schooling, Ms. Talaga would have had to have under-stood Medicare's payment practices because her income was based entirely on Medicare payment amounts with respect to her submitted bills to Medicare. [11] Consequently, she claimed, she had rebutted the Government's prima facie case. Ms. Talaga also argued that the amount of loss should be decreased because she did not recognize that she was committing fraud when she first began at Medicall. Ms. Talaga pointed to the testimony of another biller, Arian Shogren, who testified that Mr. Brown told her that all patients actually were receiving Care Plan Oversight. At first, Shogren stated that she believed Mr. Brown; however, she recognized the fraud at the end of her time working at Medicall. Ms. Talaga submitted that she, similarly, did not recognize the fraud at the outset. The court accepted that, as an experienced biller, she would be familiar with Medicare's reimbursement levels. Therefore, concluded the court, Ms. Talaga should not be responsible for the amount of all the false claims, but only those that fell within the reimbursement schedule set by Medicare. Thus Ms. Talaga's amount of loss was reduced to $3.262 million. The court also reduced Ms. Talaga's loss amount by $222,000 for the few months during the conspiracy that she did not work for Medicall. These reductions, however, did not result in a reduction in offense level. The court rejected Ms. Talaga's argument that she should not be responsible for fraudulent billings from the beginning of her tenure. The court found by the preponderance of the evidence that a seasoned and trained medical biller would have realized, from the outset, that not every single patient was receiving Care Plan Oversight, that the number of hours being billed for Care Plan Oversight could not be reconciled with the number of actual services that Dr. Lucero was performing, and that she did not have the required documentation for the bills that she was submitting. Giving Ms. Talaga the benefit of the upcoming amended schedule, the court calculated a new guidelines range of fifty-one to sixty-three months. After considering the 3553(a) factors, the court imposed a sentence of forty-five months' imprisonment. Both Mr. Brown and Ms. Talaga timely appealed their sentences. II DISCUSSION Both Mr. Brown and Ms. Talaga maintain that the district court committed procedural error when imposing their sentences. Whether a district court followed proper sentencing procedure is a question of law that we review de novo. United States v. Olmeda-Garcia, 613 F.3d 721, 723 (7th Cir. 2010). To ensure that the sentencing judge did not commit any significant procedural error, we examine whether the district court: i) properly calculated the Guidelines range; ii) recognized that the Guidelines range was not mandatory; iii) considered the sentencing factors in 18 U.S.C. 3553(a); iv) selected a sentence based on facts that were not clearly erroneous; and v) adequately explained the chosen sentence including an explanation for any deviation from the Guidelines range. United States v. Lockwood, 840 F.3d 896, 900 (7th Cir. 2016) (quoting Gall v. United States, 552 U.S. 38, 53 (2007)). We consider first Mr. Brown's claim of error and then turn to Ms. Talaga's. A. With respect to Mr. Brown, the district court properly calculated the guidelines range, recognized its ability to depart from the Guidelines, considered all of the 3553(a) factors, and imposed a sentence that was thirty-four months below the guidelines rangea sentence that the court characterized as a significant downward variance. The court noted that four factors prevented it from departing further: the duration of the scheme, the amount of the fraud, the need for general deterrence, and Mr. Brown's failure to accept responsibility. All of these factors are legitimate considerations for the court to take into account. See 18 U.S.C. 3553(a). Mr. Brown maintains, however, that the district court committed procedural error because it relied on unfounded assumptions in articulating a need for general deterrence. Specifically, Mr. Brown questions the district court's belief that would-be white-collar criminals engage in cost-benefit analyses in deciding whether to engage in illicit activities. He further questions the court's application of this principle to the health-care context, specifically that, given the low probability of getting caught, a serious penalty was necessary to deter others from engaging in this kind of crime. We previously have endorsed the idea that white-collar criminals act rationally, calculating and comparing the risks and the rewards before deciding whether to engage in criminal activity. United States v. Warner, 792 F.3d 847, 86061 (7th Cir. 2015). They are, therefore, prime candidates for general deterrence. Id. at 860 (quoting United States v. Peppel, 707 F.3d 627, 637 (6th Cir. 2013)). Our approach comports with that of our sister circuits. See United States v. Musgrave, 761 F.3d 602, 609 (6th Cir. 2014) (Because economic and fraud-based crimes are more rational, cool, and calculated than sudden crimes of passion or opportunity, these crimes are prime candidates for general deterrence. (quoting Peppel, 707 F.3d at 637)); United States v. Martin, 455 F.3d 1227, 1240 (11th Cir. 2006) (using language identical to that in Musgrave); cf. United States v. Goffer, 721 F.3d 113, 132 (2d Cir. 2013) (noting that high sentences were necessary to alter the calculus that insider trading was a game worth playing ). The district court, therefore, did not err in relying on such a widely accepted principle. The district court was entitled to conclude that, given that health-care fraud is widespread and that therefore there is a lower likelihood of getting caught, a serious penalty was necessary to ensure deterrence. At sentencing, the Government specifically brought to the district court's attention that the Medicare program has imposed a moratorium on additional companies joining the program to provide home healthcare services because it isthe fraud in the area is so prevalent. Mr. Brown did not dispute this assertion, either by way of argument or contrary evidence. Indeed, in his brief to this court he acknowledges that white collar crimes such as health care fraud, public corruption, and the like, seem to continue unabated. Mr. Brown also submits, however, that [s]ome press re-leases and news articles leading up to Brown's September 2015 sentencing hearing include rather dramatic statistics about the success of intensified law enforcement efforts in the area of Medicare fraud. Given these increased efforts and the publicity they received, Mr. Brown suggests that it is difficult to understand how the district court could have so heartily agreed with the proposition that white-collar offenders in Brown's field are less likely to get caught. Mr. Brown never invited the district court's attention to these press re-leases and articles. Therefore, we can hardly fault the court for not considering them. [S]entencing judges cannot be expected to rely on evidence not before them. United States v. Reibel, 688 F.3d 868, 872 (7th Cir. 2012). Moreover, even if this material had been presented to the district court, it would not have required the court to alter its conclusion that those who engage in Medicare fraud have a low likelihood of getting caught. In determining the importance of deterrence in crafting a sentence, the sentencing court must answer the situation from the perspective of the prospective offender. From that perspective, the likelihood of getting caught depends not simply on the amount of resources that the Government expends on a particular type of crime, but the frequency with which the particular crime is committed and the ease with which it can be committed and go undetected. Indeed, Mr. Brown observed in his brief that health care fraud seem[s] to continue unabated. The vast size and complexity of the Medicare program makes fraud detection especially difficult. Indeed, the unique problems faced in detecting fraud in the home-health-care industry prompted the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to extend its moratorium on new home-health-care agencies in Chicagoa fact specifically brought to the district court's attention. In short, because of the magnitude of the Medicare program, an increase in resources would not necessarily result in a potential offender determining that there is a meaningful increase in the likelihood of detection. The district court did not err, therefore, in resting its conclusion about the need for general deterrence on the basis that there was a low likelihood of getting caught for Medicare fraud. Mr. Brown maintains, however, that his case is indistinguishable from United States v. England, 555 F.3d 616 (7th Cir. 2009), and other cases in which we have found error because the district court based the sentence on unfounded assumptions. In England, the defendant, while incarcerated, threatened witnesses over the telephone and later was convicted of threatening force against a witness, his brother-in-law. At sentencing, the court articulated the belief that, had the defendant been out on bond, he would have armed himself and used what degree of force was necessary to get them to drop the charges against him. Id. at 62021 (internal quotation marks omitted). The district court, therefore, determined that the appropriate guideline was 2A2.1, Assault with Intent to Commit Murder; Attempted Murder, and that the nature of the offense warranted a sentence within the attempted-murder guideline range. Id. at 61819. On appeal, we evaluated whether the district court's findings were sufficiently based on reliable evidence to satisfy due process, or if they amount[ed] to speculation, albeit informed, that f[ell] short of satisfying due process requirements. Id. at 622 (quoting United States v. Santiago, 495 F.3d 820, 824 (7th Cir. 2007)). We explained that [t]he preponderance of the evidence standard satisfies due process in a case, such as this one, where the district court sentences a defendant based on the guideline for a crime the court believes the defendant would have committed if out of prison on bond. Simply put, the question here is whether a preponderance of the evidence supports the court's belief that the defendant would have committed the crime. Adhering to such a standard operates to preclude a sentencing court from sentencing defendants for crimes not sufficiently supported by reliable evidence. Id. In England, we were unable to conclude that a preponderance of the evidence buttresse[d] the court's belief that England would have committed the crime of attempted murder because all of the defendant's family, including the threatened witness, testified that they did not feel threatened by England's statements but that England was merely blowing off steam in issuing threats. Id. at 623. [B]ecause the evidence appear[ed] at least in equipoise, the preponderance of the evidence standard was not met. Id. Mr. Brown's situation stands in stark contrast to the defendant in England. In England, the district court drew conclusions about England's individual conduct, which were not supported by a preponderance of the evidence, to determine England's presumptive guideline range and then sentenced England within that range. Here, however, the factual foundations for the district court's guideline calculation are sound. Moreover, the district court's statements regarding white-collar crime and the prevalence of Medicare fraud are not unfounded assumptions but are grounded in case law, in the record, and in common sense. Here, Mr. Brown faults the district court for not addressing and accepting his policy argument, based on penological studies, that it is the certainty of conviction rather than the length of sentence that serves to deter. In the district court, the only mention of these studies was at the sentencing hearing. Defense counsel stated: I'll just note briefly that the statute only requires adequate deterrence, not maximal deterrence with the sentence the Court imposes. And I would also add that studies have shown that it's really the certainty of punishment that drives people more in terms of deterrence than the actual severity or even the swiftness of the imposition of punishment.[33] For these reasons, counsel urged, even a modest prison term for Mr. Brown could send that adequate message to society that law enforcement can and will investigate you for Medicare fraud. The district court did not have before it any specific studies. Indeed, Mr. Brown did not bring specific studies to this court's attention until his reply brief. There is no question that, from a procedural perspective, the district court addressed and rejected this argument. In its statement of reasons, the court stated that it agree[d] with [Government counsel] that people in the healthcare field engage in a cost/benefit analysis. And the benefit is the benefit if you don't get caught, and the cost is the probability of getting caught multiplied by the sanction. The district court was under no obligation to accept or to comment further on Mr. Brown's deterrence argument. In United States v. Schmitz, 717 F.3d 536, 542 (7th Cir. 2013), the defendant pleaded guilty to mail fraud, and the resulting guidelines sentence was 87 to 108 months. Before the district court, the defendant argued that the recently increased penalties for fraud offenses represented a departure from the philosophy animating the original version of the Guidelines, namely that a short but definite period of incarceration would suffice as a deterrent to most white collar offenders. Id. at 539. The district court, without explicitly addressing this argument, sentenced Schmitz to a term of eighty-four months. On appeal, we determined that Schmitz's argument was not one addressed to his own characteristics and circumstances, but was a categorical challenge to the validity of the fraud guideline, on the ground that the severity of sentences called for by the current incarnation of that guideline is unsupported by any empirical data demonstrating the need for longer sentences. Id. at 542. Because it was a blanket challenge to the guideline rather than one tailored to [the defendant's] unique characteristics and circumstances, it [wa]s not one that the district judge [had to] explicitly address. Id. Moreover, the district court was perfectly entitled to accept the penal philosophy embodied in the current fraud guideline and was not obligated to explain why [it] chose to do so. Id.; see also United States v. Hancock, 825 F.3d 340, 344 (7th Cir. 2016) (quoting Schmitz for the proposition that a district court need not address Hancock's policy argument that the Guidelines' offense-level increases for receipt, transport, possession, or distribution of child-pornography, fit poorly with modern practical realities and specifically reiterating that the district judge was perfectly entitled to accept the penal philosophy embodied in the current [child-pornography] guideline (alteration in original)). Like the district courts in Schmitz and Hancock, here the district court was perfectly entitled to accept the penal philosophy embodied in the Guidelines that societal goals are served by increasing fraud sentences to reflect the amount of loss, as opposed to imposing only nominal sentences. We find no substantive or procedural error in the district court's imposition of sentence on Mr. Brown. B. We turn now to Ms. Talaga's sentence. She takes issue with one of the factual bases on which the court's calculation of loss rests. Specifically, she claims that the district court's calculation of loss should not include amounts for claims dating back to 2007 because the Government did not prove that she was aware at that time that the claims were fraudulent. We review the district court's determination of loss for clear error, see United States v. Diamond, 378 F.3d 720, 726 (7th Cir. 2004), and will reverse the district court only if we are left with the definite and firm conviction that a mistake was made, United States v. Bryant, 557 F.3d 489, 497 (7th Cir. 2009) (internal quotation marks omitted). The record supports the district court's conclusion that, in 2007, Ms. Talaga would have known that her submissions were fraudulent. Before the district court, Ms. Talaga argued that she had training in Medicare billing and was intimately familiar with the billing procedures of the medical practice. She also submitted documentation of her successful completion of a course at Triton Junior College on Medical Billing that was all about Medicare and medical billing problems. Consequently, she maintained that her intended loss should be based on what Medicare actually paid, not what was billed, because she knew that Medicall would not have obtained the full $4M+ that [it] fraudulently billed. The district court accepted this argument to reduce Ms. Talaga's amount of loss to $3.262 million. This same evidence supports the district court's conclusion that Ms. Talaga would have recognized from the outset that there was a problem with billing every patient for Care Plan Oversight, that the numbers of hours for Care Plan Oversight could not be reconciled with the number of hours that the physicians spent performing other services, and that there was a lack of documentation to support the claims she was submitting. Having convinced the district court of her expertise, Ms. Talaga now tries to discount the training she received. As we already have noted, however, in addition to her formal education, Ms. Talaga was an experienced Medicare biller when she arrived at Medicall. There was testimony that she performed her work quickly, that she knew how to re-code rejected claims so that they would be paid, and that she trained other staff. The district court reasonably concluded that, based on Ms. Talaga's training and experience, she would have recognized, based on the sheer volume of claims for Care Plan Oversight (totaling up to three weeks per month of Dr. Lucero's time), that these claims were fraudulent. Ms. Talaga also submits that other evidence in the record undermines the court's conclusion that she would have recognized the fraud. Ms. Talaga points to the testimony of another Medicall biller, Arian Shogren, who stated that she initially believed that all patients actually were receiving Care Plan Oversight. However, Shogren did not have experience with Medicare billing before she began working at Medicall. Indeed, when she began working at Medicall, she was a technician who did scheduling, took vitals, and kept track of patients' medications. Later, she performed some billing after receiving training from Ms. Talaga. Consequently, the fact that she did not immediately recognize the fraud does not suggest that Ms. Talaga, an experienced biller, also failed to do so. Second, Ms. Talaga observes that one Government witness, Kelly Hartung, gave conflicting definitions of Care Plan Oversight. In her view, because the Government's own witness could not articulate consistently a definition for Care Plan Oversight, it is unrealistic to expect that she would have been able to recognize that the bills for Care Plan Oversight were fraudulent. However, the fact that Hartung had difficulty articulating the definition of Care Plan Oversight during cross-examination does not negate the fact that Ms. Talaga, as a trained Medicare biller, knew when it was appropriate to bill for Care Plan Oversight and knew that Care Plan Oversight billsin such a high volume that they represented the bulk of Dr. Lucero's timewere fraudulent. Ms. Talaga has not established that the district court committed clear error in holding her responsible for fraudulent claims from the beginning of her tenure with Medicall. We therefore affirm her sentence. Conclusion For the foregoing reasons, we affirm the district court's judgments with respect to the sentences of Mr. Brown and Ms. Talaga. AFFIRMED FOOTNOTES . R.386 (1:13-cr-00854-1) at 95. . Id. at 100. . Id. at 95. . Id. at 100. . Id. . Id. at 101. . Id. . Id. at 10506. . R.242 (1:13-cr-00854-3) at 1. . Id. (quoting U.S.S.G. 2B1.1 cmt. n.3(F)(viii)). . Id. at 34 (footnotes omitted). . See id. at 6. . Id. (footnote omitted). . See R.387 (1:13-cr-00854-3) at 3435. . See id. at 29. . See id. . R.386 (1:13-cr-00854-1) at 103. . See id. at 10506. . Appellant Brown's Br. 35. . R.386 (1:13-cr-00854-1) at 100 (observing that Medicare fraud unfortunately is widespread in this country and that those who are in the medical field and who are tempted to engage in fraud must know that the penalties are severe, particularly given the low likelihood of getting caught). . Id. at 105 ([M]en and women who are businesspeople, they engage in a cost/benefit analysis. And the benefit is the benefit if you don't get caught, and the cost is the probability of getting caught multiplied by the sanction.). . Id. at 71. . Indeed, any such argument by Mr. Brown would have been unfounded because the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services did extend its moratorium on new home health agencies in Chicago, among other metropolitan areas, based on the significant potential for fraud, waste, or abuse. Medicare, Medicaid, and Children's Health Insurance Programs: Announcement of the Extension of Temporary Moratoria on Enrollment of Part B Non-Emergency Ground Ambulance Suppliers and Home Health Agencies in Designated Geographic Locations, 82 Fed. Reg. 2363 (Jan. 9, 2017). . Appellant Brown's Br. 41. . Id. at 3738. . Id. at 39. . R.386 (1:13-cr-00854-1) at 100. . Appellant Brown's Br. 41. . The Government Accountability Office continues to designate Medicare as a high-risk program due to its size, complexity, and susceptibility to mismanagement and improper payments. Gov't Accountability Office, High Risk Series 520 (2017), https://www.gao.gov/assets/690/682765.pdf; see also United States v. Kuhlman, 711 F.3d 1321, 1328 (11th Cir. 2013) (observing that deterrence is an important factor in the sentencing calculus because health care fraud is so rampant that the government lacks the resources to reach it all). . See R.386 (1:13-cr-00854-1) at 71. . The other cases on which Mr. Brown relies are equally unhelpful. In United States v. Halliday, 672 F.3d 462 (7th Cir. 2012), the district court, in reviewing 3553(a) factors, stated that Halliday believed [child pornography] was victimless' and that he did not believe any of this is criminal. Id. at 474. However, there was no evidence in the record for the court's conclusions; the statements about Halliday's belief that the crimes at issue were victimless' were pure speculation. Id. at 475. Here, the court's statement about the low likelihood of being caught for health-care fraud is grounded in the fact that Medicare fraud, and specifically home-health-care fraud, is prevalent, a fact that explicitly was raised during sentencing.Similarly in United States v. Bradley, 628 F.3d 394, 395 (7th Cir. 2010), the district court imposed a sentence that was 169 months above the guidelines range. The district court believed a severe penalty was necessary because, according to the court, the defendant had a long, undiscovered history of engaging in sexual activity with minors. However, there was no evidence in the record that the defendant had engaged in sexual activity with any minor except for the victim. In reviewing the sentence, we observed that the district court had made a questionable prediction about future conduct based on rank speculation about other, multiple in-stances of deviant behavior. Id. at 401. Here, the court did not engage in any speculation about the defendant's past or future conduct, and speculation was not used to justify an above-guidelines sentence. Cf. United States v. Martin, 718 F.3d 684, 688 (7th Cir. 2013) (noting that, although we have held that a district court's unfounded speculation that sex offenders are not deterrable may necessitate remand, we have done so only where the court imposed an above-guidelines sentence for purposes of deterrence (citation omitted)). . Brown's Reply Br. 3. . R.386 (1:13-cr-00854-1) at 61. . Id. . See Brown's Reply Br. 34. . R.386 (1:13-cr-00854-1) at 105. . R.242 (1:13-cr-00854-3) at 3 (internal quotation marks omitted). . Id. at 34 (internal quotation marks omitted). . Id. at 1. . See R.387 (1:13-cr-00854-3) at 29. . See R.374 (1:13-cr-00854-3) at 100 (Trial Tr. 346). . See R.265 (1:13-cr-00854-3) at 9 (citing Gov't Trial Ex. 7-S). . See R.375 (1:13-cr-00854-3) at 67 (Trial Tr. 40203). . Id. at 910 (Trial Tr. 40506). . Appellant Talaga's Br. 1011. . See R.373 (1:13-cr-00854-3) at 4049 (Trial Tr. 12736). Ripple, Circuit Judge. The Democrats want a shutdown of the federal government to diminish the "great success" of tax cuts and the booming economy, said US President after his meeting with top Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer failed to reach a deal with the Opposition over spending. Trump said that chances were "not looking good" that talks in Congress would break an impasse over spending and avert a US government shutdown. "Dems want a Shutdown in order to help diminish the great success of the Tax Cuts, and what they are doing for our booming economy," Trump said in a tweet late last night. "Not looking good for our great Military or Safety & Security on the very dangerous Southern Border," Trump said in an indication of the consequences of a government shutdown. Trump's tweet was an indication of the inability of the Republicans and the Democrats to arrive at an agreement to fund the government expenses for a short period of one month. The House of Representatives has already passed it, but it is facing a major hurdle in the Senate, where the Republicans needs at least 60 votes against 51 in its kitty, thus requiring the support of at least nine Democratic Senators. Earlier, Trump held a last-minute meeting with Schumer to avert a government shutdown due to lack of funds. The meeting was held at the request of Trump as part of his efforts to reach a deal with Democrats on at least a short-term extension of government funding, which needs Congressional approval and the current authorisation ends today. "We had a long and detailed meeting. We discussed all of the major outstanding issues, we made some progress, but we still have a good number of disagreements. The discussions will continue," Senate Minority Leader Schumer said soon after his meeting with Trump at the White House. In the absence of such an authorisation, functioning of the federal government would come to a standstill, with hundreds and thousands of its employees forced to stop work. The last time that a government shutdown happened was in 2013. It was for more than a fortnight. At the Capitol, the Democratic Senators told reporters that the President asked Schumer to work with the Republican Congressional leadership to sort out their differences. "The president told him to go back and talk to (House) Paul Ryan and (Senate Majority Leader) Mitch McConnell and work it out," Senator John Cornyn told reporters. Trump, who was scheduled to fly down to Florida to spend his weekend in Mar-a-Lago, postponed his visit in view of an imminent government shutdown. Earlier in the day, Director of Office of Management of Budget Mick Mulvaney told reporters that efforts are being made to have the government shutdown less impactful than it was in 2013. "We're going to manage the shutdown differently. We are not going to weaponise it. We're not going to try and hurt people, especially people having to work for this federal government. But we still need Congress to appropriate the funds," he said. Giving an insight into the planning purpose, Mulvaney said the military will still go to work; the border will still be patrolled; fire folks will still be fighting the fires; and the parks will be open. But in each of these cases people will not be paid. Fanny and Freddy will be open, the post office will be open, the Transportation Security Administration will be open, but again all of these people will be working for nothing, which is simply not fair, he said. Notably the House of Representative has already approved a short-term extension of government funding for about a month, but the legislation is now stuck in the Senate. Mulvaney slammed the Democrats. "The president stands ready to sign that bill to keep the government functioning and afloat. It appears, unfortunately, that Senate Democrats are entrenched in forcing a shutdown. I think there is obviously a lot of hypocrisy in this town. I think there's some ironies to point out," he said. French President has suggested that Britain is likely to negotiate a unique relationship with the European Union before it leaves the bloc next year, while stressing that any agreement must be consistent with EU rules. In remarks released today, Macron told the BBC's Andrew Marr television programme that Britain cannot maintain its full access to the EU's single market if it doesn't accept the bloc's founding principles, including the free movement of people and the jurisdiction of EU courts. "This special way should be consistent with the preservation of the single market and our collective interests," he said. "And you should understand that you cannot, by definition, have the full access to the single market if you don't tick the box." That means Britain must continue to contribute to the EU budget and accept the four freedoms guaranteed by the bloc "free movement of people, goods, services and capital" if it wants to maintain full access to the single market, Macron said. The full interview will be broadcast tomorrow. The comments undermine the position of some Brexit supporters who want to regain control of the UK's borders and shun the oversight of European courts while retaining access to the single market. It will also dash the hopes of some in Britain who thought Macron might be more flexible than German Chancellor Angela Merkel in negotiating a deal. Macron's influence within the EU is on the rise as Merkel's position weakens following an election in September that eroded her power base. Merkel has still not been able to cobble together a coalition government even after months of talks with other political parties. Macron's comments echo those he made during a meeting Thursday in which he and British Prime Minister Theresa May pledged closer cooperation on defense and border security after Britain leaves the EU in March 2019. Macron said the UK's financial services industry can't keep its coveted access to the EU market unless the country continues playing by EU rules. "As soon as you decide not to join these preconditions, it's not a full access," Macron told the BBC. "What's important is not to make people think, or believe, that it's possible to have" your cake and eat it, he said, accepting Marr's suggestion for the last five words. US Vice President set off for the West Asia for a trip overshadowed by controversy over plans to move the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Pence had been due to travel in December last year, but Arab anger over President Donald Trump's decision to declare Jerusalem Israel's capital saw many planned meetings cancelled. The deadly protests that erupted at the time have subsided, but Pence may still face a cold welcome in some capitals and concern over the fate of the UN aid agency for Palestinians (UNRWA). Washington has delayed a USD 65 million funding package for the cash-strapped body, putting at risk operations to feed, teach and heal thousands of Palestinian refugees. The Palestinian leadership, already stunned and furious over the Jerusalem decision, has denounced the US administration and had already refused to meet Pence during his planned December trip. But Pence's press secretary, Alyssa Farah, said the vice president would still meet the leaders of Egypt, Jordan and Israel on the high-stakes four-day tour. Pence will arrive in Cairo today for a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, heading the following day to Amman for a one-on-one with King Abdullah II. Both these leaders, whose countries have peace deals and diplomatic ties with Israel, would be key players if US mediators ever manage to get a revived Israeli-Palestinian peace process off the ground, as Trump wants. They are also key intelligence-sharing and security partners in America's various covert and overt battles against Islamist extremism in the region and Egypt is a major recipient of aid to help it buy advanced US military hardware. On Monday, he will begin a two-day visit to Israel, where he will meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin and deliver a speech to the Knesset. He can expect a warm welcome from local politicians after Trump's decision on Jerusalem, which Israelis and Palestinians alike interpreted as Washington taking Israel's side in the dispute over the city. To the envy of plane-weary travelers everywhere, passengers aboard a flight from New York to London on January 15 were treated to a pleasant surprise: They arrived 53 minutes ahead of schedule, making theirs the fastest transatlantic flight ever recorded on a subsonic commercial aircraft. The final flight time: five hours and 13 minutes. There may be no airliner as recognisable as the Boeing 747, the world's first jumbo jet, with its iconic hump of an upper deck. For aviation fans, the introduction of the Queen of the Skies" was a triumph of engineering and grace: unprecedented size and speed with spiral-staircase glamour. Among the yak herds and Tibetan Buddhism prayer flags dotting the windswept highlands of northwestern China stand the ruins of a remote, hidden city that vanished from the maps in 1958. Defence Secretary Jim Mattison Friday said that America is facing "growing threats" from China and Russia, and warned that the US military's advantages have eroded in recent years. Mattis's assessment came as he unveiled the Pentagon's vision for the future detailed in a document called the national defence strategy. "We face growing threats from revisionist powers as different as China and Russia, nations that seek to create a world consistent with their authoritarian models," Mattis said as he unveiled the unclassified section of the document. "Our military is still strong, yet our competitive edge has eroded in every domain of warfare -- air, land, sea, space and cyberspace -- and is continually eroding," he added. President Donald Trump and his administration worry that the vast US military force is feeling the effects of years of budget shortfalls and atrophy, and needs a full reboot to restore it to an idealized strength. Part wish list, part blueprint for the coming years, the Pentagon's national defense strategy seeks to increase the size of the military, improve its readiness and work with allies -- all while operating across multiple theaters including in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. "This strategy establishes my intent to pursue urgent change at significant scale," Mattis wrote in the introduction to the strategy. "We must use creative approaches, make sustained investment and be disciplined in execution to field a Joint Force fit for our time, one that competes, deters and wins in this increasingly complex security environment." Elbridge Colby, deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development, told reporters that Mattis's strategy seeks to deal with the "erosion" of America's military advantage. "What it is recognizing is that China and Russia in particular have been assiduously working over a number of years to develop their military capabilities to challenge our military advantages," he said. The new defense strategy follows on from Trump's national security strategy that he released last month which, similarly, highlights the role of China and Russia in the global security environment. "China is a strategic competitor using predatory economics to intimidate its neighbors while militarizing features in the South China Sea," Mattis wrote. "Russia has violated the borders of nearby nations and pursues veto power over the economic, diplomatic and security decisions of its neighbors," he added, while also pointing a finger at Iran and North Korea for their threats to peace. The two countries reacted furiously to Trump's security strategy, with Beijing accusing Washington of having a "Cold War mentality" while Moscow denounced its "imperialist character." Trump's security strategy contrasts with the friendly nature of his first state visit to Beijing in November, when he received a lavish welcome and repeatedly praised President Xi Jinping. One of the biggest criticisms inside the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill is that the US military is suffering from a lack of readiness, where troops and gear are not getting the training or maintenance they need. Mattis said the United States must be ready to fight a war. "The surest way to prevent war is to be prepared to win one," he said. "Doing so requires a competitive approach to force development and a consistent, multiyear investment to restore war fighting readiness and field a lethal force." Mattis's strategy also calls for greater coordination with allies, who Trump on the campaign trail lambasted for not doing enough to share the burden of defending the post-World War II order. "We expect European allies to fulfill their commitments to increase defense and modernization spending to bolster the alliance in the face of our shared security concerns," Mattis said, in reference to NATO countries paying more into their defense budgets. The document makes no mention of climate change, which under former president Barack Obama was recognized as a national security threat. Trump has claimed climate change is a hoax and pulled the US out of the historic climate accords in Paris. The US Supreme Court has said it will review President Donald Trump's latest travel ban affecting citizens from six Muslim majority countries plus North Korea and Venezuela. In what could prove decisive in a legal battle that has roiled the first year of the Trump administration, the high court will rule on whether the president exceeded his powers and engaged in religious discrimination in the third rendering of the ban. Lower courts in California, Hawaii and other states have repeatedly ruled that Trump's order targets Muslims in violation of the US Constitution. "We have always known this case would ultimately be decided by the United States Supreme Court," said state Attorney General Doug Chin of Hawaii, which has repeatedly fought the travel bans. "This will be an important day for justice and the rule of law. We look forward to the Court hearing the case." The conservative-tilting court last month rejected calls for a freeze on the ban, which targets visitors from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen, allowing Trump to implement it while it was being challenged in lower courts. The US administration has rewritten the ban twice, adding more national security justifications in the latest iteration in September and including citizens of North Korea and Venezuela to counter the argument the government was singling out Muslim countries. Trump's initial travel ban, decreed a week after he took office, triggered chaos out at US airports, with travelers detained upon arrival, and nationwide protests against a measure seen as discriminatory -- though Trump said it aimed to keep out extremists. Court challenges have seized upon Trump's repeated comments against Muslims, starting with his campaign vow to ban them from entering the country, to make the case that they were the intended target. The first ban was quickly blocked in court, as was a modified version removing Iraq from the list of countries. Regarding the third version, critics noted that the United States welcomed no more than a handful of annual visitors from North Korea, and in Venezuela's case, the ban was made specific to a number of high-ranking officials in a government already facing US sanctions. One key difference in the latest version of the ban was that it was open-ended, whereas the previous two versions were set for 90 days, ostensibly for the government to review security threats from the countries. The Supreme Court will review those arguments, but also whether Trump has the executive power to order such a ban. "Every version of the ban has been found unconstitutional, illegal, or both by federal trial and appellate courts," said Omar Jadwat, director of the Immigrants' Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union, which has supported Hawaii in its court challenge. "The Supreme Court can and should put a definitive end to President Trump's attempt to undermine the constitutional guarantee of religious equality and the basic principles of our immigration laws, including their prohibition of national origin discrimination," Jadwat said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday expressed grief over the death of 17 people in a fire incident at Bawana Industrial Area in the outskirts of Delhi. Taking to Twitter, Prime Minister Modi said, "Deeply anguished by the fire at a factory in Bawana. My thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives. May those who are injured recover quickly." Three fire incidents were reported from the Bawana area today, and in two of those, there have been no reports of any casualty so far. Delhi Fire Services Director G.C. Mishra told ANI, "We received 3 calls from Bawana - a plastic factory in Sector 1, a cracker storage in Sector 5 and a furnace oil storage in Sector 3. All casualties are from Sector 5 fire. Fire is completely under control now. We have recovered 17 bodies so far. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Afghanistan's Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Saturday said at least 18 militants were killed during the operations of armed forces in the country's northern Kunduz province. According to the Khaama Press, the operations were carried out in coordination with the Afghan Air Force in Chahar Dara district. Five militants were also injured and three others were arrested, the statement said. During the operation, a vehicle and some weapons belonging to the militants were also destroyed. Earlier this week, 76 Taliban militants were killed in a five-day military operation in the same province. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) United States Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit. Aror Ark O'DIAH, Plaintiff-Appellant v. UNITED STATES, Defendant-Appellee Aror Ark O'Diah, Plaintiff-Appellant v. United States, Defendant-Appellee 2017-1227, 2017-1534, 2017-2211 Decided: January 16, 2018 Before Newman, Dyk, and Chen, Circuit Judges. Aror Ark O'Diah, Brooklyn, NY, pro se. Kelly A. Krystyniak, Commercial Litigation Branch, Civil Division, United States Department of Justice, Washington, DC, for defendant-appellee. Also represented by Chad A. Readler, Robert E. Kirschman, Jr., Brian A. Mizoguchi. Aror Ark O'Diah appeals from a judgment of the Court of Federal Claims (Claims Court) dismissing his complaint for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction. (Nos. 2017-1227 and 2017-1534. ) He also appeals a subsequent order of the Claims Court prohibiting him from filing any additional complaints without first seeking leave to do so from that court's Chief Judge. (No. 2017-2211.) We affirm. Background This is the fourth Claims Court action filed by Mr. O'Diah making largely the same allegations of conspiracy and malfeasance by a variety of state and federal officials and private entities. His first three actions were consolidated and dismissed by the Claims Court, which found that it lacked subject-matter jurisdiction over most of Mr. O'Diahs claims and that his remaining allegations failed to state a plausible claim for relief. O'Diah v. United States, Nos. 15-332C, -400C, -1000C, 2016 WL 1019251, at *24 (Fed. Cl. Mar. 14, 2016). We dismissed Mr. O'Diahs appeal in those consolidated actions as untimely because his notice of appeal was received by the Claims Court three days after the deadline. O'Diah v. United States, No. 2016-2098, slip op. at 12 (Fed. Cir. July 8, 2016) (per curiam). After Mr. O'Diah filed this fourth action in the Claims Court, the court again determined that it lacked subject-matter jurisdiction. O'Diah v. United States, No. 16-931C, 2016 WL 6560393, at *23 (Fed. Cl. Nov. 3, 2016). A month later, Mr. O'Diah submitted yet another complaint based on roughly the same set of allegations, and the Claims Court ordered him to show cause why he should not be prohibited from filing future complaints without leave of the court. Mr. O'Diahs response to the show-cause order merely repeated the allegations in his complaints, and the Claims Court proceeded to enjoin Mr. O'Diah from making any additional filings in the Claims Court without first obtaining leave to do so from the Chief Judge of that court. Mr. O'Diah timely appealed from the dismissal of his fourth complaint and the injunction against further filings. We have jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 1295(a)(3). Discussion We review de novo a decision by the Claims Court to dismiss for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction. Petro-Hunt, L.L.C. v. United States, 862 F.3d 1370, 1378 (Fed. Cir. 2017). The Tucker Act defines the scope of the Claims Court's jurisdiction. 28 U.S.C. 1491. The Tucker Act waives sovereign immunity for and provides Claims Court jurisdiction over any claim against the United States founded either upon the Constitution, or any Act of Congress or any regulation of an executive department, or upon any express or implied contract with the United States, or for liquidated or unliquidated damages in cases not sounding in tort. Id. 1491(a)(1). Mr. O'Diahs complaint contains a multitude of allegations concerning officials and agencies at all levels of government, including several state and federal judges, as well as a number of corporations and private individuals. He alleges malicious prosecutions, unjust convictions, imprisonments, bodily injuries[,] seizures of properties, [and] breaches of implied contract. Compl. 1. As examples of these misdeeds, Mr. O'Diah alleges undelivered and confiscated mail, misrepresented child-support obligations, several physical assaults, exposure to a radioactive substance, discrimination by government agencies on the basis of national origin, and an attempt by a federal judge to have Mr. O'Diah kidnapped or murdered. He also alleges physical injuries and deprivations of rights appearing to stem from time he spent in state custody in New York, as well as the unlawful seizure of his personal property and assets by New York state officials. The Claims Court only has jurisdiction to hear claims against the United States. United States v. Sherwood, 312 U.S. 584, 588, 61 S.Ct. 767, 85 L.Ed. 1058 (1941). To the extent that Mr. O'Diahs complaint seeks relief against defendants other than the United States, including state or local entities and private individuals and corporations, the Claims Court correctly dismissed those claims for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction. See id. So far as Mr. O'Diah claims that federal officials conspired to effectuate the harms he attributes to state-level officials, such as the taking of his property and assets, these claims are unsupported by sufficient factual allegations to state a plausible claim for relief. They amount, at most, to bare assertion[s] and legal conclusion[s], which on their own are insufficient to withstand a motion to dismiss. Todd Constr., L.P. v. United States, 656 F.3d 1306, 1316 (Fed. Cir. 2011) (citing Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 67780, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009)). The other allegations with respect to the United States governmentsuch as fraud and the deprivation of civil rightssound in tort, and the Claims Court properly dismissed each of these claims as falling outside of its limited jurisdiction. See, e.g., United States Marine, Inc. v. United States, 722 F.3d 1360, 1372 (Fed. Cir. 2013). The mishandling of mail, a new allegation in this version of Mr. O'Diahs complaint, also sounds in tort and falls outside of the Claims Court's jurisdiction. See, e.g., Webber v. United States, 231 Ct. Cl. 1009, 1009 (1982) (per curiam). The Claims Court also lacks jurisdiction to review actions taken by other federal courts in Mr. O'Diahs other lawsuits. E.g., Harris v. United States, 868 F.3d 1376, 1381 (Fed. Cir. 2017) (per curiam). Although Mr. O'Diah refers to breach of contract in his complaint, nowhere does he allege facts suggesting that he has entered into any contract, express or implied, with the federal government. In short, Mr. O'Diahs complaint asserts no claims falling within the Claims Court's subject-matter jurisdiction. The Claims Court correctly determined that it lacked subject-matter jurisdiction over Mr. O'Diahs claims. Finally, we review the Claim Court's imposition of a sanction on Mr. O'Diah for abuse of discretion. 1-10 Indus. Assocs., LLC v. United States, 528 F.3d 859, 867 (Fed. Cir. 2008). [C]ourts are particularly cautious about imposing sanctions on a pro se litigant, whose improper conduct may be attributed to ignorance of the law and proper procedures. Finch v. Hughes Aircraft Co., 926 F.2d 1574, 1582 (Fed. Cir. 1991). Nevertheless, we have previously imposed anti-filing sanctions where a pro se litigant has engaged in repeated and frivolous lawsuits. Bergman v. Dep't of Commerce, 3 F.3d 432, 435 (Fed. Cir. 1993); see also In re Powell, 851 F.2d 427, 43031 (D.C. Cir. 1988) (per curiam) (discussing anti-filing injunctions). In this case, the Claims Court reviewed the record and procedural history before imposing a sanction, including Mr. O'Diahs repeated, duplicative filings in that court and elsewhere. The Claims Court was well within its discretion when it ordered the anti-filing sanction in light of Mr. O'Diahs prior filings. Such an injunction will protect judicial resources while ensuring that the courthouse doors are open to Mr. O'Diah should he one day seek to assert other claims that do fall within the Claims Court's jurisdiction. AFFIRMED Costs No costs. FOOTNOTES . Mr. O'Diah filed two notices of appeal related to the dismissal of his complaint: one following the Claims Court's initial dismissal (No. 2017-1227) and another after it denied reconsideration (No. 2017-1534). Per Curiam. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on Saturday nabbed two passengers carrying 14 gold bars weighing about 2,365 grams worth approximately Rs 70 lakh at Jorhat Airport. Both the passengers, who concealed the gold bars in their rectums, were identified as Surinder Singh and Pawan Chouhan, who were travelling to Delhi by flight No. 9W-904. The passengers along-with recovered gold bars were handed over to the Customs Officials, Jorhat Airport for further legal action. According to CISF officials, "During pre-embarkation security check at Security Hold Area (SHA), they noticed presences of some metal in the body (rectum area) of two passengers. On suspicion, both were taken for thorough checking at a separate place". "During the inquiry, they revealed that they were carrying gold bars wrapped in balloons inside their rectums. On checking, 14 gold bars, weighing about 2,365 gms were recovered from their possession", the officials added. A case has been registered against the two and an investigation in on. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Foorty bureaucrats were honoured today with Kalam Innovations in Governance Awards (KIGA) for the year 2017-2018. Minister of State for Textiles Ajay Tamta and former Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha Desh Deepak Verma felicitated the awardees. Srijan Pal Singh, Summit Convener and CEO of Dr. A.P. J. Abdul Kalam Centre, said, "The idea of the Dr. Kalam Innovation in Governance Awards is to create agile governance which could define the mega trends of the 21st century India. This will be multi-sectorial and people-centric so that India can not only be an economic superpower but also a socially inclusive and sustainable society." The summit is dedicated to this vision and mission of Dr. Kalam. The summit was attended by 300 officers of various services, civil services society and selected meritorious students from all over India. It is a platform to showcase, ideate, develop and award innovations in various aspects of governance, including education, healthcare, security, public service delivery, environment, technology, distress management, energy and fundamental human rights. Anuradha Mall, CEO of the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority was awarded for her contribution to women empowerment. Manisha Chandra, Director of Women and Children Development Department in Gujarat was also awarded. Avantika Singh, an official in the administrative department of the Gujarat government was also a recipient. Anuj Dayal , Executive Director (Corporation Communications), DMRC was given the award for his constant efforts to build and sustain the DMRC brand both nationally and internationally. Kundan Kumar, District Collector of Banka (Bihar), was awarded for his project "Jal Sanchay" which focuses on water conservation in Nalanda in Bihar. Tamta said, "I congratulate all the awardees for their exemplary contribution towards the society. Dr Kalam was one person who always thought and did what is best for our nation. We should encourage our youth towards innovation to follow Dr Kalam's ideology. I congratulate Kalam Centre and Srijan Pal for keeping the spirit and ideologies of Dr Kalam. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was not given an opportunity by the Election Commission to explain its stand in the office of profit case. Sisodia said, "There was no hearing, we were not given a chance to explain our stand." He appealed to President Ram Nath Kovind to hear the AAP's views. "We appeal to the President to hear our view too, and (the) MLAs will meet (the) President also." Earlier, the said that the Election Commission (EC) has not followed due process while recommending the disqualification of 20 MLAs from the Delhi Assembly in the office of profit case. Senior leader Sanjay Singh termed the EC's recommendations as 'one-sided' and 'partial'. The ECI on Friday recommended to President Ram Nath Kovind that 20 AAP MLAs should be disqualified from the Delhi Assembly. In cases where petitions are made seeking disqualification of lawmakers, the president sends a reference to the EC which decides on the case by sending back its opinion. In the current scenario, the petition was directed at 21 MLAs, but one MLA, named Jarnail Singh, resigned earlier. He resigned last year, to fight in the Punjab elections against then Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. Speaking to ANI, Jarnail Singh said, "I challenge the EC to prove that we got even 1 rupee as salary, or even a house or car. We are ready to go to any court and if there is no option we will go to the people's court." If the president gives his assent, the disqualification of the legislators would pave the way for by-elections in Delhi. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday announced an ex-gratia compensation of Rs. 25 lakh for the family of killed Border Security Force (BSF) Head Constable Jagpal Singh. Singh lost his life in firing from across the border by Pakistan Rangers in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba Sector yesterday. On Friday, an Army soldier, Jagpal Singh and two civilians were killed while 11 others were injured in unprovoked mortar shelling and small arms firing along the International Border and the Line of Control. Following the cross-border firing incident, Pakistan's Deputy High Commissioner Syed Haider Shah was summoned by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and conveyed the Indian government's grave concern over continued ceasefire violations and deliberate targeting of innocent civilians by Pakistani forces. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The commencement of preparations for this year's Union Budget has officially begun this morning, with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley performing the traditional 'Halwa Ceremony' at North Block here. Hereafter, finance ministry officials will now spend the next 11 days in the Budget Press office, until the Budget is presented in Parliament on February 1. Around 120 officers and employees will be involved in this budget printing exercise, and will work 24 x 7 in shifts. Around 2500 to 3000 budget copies will be printed this year, down from last year's 13000 copies, and will be administered by the Joint Secretary (Budget). In case of any emergency, the official is required to convey this to the director in-charge, who will then communicate with his/her family, and vice-versa. Furthermore, if an employee has to meet his family in any emergency, he will be accompanied by the Delhi police, Vigilance and IB officials. On the other hand, if any employee is seriously ill or needs urgent medical care, he will be brought to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital here, where a special room has been booked for the same. Here too, officials from the Delhi Police/Vigilance and IB will monitor the employee to make sure no information is leaked on the budget. Additionally, neither the finance minister nor secretary level officer including the finance secretary can go into the budget press without checking. The Joint Secretary, Budget is the only officer who can bring documents inside the budget press and carry them outside. However, under secretary-level officers can move in and out, but after thorough security check. On a related note, the budget will be presented on February 1. The first Budget Session of Parliament will be held from January 29 to February 9, while the second session will be held from March 5 to April 6. This will be the last full-fledged budget that will be presented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union Government, and the first post the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will embark on a four-day visit to from January 21, to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) Summit in Davos. During his visit the Andhra Chief Minister will hold 25 bilateral meetings with CEOs of different companies and "Andhra Pradesh has received an invitation specially to attend the Davos World Economic Forum. He is going on January 21 and returning on 25. The focus is to have about 25 bilateral meeting," Andhra Pradesh Government's media advisor Parakala Prabhakar told ANI. "The Chief Minister will sign three MOUs, other than that he is going to speak in three forums in Davos in different sectors like future of food security, agriculture and technology and sustainable agriculture," he added. Naidu is scheduled to return on January 25. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Another civilian was killed on Saturday during a ceasefire violation from across the border in Jammu and Kashmir's R S Pura Sector. Earlier in the day, one civilian was killed and a Border Security Force (BSF) paramilitary soldier was injured. The Pakistan Rangers again resorted to unprovoked firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in the RS Pura and Akhnoor Sectors. The Indian Army is retaliating and cross-border firing is still on as per latest reports. Saturday was the third consecutive day of shelling of civilian areas and border outposts (BoPs) in India by the Pakistan Rangers. On Friday, at least 11 civilians were injured across Jammu and Kashmir in the firing from across the border. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 23-year-old Sepoy was killed in a ceasefire violation by Pakistan rangers in Jammu and Kashmir's Krishna Ghati sector along Line of Control (LoC) today. Sepoy Mandeep Singh belonged to Alampur village in Punjab and is survived by his father Gurnaam Singh. According to an official report, "The Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing of small arms and automatics since morning 08:20 am. While the Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively." "However, in the exchange of fire, Sepoy Mandeep Singh was grievously injured and succumbed to his injuries. Mandeep Singh was a brave soldier. The nation will always remain indebted to him for his supreme sacrifice and devotion to duty," statement added. Meanwhile, one civilian was killed and a Border Security Force (BSF) paramilitary soldier was injured. Saturday becomes the third consecutive day of shelling of civilian areas and border outposts (BoPs) in India by the Pakistan Rangers. On Friday, at least 11 civilians were injured across Jammu and Kashmir in the various ceasefires firing from across the border. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The unseeded Indian pair of Leander Paes and Purav Raja bounced back from a set down to book their place in the pre-quarterfinals of the men's doubles event of the Australian Open here on Saturday. After winning the first set, Paes and Raja went down in the second before they rebounded strongly to eventually prevail the English-Brazilian duo of fifth seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares 7-6 (3), 5-7, 7-6 (6) in a clash that lasted two hours and 54 minutes. Despite Paes and Raja struck eight winners less than their opponents' 19, the Indian pair won the first set, which also saw Murray-Soares making five double faults. In the second set, the two teams were more or less evenly matched, but Paes and Raja's failed to convert five break points to lose the set. The match was then forced into a tiebreaker in the third set, where Paes and Raja saved a match point at 5-6 before bringing up one of their own to win the match. The Indian duo will now take on Colombian duo of Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah for a place in the quarter-finals. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not only a political party but an ideology, said party President Amit Shah here on Saturday. "Bharatiya Janata Party is not only a political party but an ideology. It is an agitation and under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi it is also a pledge for the making of a new India," Shah said while addressing an occasion held to welcome the new young members of the party. He further said Varanasi was not only the city of Baba Baidyanath, but was also the country's soul and centre of energy. "It is a matter of double pride that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the Member of Parliament from Varanasi," said Shah. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh BJP President Dr. Narendranath Pandey, MLAs of Varanasi district and state BJP office bearers were also present on the occasion. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Kummanam Rajasekharan on Saturday urged the Centre to intervene in the matter of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) worker's murder. Speaking to the media here, the BJP leader said, "Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and Popular Front of India (PFI) activists are getting strengthened day by day with the help of Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM). We will take this up at the level and push Centre to interfere in the matter". He added that the Kerala government must take action. Earlier in the day, four Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) activists were arrested by the Kannur Police in connection with the murder of ABVP worker. ABVP activist Shyam Prasad was hacked to death near Kuthuparamba in Kerala's Kannur district yesterday. 24-year-old Prasad, a resident of Peravoor city in Kannur, was a Peravoor Government ITI student who was killed while he was travelling on a bike. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least one person was killed and another injured after their vehicle hit a roadside mine in Paktia province of Afghanistan on Saturday morning. According to the Tolo News, Provincial police chief spokesman Sardar Wali Tabasam has confirmed that the incident took place in Gardez city and said that the investigation into the case is underway. Earlier in October 2017, at least 41 people died and dozens were injured when a suicide car bomber and gunmen attacked a provincial Afghan police training academy. The militants had used a truck and armored vehicle stolen from the security forces to carry out the coordinated attack. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With the Union to be presented in ten days, the Assocham has recommended enhancing the outlay for the education sector, along with greater tax relief for higher education under the Goods and Services Tax (GST). "The Union 2018 would be the first after imposition of GST. A time has come for correcting the distortions which were earlier brought in by repeated amendments in the service tax for education sector. The last amendment brought in March 2017, denying tax relief for listed services for higher educational institutions; needs to be immediately withdrawn and end the untenable discrimination against higher education institutions, '' Assocham Secretary General D S Rawat said in a letter to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The chamber said no clarification was given for the sudden disruption in the age-old parity of higher educational institutions, universities, research institutions all with higher secondary schools in the matter of limited tax exemption made available to primary school upward to higher secondary level. "Educational institutions constitute a composite tree-root, stem, branch, - from primary schools to colleges, professional institutes, universities, research institutions. Together they are all inter-dependant and integrally inter-related for the national education system as a whole. Any distinction to separate the higher education institutions from the building blocks in the pyramid-primarily, middle, secondary and higher secondary schools-would be invidious and untenable," the letter read. The chamber also highlighted that most higher education institutions and numerous private universities which have come up after legislative modifications in the Centre and States in the last decade are facing serious financial problems with their huge capital requirements and non availability of concessional finance. Higher educational institutions have neither the capacity to absorb the new tax burden nor the power to pass on the same by increase in fees to students with external state regulation and risk of agitation in the campus. "From the Kothari Commission to the recent Subramanian Committee (set up after the 2016 National Policy of Education) the expert recommendation and national view had been for a minimum public outlay on education of six percent of GDP," said Assocham in its letter. Actual public expenditure over the years even after the additional revenue garnered through levies of education cess surcharges for education, however, was only around four percent. Therefore, the chamber called for higher public expenditure on education at all levels - from schools to universities, and advanced research institutions. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said that no matter what the government does for the families of the defence casualties, it will always seem less as one cannot put a price on a human life. Speaking at the launch of 'Bharat Ke Veer' graphic novel series on slain Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) soldiers, the Union Minister said, "Whatever we do for the families of defence casualties, it will always be less. No matter how much monetary fund we provide, you will agree with me "Manushya ki zindagi ko paise ke aadhar par uski keemat nhi aaki jaa sakti" (One cannot put a price on a human life)". He added that the people of India have pledged their support to 'Bharat Ke Veer' initiative in large numbers. "Each and every citizen of India is a patriot. I believe at least Rs one crore should be given to the families of the deceased soldiers. There are individuals who contribute regularly on Bharat Ke Veer website. Those who have a big heart are the real rich people. People with big hearts work to bring happiness in others' lives", Singh continued. The Union Minister further appealed to the people to contribute to the 'Bharat Ke Veer' initiative and support the families of India's bravehearts. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) "Numerous" child pornographic photos have been found on computers belonging to Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock, revealed the city's sheriff. According to Fox News, Sheriff Joe Lombardo, in his first press conference since October 13 last year, released an 81-page preliminary investigative report on the shooting. Investigators "have gone over 2,000 leads and looked at 21,560 hours of video," the sheriff added," This report won't answer every question, or even the biggest question as to why he did what he did." The report contains new photographs of Paddock's hotel suite and online searches he conducted before the attack, such as for SWAT tactics and other potential public venue targets. Earlier in November it was reported that Lombardo branded Paddock as narcissist and "status-driven" and said his financial decline "may have a determining effect on why he decided to do what he did." However, then too, Lombardo maintained that it is still not clear whether money issues led to the shooting. "What is the reason why?" he asked rhetorically at one point at that time, "We haven't gotten that answer yet." The Las Vegas massacre is the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history, claiming the lives of 59 people and injuring 527 others. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Congress spokesperson Sushmita Dev said, "Why is the Prime Minister silent on the issue. In the days to come, he will address the nation through his Mann ki Baat programme. As the Prime Minister, what are the steps he has taken to ensure the security of girls and women? This is the very party (BJP), that asked for the resignations of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dixit when the Nirbhaya rape case took place in December 2012." "Haryana is looking like a rape capital of India. Chief Minister Khattar should be preventing such incidents rather than getting involved in making such political statements," she added. She said, "Rather than giving a one time Rs. 4 lakh to the victim's family, the state government should give a job to one of the family members." Another party member, Kumari Shailaja said that we have demanded imposition of President's rule in Haryana. Haryana has seen at least six cases of alleged rapes in as many days in Jind, Fatehabad, Gurugram and Panchkula. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress on Saturday welcomed Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra's decision to hear the case about the death of CBI judge Justice B.H. Loya. The bench led by Justice Misra will hear the pleas seeking an investigation into the allegedly suspicious death of the CBI judge on January 22. Speaking to ANI, All India Mahila Congress president Sushmita Dev said, "If this decision has been taken then we welcome it. There are a lot of controversies associated with it." The development comes days after the four senior-most SC judges in a presser alleged that the CJI, who is the master of the roster, was arbitrarily assigning important cases to select benches headed by junior judges. The case was earlier assigned to Justice Arun Mishra, the 10th most-senior judge of the Supreme Court. Justice Loya, who had been hearing the Sohrabuddin Sheikh Encounter case, wherein BJP chief Amit Shah was a prime accused, died in alleged suspicious circumstances in 2014. The Supreme Court on January 5 sought the CBI Judge B.H. Loya's postmortem report from Maharashtra government asserting that the "matter is very serious". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two separate cases of harassment were registered in Vasant Kunj Police Station by two students of Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). The first FIR was registered on January 1, by a student union leader, alleging that she was stalked and harassed by a man named Mayank Joshi. Joshi continuously used to text her, asking her to be his friend. The accused even sent the girl an expensive watch. He threatened the girl with dire consequences if she denies his friendship. A case is registered by the police under the sections 354A and 354D of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Meanwhile, the second FIR of harassment and assault has been registered by an Iranian against her classmate. The police has registered a case under sections 354, 354D and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Both the accused have been arrested by the Police. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Twelve-time Grand Slam Champion Novak Djokovic advanced into the pre-quarters of the Australian Open despite an injury scare here on Saturday. Djokovic, who is playing after a six-month injury lay off, defeated Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas in straight sets 6-2, 6-3, 6-3. The six-time Australian Open winner received a medical treatment in the second set for an injury but came back strong to close out the match in two hours, 23 minutes. Djokovic will next face South Korean Hyeon Chung in the round of 16. Meanwhile, Maria Sharapova's hopes of a title-winning return to the Australian Open were crushed by Angelique Kerber 1-6, 3-6. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Defending Champion Roger Federer entered the last 16 of the Australian Open with a straight sets victory over Richard Gasquet on Saturday. Nineteen-time Grand Slam winner Federer thrashed Gasquet 6-2, 7-5, 6-4, in an hour and 59 min long match. He will next meet Hungarian world number 89 Marton Fucsovics on Monday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a major setback to the district, Ghaziabad failed to make the cut for Smart City tag in the fourth and the final city list released by Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. The city, which competed in the race for the fourth time, failed to meet the benchmark set by the government. Interestingly, the list included three cities from Uttar Pradesh-Bareilly, Moradabad, and Saharanpur. On Friday, Puri announced the name of nine more smart cities, taking the total to 99. The mission of hundred smart cities was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2015. Silvassa in Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli topped the list of winning cities in this round of competition. The other cities include Erode in Tamil Nadu, Diu in Union Territory of Daman and Diu, Biharsharif in Bihar, Bareilly, Saharanpur and Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh and Kavaratti in Lakshadweep. Briefing reporters in New Delhi, the minister said, the nine cities have proposed an investment of Rs 12,824 crore rupees to develop 409 projects. Giving details of the progress made in smart cities scheme, Puri said, Smart City Centers have become operational in Pune, Surat, Vadodara and Kakinada and work is in progress in another 18 cities. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who fired an employee in August for allegedly "perpetuating gender stereotypes", said he doesn't regret his decision. However, Pichai, in a live conversation with journalists, said that he was taken aback that it was misconstrued to be a politically motivated event, The Verge reported. "The decision to fire James Damore was about ensuring that women at Google felt like the company was committed to creating a welcoming environment. I regret that people misunderstand that we may have made this for a political belief one way or another", he said. In August last year, Damore was fired for allegedly creating gender stereotypes through a memo that claimed women may be biologically less suited to engineering and programming jobs in the tech industry. "To suggest a group of our colleagues have traits that make them less biologically suited to that work is offensive and not OK", Pichai had said in a statement. However, Damore, in his defence, filed a lawsuit against the company accusing it of "discriminating against white male conservatives". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah urged the central government to exempt handmade products from the ambit of the Goods and Sales Tax (GST). In a letter addressed to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the chief minister said the move would benefit a large segment of the state's rural population, and give a boost to rural employment and sustainability. The letter follows a representation that was submitted to Siddaramaiah from a committee constituted by Gram Seva Sangh, consisting of noted activists including Ashis Needy, Uzramma and Shyam Benegal. "A detailed representation regarding exempting handmade products produced and marketed by the producer co-operative societies and their federations from GST, including a definition of what constitute handmade products and raising the exemption of registration turnover limit of individuals and self-help groups producing handmade products to Rs.50 lakhs is attached to this letter. It includes a large set of products ranging from handmade butter to paper," the letter read. The chief minister noted that imposition of the GST on such products has had an adverse effect on the livelihood of artisans engaged in producing these, and therefore added that the representation requires urgent consideration and a positive resolution. "This would not only benefit a large segment of our rural population but would also give a boost to rural employment and sustainability. I, therefore, urge you to take this issue on priority basis in the next GST Council meeting and decide favourably benefitting a large segment of rural artisans," he said. Siddaramaiah further assured the finance minister of complete support from his government on the same. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amidst its protest against the release of 'Padmaavat', Rajput Karni Sena has claimed that director Sanjay Leela Bhansali invited them for a special screening of the period drama. Earlier Karni Sena Chief, Lokendra Singh Kalvi, urged the people to impose a curfew in cinema halls to stop the screening of the flick on Tuesday, i.e. January 16. He also appealed to all the social organisations to come together and protest against its release. On January 18, the Supreme Court put a stay order on ban notifications issued by four states - Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Haryana. In its interim order, the Supreme Court said that all states are constitutionally obliged to maintain law and order and prevent any untoward incident during the screening of the film after permission has been granted by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The periodical film is based on the legend of Rani Padmini, a 13th-century Rajput queen. She has been mentioned several times in Padmavat, an Awadhi poem written by Sufi poet, Malik Muhammad Jayasi in 1540. The historical-drama has run into trouble many times over since its announcement. Several members of Rajput factions have made allegations against Bhansali of distorting historical facts and showcasing Rani Padmani in a bad light. Bhansali was even attacked and thrashed by Karni Sena during one of its filming schedules. Starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, and Shahid Kapoor in lead roles, the film was cleared by CBFC after suggesting five modifications, one being a change in its title from 'Padmavati' to 'Padmaavat'. The film is set to hit theatres on January 25 worldwide. It will be released in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu. Notably, it is going to be the first Indian movie to get a global IMAX 3D release. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Supreme Court lawyer Sangam Lal Pandey has written a letter to the Supreme Court collegium about the arbitrariness in recommending the appointment of judges in various high courts and the apex court. A copy of the letter, exclusively accessed by ANI, said, "It seems total arbitrariness on the basis of the likings and dislikings and ignoring the other chief justices of the high courts from their initial date of appointments while recommending the appointment of judges." The lawyer has mentioned the alleged arbitrariness in the appointment of the then Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice, K. M. Joseph, who was junior to ten other chief justices of their respective high courts. Pandey has also forwarded the four-page letter written by him to the President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and 20 other judges of the Supreme Court. Pandey has prayed to the collegium, the body responsible for recommending the appointment of judges in high courts and the apex court, and sought an explanation as to what criteria has been adopted while making the recommendation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) One civilian was killed and a Border Security Force (BSF) paramilitary soldier was injured during a ceasefire violation from across the border in Jammu and Kashmir's R S Pura Sector on Saturday. Earlier, the Pakistan Rangers again resorted to unprovoked firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in the R S Pura and Akhnoor Sectors. The Indian Army is retaliating and cross-border firing is still on as per latest reports. Saturday was the third consecutive day of shelling of civilian areas and border outposts (BoPs) in India by the Pakistan Rangers. On Friday, at least 11 civilians were injured across Jammu and Kashmir in firing from across the border. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 120 schools, including government and private institutions, across the Line of Control (LoC) in Balakot and Mankote, have been declared closed by the District Development Commissioner (DDC) of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir due to the ceasefire violations by Pakistan. Talking to ANI, DDC Poonch Tariq Ahmed Zargar said, "We have decided to close the schools today keeping the security of children in mind. 120 schools are closed today. We are keeping an eye on every situation. After monitoring the situation, we will take the decision for tomorrow by evening". Meanwhile, Union Minister of State (MoS) Jitendra Singh said, "Civilians in border areas hold strong morals. Matter of concern is statements of those people, who consider themselves mainstream politicians. When in power, they call Kashmir integral part of India but make irresponsible remarks otherwise". Pakistan has violated the ceasefire by resorting to firing at Mendhar, Balakot, and Poonch of Jammu and Kashmir. Residents of Jammu and Kashmir's RS Pura Sector are reportedly fleeing from their homes in the wake of repeated ceasefire violations by Pakistan. The Pakistan Rangers resorted to unprovoked firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in the RS Pura and Akhnoor sectors on Saturday. The Indian Army is retaliating and cross-border firing is still on as per latest reports. Saturday was the third consecutive day of shelling of civilian areas and border outposts (BoPs) in India by the Pakistan Rangers. On Friday, at least 11 civilians were injured across Jammu and Kashmir in the firing from across the border. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar said on Saturday that the Supreme Court of Pakistan was an "independent institution", which is completely free from external influences. "Everyone should be proud of an independent judiciary. The judiciary is completely independent and all citizens should be proud of this," CJP Nisar told lawyers of Lahore Bar Association (LBA), as reported by the Express Tribune. The comments by the CJP come at a time when former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif criticised the country's judiciary for colluding with vested interests. He blamed the country's highest court for his removal from the office and stated that the evidence found against him in the Panama Paper leaks case were "false and imaginary". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (ANI) "Pakistan runs factories to produce terrorists. It provides them training to use against others, including the Baloch. Pakistan forcefully occupied Balochistan on March 27, 1948. Since then, the Pakistan Army and secret agencies are committing atrocities. They abduct, kill and throw mutilated bodies of Baloch on roads so they cannot speak for the freedom of Balochistan", said Mama Qadeer, the Vice Chairman of the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons. Mama Qadeer said Pakistan's intelligence agency has paid huge sums of money to Mullah Omar to kidnap Kulbhushan Jadhav, an Indian businessman from Iran. He said, "It (Pakistan) has produced Hafiz Saeed, (Syed) Salahuddin and Mullah Omar, an Iranian Baloch, who is behind the arrest of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav from Chabahar in Iran". Kulhushan Jadhav was doing business in Iran and he was trapped at the behest of Pakistan's ISI on charges of spying in Balochistan." He said, "Mullah Omar accepted the deal as Pakistan and Iran's shares border and both sides of the border has Baloch population. Mullah Omar and his associates blindfolded Jadhav and brought him from Chabahar to Mashkey in Balochistan and handed over to Pakistan Army" Mama Qadeer said Jadhav was later brought to Quetta and then to army headquarters in Islamabad where he was tortured and his statement was forcefully recorded. He said Jadhav was having no role in spreading violence in Balochistan and anywhere in Pakistan. Mama Qadeer questions Pakistan army's claim of Jadhav's arrest from Balochistan and call it a malicious attempt to blackmail India. He said, "In Balochistan, where the so-called CPEC is under construction, the local residents are not able to roam freely as they have to cross at least four check-posts maintained by Frontier Corps, ISI, Military Intelligence and the army. How can outsider enter into Balochistan and work freely?" He blamed the Pakistan Army and secret agencies for the deteriorating human rights situation in Balochistan. He said, "We have been raising our voices against missing persons in Balochistan. Pakistan's agencies (ISI, MI and FC) are behind the enforced disappearances and the killings of Baloch. They also back radicals to whom they pay money to kidnap and kill the Baloch". He accused the Pakistan Army and its secret agencies of being the real producers of terrorists. He said, "At present, 45,000 Baloch people are missing and we stand in their witness. In 2004, when Balochistan home minister Aftab Sherpao came to Gwadar, he declared to have kidnapped 4,000 Baloch people. This statement was on the record. In 2014-15, home secretary Akbar Durani made a statement that they have arrested 13,000 people. Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti also confessed to have abducted some 9,000 people". Mama Qadeer requested the government to bring the disappeared Baloch to court and prove their guilt, and added that if proved, the authorities could hang them. If not guilty, he said they should be released immediately. "I had received immense life threats and it still continues. As soon I reach Balochistan, I may be abducted or killed. But, we will continue to fight for our rights, no matter we lost of life" said Mama Qadeer whose 35-year-old son Jalil Ahmad Rekhi was brutally killed by secret agencies in 2009. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress Party on Friday won 20 of the 24 wards in Raghogarh Municipal Council elections in Madhya Pradesh's Guna District. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has bagged four wards. Counting of votes is underway where Congress candidate Aarti Sharma is said to be ahead of her BJP rival Mayadevi Agarwal with 4,500 votes. The Congress has been in control of the Raghogarh-Vijaypur Municipal Council for the past two decades. Five districts - Dhar, Barwani, Khandwa, Guna, and Anuppur - held Municipal Council elections on January 17. Counting of votes began at 9 a.m. this morning and is expected to end by the afternoon. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With the cases of swine flu constantly on the rise, Rajasthan Health director VK Singh Mathur on Saturday said that the health department is "well equipped" to control the situation, adding that they are looking for ways to combat it. Speaking to the reporters here, Mathur said, "25 deaths have been reported in Rajasthan within 20 days. Cities like Jodhpur and Jaipur have also been affected to an extreme". "Our health department is well-equipped to control the situation and is finding ways to combat it soon", he added. On January 3, the Rajasthan government announced an alert in the state after more than 400 people were diagnosed positive for the swine flu virus in December 2017. Rapid response teams of the health department were rushed to the areas where people were feared to have been affected by the H1N1 virus. A meeting with senior officials of the health department was held on January 3. According to medical and health department records, 241 swine flu deaths have occurred in the State since January 2017. Nearly 11,721 people were tested for swine flu between January 1, 2017, to December 19, 2017, of which 3,214 were confirmed positive. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rajput Karni Sena and other right-wing groups on Saturday came together in Pune and warned that if film theatres did screen 'Padmaavat' then they would do so at their own risk. "We are appealing to the movie theatres that if they are releasing the film then they should release it at their own responsibility. We also appeal to the public not to come out of their house on January 25," Pune Karni Sena President Om Singh Bhati said while addressing a press conference here. They further said if 'Padmaavat' was allowed to get released on January 25, the day would be recorded as the black day in the history. Earlier in the day, people created a ruckus in Gujarat's Banaskantha and Dhanera while protesting against the film. A ticket counter of a multiplex was also set on fire in Faridabad, Haryana. Meanwhile, Gujarat Multiplex Association Director said they have decided not to screen the movie in Gujarat. "Everyone is scared. No multiplex wants to bear the loss. Why will we bear the loss?" Patel questioned. Earlier on Thursday, the apex court stayed notifications issued by four states - Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat - to ban the release of the film. A Rohingya leader has been shot dead by unknown assailants at a refugee camp in Bangladesh's Ukhiya. According to the Dhaka Tribune, a gang of miscreants opened fire on a 35-year-old Mohammad Yusuf, leaving him critically injured on Friday night. Yusuf was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Another leader was also reportedly attacked in the same night. The refugees have alleged that a group of Rohingyas opposing repatriation are carrying out the attacks on the leaders of the camps. Bangladesh and Myanmar have agreed on a two-year timeframe for the repatriation of Rohingya refugees. The repatriation process is expected to start on January 22. More than 655,000 Rohingyas have crossed into Bangladesh since August 25, 2017, escaping a military crackdown in Rakhine state, which many countries and human rights bodies have described as 'ethnic cleansing'. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A school bus driver mowed down a class one student in Hyderabad on Saturday morning. The child has been identified as Anjali. She was a student of the Prashanti Vidyanikethan School. According to Station House Officer (SHO) of Vanasthalipuram Police Station, "The child was traveling to school when the incident took place. Also, she was standing near door of the bus and the door was open." "When the bus driver slowed at a speed breaker and started immediately again the student slipped and fell out. While the bus went over her and she died on the spot," the SHO added. The body has been shifted to a hospital and sent for post mortem. Child rights activist, Achoot Rao said, "The incident occurred because of the school and the driver's negligence; there should have been an attendant at the bus door. The school should be closed by the government." A case has been registered. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Celebrated chef Paul Bocuse, nicknamed the pope of French gastronomy, has died at the age of 91. "Paul Bocuse is dead. Gastronomy is in mourning. Mister Paul was France. Simplicity and generosity. Excellence and the art of living. The Pope of gourmets is leaving us," France's Interior Minister Gerard Collomb, lettered on Twitter. According to the Guardian, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, branded Bocuse as "the incarnation of French cuisine." "His name alone sums up French gastronomy; his generosity, his respect for traditions but also his innovation," Macron said. The Michelin-starred chef and celebrated master of haute cuisine, Bocuse was born in Lyon where he has several restaurants and a cookery school. He was an early exponent of "nouvelle cuisine", which reinterpreted traditional French cooking using less butter and cream and focusing on fresh ingredients and stylish presentation. Bocuse began cooking at the age of 15. "I love butter, cream and wine," he used to say, and by 1958 he had his first Michelin star. At the time of his death, he had nine restaurants in and around the city of Lyon and several abroad, including in Japan, the US and Switzerland. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) United States president Donald Trump has addressed the anti-abortion activists at the annual March for Life here. "The March for Life is a movement born out of love ... you love every child born and unborn because you believe every life is sacred, that every child is a precious gift from God," reported the Independent, citing, Trump as saying. On the occasion, Trump also pledged his administration would always defend "the right to life." His appearance on Friday made him the first to join the long-running, annual event by satellite, but the third Republican president to speak to the group. Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush both phoned into the conference during their time in office. Trump said the United States "is one of only seven countries to allow elective late-term abortions," mentioning China and North Korea. "It is wrong. It has to change." In addition to this, Trump listed some anti-abortion measures his administration had taken, including an announcement made by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services earlier in the day. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Turkish jets have bombed US-backed Kurdish militia in Syria's Afrin province in a bid to oust the fighters. On that note, Turkey wants to oust the Kurds, which it calls terrorists, from Afrin region that lies across its southern border. According to CNN, the Turkish armed forces said that 108 out of 113 targets had been hit and that all of the dead and wounded brought to hospitals are Kurdish militia members. Turkish military announced that it launched 'Operation Olive Branch' on Saturday at 1400 GMT. Syria decried Turkey's "aggression" and "brutal attack." The attack came after a week of threats by the Turkish government, promising to clear the Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG, from Afrin and the surrounding countryside. The YPG is the driving force behind a coalition of north Syrian forces allied with the US to fight Islamic State (IS). The Turkish Prime Minister, Binali Yildirim, stated that the strikes on Afrin marked the start of a campaign to "eliminate the PYD and PKK and Daesh [Arabic acronym for IS] elements in Afrin", referring to the Kurdish Democratic Union Party and the Kurdistan Worker's Party respectively. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Turkish jets destroyed terror check posts of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorist group in northern Syria's Afrin on Saturday. According to Anadolu news agency, Turkish jets were seen flying in southern Hatay province's Reyhanli and Kirikhan districts near the Syrian-Turkish border and attacked the posts with explosives. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced earlier that military operations "actively" started in Afrin. Erdogan added that Turkey had undertaken such an operation, in order to remove terrorists from its borders in the interests of national security. Some reports also mentioned that Russian troops, who were also in Afrin to tackle the PKK, have been ordered by the Russian Defence Ministry to back out from the Turkey-led military operations. The PKK which is based in Turkey, Iraq and parts of Syria has been involved in an armed conflict with Turkey. Its aim is to achieve the objective of creating an independent Kurdish state. It has been listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. The PKK is responsible for the deaths of more than 1,200 Turkish security personnel and civilians. Turkey has been embroiled in a state of emergency since last year, ever since the failed military coup against Erdogan and subsequent terrorist attacks by local militants and the Islamic State group in the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United Nations special rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, visited a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh's coastal town of Cox's Bazar on Saturday. The Dhaka Tribune reported that Lee interacted with refugees and listened to their accounts of violence carried out against them allegedly by the Myanmar Army. Officials from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and other foreign aid institutions were also present at that time. Lee was also supposed to visit her native Myanmar later on, but the government there unexpectedly banned her from visiting the country. After this visit, she will leave for Thailand on January 24. Bangladesh and Myanmar on Tuesday finalised an agreement, which will facilitate the repatriation of the Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh. Rohingyas are a Muslim minority ethnic group in Myanmar. They have been regarded by many majority Buddhists as illegal migrants from Bangladesh. Also, they have been long persecuted by the Buddhists and the security forces. As of December 2017, an estimated 6,55,000 Rohingya people fled to Bangladesh to avoid the persecution from the security forces that started in Myanmar's Rakhine state in August last year. The United Nations has called the violence against civilians 'ethnic cleansing', but the Myanmarese government has rejected claims like these. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) United States Congressman Tom Garrett a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee has expressed his concern over gross human rights abuses against ethnic Mohajirs in Karachi. In his comments published in a special The Daily Washington Times supplement, the Republican lawmaker said "President Trump's decision to suspend aid to Pakistan is a clear choice for its leadership on being an ally to the U.S., commitment to dismantle terrorist networks and importantly stop oppression and human rights abuse on Mohajirs in Karachi, Baloch, Pashtuns and other minority communities through its military, paramilitary and intelligence assets." Garrett has acquired a reputation for being vocal on global human rights issues and raising his voice against state atrocities committed by Pakistan against Mohajirs. The Paramilitary Rangers have been conducting a brutal operation in Karachi since 2013 during which hundreds of Mohajirs have been extra-judicially killed and hundreds have gone missing since being taken into custody by security forces. The operation has particularly aimed at the country's most secular political party in Pakistan, MQM. The party's deputy Convener, Harvard-educated Professor Zafar-Hasan Arif was also killed last Sunday after being taken into unlawful custody. His bruised, bleeding body was found on the outskirts of Karachi. The Washington Times published an exclusive news supplement titled 'Free Karachi Campaign.' The supplement highlights the strategic importance of Karachi in South Asia region and growing extremism under the patronage of Pakistan's powerful military and its even more powerful intelligence agency, ISI. The supplement features reports and articles on the persecution of Mohajirs in Karachi and the other urban centers of Sindh Province. Digital Ads of 'Free Karachi' are running on the Washington Times website, urging the U.S. administration and community to save Mohajirs in Pakistan. Earlier this week, the first phase of Free Karachi Campaign was launched in Washington D.C. on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Taxis with the banners of #FreeKarachi took part in the parade to raise awareness on the plight of Mohajirs in Pakistan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) West Star Aviation has finalized its Service Center agreement with Embraer Executive Jets at its full-service state-of-the-art maintenance facility at the Chattanooga Airport, officials said. The agreement is for Embraer Base Maintenance on Phenom 100/300, Legacy 450/500 and Legacy 600/650. The Chattanooga facility will offer interior refurbishment, avionics, avionics installation and repair, inspections, part services, and engine inspections. We are thrilled to be able to accept Embraer customers at all three of our full-service facilities at ALN, GJT, and CHA, said Bob OLeary, Embraer business development manager, West Star Aviation. We are dedicated to the continuous growth of our Embraer capabilities and proud to offer complete maintenance on Embraer Phenom and Legacy models. West Stars Chattanooga location is currently expanding its footprint to include a state-of-the-art paint facility and other updates to the existing current facility to be able to accommodate aircraft up to Lineage 1000 and Lineage 1000E. The paint shop expansion is projected to open September 2018 and will offer full-service paint capabilities on Embraer and other aircraft. Voted #1 Preferred MRO in the 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 Professional Pilot magazine annual Preferences Regarding Aviation Services and Equipment (PRASE) Survey, West Star Aviation specializes in the repair and maintenance of airframes, windows, and engines, as well as major modifications, avionics installation and repair, interior refurbishment, surplus avionics sales, accessory services, paint and parts. Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhary has said that Washington has assured that it will not support to any campaign against Pakistan. The Dawn quoted Chaudhary, as saying, "We took it up with the State Department, and they assured us that they continue to support Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity as strongly as they always have." Chaudhary made this remark after taxis lined up with #FreeKarachi banners to participate in the Dr. Martin Luther King Day parade earlier this week in Washington and similar demonstrations were held in New York. The Ambassador Chaudhary further said anti-Pakistan posters and billboards have been removed from New York and Washington. He also mentioned that US Assistant Secretary of State Alice Wells had given a similar assurance during her recent visit to Islamabad. Contrary to the Pakistan Ambassador's statement, U.S. Congressman Tom Garrett has expressed his concern over the gross human rights abuses taking place against ethnic Mohajirs in Karachi. In his comments published in a special Washington Times supplement, the Republican lawmaker said "President Trump's decision to suspend aid to Pakistan is a clear choice for its leadership on being an ally to the U.S., commitment to dismantle terrorist networks and importantly stop oppression and human rights abuse on Mohajirs in Karachi, Baloch, Pashtuns and their minority communities through its military, paramilitary and intelligence assets." Garrett has acquired a reputation for being vocal on global human rights issues and raising his voice against state atrocities committed by Pakistan against Mohajirs. The paramilitary Rangers have been conducting a brutal operation in Karachi since 2013 during which hundreds of Mohajirs have been extra-judicially killed and hundreds have gone missing since being taken into custody by security forces. The operation has particularly aimed at the country's most secular political party in Pakistan, MQM. The party's deputy Convener, Harvard-educated Professor Zafar-Hasan Arif was also killed last Sunday after being taken into unlawful custody. His bruised, bleeding body was found on the outskirts of Karachi. The Washington Times published an exclusive news supplement titled 'Free Karachi Campaign.' The supplement highlights the strategic importance of Karachi in South Asia region and growing extremism under the patronage of Pakistan's powerful military and its even more powerful intelligence agency, ISI. The supplement features reports and articles on the persecution of Mohajirs in Karachi and the other urban centers of Sindh Province. Digital Ads of 'Free Karachi' are running on the Washington Times website, urging the U.S. administration and community to save Mohajirs in Pakistan. Earlier this week, the first phase of Free Karachi Campaign was launched in Washington D.C. on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Taxis with the banners of #FreeKarachi took part in the parade to raise awareness on the plight of Mohajirs in Pakistan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a path breaking initiative to empower Persons with Disabilities, 100 Accessible websites of various State Governments/UTs under Accessible India Campaign were launched by the Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot. Accessible Websites are those websites into which Persons with Disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web, and that they can contribute to the Web. The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) initiated a Website Accessibility Project for State Government/Union Territories under Accessible India Campaign through ERNET India, an autonomous scientific society under the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), to make total 917 websites accessible and providing funds for the same. Now 100 accessible websites are made accessible under the project. ERNET India (MEITY) is executing the project which is funded by DEPwD under Accessibility India Campaign so far 917 websites across 27 States & UT have been chosen from the list of websites which have been provided by the State Social Welfare Departments through DEPwD. Accessible Website Design Principles: - Provide appropriate alternative text, Caption video; Provide transcripts for audio; All documents (e.g., PDFs) to be accessible; Do not rely on color alone to convey meaning; and Make sure content is structured, clearly written and easy to read. Current Status of Accessible Websites: -Total no. of websites: 917; Under Development: 244; Developed and Internally Audited: 208; and Live: 100 Web content accessibility guidelines -WCAG 2.0 :- Websites are made accessible by complying it as per Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0) published by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the main international standard organisation for the World Wide Web. The guideline establish three levels of accessibility on basis of which websites are designed, namely:- Level A: This Indicates the basic level of accessibility that any web page must have Level AA: This indicates an intermediate level of accessibility that any web page should have Level AAA: This indicates the highest level of accessibility that any web page can achieve The founding principles of the guidelines state information and user interface components must be presentable to user in ways they can perceive, user interface components and navigation must be operable and information and the operation of user interface must be understandable. Moreover, content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have released two Detailed Assessment Reports (DARs) relating to the 2017 India Financial Sector Assessment Programme (FSAP). The Report providing 'Detailed Assessment of ObservanceBasel Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision' has been released by the IMF and the World Bank and the Report providing 'Detailed Assessment of Observance of Clearing Corporation of India Limited (CCIL) Central Counter Party (CCP) and Trade Repository (TR)', was released by the World Bank. The DAR on the observance of Basel Core Principles (BCP) commends the Reserve Bank of India for the remarkable progress in strengthening banking supervision since the last FSAP. It notes that the supervision and regulation by the Reserve Bank remain strong and have improved in recent years. Most of the Basel III framework (and related guidance) has been implemented and cooperation arrangements, both domestically and cross-border, are now firmly in place. It states that the system-wide asset quality review (AQR) and the strengthening of prudential regulations in 2015 testify to the authorities' commitment to transparency and a more accurate recognition of banking risks. A special mention is made of the implementation of a risk-based supervisory approach, in particular the Supervisory Program for Assessment of Risk and Capital (SPARC); as also the phasing-in of the Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) and large exposure limits and states that the recently established Central Repository of Information on Large Credits (CRILC), will provide RBI with a robust supervisory enforcement framework. It acknowledges that banking reforms, including the Indradhanush Plan for revitalizing the Public Sector Banks (PSBs) and the Bank Board Bureaus (BBBs) have helped usher in an era of transparency and improved discipline and will go a long way in resolving the problem of bad loans in India. The DAR on the BCP was prepared before the announcement of the recapitalization of Rs. 2.11 trillion (about US$32 billion) and the under-capitalization of PSBs mentioned in the Report has since been effectively addressed by this Plan. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On 6 February 2018 International Combustion (India) will hold a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Company on 6 February 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.) Two crude bombs were recovered near the Mahabodhi temple in Bihar's Bodh Gaya district, where Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama is camping, prompting authorities to heighten security. An NIA team was at the site on Saturday to probe the incident. The bombs were found on Friday night, police said. According to district officials, a low intensity bomb blast had taken place near the site where the two crude bombs were recovered on Friday night. Police denied media reports that claimed the bombs were found inside the revered Mahabodhi temple. "The explosive materials were found in the vicinity of the Kalachakra ground near the temple and kept far away from the temple," Inspector General of Police, Patna Zone, N.H. Khan said. A senior police official in Bodh Gaya said three suspected persons have been found roaming in Bodh Gaya. Police will identify them soon, he said. The NIA team is to defuse the two crude bombs, police said. "A team of NIA reached Bodh Gaya and visited the Mahabodhi temple to probe the incident," a district police official said. A forensic team from Patna was also in Bodh Gaya to investigate the matter. "We have given all the information to the NIA team. And if it requires more information, the state police will provide it," a senior police officer camping in Bodh Gaya said. Security of foreign monasteries and other sensitive places has also been beefed up and additional security forces deployed. Thousands of the Dalai Lama's devotees, including Hollywood star Richard Gere, and hundreds of foreign tourists have been staying in Bodh Gaya, where it is peak tourist season now. In 2013, a series of bombs exploded at Bodh Gaya's Mahabodhi temple in which two Buddhist monks were injured. --IANS ik/rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Despite the ripple effect of the United States shutdown across the world, no flights from India to America had been cancelled, according to sources. Though travellers were not impacted immediately, industry players said that if the government shutdown was prolonged, it would have an effect in the near future. "The US government shutdown will have no impact on those travelling from India. Airlines are functioning as per their schedules, the air traffic control, immigration and customs services which are deemed as essential services are not covered by the shutdown," said Karan Anand, Head of Relationships at Cox & Kings. "The government shutdown could impact travellers planning a trip to the US in the foreseeable future," said Sharat Dhall, COO (B2C) at Yatra.com, adding that "while there will be a minuscule impact on air traffic controllers, visa processing will certainly face some delay. Also, passport processing for the US citizens visiting India or other foreign nations might also get delayed." The US government began shutting down on Saturday, putting thousands of workers on unpaid leave after the Senate failed to pass a stopgap budget. Air India has not cancelled or postponed any flights to the US, a source familiar with the matter said. Air India flies to four US cities daily -- San Francisco, Chicago, Washington and New York, In New York, it flies to two airports Newark and John F. Kennedy. The shutdown marked the first anniversary of President Donald Trump's inauguration. It is the first shutdown in US history to happen while the same ruling party controlled both House of Congress and the Senate. Despite last-minute bipartisan meetings, the bill to fund the government until February 16, did not receive the required number of 60 votes in the Senate. The budget proposal presented by the Republicans on Friday night got more votes in favour (50) than against (48), but they were insufficient to approve funds. Four Republicans voted against the bill while five Democrats broke rank to support it. Veteran actor Anupam Kher is set to attend the 24th Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards taking place in Los Angeles and reunite with the team of his Hollywood film "The Big Sick". "The Big Sick" has been nominated under two categories -- Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture and Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role. The awards ceremony will take place on Sunday. Anupam essayed a Pakistani father in the film. "On my way to Los Angeles for the shoot of an exciting film (512th). And of course for SAG awards. Looking forwarding to reuniting with the wonderful team of 'The Big Sick' movie," Anupam tweeted. Directed by Michael Showalter, "The Big Sick" is about the real life story of comedian Kumail Nanjiani, who not just features in the lead role but has also penned the film's screenplay with wife Emily Gordon. It also stars Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano and Adeel Akhtar apart from Anupam. The film is loosely based on the real-life romance between Nanjiani and Gordon. It follows an interracial couple who must deal with cultural differences after Emily (played by Kazan in the film) becomes ill. On the home front, Anupam will next be seen in "The Accidental Prime Minister", "Aiyaary" and "Hotel Mumbai". --IANS ks/sug/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Cairo, Jan 20 (IANS/WAM) Arab Parliament Speaker Meshal Faham M. Alsulami will lead a delegation to China from January 22 to 24 for talks to enhance relations between the Arab world and Beijing. Alsulami's visit comes at the invitation of Chinese top legislator Zhang Dejiang, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. The Speaker said the visit will also shed light on the major strategic and important issues of the Arab world, especially the developments in Jerusalem and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territories. --IANS/WAM soni/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Book: Why I Am A Hindu; Author: Shashi Tharoor; Publisher: Aleph Book Company; Pages: 302; Price: Rs 699 Shashi Tharoor's new book on Hinduism -- the religion followed by a majority of Indians -- comes at a crucial juncture when there is an upsurge in fringe elements that practise and propagate the ideology of Hindutva. The book, therefore, was being thought of as Tharoor's response to Hindutva. However, limiting "Why I Am A Hindu" to the debate between Hinduism and Hindutva will be a grave injustice to this riveting offering as the book is much more than the sum total of this debate. At the onset, it is a layman's account of his journey of discovering the "extraordinary wisdom and virtues of the faith" that he has practised for over six decades. Tharoor himself makes it clear in the Author's Note that he is neither a Sanskritist nor a scholar of Hinduism and, thus, did not set out to write a "scholarly exposition of the religion". The book comes across as the author's attempt to understand the religion that he follows, calling it a self-discovery of sorts will be accurate. Tharoor's exposition travels between personal accounts and his understanding of the religious scriptures as well as the values propagated by the likes of Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna Pramahamsa and others in the league whom he refers to as the "Great Souls of Hinduism". It is thus imperative for the reader to have a clear state of consciousness before setting on to read the book because more than anything else, it is about Hinduism, a religion, and religions are, after all the reasons behind most conflicts. The book is divided into three sections, the first of which is titled "My Hinduism". This answers the question raised by the title of the book: Why I Am A Hindu? Admitting as sincerely as is expected of a liberal intellectual as Tharoor, he sets the record straight and confides that he is Hindu "because I was born one", and goes on to elaborate that religion is selected for most people at birth, "by the accident of geography and their parents' cultural moorings". But this analogy is not to suggest that he is not a proud Hindu. "I was never anything else: I was born a Hindu, grew up as one, and have considered myself one all my life." The section talks at length about Tharoor's early days, highlighting how his personal understanding of the religion developed with time. "My Hinduism was a lived faith; it was a Hinduism of experience and upbringing, a Hinduism of observation and conversation, not one anchored in deep religious study," he points out. The section also explains at length what he calls "My Truth," where he describes the reasons why he is "happy to describe" himself as a "believing Hindu", before going on to present a fair perspective on the values propagated by the "Great Souls of Hinduism." The second section is titled "Political Hinduism" and this is where Hindutva comes into play. It is interesting to note that the author takes 140 pages (about half of the book) to reach to the burning debate of our times and in doing so, he succeeds in providing a background on his belief of the religion, supplemented by the values propagated by the likes of Swami Vivekananda before explaining Hindutva. He begins this section by providing a clear distinction between Hinduism and Hindutva. For Hinduism, he presents an imagery of a banyan tree, in whose shade, "a great variety of flora and fauna, thought and action, flourishes". From here, he moves to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and its ideologues -- Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and M.S. Golwalkar, explaining their perspectives on Hindutva. Using original quotes, he mentions Savarkar's assertion: "Hinduism is only a derivative, a fraction, a part of Hindutva." The book then moves, at an incredible pace, to the advent of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya and the Bhartiya Jana Sangh and then to the Bharatiya Janata Party. Tharoor then devotes 40 pages decoding the philosophies of Hindutva -- not as he perceives it but exactly how its ideologues propagated it. Contrary to all expectations, he does not criticise them or counter their views, at least at this stage. It is from page 183 of the 302-page book, that he unleashes a storm of arguments on "the politics of division" that has led to "a travesty of Hinduism". Next, the author eloquently elaborates on the uses and abuses of Hindu culture and history in the contemporary scenario, resulting from "the politics of division" that he early mentions. The 28-page-long last section of the book is all that he spends on addressing what most would have expected from the entire book: "Taking Back Hinduism". Beginning with a reference to former US President Barack Obama's speech where he mentioned that "India will succeed so long as it is not split along the lines of religious faiths," he elaborates on the "travesty of Hinduism" in the contemporary times. Tharoor is brutal in his criticism of the saffron brigade but equally accommodating when it comes to presenting their views. "Why I Am A Hindu" is a well-researched exposition and is yet a charming personal account -- and it floats seamlessly in rich prose and diction synonymous with one of the most widely-read and revered authors of our times. (Saket Suman can be contacted at saket.s@ians.in) --IANS ss/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Border Security Force (BSF) trooper and three civilians were injured on Saturday in fresh firing by Pakistan Rangers on the international border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir. "From Akhnoor to R.S. Pura, Pakistan Rangers carried out indiscriminate shelling and firing to target civilian and security facilities. "A BSF trooper sustained injuries in the firing in Pargwal area while three civilians, including a minor girl sustained injuries in Kanachak area of Akhnoor sector," a police officer said. The injured have been shifted to hospital. "The BSF is effectively retaliating at all these places," he added. Shelling and firing continued from the Pakistani side in Arnia, Hira Nagar, Ramgarh and Samba sectors till last reports came in. More than 10,000 residents of border villages have during the last two days migrated from their villages, leaving behind cattle, agricultural fields and homes. Two security personnel, including an army soldier and a BSF trooper, and two civilians were killed on Friday in similar unprovoked firing on the LoC and the international border by Pakistan, police said. Twenty-four others including two BSF troopers and 22 civilians were also injured. --IANS sq/qd/in/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) This is the blog of China defense, where professional analysts and serious defense enthusiasts share findings on a rising military power. China's gender imbalance was further reduced in 2017 due to the introduction of the "second-child policy", experts said on Saturday. At the end of 2017, China had 32.66 million more males than females as opposed to 33.59 million a year earlier, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the data by the National Bureau of Statistics. The gender imbalance continued to decline over the last five years, dropping by around 1.2 million annually, with the largest reduction seen in 2017, official data showed. Chen Jian, deputy head with China Society of Economic Reform, attributed the improvement in China's gender balance to the introduction of the "second-child policy", which helped reduce the number of selective abortions in regions where boys are preferred over girls. About 17.23 million babies were born in 2017, of which 51 per cent have an older sibling, according to the National Health and Family Planning Commission. However, the total number of births fell by about 630,000 compared with 2016 while percentage of the population aged over 60 rose from 16.7 per cent in 2016 to 17.3 per cent in 2017. China should roll out more supportive policies to encourage couples to have children in order to help the country deal with the ageing society issue, said James Liang, a professor with Peking University. The government could reduce taxes or offer subsidies for families to help cover the costs for raising multiple children, Liang suggested. --IANS soni/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actress Chloe Sevigny says she would 'probably not work with Oscar-winning director Woody Allen again. From "Boys Don't Cry" to "American Psycho", Sevigny has had one of the most prolific resumes of character parts in independent movies. In 2004, she appeared in the Allen's comedy "Melinda and Melinda". Now, Sevigny has expressed reservations about collaborating with the director, reports variety.com. "I have my own turmoil that I'm grappling with over that decision," Sevigny said. "Would I work with him again? Probably not." Sevigny joins a chorus of actors who have either donated their salaries from Allen's movies to the Time's Up campaign, including Rebecca Hall and Timothee Chalamet, or expressed regret in agreeing to co-star in one of his projects. In 2014, Allen's daughter Dylan Farrow published a letter in the New York Times, where she said that she was sexually assaulted by him at the age of 7. Allen has denied any wrongdoing. --IANS sug/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The opposition Conference (NC) on Saturday created ruckus in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly to protest the "failure of the government to protect civilian lives in border villages". Four people, including two civilians and two security personnel, were killed on Friday in Pakistani firing on the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border. "BJP Hai, Hai, RSS Hai, Hai (Down with BJP, RSS)," NC MLAs led by senior leader, Ali Muhammad Sagar, shouted slogans to interrupt the proceedings of the state assembly. They demanded a statement from the government on the recent civilian killings in Pakistani firing on the border. "You (BJP) said we will behead 10 enemy heads if our one soldier is beheaded. Where is you 56-inch wide chest (a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi)," the opposition legislators shouted before walking out from the House in protest. Abdul Majid Larmi, NC MLA, jumped into the Well of the House to protest the setting up of an army camp in Shamsipora village of his south Kashmir Homeshalibugh constituency. Abdul Rehman Veeri, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, tried to calm the agitating MLA saying the concerned district magistrate had been ordered to amicably resolve the issue. A Class 12 student allegedly shot dead the principal of his school in Haryana's Yamunanagar on Saturday, police said. The victim, Rita Chhabra, was sitting in her office when the alleged assailant came and opened fire on her from close range from his weapon. She was rushed to a nearby hospital where she died. The student, police sources said, was upset over being rusticated from the school. The accused, who was overpowered by school staff, was handed over to the police and was being questioned. Yamunanagar is around 100 km from here. --IANS js/rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress in Kerala on Saturday slammed the CPI-M for "playing spoilsport" in the effort to form a secular front to fight the BJP. Speaking to IANS, state Congress president M.M. Hassan said it is very clear that a section of the CPI-M in Kerala appears adamant that there should be no such front to fight the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "CPI-M party veteran V.S. Achuthanandan has written to the party General Secretary Sitaram Yechury that they should decide on working with the Congress, but Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is all supreme in the party now, does not want it. This is being done purposely to please the BJP, as his SNC Lavalin case has now come up in the Supreme Court. He (Vijayan) is also hoping that by taking this stand, he will get the Centre to help Kerala when it comes to assistance," said Hassan. The CPI-M central committee meeting is currently underway in Kolkata, and the single point of discussion currently is should they engage in any tie up with the Congress. While Yechury wants it, his predecessor Prakash Karat and the Kerala unit of the party is dead against the idea. "Just look at the discussions going on in their party meetings, where they are praising China and North Korea, which is ridiculous. All along the CPI-M has been critical of the economic policies of the Congress party here. While the policies in China and North Korea are acceptable to them, they feel allergic to the policies of the Congress party. We really fail to understand the logic of the CPI-M. We feel that they have lost connect with reality," said Hassan, and added that there's a "B team" of the BJP in the CPI-M here. --IANS sg/rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Appealing to the state's angry debt-ridden farming community, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday urged them to shun the path of agitation and said his government could not afford to waive off any more of their debts at the present juncture. Reiterating that his government was committed to alleviating all their woes at the earliest, Amarinder Singh said that despite the severe financial crunch faced by the state government, Punjab had waived off more debts of its farmers than the other states. He cited the examples of Maharashtra (up to Rs 1.5 lakh), Uttar Pradesh (up to Rs 1 lakh), Rajasthan (up to Rs 50,000), Madhya Pradesh (up to Rs 1 lakh) and Karnataka (up to Rs 50,000) to point to the extent to which his government had stretched itself to fulfill this important promise of the Congress to the farming community. He urged the protesting farmers to appreciate the government's efforts. The Chief Minister appealed to the farmers not to be misled by the opposition parties and some Kisan Unions, who he said were spreading false propaganda on the issue of farm debt waiver in order to promote their vested political interests. "Considering the financial problems which my government had inherited from the Akalis, and also considering the lack of support on the issue from the central government, it is not possible, at present, to extend the debt waiver scheme to more farmers or to waive off more than Rs 2 lakh," Amarinder Singh said in a statement here. The Chief Minister sought more time from the farmers to implement farm debt waiver in toto, saying his government was working towards reviving the state's economy so that all sections of the society could be brought back on the track of development. "The thrust, at the moment, is on helping out the worst affected small and marginal farmers," Singh said, adding that all the farmers would eventually be covered by the debt waiver scheme, once the state's economy starts stabilizing. Observing that the state exchequer had a debt of Rs 46,000 crore when he demitted office after his earlier stint in 2007, the Chief Minister said that his government was hit by a debt trap of over Rs 2 lakh crore when it took over from the SAD-BJP government in 2017. "This has prevented his government from full implementation of its farm debt waiver promise in one go," he added. "Nevertheless, of the 10.25 lakh farmers who are eligible to be covered under the debt waiver scheme announced by his government in its maiden budget, 5.63 lakh were slated to benefit in the first phase itself," he pointed out, adding that his government had somehow managed to generate Rs 2,700 crore needed in this phase. "Unfortunately, however, the government is not in a position to garner more funds in the prevailing circumstances, and hence could not accept the demand of the farmers for total waiver," he added. The Chief Minister said that only the big ones among the 17.5 lakh farming families in the state had so far been left out of the waiver scheme, and they were the ones who were quite capable of taking care of themselves. --IANS js/rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four people, including three civilians and an Indian Army soldier, were killed and over a dozen others injured on Saturday on the International Border and the Line of Control (LoC) in relentless ceasefire violations by Pakistan. A soldier, identified as Sepoy Mandeep Singh, was killed in Pakistani firing in the Krishna Ghati (KG) sector of Poonch district. District authorities in Jammu confirmed the deaths of three civilians in Pakistani shelling on the International Border. "Pakistan ceasefire violations on the LoC started at 8.20 a.m. They used small arms and automatics to target Indian positions. Our troops retaliated effectively. However, Sepoy Mandeep Singh, 23, belonging to Punjab, was grievously injured. He later succumbed to his injuries," Defence Ministry officials said. A BSF officer injured in the border shelling in R S Pura Sector, being treated at a Government Hospital at R S Pura about 25km from Jammu | PTI Photo Earlier, a Border Security Force (BSF) trooper and three civilians were injured in fresh firing by Pakistan Rangers on the IB of the state. Police sources confirmed that over a dozen others, including civilians and security personnel, have been injured in Saturday's escalated violence in the border. "From Akhnoor to R.S. Pura, Pakistan Rangers carried out indiscriminate shelling and firing to target civilian and security facilities. "A BSF trooper sustained injuries in the firing in Pargwal area while three civilians, including a minor girl, sustained injuries in Kanachak area of Akhnoor sector," a police officer said. The injured have been shifted to hospital. More than 10,000 residents of border villages have during the last two days migrated from their villages, leaving behind cattle, agricultural fields and homes. On Friday, two security personnel, including an army soldier, and two civilians were killed in ceasefire violations by Pakistan on the LoC and the International Border. Twenty-four others, including two BSF troopers and 22 civilians, were injured in Friday's shelling and firing by Pakistan troops. An owner of a car registered in neighbouring Karnataka learnt that not he but the Goa Police was the 'boss' in the coastal state when he was challaned for sporting the word 'BOSS' on the registration number plate of the vehicle. Director General of Police Dr Muktesh Chander tweeted after the Traffic Department fined the owner. Posting a picture of the challaned offender, Chander tweeted late Saturday: "Spotted a car in Goa belonging to some self-proclaimed 'boss' from Karnataka. He was challaned for defective number plate. Hope he understands who is the boss around. Traffic rules are to be obeyed by bosses also." --IANS maya/tsb (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Goa's tourist taxi drivers on Saturday decided to extend their strike to the third day on Sunday, as Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar declined to consider their demand to not make mandatory installation of speed governors in their vehicles. "Unlike what some of the taxi operators may believe, the state government has not made speed governors mandatory. It has been done by a Supreme Court-appointed committee. It is the law. Their demand to do away with speed governors can't be accepted," Parrikar told reporters in Panaji. "Why do taxi operators in Goa alone have a problem with speed governors, when taxi operators from Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi do not have a problem," the Chief Minister said, adding that over 4,000 taxi operators in Goa had already installed the device. The tourist taxis, which do not get speed governors installed by February 24 this year, would be automatically rendered unfit for public carriage, according to the government order. Taxi operator unions on Saturday resolved to extend their strike to the third day, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition government of not even attempting to engage them in a dialogue. "We are not going to give in. The strike will continue until the state government agrees to our demands," a spokesperson for the taxi operators said. The strike, which began on Friday, had been called by tourist taxi associations in North Goa and South Goa districts, protesting against compulsory installation of speed governors in cabs, and alleged harassment by Transport Department and police officials. The strike has rendered thousands of tourists taxis off the state's roads, leaving both locals as well as tourists in a quandary. Over six million tourists visit the coastal state every year. --IANS maya/nir/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India is putting together this year its largest entourage of ministers, policymakers and business leaders for the World Economic Forum's annual meeting at Davos -- with the Prime Minister addressing the opening plenary session at the prime event. The Davos meeting marks attendance of the richest and most powerful among the elite from across the world to discuss global economics and politics. This year's theme is "Creating a shared future in a fractured world", highlighting the need for collaborative and integrated action to address the multitudinal scale of challenges that our world faces today. Forums with international repute evolve over a period of time, just like other organisations. The World Economic Forum (WEF) too has widened its ambit since 1971 -- from discussions limited to global economic change to include political and social change as well. This broadening has been brought by an emphasis on dialogue and consensus between conflicting agendas. The growing unification within the world economy has helped India establish itself as an emerging market economy to a considerable extent. With elite economic powers now recognising India's presence worldwide in major sectors, it is useful to understand the stature of our participation in forums at the global level in view of erratic global developments that have become a common spectacle today. It is after a gap of 20 years that an Indian Prime Minister will be attending WEF's annual meeting, the last being H.D. Deve Gowda in 1997. With recent economic reforms as the background and the Goods & Services Tax (GST) and demonetisation as the front-runners, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to echo his vision of a new and transformed India by 2022 at this global stage while taking on issues relating to economic imbalances, terrorism, and cyber threats. He is the chief marketing person of India's narrative on national and foreign policies, entrusted with the responsibility of making sure that the message is received. The accompanying ministers, businessmen and civil society leaders too would be elaborating on the efforts made in the last three-and-a-half-years in several sessions. This move comes at a time when there's optimism surrounding the Indian sentiment towards economic growth and social advancement. The insightful interactions with top-notch world leaders at forums like the WEF make room for some of the best learnings and showcasing one's own experiences to foster greater connectivity and cordial relations. While targeting global forums, India can lay out its position in today's world order; represent the willingness to take the lead and send out a categorical message across the global community regarding the creation of a conducive environment for doing business, and emerge as a potential partner in steering global economic growth. Reflecting upon this view, the government is preparing for the commemorative two-day Indo-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit to be led by Narendra Modi in Delhi on from January 25. The summit will see the participation of all 10 ASEAN countries. This can prove to be an opportunity for our country to present itself as a powerful confederate to these countries in areas of strategic regional connectivity and target global positioning as well. However, India decided to give a miss at the Asian Financial Forum (AFF), the 11th edition of which (in Hong Kong ealier this week). The AFF features the world's most powerful business and financial players discussing ideas and the developments in dynamic Asian markets. It is not to say that non-participation at the AFF this year reflects India's weak stance on intensifying its global presence as the reasons for non-participation are not clear. If we look at the ramifications of such global and national forums, one can assert that these conversations and dialogues help in moving one step forward towards higher integration of thoughts and experiences. There are several other platforms even at the national level, like the National Competitiveness Forum, aiming to drive India's productivity, competitiveness and leadership in global markets through its activities, and Thinkers Sandbox, a thought leadership platform, to name a few. Forums like these can help our country commandeer a resilient narrative both nationally and internationally. The average Indian here would think and say: "What's the point in all this?" He may have never heard of a place like Davos and is very likely to think that it is nothing but a scheme by the world's most powerful elite. As a matter of fact, there may not be big boost decisions affecting his routine activities from such dialogues. Sill, in a place where global tensions arise with a blink of an eye, it is a solace that there are neutral platforms where discussions will not turn unpleasant. (Dr. Amit Kapoor is chair, Institute for Competitiveness, India. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at amit.kapoor@competitiveness.in and tweets @kautiliya. Bhawna Kakkar is researcher, Institute for Competitiveness, India) --IANS amit-bhawna/vm/hs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Reports from Thursday claims that Beijing has finally developed a new "landing ship" that could be "possibly" used in future wars involving islands. Prior to the report, the news follows a story last month as a Chinese official threatened that the communist nation would invade Taiwan if a U.S. warship visited the self-ruling island. Furthermore, the Chinese state media have recently played up coverage of "island encirclement" exercises near the democratic island, including showing a Chinese bomber. "China is developing Type 071 ships to meet requirements of possible wars involved with islands in the future, which could help it gain advantages in solving disputes on islands as well as questions involved with Taiwan," Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert, was quoted as telling the Beijing-controlled Global Times newspaper this week. Meanwhile, the report about the new amphibious warship was republished Thursday on China Military Online, the news website of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. "It could also deliver the navy and the army to the target island," Song added. "The expanding number of this type of ships could greatly enhance the PLA Navy's amphibious warfare capability." It is also reported last month that the Chinese military had conducted at least 16 rounds of exercises close to Taiwan in roughly the past year. "I think they are looking realistically to get Taiwan back in the near future," Denny Roy, an Asia Pacific security expert and senior fellow at the East-West Center in Honolulu told CNBC Thursday. The think tank's defense expert said Beijing's strategy may be to effectively "frighten Taiwan into submitting without a fight." However, the Chinese military is believed to have at least four amphibious ships as well as two aircraft carriers, including the domestically-built Liaoning that launched last year. In comparison, the U.S. has 10 carriers in its fleet and around 16 of the largest class of amphibious assault ships. Furthermore, late last year, Beijing announced it planned to quadruple the size of its naval fighting force. "If you're going to multiply the size of your naval infantry force by four, it follows that you're going to have a lot more amphibious ships," said Dean Cheng, a defense expert and senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based conservative think tank. Dean Cheng have also told other news sources that Beijing's naval buildup could put Taiwan at risk. Beyond those increases, China is also spending more on its air force, which include developing advanced fighters. The air force and navy forces, on the other hand, could potentially be used to conduct a blockade of Taiwan. "They keep saying that, 'we have to be prepared to retake Taiwan,'" said Cheng. "But they've never really invested in the naval infantry, over-the-shore capabilities that would be required. Now we're seeing them do it as almost the last block being put in place." Though it is still not clear on how many Type 075 assault ships China intends to build, the vessel is roughly 40,000-ton and will afford the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) significant power projection capabilities. On the other hand, the war-ship will be able to carry 30 helicopters onboard-six of which would be able to takeoff simultaneously from the flight deck. In addition to that, massive 820-foot long-with a 98.4-foot beam-vessels will also feature a well-deck for launching ship-to-shore connectors and amphibious vehicles of various types. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said India's entry into the elite nuclear clubs, including Australia Group, has reaffirmed the country's non-proliferation credentials and its commitment to global peace and security. "Over the last two years, India's membership of MTCR, Wassenaar Arrangement and Australia Group reaffirms India's strong non-proliferation credentials and also our commitment to global peace and security," Narendra Modi tweeted. He thanked Australia and other members of the Australia Group for supporting India's entry in the club on Friday. The Australia Group admitted India as the 43rd member through a consensus decision. It is the third export control group India has joined. It is already a member of Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies. With this, India has strengthened it case further for NSG membership that China has blocked. The government in a statement on Friday said India joined the Australia Group after internal procedures for joining the club were completed. --IANS sar/rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Indian Railways' plan to convert Mumbai's iconic Chhatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) building into a museum may well be derailed. A report by the Mumbai chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has listed several hurdles to the move, even as sections within the national transporter seem to be opposed to the idea. Designed by British architect Frederick William Stevens, the 129-year-old building, earlier called Victoria Terminus, is currently the headquarters of Central Railway. The Railways had earlier moved a proposal to shift the headquarters of Central Railway to another place in the city and convert the building -- which is Mumbai's only Unesco World Heritage Site -- into a state-of-the-art museum. "UNESCO has become very strict about interventions to World Heritage Sites. First and foremost, it is important to write to UNESCO, apprising them of the intention to convert the site into a museum," INTACH Mumbai chapter said in its report, submitted to the Railways last week. INTACH's Mumbai chapter was asked to prepare a report on the proposed museum project and, accordingly, the document was submitted -- drawing the Railways authorities' attention to the complex issue. "UNESCO requires a heritage impact assessment report to be prepared by an expert. The Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC) must be approached for permissions," INTACH Mumbai chapter maintained in its report. It is also learnt that the move is facing resistance within the Railways hierachy as a section is not in favour of moving the Central Railway HQ from the iconic landmark as the project would cost the cash-starved public transporter about Rs 153 crore -- Rs 68 crore for museum and Rs 85 crore for the new headquarters. Apart from UNESCO and MHCC permissions, which seem to be difficult, railway unions have also raised the red flag to the project, opposing vehemently the idea of shifting from the building which got the UNESCO World Heritage Site tag in 2004. It seems any move on the project without the nod from UNESCO would mean the building would lose the World Heritage Site tag. Every day, more than three million suburban commuters use the station, still referred to by its old initials "VT". The building also houses some 400 employees of Central Railway, including the General Manager's office. Currently, Railway officials are busy in preparing budget proposals and it is understood that no forward movement has been made in the project so far after receiving the INTACH report. (Arun Kumar Das is a senior Delhi-based freelance journalist. He can be contacted at akdas2005@gmail.com) --IANS arundas/sac (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Jammu and Kashmir Government announced in the state assembly on Saturday that the Station House Officer of Hiranagar police station in Jammu will be suspended till the magisterial probe into a minor girl's gruesome murder is completed. The opposition National Conference legislators disrupted the proceedings of the assembly saying unless the SHO and Deputy Superintendent of Police were suspended, they would not allow the house to function. The National Conference MLAs said when the minor 8-year old 'Bakerwal' girl had gone missing on January 12, why did the concerned police officers wait till her body was discovered? The government said a minor boy has been arrested in this incident and he has confessed to the crime before the police. The opposition raised serious doubts on the government's statement arguing as to how a minor boy could kidnap the girl and keep her in his custody for a week without other accomplices. Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Abdul Rehman Veeri told the assembly that the government has decided to suspend the concerned SHO till the magisterial probe will be completed. --IANS sq/ahm/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A day after CPI State Secretary Kanam Rajendran flayed the Kerala Congress (Mani), veteran legislator K.M. Mani on Saturday hit back at the Left party dubbing it as "lying in the graveyard". "The Communist Party of India (CPI) has always been known for its stalwarts, but at present leaders like Rajendran have brought a bad name to it. The CPI is scared of losing its present status and hence attacking us. We have not applied for entry to any political front in Kerala," Mani told media persons here. In August 2016, Mani's KC(M) left the United Democratic Front, of which the party was a constituent for close to over three decades, as he held a section of the Congress responsible for the UDF rout in the May 2016 assembly polls. The Kerala Congress (Mani) has six legislators in the present assembly and acts as an independent bloc in the house. Mani's son Jose K. Mani is the Lok Sabha member from Kottayam. On Friday, CPI leader Rajendran said that the Left Democratic Front is not a ventilator for parties on the death bed. "It's strange that a party like the CPI, which is lying in the graveyard, is saying that other political parties are on ventilator. The CPI, if acting alone, will not win even a single seat in Kerala. At the moment, we are not looking for entry into any front in the state. Let me make it clear that I am not going to join any front, but will cooperate with those who share our ideology," said Mani, who set a record last year by completing 50 years as legislator from Pala constituency. Mani came under a cloud over the infamous bar scam case, wherein a bar owner alleged that he paid Mani Rs 1 crore to reopen closed bars in 2014. Following the then Left opposition's demand, and after adverse remarks from the Kerala High Court, Mani stepped down in November 2015. Ever since Mani left the UDF, the CPI-Marxist has been eyeing his party. The Vigilance, which probed the bar scam case, on Wednesday submitted a preliminary report to say there was no evidence to implicate Mani. For the past two days, the CPI-M leadership has been giving clear signals in favour of Mani. The CPI-M and the CPI, of late, do not enjoy the best of relations. A by-election has been necessitated for Chengannur seat after the death of CPI-M legislator K.K. Ramachandran on Sunday. The CPI-M knows Mani's party has a good hold in the assembly constituency and could be of use. --IANS sg/tsb/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor Shahid Kapoor feels his daughter Misha is trying to take away his shoes from him. On Saturday, Shahid shared a photograph of his one-year-old, capturing a moment of her standing in his shoes, on his Instagram account. The image shows Misha looking into the lens directly with confidence, dressed in a fluorescent orange frock. He captioned the image saying: "Guess she has decided to take over." -*- Pritish Nandy lauds Prakash Raaj for speaking up Film producer Pritish Nandy lauded actor Prakash Raaj for speaking up on issues that "concern all Indians". On Thursday, Prakash said at a conclave that "he was not anti-Hindu as alleged by critics but only anti-Modi". The actor went on to say that those who support "killers" cannot be called Hindus. He said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi remained silent when he appealed to him to speak out when some Modi supporters celebrated the killing of journalist Gauri Lankesh. Praising the guts of the actor to speak out publically without fear, Nandy posted on his Twitter account: "I like the courage and dignity of Prakash Raaj who speaks up on issues that concern all Indians. And he speaks softly and firmly, without the slightest fear." --IANS ks/sug/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the death of 17 people in a huge fire at a plastic warehouse in west Delhi's Bawana area. "Deeply anguished by the fire at a factory in Bawana. My thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives. May those who are injured recover quickly," Modi said in a tweet on Saturday. As many as 17 people, including 10 women, were burnt alive or asphyxiated and 30 others were injured on Saturday in a massive fire at a plastic warehouse in Bawana. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain has ordered a probe into the incident. "Learnt about a serious fire incident in a private factory at Bawana. Several casualties reported. Monitoring the situation. Ordered enquiry," Jain said in a tweet. --IANS aks/pgh/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A five-day-long film festival titled Iranian Film Festival, will be held in Mumbai to celebrate the culture and cinema of India and Iran. The film fest will begin from January 22 and continue till January 26. Five films have been selected for the screening at the festival including the Indo-Iran collaborative film "Hello Mumbai" featuring Bollywood actress Dia Mirza and popular Iranian actor Mohammad Reza Golzar. Interacting with the media on Friday, Mahdi Zare, the Director of the Culture House of the Islamic Republic of Iran, said: "The idea of organising this festival is to create a platform for cultural exchange between two countries -- India and Iran." The screening will take place at the Ravindra Mini Theatre. "While it is a positive sign how Iranian people are taking interest in Indian films, it is great to observe how Indian film lovers are also watching Iranian cinema," Mahdi Zare said. "Through this festival, we want to spread out the beauty of Iranian cinema to the people of Mumbai. Every cinema manifest the society and culture of its country. During the inaugural programme, we will also show a 20-minute film on Iran to give an overview of the country and Iranian culture, society. We are looking forward to host cine lovers to watch films." The festival has been organised by the Culture House of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Federation of Film Societies of India. Asked about the reception of Indian films in Iran, a young filmmaker Azar Faramarzi said that like any other country, the common people prefer to watch "masala films" in Iran and, therefore, "they like Bollywood". "In Iran, common people love to watch Indian cinema because of its song-dance saga. They like watching vibrant colours, festival, celebration that most of the mainstream Bollywood show us." "Small budget, story-driven art house films are for students, festival moviegoers and people like us," said Azar who travelled to cities like Mumbai, Pune and Agra and currently planning to make a film set in India. "This festival will create a platform to start a conversation between two countries not only on creative collaboration but also business networking. Whether it is Majid Majidi's 'Beyond the cloud', Ghorban Mohammadpour's 'Hello Mumbai', the opportunity for collaboration is opening," she added. --IANS aru/pgh/qd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nine persons, including three security personnel, were killed and over 40 others injured in escalated violence along the LoC and the International Border between India and Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir in the past two days, police said on Saturday. "One soldier and four civilians were killed on Saturday in Pakistani shelling and firing along the Line of Control and the International Border while one soldier and one Border Security Force trooper and two civilians were killed on Friday," police said here. "From Akhnoor to R.S. Pura, Pakistan Rangers carried out indiscriminate shelling and firing to target civilian and security facilities for two days," police said. Over 40 others, including civilians and security personnel, were injured. The injured have been shifted to various hospitals. Over a dozen cattle too perished in heavy shelling of civilian facilities by Pakistan Rangers. BSF sources said Indian troops inflicted heavy damage on Pakistani troops, killing seven Rangers and destroying four border posts of Pakistan across the International Border. Around 10,000 residents of border villages in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts have migrated, leaving behind their homes, fields and cattle. "Makeshift accommodation has been arranged for these people in government buildings and schools in R.S. Pura, Samba and Hiranagar," provincial administration officials here said. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti expressed concern over the loss of civilian lives. "Distraught to hear of three more civilians caught in the crossfire on the border. The people of Jammu and Kashmir are the worst victims of the acrimony between the two neighbouring countries. I pray that the hostility on the borders ends soon," she tweeted. Defence sources said Sepoy Mandeep Singh was killed in Pakistani firing in the Krishna Ghati Sector of Poonch district on Saturday while Jammu district authorities confirmed the deaths of four civilians along the International Border. "Pakistan ceasefire violations on the LoC started at 8.20 a.m. They used small arms and automatics to target Indian positions. Our troops retaliated effectively. However, Sepoy Mandeep Singh, 23, belonging to Punjab, was grievously injured. He later succumbed to his injuries," Defence Ministry officials said. --IANS sq/tsb/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Film: "Nirdosh"; Directors: Subroto Paul, Pradeep Rangwani; Cast: Manjari Fadnis, Arbaaz Khan, Ashmit Patel, Mahek Chahal, Mukul Dev; Rating: ** "Nirdosh" is a predictable yet engaging whodunnit drama. Shinaya Grover (Manjari Fadnis) is arrested for the murder of her neighbour Rana (Mukul Dev). Evidence at the crime scene implicates Shinaya. She is arrested and taken to prison. The media and everyone else claim that she has not killed Rana. Shinaya too cries hoarse, pleading that she is not guilty of the murder. Then steps in Crime Branch officer Lokhande, who, with his cheesy lines, claims that he can prove that Shinaya is the culprit. The entire second act indulges in investigating the murder mystery. Some truths are exposed. Gautam Grover (Ashmit Patel) -- Shinaya's husband, Ada (Mahek Chahal) -- their paying guest, Robin -- Ada's rich boyfriend, Rana's wife and Raj -- his brother-in-law, are all suspects. In the course of the police interrogations, Ada goes missing and is later found dead. So, to cut a long story short, this is a case of double-murder and the police are hell bent to nail the murderer. Though it is a no-brainer, how Shinaya absolves herself of the crime, forms the crux of the tale. The performances of the main leads are fairly underrated and perfunctory. Manjari Fadnis as Shinaya is natural and effortless. Mahek Chahal as the aspiring actor Ada adds the glamour quotient while Ashmit Patel is expressionless and Arbaaz Khan is flat toned and uninspiring. The only actors who breathe life into their characters are Mukul Dev as Rana and the actor who plays Raj. Both with shades of noir to their characters and distinct accents -- Rana in Haryanvi and Raj as the Maharashtrian, politically affiliated local hoodlum -- make interesting characters and they definitely stand out. The story written by Amit Khan is a well-etched, run-of-the-mill tale. The writing is simply mediocre and unexciting. But like any crime thriller, you are glued to the screen to unravel the mystery. The action sequences are well-choreographed, especially the chase scene where the police is chasing Robin. It is like watching a gazelle being chased by a panther. Despite being mounted with moderate production values, the production quality of the film seems fairly decent. Overall, "Nirdosh" is a crime drama that is a few notches better than the television crime programmes. However, it does lack depth and finesse. --IANS troy/sug/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Odisha government on Saturday said the export turnover of Odisha may touch Rs one lakh crore before 2025. Inaugurating the "Raptani Bhawan" here, MSME Minister Prafulla Samal said Odisha is going to have a new Export Strategy, which is being prepared in consultation with Federation of Indian Export Organisation (FIEO). With opening and shifting of all export related organisations under a single roof, exporters will be able to get services at a common point. It will help furthering the growth of exports, said the Minister. Directorate of EPM, Odisha and FIEO have started functioning at the Raptani Bhawan immediately. Marine Products Exports Development Authority (MPEDA) and office of Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) will start their functioning very soon. MSME Secretary L.N. Gupta said that because of the highest growth rate of 114 per cent amongst all the states achieved by Odisha during 2016-17, the Centre has recognised the state as "Champion State". He added that a trend of increase in Odisha export continues, which is reflected in the export turnover of nearly Rs 26,000 crore by November, 2017. Gupta said the new export strategy will focus on improvement in standards of quality and products, value addition in traditional exportable products, products and market diversification, downstream and ancillarisation of industries, unleashing the potential of e-commerce and development of eco-tourism in the state. He added that in order to improve the quality of products and services, MSMEs should register themselves under the Zero Effect-Zero Defect (ZEZD) Programme offered by the Quality Council of India. Gupta hoped that with commencement of commercial operations by the Quality Control Laboratory of MPEDA and Testing Laboratory of Export Inspection Agency (EIA), standard and quality of exports would get further improved. Omkar Rai, Director General, STPI said that there is a vast potential of IT and ITES services exports from Odisha. Last year, IT & ITES exports from Odisha was of the order of Rs 3,500 crore, which are likely to increase this year. He added that exports of IT & ITES from the state by October, 2017 has been of the order of Rs 2,600 crore. --IANS cd/ahm/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) This domain was recently registered at Namecheap.com. Please check back later! State-run ONGC will acquire the government's 51.11 per cent equity share-holding in HPCL for Rs 36,915 crore, helping it exceed its divestment target for the current financial year. The stake sale would also help the government boost state revenue and bridge the fiscal deficit at a time when shortfall in GST collections led to India's fiscal deficit for the first eight months of 2017-18 reaching Rs 6.12 lakh crore or 112 per cent of the full year's target. "The Government of India has entered into an agreement with Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) today (Saturday) for strategic sale of its 51.11 per cent equity share-holding in Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) at a consideration of Rs 36,915 crore," an official statement said. Through the single share sale, the Centre would be able to meet half of its disinvestment target of Rs 72,500 crore through a single action taking the total receipts close to Rs 92,000 crore. According to the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management data, the government had earned total receipts worth Rs 54,337.60 crore before this deal out of the total budgeted receipts of Rs 72,500 crore. With quite a few other disinvestment proposals lined up in the coming months, the target may be revised to over Rs one lakh crore. The government said that ONGC had proposed to acquire the Centre's existing equity shareholding in HPCL in line with the budget announcement. Accordingly, the Union Cabinet, in its meeting held in July last year, gave "in-principle" approval to the proposal and decided to set up an alternative mechanism to decide on the price, timing and the terms and conditions of the strategic sale. "The Alternative mechanism under the Chairmanship of Finance Minister (Arun Jaitley) in its meeting today (Saturday) approved the price bid of ONGC and the terms and conditions of the sale," it said. Through this acquisition, ONGC will become India's first vertically integrated "oil major" company, having presence across the entire value chain. According to the statement, the integrated entity will have advantage of having enhanced capacity to bear higher risks, take higher investment decisions and neutralising the impact of volatility of global crude oil prices. "In this process, ONGC has acquired significant mid-stream and downstream capacity and will attain economies of scale at various levels of operations," it said. Through this economic consolidation, HPCL will join as a member of an integrated oil and gas major group. This will help it in further leveraging synergy at various levels of vertical value chains and look for economic consolidation within and outside the group. HPCL will continue to be a Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE). In fact, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had underlined the need of efficient management of government investments in CPSEs during the review in February 2016. The Centre accordingly expanded the approach from disinvestment to investment and public asset management. As part of investment management strategy, Government decided to explore possibilities of consolidation, mergers and acquisitions within CPSE space. --IANS vv/vsc/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ahead of the February 18 polls, over 230 officials, including 10 returning officers, besides police, have been transferred in Tripura to comply with the poll panel's orders, an official said here on Saturday. In total 180 police officials, 58 civil administration officials, including 10 returning officers, have been transferred since last week in the state, in keeping with the Election Commission's (EC) orders and the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). The MCC was enforced by the EC on Thursday. On Friday night, 58 civil administration officials were transferred and asked to join their new postings within 24 hours, an Election official said here. Of the 58, other than the 10 returning officers, six were sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs). Earlier last week, the Tripura Police Authority transferred 180 police officers, including 20 Officers-in-Charge (OCs) of police stations and 29 Deputy Superintendent of Police rank officers. Tripura Chief Electoral Officer Sriram Taranikanti said that altogether 40 all-women polling stations would be set up in 40 of the 60 assembly constituencies in eight districts of the state. "This is the first time in Tripura that so many polling stations would be set up for exclusive deployment of women polling staffs," the official told the media. Polling will be held in 3,214 polling stations across Tripura. A two-member EC team led by Deputy Election Commissioner Sudeep Jain held a series of meetings with senior officials, including Director General of Police Akhil Kumar Sukhla, since Thursday and reviewed the poll preparations. The EC team, which visited all the eight districts during the last three days, left here on Saturday for New Delhi. The poll panel also asked the state authorities to arrest all those persons against whom warrants were pending. --IANS sc/in/rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Even after the Supreme Court cleared the way for the states to screen Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Padmaavat', multiplex owners in Gujarat will meet on Monday to take a final call on screening the movie in the state. "After receiving eight representations from various groups, I have decided not to screen the movie in my multiplex," Rakesh Patel, owner of Wide Angle multiplex in Ahmedabad, told media persons. "No one would like to take risk of trouble or damage to his or her property." However, Patel said, it was his decision and he was unsure about other owners taking the same path. Information was doing the rounds on social media about all multiplex owners toeing this line of action. Several Gujarat multiplexes in the past have refrained from screening Bollywood movies like Aamir Khan-starrer 'Fanna' and Ravindra Dholakia-directed 'Parzania' due to controversies surrounding them at the time of their release. A meeting of the Gujarat Multiplex Owners Association, with a membership of owners of over 125 multiplexes, has been convened on Monday afternoon. Patel said a final decision on screening of 'Padmaavat' across these multiplexes would be taken at this meeting. "There appears to be some misunderstanding and so news is doing the rounds that the movie will not be screened by all the multiplexes across the state." The apex court had asked Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat -- which had banned the movie's screening -- to ensure its screening and ensure adequate security. These states banned the movie after several groups claiming to fight for the dignity of mediaeval queen, Rani Padmavati, on whose life the movie is said to be based, demanded that the film be banned. Some burnt tyres on national highways in Gujarat on Friday and Saturday, and blocked vehicular traffic that led to long-drawn jams. The movie -- starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, and Shahid Kapoor and originally titled 'Padmavati' -- has faced protests from the Rajput community ever since its making. It is after much controversy that the movie received a green signal from the Central Board of Film Certification. However, it has failed to pacify certain groups opposing the movie's content. --IANS amit/tsb/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At a high-level Security Council meeting, Pakistan has raised the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav, whom Islamabad has accused of being an Indian spy and given him a death sentence. "Those who speak of changing mindsets (about terrorism) need to look within and their own record of subversion against my country as our capture of an Indian spy has amply demonstrated and proved beyond any shadow of doubt," Pakistan's Permanent Representative Maleeha Lodhi said during Council meeting on Afghanistan. She did not mention his name. Her statement was response to India's statement in the Council meeting on Afghanistan that India is a victim of the same Pakistani "mindset" that promotes terrorist attacks everyday in Afghanistan. India has denied that Jadhav, a retired navy officer, worked for the government and said that he was abducted by Pakistan from Iran to stage a show-trial. Denying that Pakistan was giving terrorists a safe haven or support, Lodhi also took a swipe at the US saying it needed a "reality check." The administration of President Donald Trump suspended security aid to Pakistan this month citing its provision of sanctuaries and assistance to terrorists attacking Afghanistan. Jadhav was captured by Pakistan in 2016 and was sentenced to death by a military court martial last year. India appealed to the International Court of Justice against his sentence and the court has stayed his execution. Lodhi was originally listed to address the Council two spots before India's Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin, but she chose to speak later and amended her prepared speech with the response to him. Akbaruddin said that after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Lahore in December 2015 in a bid to promote peace with Pakistan, "a heinous and barbaric terrorist attack" was launched on the Pathankot airbase in a week's time by "the very same mindsets which attack the spirit of Afghanistan every day." "These mindsets differentiate between 'good' and bad terrorists," he said. "These mindsets refuse to see reason in peace." "These mindsets,a Akbaruddin declared, "need to change." Lodhi said that Pakistan was against terrorism, being itself a a victim. She blamed the conditions in Afghanistan and the drug trade, which she said brings terrorists $400 million every year, for the insurgency and asserted that they didn't need outside support or sanctuaries because "over 40 per cent of the country is under insurgent control, contested or ungoverned." "Afghanistan and its partners, especially the US, need to address these challenged inside Afghanistan rather than shift the onus for ending the conflict on to others," she said. "Those who imagine sanctuaries outside (Afghanistan) need a reality check," she added. (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in) --IANS al/qd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan on Saturday again summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner J.P. Singh to condemn "unprovoked ceasefire violations" by India, which it said had killed five civilians and injured 22 others over the past three days. The Foreign Ministry said Indian forces continued firing along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border on Saturday, which killed an elderly civilian and injured two girls. "The number of casualties at international border has also risen due to unprovoked and indiscriminate firing by the Indian forces. Four more innocent civilians were killed, while 20 were injured on January 18 and 19," the statement added. On Friday too, the Indian Deputy High Commissioner had been summoned by the Foreign Office to protest the deaths of a civilian and injuries to nine others in cross-border firing. Pakistan and India had declared ceasefire along the LoC and International Border in 2003. Both, however, routinely accuse each other of violating the ceasefire. --IANS ahm/rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) People wearing black clothes were not allowed to attend a public rally here to be addressed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. According to a police officer, the move was to prevent any protests from "troublesome elements". The police, however, did not explain why even media persons were also stopped from entering the premises. Shah and Adityanath are in Varanasi to attend an event named 'Yuva Udghosh' which is an attempt by the party to connect with 17,000 first time voters. Angry youngsters said they found the move objectionable as they were humiliated and barred from attending the event. Over thirty students have also been detained and barred from attending the event, an official confirmed. State BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey and State Organisational Secretary Sunil Bansal are also attending the high-profile event. Heavy security arrangements have been made at the venue of the event as Congress workers are learnt to be preparing for a massive protest against the BJP leaders, accusing them of letting down the people of Varanasi. Anti-BJP pamphlets were distributed by Congress workers on the Sigra square on Friday evening. The pamphlet holds Shah responsible for Justice Loya's death and also referred to him as a 'tadipaar' (Barred from entering the city). Owing to the apprehensions of protests, massive security arrangements have already been made and 12 Assistant Superintendent rank officials, 35 Deputy Superintendents, seven SHO's, 350 Sub Inspectors, 2,128 constables and nine companies of Provincial Armed Constabulary have been deployed for the event. --IANS md/qd/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Calling former Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) Vinod Rai a "murderer", former Union Telecom Minister A. Raja on Saturday said Rai should be prosecuted for "cheating". "There was a big conspiracy that has to be probed. Vinod Rai should be prosecuted for cheating," Raja said here at the launch of his book "2G Saga Unfolds", wherein he has presented "my side of the story". Raja was last month acquitted by a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in the alleged 2G spectrum allocation scam. He held Rai guilty of his "political murder" as it was an adverse report by Rai in 2010 as the then CAG that pegged the loss to exchequer due to underselling of spectrum at Rs 1.76 lakh crore and which resulted in massive public anger against the Manmohan Singh-led UPA-II government. Rai's report said the licences allocated by the Telecom Ministry in 2008, then headed by A. Raja, were based on 2001 prices, causing the exchequer a massive revenue loss. Subsequently, the Supreme Court cancelled all the licences issued to telecom companies, an FIR was lodged by the CBI and Raja was jailed along with DMK patriarch Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi and others. Raja said in his view the 2G scandal was initially a corporate war which then turned into a political war, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had been the biggest beneficiary of this war. Asked why he had not criticised the BJP or any of its leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, scathingly in the book, although he conceded that the BJP had been its biggest beneficiary, Raja said: "I have criticised Arun Jaitley and Murli Manohar Joshi but why should I jump to Narendra Modi who was sitting in Gujarat?" Refuting allegations of going soft on the BJP, he also ruled out any friendship with the pro-Hindutva party in near future as "DMK believes in social secularism" and he could "say it with conviction". Raja admitted that he had a "grievance" against Congress leaders P. Chidambaram and Pranab Mukherjee for not coming out in his defence although, though both of them knew the "facts". However, Raja bears no ill feeling for then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who also distanced himself from Raja and his Ministry at the peak of the 2G controversy. "In the then prevailing situation, the Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) could not do anything. I think three things were responsible for it -- adverse comments from the Supreme Court, some Cabinet colleagues filling his ears and pressure from the media," Raja said. "But I made it a point to present the first copy of this book to Dr. Manmohan Singh. It was only through his cooperation that I was able to break the telecom operators' cartel and bring down the tariffs. When I went to see him, he embraced me and almost broke down. He realised that wrong had been done to A. Raja," Raja added. He said that the book should be read without any political spectacles, with just "reading glasses", to be able to see merit in his arguments. Raja said that his acquittal by the court had been a "relief" for the Congress but a "boon" for his party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). --IANS mak/nir/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least one person was killed in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan's Paktia province on Saturday, the police said. "One civilian lost his life and another was injured when the car they were travelling in ran over a mine on a road in Gardez city," police spokesman of the province Sardar Wali told Xinhua news agency. An investigation into the incident was underway, the official said. --IANS soni/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh on Saturday asked for guarantees that their safety and security would be protected and that they would be granted Myanmar citizenship before being repatriated to Rakhine state. Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed earlier this week to complete the refugees' return process within two years. Rohingya community leader Sirajul Mostafa, who lives in Bangladesh's Kutupalong refugee camp, told Efe news that his community was demanding the "complete" implementation of the recommendations made by an advisory commission on Rakhine state led by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan before being repatriated. The commission proposed addressing the rights of Rohingyas to resolve sectarian violence in Myanmar's western Rakhine state, including measures such as speeding up the verification process for citizenship and granting citizenship by naturalisation. "We are not here to stay, we want our rights back. If we had seen that peace was restored in Myanmar, there would no problem. People would go back directly," Mostafa said, adding that the Myanmar Army was still allegedly carrying out torture as part of an ongoing campaign. He added that no one from the mostly Muslim minority had yet been asked to prepare for repatriation. A Rohingya activist said: "We need citizenship and that our houses be rebuilt. We must be allowed to live in our houses. We have to be recognized as an ethnic group and those who carried out barbaric attacks against us must be brought to justice," he said. The Rohingya demand for these preconditions comes as the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, is on a visit to Bangladesh. Myanmar and Bangladesh signed an agreement on November 23 to repatriate the Rohingyas, hundreds of thousands of whom have fled sectarian violence in Rakhine state in Myanmar since August. According to the latest figures released by the UN, more than 665,500 have crossed into Bangladesh since last summer. According to the agreement, the repatriation process must start within two months of the agreement's signing and be completed within two years. Amnesty International has said the plans to repatriate the Rohingya were "alarmingly premature" and warned that any "forcible returns would be a violation of international law". The current crisis erupted on August 25, when the Myanmar Army launched an operation in Rakhine, where around 1 million Rohingyas were living, in retaliation against an attack on multiple government outposts by a Rohingya insurgent group. The UN and various human rights organisations have said there was clear evidence of abuses in Myanmar, with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights calling the Army's operations "ethnic cleansing". --IANS soni/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The principal of one of the leading schools in Haryana's Yamunanagar was on Saturday shot dead by a Class 12 student in the school, police said. Principal Ritu Chhabra was shot at thrice by the suspended Class 12 student during a meeting with his parents in the premises of Swami Vivekanand Public School in the city. The student had been recently suspended and expelled from the school. Police said the boy's father is a financier and the pistol used in the incident belonged to the father and is a licensed one. "School staff, students and teachers caught the accused while he was trying to escape and handed him over to police," said a senior police officer. Police said that prima facie investigations suggest that the boy was accompanied by at least one of his friends. More than five rounds were fired, triggering panic and horror among the school staff, teachers and students. The injured principal was rushed to hospital and declared dead by doctors after some time. --IANS pradeep/rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The co-chairs of the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) on Security Council reform, who were recently in India for consultations, have announced a schedule of five meetings starting with the first on February 1 and 2 to move the long-stalled process forward. In a letter to all the member countries forwarded by General Assembly President Miroslav Lajcak, the co-chairs asked for feedback and specific proposals on reforms with a view to having a frank dialogue. Permanent Representatives Kaha Imnadze of Georgia and Lana Zaki Nusseibeh of the United Arab Emirates, who were appointed co-chairs of the IGN by Lajcak, visited India earlier this week to consult with Indian leaders about the reform process. They met with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Minister of State MJ Akbar and Ruchi Ghanshyam, Secretary for West in the ministry. Afterwards Imnadze tweeted that it was a "constructive trip" with discussions on Council reforms and broader multilateral issues. In their letter to member nations, Imnadze and Nusseibh invited them "to engage in a frank dialogue on the assessment of the intergovernmental negotiations, and to offer feedback and specific proposals on how to move forward" during the current Assembly session. India is seeking a permanent seat on the Council through the reform process. The negotiations for reforms have been stalled for over a decade mainly because of opposition from a group countries known as United for Consensus, which is led by Italy and includes Pakistan. The IGN has so far been unable to even adopt a negotiating text to base the discussions on reform. Lajcak, who is trying to breathe new life into the negotiations told reporters last month, "We need to move this process forward, because there are high expectations from this process" as it is the most visible reform process to the outside world. "What we want to now see is the debate, the dialogue whose aim would be to bring the positions of the countries or the groups of countries closer together," he said. "We are seeking convergence." (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in) --IANS al/qd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior journalist and Indian Journalists Association Secretary Anindya Sengupta, noted for sharp political and economic reporting, died at a city private hospital on Saturday after a month-long battle with lung cancer, family and sources said. Sengupta, 52, is survived by his wife and a daughter. During his over two-decade-long journalistic career, Sengupta made a mark with his insightful coverage, and impartial reporting, and penned a large number of investigative stories which earned him acclaim. He started off with Bengali daily 'Bartamaan', and subsequently worked for English dailies 'The Statesman' and 'The Telegraph'. Known for organisational skills, Sengupta served as Secretary of the Press Club, Kolkata, for six terms. At the time of his death, he was Secretary of the IJA. Condoling Sengupta's demise, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said it was an "irreparable loss" for the fraternity, and extended heartfelt sympathies to his family. Wreaths were placed on Sengupta's body by Information Minister Indranil Sen and various journalistic organisations. Hundreds of fellow journalists and public relations professionals bid a tearful farewell later in the day to Sengupta, whose body was kept for some time at the Press Club, Kolkata. --IANS ssp/tsb/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A court here on Saturday send six men to the gallows in the honour killings of three Dalit youths in Ahmednagar district five years ago. On January 15, Nashik District and Sessions Court Judge Rajendrakumar R. Vaishnav pronounced six of the seven accused guilty for the brutal murder of Sachin S. Gharu and two others on January 1, 2013. Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said the convicts have also been ordered to pay a fine of Rs 20,000 each and directed the government to compensate the victims' families. Some of the compensation has already been paid. Those who have been awarded the capital punishment include: Popat V. Darandale, Ganesh P. Darandale, Prakash V. Darandale, Ramesh V. Darandale, Ashok S. Navgire and Sandeep M. Kurhe. Gharu, 24, had fallen in love with an upper caste Maratha girl of the Darandale family from Sonai village. The lovers planned to marry against her family's wishes. The convicts include the girl's father, Popat V. Darandale, her brother Ganesh, other relatives and friends of the family. All six would be hanged for various crimes including murder, criminal conspiracy, etc. One of the co-accused in the case Ashok R. Phalke was acquitted for lack of sufficient evidence, which was handed over to the state CID by the then state Home Minister, the late R.R. Patil. Besides Gharu, his friends Sandeep Thanvar, 25, and Rahul Kandhare, 20, were also killed and their bodies disposed off. Gharu, Thanvar and Kandhare, who belonged to the Mehtar caste, worked as conservancy staffers in Trimurti Pawan Pratisthan's High School and Junior College, in Newasa, around 30 km from Sonai, the investigation report said. On learning of the love-affair of the girl, who was a student, with a lower-caste boy, her family called the three Dalit youths to their home on New Year, ostensibly to clean their septic tank. First the girl's family eliminated Gharu. They chopped his head and limbs off the body with a sickle and dumped the pieces inside the septic tank. Then they attacked Thanvar and Kandhare with spades. They took their bodies outside the village where they were buried in a dry well. After the three suddenly "disappeared", on the basis of complaints registered by their families, the police launched a search and finally recovered Gharu's rotting body pieces from the septic tank after more than 24 hours, and the remains of the other two after 72 hours. A total of 54 witnesses were examined during the trial, lasting nearly five years in one of the most high-profile cases of honour killings in Maharashtra. While Nikam argued that it was "a rarest of rare cases as it was a very gory and gruesome crime and with larger ramifications for society", defence lawyer S.S. Adas pleaded for leniency on grounds that while one accused (Ganesh P. Darandale) was very young, the others were of advanced age. Pronouncing the verdict, Judge Vaishnav observed that the manner in which the convicts had killed the three victims, "they had forgotten to understand the feelings of others". "Such people have no right to live in society and hence hanging them till death is the only way to save the society," Judge Vaishnav ruled. Making a forceful argument for death sentence for all the convicts, Nikam said that the "girl's family, which opposed the inter-caste affair hatched a conspiracy and brutally killed the three Dalit youths". "The judgement by the court is very important. The prosecution argued the entire case based on circumstantial evidence since there were no eyewitnesses. Yet, we managed to link the sequence of events," said Nikam. --IANS qn/in/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Indian Army soldier was killed on Saturday in a ceasefire violation by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, an official said. The Pakistani Army violated the ceasefire in the Krishna Ghati (KG) sector in Poonch district on Saturday, the Defence Ministry official said. "The ceasefire violation started at 8.20 a.m. They used small arms and automatics to target Indian positions. Our troops retaliated effectively. However, Sepoy Mandeep Singh, 23, belonging to Punjab, was grievously injured. He later succumbed to his injuries," the official added. Earlier, a Border Security Force (BSF) trooper and three civilians were injured in fresh firing by Pakistan Rangers on the international border (IB) of the state. "From Akhnoor to R.S. Pura, Pakistan Rangers carried out indiscriminate shelling and firing to target civilian and security facilities. "A BSF trooper sustained injuries in the firing in Pargwal area while three civilians, including a minor girl sustained injuries in Kanachak area of Akhnoor sector," a police officer said. The injured have been shifted to hospital. More than 10,000 residents of border villages have during the last two days migrated from their villages, leaving behind cattle, agricultural fields and homes. Two security personnel, including an army soldier and a BSF trooper, and two civilians were killed on Friday in similar unprovoked firing on the LoC and the international border by Pakistan, police said. Twenty-four others including two BSF troopers and 22 civilians were also injured. --IANS sq/qd/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) More and more kids are hooked on to screens, parents are worried how to create homework-play balance and tech giants in Silicon Valley are in a huddle, deliberating over how to help children cut . Two key Apple shareholders this month requested the Cupertino-based iPhone maker to take urgent steps to safeguard young users from the ill-effects of iPhone addiction. In a letter, Jana Partners and the California State Teachers' Retirement System told Apple to make its products safer for the younger users. "We have reviewed the evidence and we believe there is a clear need for Apple to offer parents more choices and tools to help them ensure that young consumers are using your products in an optimal manner," the letter read. Facebook, which has over two billion users, is making drastic changes to its News Feed that will allow users to see more updates from family and friends than posts from businesses, brands and media. According to its CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook has got a feedback from the community that public content -- posts from businesses, brands and media -- is crowding out the personal moments that lead us to connect more with each other. Zuckerberg admits that the new changes might not pay off at first, but believes it is important that users have more meaningful social interactions. The decision may result in a massive $23 billion revenue loss for Facebook as advertisers are not happy about being shooed away from their biggest online market on Earth. This is not the first time such fears have come out in the open from the global tech industry. Microsoft founder-turned-philanthropist Bill Gates, in an interview to the Mirror last year, said he has set strict rules for how his three kids grew up "in a home that forbade cell phones until age 14, banned cell-phone use at the dinner table, and set limits on how close to bedtime kids could use their phones". "You're always looking at how it can be used in a great way -- homework and staying in touch with friends -- and also where it has gotten to excess," Gates told the Mirror. Late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs never let his kids use iPads at home. "We limit how much our kids use at home," Jobs had told The New York Times. According to Sean Parker, one of Facebook founders, the digital world's addictive qualities "exploit a vulnerability in human psychology... God only knows what it's doing to our children's brains". To buttress their point, Apple shareholders, in their letter, cited latest research that linked depression to smartphone use among students. However, a December study from the University of Michigan suggests that how children use the devices -- not how much time they spend on them -- is the strongest predictor of emotional or social problems connected with . "Typically, researchers and clinicians quantify or consider the amount of screen time as of paramount importance in determining what is normal or not normal or healthy or unhealthy," said lead author Sarah Domoff. "Our study has demonstrated that there is more to it than number of hours. What matters most is whether screen use causes problems in other areas of life or has become an all-consuming activity," she added. Some of the warning signs include if screen time interferes with daily activities, causes conflict for the child or in the family, or is the only activity that brings the child joy. It's now a familiar sight in the majority of families including in India -- young children bent over a screen for hours, texting or gaming, lost in a digital world -- with parents worrying how much screen time is too much. The awakening in the tech world is just another discussion point -- this time among those who built it in the first place. However, with billions of devices now being used in homes across the world, it is practically impossible to turn the clock back and tell kids to stop using gadgets. The onus lies on parents who can learn from Gates and Jobs how to minimise screen time cautiously and judiciously -- without making our kids angrier and more stubborn. Meanwhile, Apple CEO Tim Cook wants all primary school children to be taught coding alongside the alphabet. For him, coding is "just another language, and just like any other language, it should be taught in schools". It is possibly time to buy a device with high-performance computing capabilities for your kids at home. Two persons, including a manager of a private telecom major, were arrested on Saturday for alleged involvement in a murderous attack on a senior journalist in the state capital, police said. Those arrested and booked under various charges, including Section 307 (attempt to murder), of the Indian Penal Code are Vaibhav Singh, 24, and Neeraj Dixit, 25. Senior journalist Navalkant Sinha was chased and beaten up on Friday night by the two and threatened with more attacks. Journalist groups on Saturday demanded immediate arrest of the culprits after which police went looking for them. Journalists have since demanded that they be booked under the National Security Act. The case is being monitored by senior Home Department and police officials. Informed sources said Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar has directed Lucknow Senior Superintendent of Police Deepak Kumar to take strictest possible action as per law against the accused. After attack on several journalists in the past few months under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rule, scribes have demanded the government ensure their safety and security. Senior state BJP leaders also went to the police station, pressing for action against the accused and directed officials to ensure proper patrolling. --IANS md/tsb (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah on Saturday said Uttar Pradesh will top developmental charts by 2022 when the state elects the next assembly. Speaking at the 'Yuva Udghosh' programme of the party in Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP President said the fact that 17,000 first-time voters were getting bonded to the party during the event showed the expression of solidarity and faith in the BJP. Addressing the gathering of young voters at the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth, Shah said the BJP now has governments in 19 states and was serving 80 per cent of the country and boasted of a base of 11 crore workers. He termed the BJP not a party but a "movement" committed to creating a new India. Shah said it was possible only in a party like the BJP where an ordinary booth worker could rise through the ranks to become the party President and a tea-seller could become the Prime Minister. Earlier, tight security was put in place before the arrival of Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at the temple town, as Congress workers had distributed pamphlets only a day earlier, alleging Shah's hand in the death of Central Bureau of Investigation Special Judge Justice B.H. Loya. More than four dozen youngsters, mostly from the Youth Congress, were detained by the police before the rally. People, including journalists, sporting black clothes were barred from entering the venue as police feared they could be misused to protest. Former Congress legislator Ajay Rai, who unsuccessfully contested against Modi from Varanasi in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, staged a sit-in against the BJP chief. Congress workers alleged that Shah was not only behind Justice Loya's sudden death but also billed him 'tadipaar' (one banished by court from entering Gujarat). --IANS md/tsb/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Engineering Export Promotion Council of India (EEPC) on Saturday said the shut-down of the US Federal government will hit exports to the country which is among the largest destinations for Indian exports. The US government began shutting down on Saturday for the first time in more than four years after Senate Democrats blocked consideration of a stopgap spending measure to keep the government operating. "The shutdown of the US Federal government is certainly bad news for the Indian exporters since the American economy is among the largest destinations for exports," EEPC India Chairman Ravi P. Sehgal said. He further reiterated that for the engineering sector the "US is the number one export destination, giving a robust growth in the current financial year". Between April-December period of the current fiscal, engineering exports to the US grew by over 50 per cent to $7.5 billion, Sehgal said. "With as many as 60,000 employees of the US Commerce and Transportation departments being furloughed, the port operations as also the clearing would be hit," he noted with concern. --IANS bdc/ahm/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US government began shutting down on Saturday, putting thousands of workers on unpaid leave, after the Senate failed to pass a stopgap budget. The shutdown marked the first anniversary of President Donald Trump's inauguration, media reports said. It is the first shutdown in US history to happen while the same party controls both chambers of Congress and the White House, the BBC reported. Despite last minute bipartisan meetings, the bill to fund the government until February 16, did not receive the required 60 votes. The budget proposal presented by the Republicans on Friday night got more votes in favour (50) than against (48), but they were insufficient to approve funds. Four Republicans voted against the bill while five Democrats broke rank to support it. Earlier on Thursday night, the House of Representatives voted 230-197 to extend funding until February. Minutes before the midnight deadline expired, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders blamed Senate Democrats on Twitter for the "Schumer Shutdown", the New York Times report said. (Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, is seen as the prime opponent to the stopgap budget). "Tonight, they put over our national security, military families, vulnerable children, and our country's ability to serve all Americans," Sanders said. "We will not negotiate the status of unlawful immigrants while Democrats hold our lawful citizens hostage over their reckless demands. "This is the behaviour of obstructionist losers, not legislators," she added. Sanders said "the President and his administration will fight for and protect" the American people during the "politically manufactured" shutdown. The rejection of the funding bill by the Senate meant many government services would close down until the budget was agreed upon. The last US shutdown was in 2013 during the Barrack Obama administration. It lasted for 16 days when many federal employees were forced to take leave of absence. On Saturday, Trump wrote on Twitter: "Not looking good for our great Military or Safety and Security on the very dangerous Southern Border. Dems want a Shutdown in order to help diminish the great success of the Tax Cuts, and what they are doing for our booming economy." According to a report in The Guardian, federal law requires agencies to shut down if Congress has not appropriated money to fund them. In previous shutdowns, services deemed "essential", such as the work of the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI, have continued. --IANS qd/in/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US government began shutting down on Saturday for the first time in more than four years after Senate Democrats blocked consideration of a stopgap spending measure to keep the government operating. The shutdown, which comes on the first anniversary of President Donald Trump's inauguration, set off a new round of partisan disagreements and posed risks for both parties, the New York Times reported. This is the first modern government shutdown with Congress and the White House controlled by the same party and it came after a fruitless last-minute negotiating session at the White House between Trump and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader. Trump's White House however immediately blamed Democrats for the shutdown. "Tonight, they put above our national security, military families, vulnerable children and our country's ability to serve all Americans," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement on Friday moments before midnight. Democrats are demanding a budget deal should include protections for young immigrants known as "Dreamers" brought to US as children, yet Republicans have shown no signs of including a "Dreamers" protection in the bill. "We will not negotiate the status of unlawful immigrants while Democrats hold our lawful citizens hostage over their reckless demands," Sanders said. Trump and his representatives had been labelling the event the "Schumer shutdown" after Schumer, but the New York Democrat was quick to call it "the Trump shutdown". "It's almost as if you were rooting for a shutdown," Schumer said from the Senate floor. "And now we will have one. And the blame should crash entirely on President Trump's shoulders," he added. Sixty votes were needed to advance the bill to fund the government until February 16. Republicans only control 51 seats, so GOP leaders needed Democratic votes to cross that threshold. It failed 50-49. The budget proposal presented by the Republicans on Friday night got more votes in favour (50) than against (48), but they were insufficient to approve funds. Four Republicans voted against the bill while five Democrats broke rank to support it. Earlier on Thursday night, the House of Representatives voted 230-197 to extend funding until February. Officials said that now over one million active-duty military personnel will serve with no lapse, but could not be paid until the shutdown ends. Agencies like the Energy Department that have funding that is not subject to annual appropriations can use that money to stay open, the officials said. Entitlements such as Social Security that are automatically funded can continue without disruption. Officials said Trump may travel on Air Force One to carry out his constitutional responsibilities, including a planned trip next week to Davos, Switzerland -- although it was unclear whether trips to Mar-a-Lago -- his exclusive club in Florida would fall into that category. Trump cancelled his plans to travel to his resort due to the crisis, a White House official said. On Saturday, the President wrote on Twitter: "Not looking good for our great military or safety and security on the very dangerous southern border. Dems want a shutdown in order to help diminish the great success of the tax cuts, and what they are doing for our booming economy." The last US shutdown was in 2013 during the Barrack Obama administration. It lasted for 16 days when many federal employees were forced to take leave of absence. --IANS soni/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Iran's deputy envoy to the UN has said the US-led military coalition had failed to make Afghanistan a safer nation, Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday. The security in Afghanistan has continued to deteriorate since the US invasion in 2001, Eshaq Al-e-Habib was quoted as saying. More than a decade after the US-led military invasion, Afghanistan, the region and the world are not any safer, he said. "Building regional partnerships and cooperation, not only in Afghanistan and Central Asia but in all regions around the world, serve as the most appropriate model to reinforce the inseparable nexus between security and development," he stressed. --IANS ahm/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US Defence Secretary James Mattis has said competition between great powers, not terrorism, is now the main focus of America's national security. The US faced "growing threats from revisionist powers as different as China and Russia", he said, unveiling the national defence strategy, BBC reported on Friday. In an apparent reference to Russia, he warned against "threaten(ing) America's experiment in democracy". "If you challenge us, it will be your longest and worst day," he warned. The US has been gripped by ongoing investigations into alleged collusion between the Trump 2016 election campaign and Russia. Speaking in Washington, Mattis also appealed to Congress to fund the military adequately and refrain from "indiscriminate and automatic cuts" to the US federal budget. US President Donald Trump is seeking to boost defence spending by 10 per cent, or $54 billion, in his proposed budget plan for this year, and hopes to recoup that sum through deep cuts elsewhere, including to foreign aid. --IANS pgh/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Election Commission's (EC) decision to disqualify 20 MLAs for holding office of profit, was its chief, A. K. Jyoti's parting gift to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior leader Gopal Rai said here on Saturday. Addressing media, Rai also said that the party will launch a campaign against BJP's decisions to allow FDI in retail and the sealing drive in the city. On Friday, the EC recommended to President Ram Nath Kovind to disqualify 20 MLAs for holding offices of profit as Parliamentary Secretaries, triggering calls for resignation of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The President is bound to act in accordance with the poll panel's recommendation. Here are top 10 developments 1. CEC AK Jyoti is an agent of BJP: AAP Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh on Saturday alleged the Chief Election Commissioner AK Jyoti 'working for his boss PM Modi', and he asserted that in many instances members holding the office of profit were never disqualified. Sanjay Singh, said "There have been many instances where members holding an office of profit were never disqualified. It has happened during Congress rule in Delhi, it has happened in Bengal and Jharkhand as well. This proves that the EC is working at the behest of BJP." "CEC AK Jyoti is working for his boss PM Modi. He has a bungalow in Gujarat. Just 3 days before his retirement, he has shown his true face as an agent of BJP. I demand Narendra Modi's resignation, he said. 2. Kejriwal to address meeting at his residence Aam Admi Party Chief Arvind Kejriwal will address a party meeting at his residence at 4:30 pm today. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that "hurdles naturally come when one walks the path of truth". "Hurdles do come when one walks the path of truth and honesty. This is natural. But all the visible and invisible powers of the universe help you. God supports you, because you don't work for yourself but for the nation and the society," Kejriwal posted on Twitter. , Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 19, 2018 "History is witness that it is truth that wins in the end," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Convenor added. 3. What is happening is dangerous for the country: Gopal Rai "What is happening is dangerous for the country... for a democracy. The country will have to pay. PM Modi is breaking down all institutions," AAP leader Gopal Rai said. 4.'Delhi Congress begins planning for possiblebypolls' Spurred by the news of Election Commission's recommendation for disqualification of 20 ruling AAP MLAs in the office of profit case, the Delhi Congress on Friday got down to planning for possible by-polls in the affected constituencies, party sources said. A meeting attended by Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken and AICC in-charge of the state unit PC Chacko, the party functionaries discussed the emerging scenario and possible elections in the 20 Assembly segments. Kejriwal has no right to continue. Half of his cabinet ministers removed on corruption charges! 20 MLAs who were enjoying ministerial perks would be disqualified! Where is Lokpal? The MLAs and Ministers enjoying perks of power and foreign travel-Where is political probity? Ajay Maken (@ajaymaken) January 19, 2018 5. EC's touched a new low, says angry AAP "The discussions centred around the disqualification of 20 MLAs and by-polls in the affected constituencies. It was decided to hold conventions in all the 20 constituencies in coming days," said a senior party leader who attended the meeting. The Delhi Congress will also hold a demonstration against the Kejriwal government on the issue of "corruption" on Tuesday, he said. Hitting out at the Election Commission, the Aam Aadmi Party alleged on Friday that "the vindictive recommendation was made at the behest of the BJP-led central government", adding chief election commissioner A K Joti was "repaying the debt" to Prime Minister Narendra Modi before his retirement. - , , ?#PoliticalVendettaAgainstAAP pic.twitter.com/qccnoxP4s4 AAP (@AamAadmiParty) January 20, 2018 AAP Delhi chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said: "A K Joti was the principal secretary under (the then Gujarat chief minister) Narendra Modi and then the chief secretary of Gujarat. He is retiring on Monday. So you want to repay Modiji's debt. You are mortgaging a constitutional post like the EC." AAP, whose government in the city will not face any threat even after its 20 MLAs are disqualified, claimed, "EC has touched the lowest point in its history" as it did not give the party MLAs any chance to present their case. 6. Twitter was abuzz with reactions We parted ways the day Arvind Kejriwal formed Aam Aadmi Party. We are not in contact anymore. I had told him not to form a party. Nation can't be served by forming a party, had that been the case, the scenario would have been different in 70 years of independence: Anna Hazare pic.twitter.com/LGz8oi6MkU ANI (@ANI) January 19, 2018 EC's decision to disqualify 20 AAP MLAs for Office of Profit is on expected lines as per routine course of law but also a delayed one. These appointments were not just a technical violation of constitutional norms, but also a serious case of political immorality by Mr. Kejriwal. Anupam (@AnupamConnects) January 19, 2018 Why Kejriwal allowed to appoint those very doctors who were challenging the Governments decision on Max Hospital in the committee for fixation of medical fees & form guidelines for private hospitals. #KejriwalMustGo Jyoti Katharia (@jyotikatharia) January 20, 2018 Good news: EC recommends disqualification of 20 AAP MLA's to President. Solid proof of office of profit found against them. Massive setback to Kejriwal but will he resign on moral ground. Totlani Krishan (@kktotlani) January 19, 2018 Kind attention everyone, Tomorrow Twitter may crash! Because Kejriwal's tweet about 'Modi Conspiracy' on disqualification of AAP MLA's will go too much heavy for Twitter to bear! Ankit Singh (@ankitbcet) January 19, 2018 7. BJP welcomes move BJP leader and leader of Opposition in the Delhi assembly Vijender Gupta tweeted: Better late than never, EC Election disqualifies 20 AAP MLAs for holding office of profit. The AAP govt has much to answer to the public for their political impropriety as Delhi is headed for mid-term #elections. Will request Honble President for speedy approval. Those who started their political journey against corruption are themselves corrupt. The journey of AAP has been from 'India against corruption' to 'I AM CORRUPTION: Dr. @sambitswaraj on EC's decision to disqualify 20 MLAs of Aam Aadmi Party. https://t.co/WRxD7d7L2L BJP (@BJP4India) January 19, 2018 In a second tweet, he demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal: Disqualification of 20 AAP MLAs is a huge moral defeat for CM @ArvindKejriwal. It has put his leadership in peril. He must resign on ethical grounds. Meanwhile AAP leaders are now huddled at Arvind Kejriwal's residence to device the party's next move following the election commission's decision to disqualify 20 AAP MLAs. Lage raho!!!! Priti Gandhi (@MrsGandhi) January 19, 2018 8. Mamata Banerjee backs Kejriwal Priti Gandhi, the executive member of the BJP, tweeted: Election Commission disqualifies 20 AAP MLAs for holding office of profit, sends recommendation to President. Egg on the face of pseudo-Krantikaris! A Constitutional body cannot be used for political vendetta. The 20 AAP MLAs were not even given a hearing by the Hon EC. Most unfortunate. This goes against the principles of natural justice. At this hour we are strongly with @arvindkejriwal and his team Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) January 19, 2018 West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee supported Kejriwal. She tweeted: A Constitutional body cannot be used for political vendetta. The 20 AAP MLAs were not even given a hearing by the Honble Election Commission. Most unfortunate. This goes against the principles of natural justice. At this hour we are strongly with @arvindkejriwal and his team. 9. AAP approaches Delhi High Court The AAP meanwhile approached the Delhi High Court in a bid to stave off the impending action against its MLAs but the court refused any relief saying there was no Commission order and it cannot act on media reports. The matter will come up again on Monday. 10. What next? The move will pave the way for by-polls in Delhi for 20 constituencies of the 70-member assembly. The AAP at present has officially 66 members in the House although some have turned dissidents. The other four seats are held by the BJP. Even if 20 MLAs are disqualified, the ruling party will still have a comfortable majority in the Delhi Assembly. But by-elections, if called, will put to test Kejriwal's grip on Delhi. 10. List of 20 AAP legislators who face office of profit Kailash Gahlot: Najafgarh legislator Kailash Gahlot was appointed as parliamentary secretary to ministry of law. Naresh Yadav: Mehrauli legislator Naresh Yadav was appointed as parliamentary secretary to labour ministry. Som Dutt: Sadar Bazar legislator Som Dutt was appointed as parliamentary secretary to industries ministry. Praveen Kumar: Jangpura legislator Praveen Kumar was appointed as parliamentary secretary to education ministry. Nitin Tyagi: Laxmi Nagar legislator Nitin Tyagi was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary to Ministry of Women and Child and Social Welfare. Adarsh Shastri: Dwarka legislator Adarsh Shastri was appointed as parliamentary secretary to information and technology ministry. Sanjeev Jha: Burari legislator Sanjeev Jha was appointed as parliamentary secretary to transport ministry. Jarnail Singh: Tilak Nagar legislator Jarnail Singh was appointed as parliamentary secretary to the Development Ministry. Sukhvir Singh: Mundka legislator Sukhvir Singh was appointed as parliamentary secretary to the ministry of languages and welfare of SC/ST/OBC. Madan Lal: Kasturba Nagar legislator Madan Lal was appointed as parliamentary secretary to vigilance ministry. Sarita Singh: Rohtas Nagar legislator Sarita Singh was appointed as parliamentary secretary to employment ministry. Alka Lamba: Chandni Chowk legislator Alka Lamba was appointed as parliamentary secretary to ministry of tourism. Rajesh Rishi: Janakpuri legislator Rajesh Rishi was appointed as parliamentary secretary to health ministry. Anil Kumar Bajpai: Gandhi Nagar legislator Anil Kumar Bajpai was appointed as parliamentary secretary to health ministry. Manoj Kumar: Kondli legislator Manoj Kumar was appointed as parliamentary secretary to ministry of food and civil supplies. Avtar Singh: Kalkaji legislator Avtar Singh was appointed as parliamentary secretary to ministry of gurdwara elections. Vijendar Garg Vijay: Rajinder Nagar legislator Vijendar Garg Vijay was appointed as parliamentary secretary to ministry of PWD. Rajesh Gupta: Wazirpur legislator was appointed as parliamentary secretary to health ministry. Sharad Kumar: Narela legislator was appointed as parliamentary secretary to revenue ministry. Shiv Charan Goel: Moti Nagar legislator Shiv Charan Goel was appointed was appointed as parliamentary secretary to finance ministry. The panel last year in October issued a notice to the AAP MLAs seeking an explanation after rejecting their pleas to drop the 'office of profit' case against them. In March 2015, the AAP government passed an amendment to the Delhi Members of Legislative Assembly (Removal of Disqualification) Act, 1997, to exempt the posts of Parliamentary Secretary from the definition of office of profit with retrospective effect. But then President Mukherjee refused to give assent, following which the appointments were set aside by the Delhi High Court in September 2016, declaring them illegal since the order had been passed "without concurrence/approval of the Lt Governor". My basic nature is to convert adversity into opportunity, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an interview, while talking about his initial lack of experience in foreign policies after assuming the charge in 2014 and turning this deficiency into his strength and using the same for growing India's stature on world stage. "When I became Prime Minister then I had no experience of foreign policy protocols, but my basic nature is to convert adversity into opportunity. I am a common man, I will admit that I was not too well versed with the protocols, so I behaved like a common person without getting too formal. My inexperience actually helped me as the world liked openness of a common man," Prime Minister Modi said in an exclusive interview given to Zee News, on Friday. When asked whether India had become a global power, the Prime Minister said, "Earlier the world was divided into two camps but today the situation has changed. Every nation has friendly relations with other nations despite disputes on some issues. The world today is interconnected." In the interview, the Prime Minister also recalled how India raised the issue of corruption in the G20 summit. "Today corruption has become a major issue at G20. India has called world's attention over terrorism. (Former) US President Barack Obama had also praised India's role on global warming," the Prime Minister said. Replying to another question, Prime Minister Modi said the declaration of International Yoga Day by the United Nations (UN) was another achievement of India. Seventeen Indian fishermen have been arrested for allegedly illegally fishing in Pakistani waters and a court here remanded them into custody today. A police official at the docks police station has said the Indian nationals appeared before a magistrate who sent them to jail on remand. "These fishermen were handed over to us by the Maritime Security last night for further legal process," he said. He said most of the fishermen belonged to Gujarat. The 17 Indian fishermen were arrested for fishing in Pakistan's territorial waters, according to the Maritime Security Force. "They were fishing in the Arabian sea in our territory and they were detained and their three boats seized," he said. The arrests come after the release of 145 Indian fishermen on December 28. An official of the Pakistan Maritime Security Force said that since late November the number of Indian fishermen detained for fishing in Pakistani waters was around 185. A total of 438 Indian fishermen were released in 12 days time in December 2016-January 2017 by the Pakistani authorities from the Landhi and Malir jails in Karachi. Pakistan and India frequently arrest fishermen as there is no clear demarcation of the maritime border in the Arabian Sea and these fishermen do not have boats equipped with the technology to know their precise location. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Six persons including three juveniles were today arrested from the southern part of Kolkata for their alleged involvement in the gangrape of a woman, police said today. The woman who was visiting a relative's place, was gangraped yesterday afternoon inside an abandoned staff quarter of Kolkata Port Trust in Taratala area. Sources in the Kolkata Police said medical tests confirmed gangrape of the woman. "The incident took place at around 12.30 pm when a 27-year-old woman, who went to fetch chicken from a local shop, was taken to an abandoned house by a boy working there," the officer said. Other accused persons reached there and some of them raped her while others clicked photos and videos on their mobile phones, he said. "They threatened her not to reveal the incident to anybody and left," he added. The woman lodged a complaint with Taratala police station on the basis of which the six accused were arrested. While three juveniles were sent to juvenile home, the other three were sent to judicial custody till February 3, the officer said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four people, including a BSF jawan, were injured after Pakistan violated ceasefire for the third consecutive day today in three districts of Jammu and Kashmir along the International Border, officials said. Pakistan rangers targeted villages along the IB from Chenab river (Akhnoor) to R S Pura throughout the night in heavy unprovoked shelling and firing, a BSF officer told PTI. The firing and shelling were still underway when the reports last came in this morning, he said. The officer said Pakistan was targeting civilian villages to cause death and destruction and added that the BSF was giving them a befitting reply. He said a BSF jawan in Pargwal sector was injured in the heavy firing and shelling and was later hospitalised. The Pakistan rangers continued to fire and launch shells along the IB in Arnia, Ramgarh, Samba and Hiranagar sectors till 5 am, a police official said. Two people were injured in Kanachak sector of Akhnoor, and a girl sustained minor splinter injuries, the official said. Between 8,000 to 9,000 people living along the IB migrated to safer places and most of them were living with their relatives, the official said. Over 1,000 people are housed in camps in R S Pura, Samba and Kathua areas, he said. Educational institutes have been closed for next three days along the IB and the LoC in Jammu region by authorities in wake of increased tension along the Indo-Pak border, officials said. Two security forces jawans and as many civilians were killed and 35 others injured in mortar shelling by the Pakistani troops on civilian areas and BoPs along the InternationalBorder and the LoC in four districts yesterday, officials said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a horrifying incident, a seven- year-old boy was brutally attacked and mauled to death by half-a-dozen stray dogs in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district, the police said today. Vikki, a son of a migrant labour from Uttar Pradesh, was attacked by the dogs while he was returning home from a near- by market in Amarkot village under Paonta sub division, they said. Hearing his cries, villagers rushed to his rescue and three of them also got injured by the aggressive dogs. The boy sustained multiple injuries on his head, throat, neck and stomach, they said, adding he succumbed to his injuries on the way to a hospital. A case has been registered in this matter, DSP Paonta Pramod Chauhan said. A sum of Rs 20,000 has been given to the bereaved family members, SDM Paonta H S Rana said. According to the Amarkot village head, Rakesh Mehraloo, the administration was informed many a time in the recent past about the stray dogs attacking people, but it turned deaf ear to their complaints. Theincident has frightened the villagers, who are now not sending their wards to schools, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An octogenarian woman was raped by an unidentified man when she was alone at home near Talwade village, 25 km from Pune, the district police said today. The alleged incident took place on the intervening night of January 12 and 13. The case was registered yesterday after the 80-year-old woman narrated the incident to her son, who is a driver, Dehu Road police said. According to the woman, an unidentified man sneaked into her house and raped her when her son was away. "The woman narrated the incident to her son when he returned. He took her to Sassoon Hospital. Hospital authorities informed us about the case," said a police officer. Police have registered a case under section 376 of the IPC (rape) and probe is on, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The BJP in Kerala today pressed for its demand to ban on SDPI, after four members of the outfit, the political wing of Popular Front of India, were arrested in connection with the killing of an ABVP activist in Kannur. "Outfits like SDPI should be banned. Even parties like Indian Union Muslim League have made such a demand", BJP state unit president Kummanam Rajasekharan told reporters here. He said the BJP would approach the Central government seeking the ban on Social Democratic Party of India if the state government failed to take action against it. A member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Shyam Prasad, was allegedly hacked to death by a three-member gang at Kommeri in Kannur when he was going to his house at Koothuparamba on his motorcycle last evening. Four persons, allegedly SDPI activists, were today arrested in connection with the incident. The ABVP has alleged that Popular Front of India was behind the killing and demanded that the outfit be banned. Shyam Raj, State Secretary of the BJP students' wing, had said in a statement yesterday that the 'terror' face of PFI has come out in open once again with the killing of Shyam Prasad. He said the ABVP would ask the Centre to ban PFI by pointing to its activities, including alleged recruitment to the IS. The BJP is today observing a dawn-to-dusk hartal in Kannur district from 6 am in protest against the killing. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A replica of the iconic Qutub Minar made out of municipal waste, costing Rs 16 lakh, has been erected in a newly-created street roundabout near the Delhi international airport, officials said. Lt Governor Anil Baijal today inaugurated the project, alongside a beautified site underneath the Mahipalpur flyover in south Delhi, ahead of the Indo-ASEAN summit here. "The most important feature of the development project is that the replica of the Qutab Minar has been produced from the waste material lying at SDMC stores. "Termed 'Waste to Art', it is one-of-its-kind installation in the capital. The cost of replica is Rs 16 lakh whereas the total cost of the beautification and development is Rs 3.50 crore," the SDMC said in a statement. In an unprecedented event, leaders from all 10 ASEAN countries will be attending the Republic Day celebrations at Rajpath on January 26. A host of commemorative events are being organised to mark 25 years of Indo-ASEAN ties. The summit is slated to be held on January 25. "Since the road is under the jurisdiction of the NHAI, a request was made to allow the SDMC to undertake the redevelopment of the space under the Mahipalpur flyover and the rotary leading to the IGIA. "The plan, involving construction of boundary wall with designer grills, internal walkways, fixing of 750 bollards & and 800 floodlights, landscaping, plantation, etc., was agreed to be provided at the site," the statement said. "The work on the entire project, spanning an area of 2.34 acres has been completed in 17 days, the SDMC claimed. The AIADMK on Saturday said it would seek disqualification of ruling Congress and DMK legislators in Puducherry "for holding office of profit," in view of the Election Commission's decision to disqualify 20 AAP MLAs in New Delhi on similar grounds. Addressing reporters here, the party's legislature wing leader A Anbalagan said the 'office of profit' axe has fallen on 20 AAP MLAs in New Delhi with EC sending its recommendation to the President, suggesting their disqualification. "The development in New Delhi is directly applicable to Puducherry where the legislators belonging to the ruling Congress and its ally the DMK are holding 'office of profits' such as chairmen of government-owned undertakings and Parliamentary Secretary," he alleged. Anbalagan said AIADMK will give 15 days time to the MLAs "to relieve themselves of posts of chairmen and Parliamentary Secretary so as to remain only as legislators as my intention is not to disturb them." The party would send a petition to ECI after the lapse of 15 day-deadline, he added. While one Congress legislator is the parliamentary secretary to Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, two DMK members and five belonging to the Congress had been appointed chairmen of statutory bodies here. The Election Commission had yesterday recommended to the President the disqualification of 20 MLAs of Aam Aadmi Party for holding office of profit, setting the stage for their ouster from the New Delhi Assembly. Questioning the move to associate Puducherry BJP President V Saminathan with the inauguration of a Passport office in Karaikal, the AIADMK leader said, "Narayanasamy had not registered protest against inclusion of the name of BJP president in both the official invitation and also the plaque erected at the venue of the function." External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had unveiled the plaque of the Post Office Passport Seva Kendra in Karaikal yesterday. Anbalagan also claimed that there were several lapses in the protocol to be adopted in a government function. has delivered 176 aircraft to China in 2017, its eighth consecutive year of more than 100 deliveries, the company said. One fourth of the Airbus' total global deliveries went to China in 2017, which include 141 single-aisle A320 plane, 32 medium-size A330s, and three A350XWB wide-body aircraft, it said in a statement yesterday. "2017 marks an incredible year for as we created a new record of global deliveries of 718. For Airbus, China is a crucial market and a strategic partner with win-win cooperation," said George Xu, China CEO. On January 9, Airbus signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Development and Reform Commission on industrial cooperation in Tianjin, north China's port city. Airbus and its Chinese partners also signed a framework agreement to raise A320 production at the final assembly line in Tianjin to six aircraft per month from four per month at present. Since, Airbus set up a representative office in China in 1994, it has made rapid progress with cooperation worth about USD 600 million in 2017 and a target of USD one billion dollars per year by 2020, state run Xinhua news agency reported. China introduced the first Airbus aircraft in 1985. Now over 1,500 are being operated by Chinese airlines, accounting for around half of the total fleet of aircraft over 100 seats in the country. Last year, Airbus rival Boeing has started construction of its first overseas facility in Chinese port city of Zhoushan as part of its plans to produce 737 planes. The construction will consist of two parts -- a Boeing 737 completion centre and the delivery centre. It is scheduled to be completed this year. Following its completion, the facility will deliver 8 to 10 planes each month, with an annual production of up to 100 aircraft, according to the plan announced by Boeing. A Boeing forecast last year said China will need 6,810 new aircraft in the next 20 years at an estimated cost of USD one trillion. The Army today bid farewell to a soldier who lost his life in Pakistani firing in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir yesterday. A wreath laying ceremony was organised in honour of Lance Naik Sam Abraham at Jammu-based White Knight Corps, a defence spokesman said. He said a military send-off was organised, wherein, General Officer Commanding Crossed Swords Division among other military dignitaries, laid wreaths on behalf of Army Commander, Northern Command, Lt Gen D Anbu, and GOC White Knight Corps Lt Gen Saranjeet Singh. Lance Naik Abraham, aged 34 years, belonged to village Poonakam of Allepey district in Kerala and is survived by wife Anu Mathew anddaughter aged 1 year and 10 months. "Abraham was a dedicated, brave and sincere soldier and a thorough professional. The nation will remain indebted to him for the supreme sacrifice and devotion to duty. He will continue to motivate the future generations," the spokesman said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Three people, including an Army jawan, were killed and six injured in firing by Pakistani troops along the International Border (IB) and Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu division for the third day on Saturday police said. Nine persons have been killed so far in ceasefire violations over three days, police officials said. An Army jawan was today killed after being hit by a bullet during cross-border firing in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district, the officials said. A defence spokesman identified the slain soldier as sepoy Mandeep Singh (23), a resident of Alampur village of Sangroor in Punjab. He said the Pakistani Army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing of small arms and automatics form 0820 hours in Krishna Ghati sector, resulting in grievous injuries to Singh who later succumbed. The Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively, the spokesman said. The officials said two civilians, Gaura Ram (17) of Kapur R S Pura and Gour Singh (45) of Abdullian, were killed and five others injured in firing by Pakistani rangers along the IB in Jammu district. A BSF spokesman said cross-border firing was underway in the area from Octroi to Chenab (Akhnoor) in Suchetgarh sector of R S Pura from this morning. He said the firing in R S Pura sector stopped around 1.30 am but resumed again after four hours. He said a BSF jawan in Pargwal sector was injured in the heavy firing and shelling and was later hospitalised. The BSF is retaliating and the exchange of fire between the two sides was underway till the last reports were received. A jawan of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) was injured in cross border shelling in Jammu, officials said. The jawan, constable Lallu Ram, was evacuated to a nearby hospital and was said to be stable. The jawan, who belongs to the 14th battalion of the force, was deployed for rendering law and order duties along with the Jammu and Kashmir Police at the Kanachak police station, when he was hit by splinters of a mortar shell that landed in the area. While a BSF jawan and a teenaged girl were killed on Thursday, four people--two civilians and one BSF jawan and an Army jawan--were killed and over 40 others, including two BSF personnel, injured in the Pakistani firing yesterday. The heavy firing had forced thousands of border residents to flee their homes and authorities announced closure of educational institutions for three days along the LoC and IB. Between 8,000 to 9,000 people living along the IB have migrated to safer places and most of them were living with their relatives, officials said. Over 1,000 people are housed in camps in R S Pura, Samba and Kathua areas, they said. The Jammu and Kashmir government today said elaborate arrangements have been made to deal with the situation arising after the intense firing by Pakistan along the borders over the past few days. In different cross-border firing incidents along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) since Thursday, nine people, including two Army and as many BSF jawans, were killed and 46 injured. The health department has made elaborate arrangements to deal with the situation and adequate doctors (specialists) and paramedics along with necessary life saving drugs and equipment have been kept available round the clock in all health institutions, Health and Medical Education Minister Bali Bhagat said. "In addition, 197 Ambulances, including critical care ambulance have been deployed to meet the situation," Bhagat said. Making a suo-moto statement in the Legislative Assembly, he said all injured have been admitted in the Government Medical College Hospital and other local hospitals where they were undergoing treatment. He said the authorities have already issued an alert for the population living along the borders to move to the safer places in view of the constant firing along the border. Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh thanked the Centre for increasing the quantum of ex gratia and other reliefs especially for the cross-border firing victims. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of the Bihar Police has launched a probe after two bombs were found last night at Bodh Gaya where the Dalai Lama is at present on a visit, a top police official said today. A National Investigation Agency (NIA) team is likely to join the investigation shortly, Inspector General of Police, Patna zone, N H Khan said. The two bombs were found from the pilgrimage centre after an explosion-like sound was heard amid stringent security measures in view of the Dalai Lama's stay. "We have thoroughly sanitised the area where high security measures have already been there in view of the importance of the place. CCTV footages are being collected for investigation. "The matter is being thoroughly probed by the ATS. Moreover, a team of the NIA is likely to reach Bodh Gaya soon," Khan told PTI. The bombs were found in the vicinity of the Kalachakra ground during an intensive combing operation by a police team led by DIG (Patna Range) Vinay Kumar, Khan had earlier said. The explosion-like sound was heard shortly after the Dalai Lama completed his discourse and retired for the day at a Tibetan monastery, he said. "During the operation, a burst thermos flask was found at the kitchen. This might have caused the sound," the IGP said. Khan also said the bombs have been secured at a "secluded spot" where they will be defused by a bomb disposal squad. "The two suspected explosive devices have been taken to a secluded spot where they could be defused safely. A bomb disposal squad has been rushed to Bodh Gaya. It is not yet known what material these suspected explosive devices are made of but experts available locally have said they were unlikely to detonate on their own," Khan said. The Tibetan spiritual leader had arrived in Bodh Gaya on January 1 and he is likely to stay there for a month. A host of key personalities, including Bihar Governor Satya Pal Malik, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Hollywood actor Richard Gere, visited Bodh Gaya recently to get the blessings of the Buddhist monk. In 2013, the Maha Bodhi temple, situated at the spot where Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment, was rocked by a series of explosions in which five people, including two monks, were injured. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Gunmen killed at least five people and wounded eight in an attack on Kabul's Intercontinental Hotel, an official said on Sunday, as the eleven hours-long siege continues. "Five are dead," an official with the Afghan spy agency told AFP, adding 100 hostages have been released. At least four gunmen attacked Kabul's landmark Intercontinental Hotel in a night-time raid and started shooting at guests and staff, officials said, in an hours-long assault that was still ongoing at the time of reporting. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest attack in the Afghan capital that followed a series of security warnings in recent days to avoid hotels and other locations frequented by foreigners. "Four attackers are inside the building," an official at the National Directorate of Security (NDS) spy agency told AFP. They are "shooting at guests", he said. According to local media reports, the ongoing attack has entered its eleventh hour. Desperate guests and staff trying to escape from burning #Kabul Intercontinental Hotel as siege enters 11th hour. pic.twitter.com/MZrty8WIa3 TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) January 21, 2018 A guest hiding in a room told AFP he could hear gunfire inside the 1960s hilltop hotel where dozens of people attending an information technology conference on Sunday were staying. "I don't know if the attackers are inside the hotel but I can hear gunfire from somewhere near the first floor," the man, who did not want to be named, said by telephone. "We are hiding in our rooms. I beg the security forces to rescue us as soon as possible before they reach and kill us." His phone was switched off when AFP tried to contact him again. Another official said the attackers were armed with small weapons and rocket-propelled grenades when they blasted their way into the hotel, which often hosts weddings, conferences, and political gatherings. "Seven wounded people have been taken to hospital," interior ministry deputy spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told AFP, adding two attackers have been killed. "Some other guests have been rescued. We will be able to release casualty figures once the operation ends." Rahimi said the first and second floors of the hotel have been secured by security forces, who are now trying to clear the fourth and fifth floors. Special forces were being lowered by helicopters onto the rooftop of the hotel, he added. Afghan media is reporting multiple casualties in the attack. The fourth floor of the hotel, which boasts several restaurants and an outdoor swimming pool, had been set on fire during the raid, the NDS official said. "The operation will soon end and the attackers will be killed," interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish told AFP. Authorities are already investigating how the attackers got past security which was taken over by a private company two weeks ago, Danish said. "They probably used a back door in the kitchen to enter," he said. Abdullah Sabet, an official at the communications and information technology ministry, said IT officials from around the country were staying at the hotel ahead of a conference today. "There were 40 of them in the hotel. We don't know if any of them have been killed or wounded," Sabet said. Security at the Intercontinental, which is not part of the global InterContinental chain, is relatively lax compared with other high-end hotels in Kabul. A conference on Afghanistan-China relations was held in one of its function rooms earlier on Saturday, attended by the Chinese embassy's political counsellor Zhang Zhixin. An AFP reporter who attended the conference passed through two vehicle security checkpoints. At the entrance to the building, there was a physical inspection that could be easily evaded by scaling a low-level barrier and entering the lobby. Security alerts sent in recent days to foreigners living in Kabul warned that "extremist groups may be planning an attack against hotels in Kabul" as well as public gatherings and other locations "where foreigners are known to congregate". The Intercontinental was last targeted in June 2011 when a suicide attack claimed by the Taliban killed 21 people, including 10 civilians. Security in Kabul has been tightened since May 31 when a massive truck bomb ripped through the diplomatic quarter, killing some 150 people and wounding around 400 -- mostly civilians. No group has yet claimed that attack. The Islamic State group has claimed most of the recent attacks in the Afghan capital, but authorities suspect that the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani Network has been involved in some of them. The deadliest of the recent attacks happened at a Shiite cultural centre on December 29 when a suicide bomber blew himself up, killing more than 40 people. A 14-month-old girl was mauled to death by stray dogs here today, police said. The horrific incident took place in Anupam Nagar area today morning when the girl was playing outside her house, a police official told PTI. CCTV footage of the spot showed the child, Riya Sahu, crawling on the street when two stray dogs attacked her, he said. The dogs bit her severely before other residents of the area rushed and drove them away, he said. Riya was taken to a local government hospital where she was declared dead. Horilal Sahu, her father, who works as a labouer, had come to Raipur with his wife and two children from Sarsinwa village in Balodabazar district a few months ago in search of work. The couple were away for some work while Riya and her five-year-old brother were at home, police said. Enraged local residents accused the municipal corporation of failing to control the stray dog menace in the area. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Bajrang Dal activist here has been arrested on the charge of kidnapping a girl from Mumbai, who had allegedly eloped from here with a Muslim man and married him last year. The girls husband Mohammed Iqbal Choudhary had filed a habeas corpus petition in the Bombay High Court a few days after she was allegedly abducted from Mumbai. Police said Bajranj Dal activist Sunil Pumpwell was arrested by Mumbai police on January 18. He allegedly brought the girl along with her parents from Mumbai to Mangaluru in a car in the second week of last month. Sangh Parivar outfits alleged that the girls elopement was part of Love Jihad.' They had submitted a memorandum to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman seeking her intervention on the issue when she visited the city on December 29. The girl, daughter of a Sangh outfit leader, had been staying in a rented house within Mangaluru East police stationlimits. Chaudhary had befriended her on social media three years back. They fell in love and eloped to Mumbai and gotmarried in July last year, police said. She had then submitted an affidavit in the police station here stating that she was living with her lover on her own volition and had not been forced by anyone, police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The tragic fire accident in Delhi's Bawana area tonight also assumed political hues, as several leaders from the BJP, visited the site, even as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the family of the deceased. AAP chief Kejriwal, who visited the site late tonight, said the truth will come out only after the inquiry, which has been ordered by the government. A compensation of Rs five lakh each will be given to the next of kin of those who have lost their lives and Rs one lakh each to the two injured persons, he told reporters. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain also visited the site and met the two survivors at the hospital. "Prima facie it appears packaging of the fire crackers were going on, but no machines have been found," he said. Prior to Kejriwal, Union ministers Harsh Vardhan, Vijay Goel and party's Delhi unit president Manoj Tiwari headed to Bawana following the fire incident in a fire cracker factory that claimed 17 lives. "Visited the site of #BawanaFire and #MahirshiValmikiHospital at Pooth Khurd, where two of the injured are being treated 24-year-old Roop Prakash and 45- year-old Sunita. Both have fractures on their legs and would require surgical interventions. Appear to be out of danger," Vardhan tweeted. "Saddened at the loss of 17 lives in the Bawana cracker factory fire. My thoughts are with the families of the persons killed in the mishap. Government should enforce strict safety regulations to such hazardous industries to avoid at least future accidents," Vardhan said. North Delhi Mayor Preety Agarwal also visited the site and took a swipe at Kejriwal as the area falls under DSIIDC. "He calls himself messiah of the poor. Where is he now. Where is the AAP MLA of Bawana," she had said earlier, before Kejriwal reached the site. Entire local BJP Unit led by district president Neel Daman Khatri and North Delhi Mayor Preety Agarwal were working to ensure relief for victims, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor had earlier said. The Delhi BJP spokesperson also questioned the "delay" by the ruling AAP's leaders in visiting the affected site and the people. "Almost 5 hours have gone by after the accident and from local AAP MLA to the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, none have yet reached out to victims for help," Kapoor said earlier. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee today said the state government is spending Rs 17,000 crore towards the salary of employees of state-aided schools, the teachers should be more conscious about their duties. Addressing a gathering on the 200th year celebration of the Hindu School here, Chatterjee said teachers should impart proper to students so that they can excel both in academic field and as complete human beings. "Presently the government is spending Rs 17,000 crore towards payment of teachers' salaries. The teachers should work towards elevating all state-aided schools to higher standard," he said. To a request by Hindu School authorities to introduce teaching in English medium, Chatterjee said it can be done on an experimental basis along with the existing Bengali medium in state schools. "In the past 25 years English had been abolished. That explains lack of spoken English teacher in your institution," he said hinting at the decision of the erstwhile Left Front government to stop teaching English at the primary level. The minister expressed regret that "A section of people is trying to malign the teaching community by different means and malign the institution. This is not done." On the recent agitations at Presidency University and Jadavpur University, he said, "The academic atmosphere of both JU and Presidency is getting harmed because of five-six students. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The ruling BJP and opposition Congress today won nine posts of presidents of local bodies each in Madhya Pradesh. The elections to 19 local bodies were held on January 17. One seat was won by an independent, a State Election Commission officer said here. BJP candidates for president's post won at Peethampur Municipality and nagar parishads of Dahi, Kukshi, Dhamnod, Pansemal, Rajpur, Palsud and Omkareshwar. The BJP also won, unoppoed, the post of president of Sendhwa Municipality. Congress won the president's post at the municipalities of former chief minister Digvijay Singh's stronghold Raghogarh, Barwani, Manawar and Dhar, besides nagar parishads at Anjad, Khetia, Sardarpur, Rajgarh and Dharampuri. The president's post in Jaithari Nagar Parishad was won by an independent candidate. Across these 19 local bodies, BJP won 194 seats of corporators while the Congress won 145. Independent candidates claimed 13 seats. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan attributed his party's disappointing performance to rebel candidates. Rebel candidates marred the BJP's chances in many places, Chouhan told reporters at Mandsaur. Leader of Opposition Ajay Singh said the Congress has snatched seven local body seats from the ruling BJP. "These results have shown that people are disillusioned with the BJP government. The BJP failed despite misusing government's money in fighting the elections," he alleged. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bodh Gaya was today put on high alert after two bombs were found in the pilgrimage town where the Dalai Lama is at present on a visit, even as an NIA team reached this evening to join the probe, top police officials said. "A team of the National Investigation Agency reached Bodh Gaya late this evening. It will aid in investigations by the Anti Terrorist Squad of the Bihar Police which is camping at Bodh Gaya," Additional Director General of Police Vinay Kumar told PTI. The two bombs were found from the town after an explosion-like sound was heard amid stringent security measures in view of the Dalai Lama's stay. "Our team of forensic experts and a bomb disposal squad had reached Bodh Gaya last night. They removed the suspected explosive devices from the spot and kept them at a secluded spot where they will be defused later," the police official said. "Although our experts have examined the devices, they are waiting for the central agency to have a look at the same before they are defused," he added. Inspector General of Police, Patna zone, N H Khan said, "The entire pilgrim town has been put on high alert in view of the presence of the Dalai Lama and the constant influx of high-profile visitors who wish to meet the Tibetan spiritual leader." He said that an FIR has been lodged at the Bodh Gaya police station in connection with the recovery of the bombs. The bombs were found in the vicinity of the Kalachakra ground during an intensive combing operation by a police team led by DIG (Patna Range) Vinay Kumar, Khan had earlier said. The explosion-like sound was heard shortly after the Dalai Lama completed his discourse and retired for the day at a Tibetan monastery, he said. "During the operation, a burst thermos flask was found at a refershments stall. This might have caused the sound," the IGP had earlier said. An NIA spokesperson earlier said the agency has sent a team, including a superintendent of police-ranked officer and an explosives' expert, to visit the site. "It is said that the blast happened in a flask kept under a generator at a tea shop opposite the ground. The police found some wires coming out. Later, searches were conducted in the vicinity by the police and two objects suspected to be improvised explosive devices were recovered," he said in a statement. The Tibetan spiritual leader had arrived in Bodh Gaya on January 1 and he is likely to stay there for a month. A host of key personalities, including Bihar Governor Satya Pal Malik, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Hollywood actor Richard Gere, visited Bodh Gaya recently to get the blessings of the Buddhist monk. "CCTV footages are being examined by forensic experts. Suspicious-looking persons are being thoroughly frisked and interrogated. Entry of vehicles is being allowed only after they are thoroughly checked," Khan said, adding that no arrest has been made so far. In 2013, the Maha Bodhi temple, situated at the spot where Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment, was rocked by a series of explosions in which five people, including two monks, were injured. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The bus fare hike in Tamil Nadu drew all round flak from political parties, including the main opposition DMK, which accused the government of being 'sadistic' and giving a 'thunderbolt' to the people. The parties demanded that the fares be immediately rolled back. The Tamil Nadu government last night hiked the fares of buses under State run transport corporations and private entities approximately by 20 to 54.54 per cent, after a six year gap, saying it was inevitable. DMK working President M K Stalin today accused the Palaniswami-led government of being "sadist" and said the steep hike to the tune of Rs 3,600 crore a year was unacceptable and was a 'thunderbolt' imposed on the people. "I strongly condemn the AIADMK government for imposing this heavy burden on the people, whose buying power has already been diminished," he said Stalin, Leader of Opposition in the State assembly, blamed the government for the losses suffered by State-run transport corporations and alleged that the hike had been effected to hide it's 'administrative ineffiency'. This also raised a question on whether the move was to help private operators, he said. The government had said yesterday that State run transport corporations had incurred a recurring loss of Rs 20,488 crore. Also, during the past seven years, the State had provided a subsidy of Rs 12,059.17 crore to transport corporations to help them tackle the fund crunch, it said. Stalin also charged the government with not taking any "steps" to increase revenue from non-fare modes like operating courier service, motels and advertisements on buses. He also flayed the government for effecting a nearly 100 per cent hike in salaries for MLAs and now going in for an increase in bus fare, a view echoed by PMK chief Ramadoss. The PMK said a state-wide protest demonstration would be held on January 25, seeking immediate roll back of hike. He said Omni bus operators already charge higher fares and that they planned to further increase it. The hike was to facilitate profiteering by private operators, he alleged. Sidelined AIADMK leader and RK Nagar MLA T T V Dhinakaran also demanded that the hike be withdrawn. "People will not accept the bus fare hike. The government should withdraw the hike," he told reporters. Dhinakaran loyalist and former state transport minister Senthil Balaji said the hike was not justifiable now, given that there was a decline in industrial growth and no employment generation. CPI(M) State Secretary G Ramakrishnan said the party would stage dharnas and hold protest demonstrations across Tamil Nadu on January 22 against the bus fare hike. Seeking an immediate rollback, he said the government's announcment of forming a committee to look at restructuring the fare structure in future was 'a big betrayal' of people. The government while hiking the bus fares last night,also announced a fund for accident compensation and prevention, besides a panel to go into restructuring of fares in future. Effective today, the fare has been hiked for buses across categories viz moffusil, city, ordinary, express, deluxe, bypass-non-stop, ultra deluxe, airconditioned and Volvo modes, an official release said. While the minimum hike is in moffusil ordinary category, where the fare of Rs 5 for 10 km would now be Rs 6 (20 per cent hike), the highest is in Volvo buses, where the fare of Rs 33 for 30 km will now go up to Rs 51 (54.54 per cent hike). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pope Francis' top adviser on clerical sex abuse implicitly rebuked the pontiff over his accusations of slander against Chilean abuse victims, saying today that his words were "a source of great pain for survivors of sexual abuse." Cardinal Sean O'Malley, the archbishop of Boston, said he couldn't explain why Francis "chose the particular words he used" and that such expressions had the effect of abandoning victims and relegating them to "discredited exile." In an extraordinary effort at damage control, O'Malley insisted in a statement that Francis "fully recognizes the egregious failures of the church and its clergy who abused children and the devastating impact those crimes have had on survivors and their loved ones." Francis set off a national uproar upon leaving Chile on Thursday when he accused victims of the country's most notorious pedophile priest of having slandered another bishop, Juan Barros. The victims say Barros knew of the abuse by the Rev. Fernando Karadima but did nothing to stop it, a charge Barros denies. "The day they bring me proof against Bishop Barros, I'll speak," Francis told Chilean journalists in the northern city of Iquique. "There is not one shred of proof against him. It's all calumny. Is that clear?" The remarks shocked Chileans, drew immediate rebuke from victims and their advocates and once again raised the question of whether the 81-year-old Argentine Jesuit "gets it" about sex abuse. The Karadima scandal has devastated the credibility of the Roman Catholic Church in Chile, and Francis' comments will likely haunt it for the foreseeable future. O'Malley's carefully worded critique was remarkable since it is rare for a cardinal to publicly rebuke the pope in such terms. But Francis' remarks were so potentially toxic to the Vatican's years-long effort to turn the tide on decades of clerical sex abuse and cover-up that he clearly felt he had to respond. O'Malley headed Francis' much-touted committee for the protection of minors until it lapsed last month after its initial three-year mandate expired. Francis has not named new members, and the committee's future remains unclear. "It is understandable that Pope Francis' statements ... were a source of great pain for survivors of sexual abuse by clergy or any other perpetrator," O'Malley said in the statement. "Words that convey the message 'if you cannot prove your claims then you will not be believed' abandon those who have suffered reprehensible criminal violations of their human dignity and relegate survivors to discredited exile." Francis' comments were all the more problematic because Karadima's victims were deemed so credible by the Vatican that it sentenced him to a lifetime of "penance and prayer" in 2011. A Chilean judge also found the victims to be credible, saying that while she had to drop criminal charges against Karadima because too much time had passed, proof of his crimes wasn't lacking. Those same victims accused Barros of witnessing the abuse. Yet Francis said he considered their accusations "all calumny" and that he wouldn't believe them without proof. Catholic officials for years sought to discredit victims of abuse by accusing them of slandering and attacking the church with their claims. But many in the church and the Vatican have come to reluctantly acknowledge that victims usually told the truth and that the church had wrongly sought to protect its own by demonizing and discrediting the most vulnerable of its flock. O'Malley said he couldn't fully address the Barros case because he didn't know the details and wasn't involved. But he insisted the pope "gets it" and is committed to "zero tolerance" for abuse. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China on Saturday accused the US of trespassing its territorial waters and warned taking "necessary measures" to firmly safeguard its sovereignty after an American missile destroyer sailed close to a shoal in the disputed South China Sea to assert freedom of navigation. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the naval ship USS Hopper sailed within 12 nautical miles of Huangyan Dao on January 17 without China's permission. Huangyan Dao is also known as Scarborough Shoal, the ring of reefs which lies about 230 kilometres from the Philippines in the South China Sea (SCS), where Beijing's claims are hotly contested by other nations. "The naval ship USS Hopper sailed within 12 nautical miles off Huangyan Dao, widely known Scarborough Shoal on January 17 without gaining permission from the Chinese government," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said in a statement. He said the Chinese Navy carried out identification and verification procedures in accordance with law and asked the US vessel to leave. "What the US vessel did violated China's sovereignty and security interests, put the safety of Chinese vessels and personnel who were in the relevant waters for official duties under grave threat, and contravened the basic norms for relations," Lu said. "China is strongly dissatisfied with that and will take necessary measures to firmly safeguard its sovereignty," he added. China, which has been reinforcing its hold on the disputed SCS with military installations in the shoals and reclaimed islands, claims sovereignty over almost all of it. Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims over SCS. In a bid to question China's claims over the area, the US has been pressing naval ships and air force planes frequently to pass through the area, through which trillions of dollars of trade takes place to assert freedom of navigation. Lu, in the statement, said "China has indisputable sovereignty over Huangyan Dao and the adjacent waters". "China always respects and safeguards the freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea all countries are entitled to under the law. But we firmly oppose any country using navigation and overflight freedom as an excuse to hurt China's sovereignty and security interests," he said. "We strongly urge the US side to immediately correct its mistake and stop making such provocative moves so as to avoid undermining China-US relations and regional peace and stability," he said. The Congress today demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his "silence" on a series of rape incidents in Haryana, alleging that the state was turning into "rape capital". Targeting the BJP-led state government, All India Mahila Congress president Sushmita Dev questioned whether the NDA government's slogan of 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' was merely a 'jumla' (gimmick). She also said that Modi should speak on the issue in his 'Mann Ki Baat' radio programme. Speaking at a press conference here, she alleged that Haryana was fast becoming the "rape capital of the country" and what was more distressing was the "arrogant and insensitive" attitude of its Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. As many as 10 rape cases were reported in last 12 days from Haryana. But Khattar, who also holds the home portfolio, is playing blame game rather than acting on these heinous crimes, she said. "I want to ask Prime Minister Narendra Modiji why he is silent on this issue. He should speak on it in his 'Mann Ki Baat' programme. Is 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' slogan merely a jumla," Sushmita asked. The All India Mahila Congress chief was accompanied by Congress leaders Kumar Selja and Kiran Choudhry. Two minor Dalit girls were allegedly raped and killed in separate incidents in Haryana recently, barely a month after a similar case involving a six-year-old girl shook the state. One of the girls, a 15-year-old school student, had been brutally assaulted and her private parts mutilated. The CPI(M) Central Committee is expected to go for a voting tomorrow after it failed to reach a consensus on the number of draft resolutions that should be sent to the upcoming party congress for discussion. The three-day central committee meeting began here yesterday to finalise the political and tactical resolutions to be adopted at the party congress in Hyderabad in April. Today, the meeting witnessed heated debates and discussions among leaders of Bengal and Kerala units with the former in favour of sending two drafts to the party congress. The CPI(M) top brass is trying to avoid voting on this issue and an urgent Politburo meeting was called to decide on the matter tonight. Party sources said two draft resolutions were placed in the central committee meeting. One draft favoured adjustment with the Congress to stop the BJP and has the support of party General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, and the CPI(M) West Bengal unit and a large section of Tripura unit are in its favour. It proposed that CPI(M) should be open to a UPA-1 like political adjustment when the party had extended outside support to the Congress government at the Centre. Another draft is against any alliance with the Congress and proposed broader unity of the Left parties to stop the BJP-RSS. It is supported by former general secretary Prakash Karat and the party's Kerala unit, the sources said. "A large section of leaders from Bengal are in favour of sending two drafts to the party congress for further discussion as they think it is the biggest platform to take a call on it. "However, the Kerala lobby feels that only one draft should go, as sending two drafts to the party congress would send out a message that CPI(M) is divided," said a senior CPI(M) leader. If the central committee fails to reach a consensus on the matter, it is most likely that a voting will take place, the leader said. Yechury and the Bengal unit of CPI(M), which is in favour of aligning with the Congress, received a shot in the arm yesterday when veteran CPI(M) leader V S Achuthanandan in an email to the party leadership advocated for "forming a greater unity of the Left, secular and democratic forces including Congress". A senior CPI(M) leader said despite internal differences, everybody in the party agreed that the BJP-RSS is the "biggest threat the country is facing presently". The political tactical line adopted by the CPI(M) in the last party congress was against any adjustment with the Congress or the BJP. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union minister has claimed that Charles Darwin's theory of evolution of man was "scientifically wrong" and it needs to be changed in school and college curriculum. Singh, the Minister of State for Human Resource Development, said our ancestors have nowhere mentioned that they saw an ape turning into a man. "Darwin's theory (of evolution of humans) is scientifically wrong. It needs to change in school and college curriculum. Since the man is seen on Earth he has always been a man," he said while speaking to reporters on Friday. The IPS officer-turned-politician was in this central Maharashtra city to attend the 'All India Vaidik Sammelan.' "Nobody, including our ancestors, in written or oral, have said they saw an ape turning into a man," he said. "No books we have read or the tales told to us by our grandparents had such a mention," the minister added. Darwinism is a theory of biological evolution that states that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural selection of small, inherited variations that increase the individual's ability to compete, survive, and reproduce. It was developed by Darwin, a 19th-century English naturalist, and others. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today urged the Centre to declare the birthdays of Swami Vivekananda and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose as national holidays. Banerejee said in a tweet that she has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard. "Swami Vivekananda and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose are national and international icons. I have written a letter to the PM urging the GOI to declare both their birthdays as national holidays," she tweeted. Swami Vivekananda's birthday is on January 12 while Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's birthday is on January 23. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh today joined senior BSF officers at a wreath laying ceremony here to bid farewell to a border guard who lost his life in Pakistani firing in Samba sector of Jammu and Kashmir yesterday. The wreath laying ceremony was held at frontier headquarters of the BSF at Paloura and rich tributes were paid to Head Constable Jagpal Singh. The deputy chief minister, Inspector General of BSF Ram Awtar and others paid floral tributes to the jawan, a spokesman of the force said. "The jawan commanded his duty post valiantly by giving a befitting reply to the enemy fire and sustained bullet injury on the upper thigh yesterday. He was immediately evacuated to a hospital where he later succumbed to injuries," the spokesman said. The cremation will be done at his native village in Bhaisrli Nasipur in Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh tomorrow, he said. Deputy Chief Minister Singh said that "as a peaceful country, we never initiated fire from our side but will never hesitate to give befitting reply if compelled". He said the BSF has a history of bravery and this brave act had once again proved that the bordermen were always ready to sacrifice their lives when it comes to national security. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tis Hazari Court has ordered judicial custody of the Director of a Delhi-based real estate and IT solution company for non-compliance in TDS default case, the finance ministry said in a statement today. This year the Principal Chief Commissionerate-New Delhi has sanctioned prosecution in approximately 240 cases "which clearly shows" the strict attitude of the Income Tax Department towards the defaulters, the ministry said. The ministry said that during investigations it was found that the real estate company had deducted TDS but had not deposited in the government account despite there being a statutory obligation by the Income Tax Act. "This also led to harassment of many innocent persons whose TDS had been deducted but the TDS returns had not been filed by the real estate company," the release said. Giving details, the ministry said the investigations had found that during financial years 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015- 16, amounts of Rs 45,68,990, Rs 35,45,290 and Rs 33,36,970, respectively, were deducted by the company. "The assessee company was found to be defaulting on filing of TDS return statements," the ministry said. Later, show-cause notices were served upon the director of the company to explain why sanction for prosecution should not be granted for not complying with the provisions of the law in respect of non-deposition of the Income Tax deducted at source. However, during the proceedings, the assessee asked for repeated adjournments, instead of giving reasonable explanations for the defaults during the proceedings, it said. "Hence, it was concluded that there is no justifiable reason for the delay in depositing the TDS. "This clearly showed the non-serious behaviour of the assessee towards the provisions of deduction and depositions of tax at source," the ministry said. TDS Wing in the revenue department sanctioned the filing of criminal complaint against the company as well as the director. The release further said non-bailable warrant was issued against the director in December 2017 for non-compliance with the case proceedings. The warrants returned to the court unexecuted with the report that accused is avoiding execution of the warrants. "Hence, on January 19, 2018 accused was taken into custody and was remanded to judicial custody. The accused has been sent to Tihar Jail for the same," the release said, without disclosing the name of the company or the director. Principle Chief Commissioner of Income Tax-Delhi, S S Rathore said that the tax department is "very serious" about timely depositing of the TDS deducted by the employers. It is reiterated that the TDS is government money which has to be deposited in Treasury on timely basis, the ministry said adding, failure to deposit the tax deducted will lead to criminal prosecution with imprisonment from 3 months to 7 years. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Election Commission "helped" the AAP by delaying its recommendation for disqualifying 20 of the party's MLAs for holding offices of profit and enabled it in sending three candidates to the Rajya Sabha, the Congress today alleged. Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken also tried to suggest that the BJP had a role in the delay but offered no evidence. "The EC on the instance of the BJP delayed its recommendation by a month and helped the Aam Aadmi Party. Had the recommendation come before the Rajya Sabha election, the AAP would have split due to internal rift," Maken claimed. For the second day in a row, Maken attacked the AAP after the EC recommended that 20 AAP legislators be disqualified for holding offices of profit. Yesterday, Maken had demanded Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's resignation on moral grounds. Today, he said the AAP faced opposition from within over its nominees for the Rajya Sabha and the party would have possibly split had the EC's recommendation was announced last month when the party had decided the nominees. "We want to ask Arvind Kejriwal about the connivance between him and the BJP, which was behind the delay in disqualification recommendation," he said. The AAP leadership's decision to send two new faces to the Rajya Sabha, along with party leader Sanjay Singh, was resented by its senior leader Kumar Vishwas. Maken also claimed that the 20 MLAs, who were appointed as parliamentary secretaries, enjoyed facilities such as office space and remuneration. He gave copies of Delhi government's chief secretaries communication with the EC, saying the MLAs were alloted rooms in the Assembly. "IT department informed that Dwarka MLA Adarsh Shastri, who was parliamentary secretary to IT minister, was paid Rs 15,479 for attending a meeting," he said citing the papers. According to highly-placed sources, in its opinion sent to President Ram Nath Kovind, the EC has said the MLAs, by occupying the post of parliamentary secretaries between March 13, 2015 and September 8, 2016, held offices of profit, and were liable to be disqualified as legislators. Once the president accepts the opinion, by-elections will have to be held for the 20 Assembly seats. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today said that Turkey had "de-facto" launched a new operation on the ground to oust Kurdish militia from a northern Syrian enclave, defying US warnings that the action risked destabilising the area. Turkey has in recent days sent dozens of military vehicles to the border area and readied pro-Ankara Syria rebels amid repeated threats from top officials the operation on the town of Afrin was imminent. The Turkish army has over the last two days shelled camps and refuges used by the People's Protection Units (YPG) militia in response to fire from the militia group, which Turkey deems to be a terror organisation. "The Afrin operation has de-facto been started on the ground," Erdogan said in a televised speech in the city of Kutahya, without elaborating. "This will be followed by Manbij," he added, referring to another Kurdish-controlled Syrian town to the east. Turkey accuses the YPG of being the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has waged a rebellion in the Turkish southeast for more than three decades and is regarded as a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies. But the YPG has been the key ally of Turkey's fellow NATO member the United States in the fight against Islamic State jihadists, playing a key role in pushing the extremists out of their Syrian strongholds. AFP correspondents in the area around the Turkish border village of Sugedigi in Hatay province saw several more Turkish military vehicles heading south to the border. But it was still unclear what form a Turkish ground operation will take amid considerable political and military risks. Turkey from August 2016 to March 2017 pushed into Syria in its more than half-year Euphrates Shield operation in an area to the east of Afrin against both YPG and IS. Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad warned on Thursday that the Syrian air force could destroy any Turkish warplanes used in the new offensive. Analysts say that crucial for any major ground operation will be approval from Moscow which has a military presence in the area and a cordial relationship with the YPG. With conspicuous timing, Turkey's army chief General Hulusi Akar and spy chief Hakan Fidan were in Moscow on Thursday for talks with Russian counterparts on Syria. "A full Turkish air and ground offensive will not take place without Moscow's blessing," said Anthony Skinner, Director MENA at global risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft, adding a full Turkish campaign is "not inevitable". Turkey's state-run Anadolu agency reported yesterday afternoon that Russian military personnel in the Afrin area were withdrawing from their positions but Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later issued a strong denial. Meanwhile, the Turkish threats of an intervention have also raised eyebrows in Washington, which has backed the YPG as it dislodged IS and gained control of the swathe of northern Syria up to the Iraqi border. The YPG-held enclave of Afrin marks the westernmost extent of its control and Turkey wants to make sure it is kept well to the east of the Euphrates River. "We do not believe that a military operation... serves the cause of regional stability, Syrian stability, or indeed Turkish concerns about the security of their border," a senior US State Department official said yesterday. Skinner said a Turkish operation would be a "serious blow" for the US-led coalition in Syria which still depended heavily on the YPG to stabilise the area after the ousting of IS from major towns. But Erdogan accused the United States of not keeping its past promises that the YPG would clear out of Manbij. "The promises made to us over Manbij were not kept. So nobody can object if we do what is necessary," said Erdogan, threatening to pursue the operations up to the Iraqi border. Erdogan had reacted furiously this week to an announcement of plans to create a US-backed 30,000-strong border security force in northern Syria composed partly of YPG fighters, describing it as an "army of terror". US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson later said the "entire situation has been mis-portrayed, mis-described", admitting "we owe them (Turkey) an explanation. But Erdogan appeared to scoff at the mixed messages and lashed out at American military support for the YPG. "We don't care what they say," he warned. "They will learn how wrong it is to trust a terror organisation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi government has ordered an inquiry into the blaze at a private factory in outer Delhi's Bawana industrial area this evening in which seventeen people are fear dead, even as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said he is keeping a "close watch" on the rescue operations. A massive fire ripped through the two-storeyed factory. According to a Delhi fire services officials, the blaze started from a firecracker factory which has a rubber factory atop it on the second storey. The police have so far confirmed nine deaths in the fire. Expressing his grief over the "large number of casualties" in the fire, chief minister Kejriwal said he is keeping a "close watch" on the rescue operations. "V(ery) sad to hear abt large no of casualties. Keeping a close watch on rescue operations," Kejriwal said in a tweet. According to the Delhi Fire Services officials, seventeen people were feared dead in the blaze that engulfed a building in Bawana industrial area, housing a cracker and rubber manufacturing units. Delhi Urban Development minister Satyendar Jain said an inquiry has been ordered into the incident. "Learnt about a serious fire incident in a private factory at Bawana. Several casualties reported. Monitoring the situation. Ordered enquiry," Jain tweeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan needs to change its "mindset" of differentiating between good and bad terrorists, India has told the UN Security Council, urging it to focus on challenges posed by terrorism emanating from the safe havens from across the border. Indian Ambassador to the UN Syed Akbaruddin told the Security Council it is India's vision that Afghanistan regain its place and New Delhi remain committed to work closely with its regional and international partners to bring peace, security, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan. "There is a common Afghan saying that roughly translates as "If water is muddied downstream, don't waste your time filtering it; better to go upstream to clean it," Akbaruddin said during a special ministerial meeting on Afghanistan. Underlining that support for voices of peace in Afghanistan alone is not enough, Akbaruddin said, "We must focus on addressing the challenges posed by cross border terrorism emanating from safe havens and sanctuaries to our region and especially to Afghanistan". "If we do so, the decay, which has been inflicted on Afghanistan, can be made reversible," he added. It is India's vision that Afghanistan regain its place and New Delhi remain committed to work closely with its regional and international partners to bring peace, security, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan. "It is with this in mind that our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Afghanistan on December 24, 2015 to inaugurate the Parliament building, stopped over in Lahore, Pakistan," he said. "Unfortunately, these visits were followed by a heinous and barbaric terrorist attack on the Pathankot airbase on January 1, 2016, perpetrated and planned by the very same mindsets which attack the spirit of Afghanistan every day," he added. "These mind sets differentiate between good and bad terrorists. These mindsets refuse to see reason in peace. They are mindsets that are reluctant to join hands in moving the region forward to build a shared future for our people and our youth. These mindsets, Mr. President, need to change," Akbaruddin said. The police have arrested four persons, including a police driver, from Burdwan for attempting to sell a "genie in a bottle" to a resident of Baguiati near Kolkata. The incident began when the Baguiati resident, Tapas Roy Choudhury, received a call from a friend informing him that a ghost, which would do anything for him and turn all his wishes into reality, was available for sale, police said today. The friend also said that he could introduce Roy Choudhury to the seller, if he was interested. Roy Choudhury discussed the matter with another friend Basudeb Kundu and decided to have a look at the ghost. He then informed the friend about his willingness to purchase it. The seller himself then called up Roy Choudhury and told him that the price of the ghost is Rs 10 lakh, police said. An appointment was fixed, and Roy Choudhury and Kundu came to Burdwan town. Four persons escorted them from Ullas More to a hotel in a vehicle bearing a police sticker. The four showed them a small soft drink bottle with a Re 1 coin in it and said the ghost was inside the bottle. They also demanded the price for the ghost. When Roy Choudhury told them that he had no money, the four forcibly took Rs 600, all the cash Choudhury and his friend had at that time, and locked them up in the hotel room. Police said Roy Choudhury somehow managed to contact a friend who informed the Burdwan police and the four were arrested. One of the four is a police driver. The arrests were made on Thursday night and a local court released them on bail yesterday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jammu and Kashmir Forest minister Choudhary Lal Singh today said that the fund allocation for the sector was "highly inadequate" and it amounted to just 0.04 per cent of the total state Budget. The minister was speaking during a debate on 'Demand for Grants of the Forest, Ecology, and allied departments' in the state Legislative Assembly. There is a requirement of around Rs 10,000 crore for treating 9,00,000 hectares of degraded forest area of the state and at the rate of present funding, it would take more than 350 years to rehabilitate the area, Singh claimed. "Keeping in view the massive mandate of the department including protection and conservation of flora and fauna and the goods and services being provided along with the ecological security of the state, the fund allocation for the forest sector is highly inadequate. It amounts to 0.04 per cent of the total state Budget," he said On January 11, Finance minister Haseeb Drabu unveiled a Rs 80,313 crore budget for the 2018-19 financial year and of this, Rs 29,128 crore was for capital spending. The House today passed grants of Rs 79,909.69 lakh for the forest, ecology and department. Listing the targets achieved for restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's forest cover, ecological balance and revival of wildlife,the minister informed the House that in past one year the department had retrieved around 1.35 lakh kanal of encroached forest land. The department has also planted 2 cr saplings to revitalise degraded forests and minimise human intervention, he said. Citing statistics, Singh said that as on date out of the 20,230 sq km forest area, about 9,000 sq km of area was degraded due to unabated human intervention. He said 19,100 hectares of forest area was under encroachment as on April 1, 2016,of which 1.35 lakh kanal had been retrieved till December 2017. In a first, the department has brought Chinar to Jammu province by planting around 40,000 saplings raised by the State Forest Research Institute, Jammu, Singh said. To effectively deal with forest fires and minimise the damage, he said the department has provided modern equipment along with fire proof uniforms to its staff. He said that due to close coordination among all the wings of the department and quick response, forest fire incidents have reduced in the last two years. Listing major achievement of Wildlife Protection Department, the minister said that after six decades, the Sheep Breeding Farm located at the Dachigam National Park in Srinagar has been shifted, thereby restoring 2,000 kanalof land back to the reserve. "The restored area is being developed as a core habitat for Hangul (stag) where about 1 lakh fruit bearing and conifer species have been planted. The sheep farm was a major impediment for the Hangul and its breeding," he said. The department is also considering to declare the Tral area as a wildlife sanctuary for the conservation of Hangul by way of connecting natural corridors, Singh said. He said that the department is in the process of developing the Jambu and Pahalgam zoos at an estimate cost of Rs 121 cr and Rs 100 cr respectively. The House was informed that 401 kanal of land in the Gharana Wetland Reserve had also been identified and demarcated in consultation with the revenue department thereby paving its restoration. Emphasis has been laid on revival and restoration of wetlands particularly in Hokersar, Shallabugh and Hygamand, he said. Incidents of human-animal conflicts have shown a downward trend as compared to previous years and 41 control rooms have been established to effectively deal with such situations, Singh said. The minister said 98 per cent demarcation of the Wullar Lake has also been completed. In Ladakh, various steps have been taken for habitat management of key species including Black Necked cranes and snow leopard besides,four rescue centres at Poonch, Kathua, Kishtwar and Leh will also be established. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government is all set to cross annual disinvestment target this fiscal for the first with ONGC buying the Centre's entire 51 per cent stake in HPCL for Rs 36,915 crore. Total disinvestment proceeds during the current financial year 2017-18 stood at Rs 54,337.60 crore (as on January 11, 2018). With its stake sale in HPCL, the government's disinvestment receipt will work out to be Rs 91,252.6 crore. The higher receipt from disinvestment will help the government in sticking to its fiscal deficit target of 3.2 per cent of the GDP this financial year, which may see lower collections from the newly introduced Goods and Services Tax. In the Union Budget presented on February 1 last year, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had set the target of disinvestment in public sector units at Rs 72,500 crore. This include Rs 46,500 crore as disinvestment of CPSEs, Rs 15,000 crore from strategic disinvestment and Rs 11,000 crore from listing of insurance companies. The government reduced its stake in several PSUs this year, including HUDCO, EIL, NTPC, NALCO and OIL. Two state- owned insurance companies, GIC and New India Assurance were listed on stock exchanges this fiscal. In the last fiscal, the government had raised a record Rs 46,247 crore. In the Budget for 2016-17, it had set a target of Rs 56,500 crore from disinvestment. Later in the the Revised Estimates, the target was scaled down to Rs 45,000 crore. State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) today announced acquisition of the government's entire 51.11 per cent stake in oil refiner HPCL for Rs 36,915 crore, paying a premium of over 10 per cent. Earlier in the month, the government had announced to curtail its additional market borrowing programme by 60 per cent to Rs 20,000 crore. The decision to lower additional borrowing, which was taken after a review of revenue receipts and expenditure, will help contain fiscal deficit that has come under stress on account of lower GST mop up. In the Budget, the government had announced the fiscal deficit target for fiscal ending March 2018 at 3.2 per cent of the GDP. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today said that after restarting the process for the purchase of bajra and sunflower seeds on minimum support price, it has now been decided to purchase maize also on MSP. Bajra and maize purchased on MSP would be used for public distribution system (PDS) stock, he added. Khattar was addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone of new cooperative sugar mill here. He said with the setting up of a new cooperative sugar mill, 60 lakh quintals of sugarcane would be crushed during the crushing season besides generating 15 MW of electricity. Out of the total electricity produced by this mill, 10.50 MW would be sold to power utilities which would generate an additional income of Rs 15 crore to the sugar mill, he said. While describing today as a historical day for the people of the area, the chief minister said that a sum of Rs 225 crore would be spent on this mill and it would benefit the farmers of 232 villages of Karnal and Panipat districts where sugarcane cultivation has been done over 20,000 acres this year. This sugar mill would be made operational within one-and-a-half year, the chief minister added. He said that new sugar mill would have a capacity of 3,500 tonnes of cane per day (TPD) where crushing of 60 lakh quintals of sugarcane would be made thus benefiting the farmers of the area in a big way. The CM said this new sugar mill would be different from other mills as sugar produced in this mill would be more refined. He further said the state government has prepared a scheme to achieve the target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make double the income of farmers by the year 2022. Khattar said that capacity of all those sugar mills would be enhanced which are running under-capacity in the state. The sugar mill at Panipat would be shifted to a new place and its capacity would be enhanced up to 5,000 MCD, he said. Similarly, the crushing capacity of 1,600 tonnes of sugarcane per day of Sonipat sugar mill would be enhanced to 2,200 tonnes of sugarcane per day, the CM said. This would help in increasing the sugarcane cultivation and also prevent the farmers from distress sale, he said. The government is making efforts to ensure that the farmers earn income of Rs one lakh per acre, Khattar added. He said that the state government is giving sugarcane rate of Rs 330 per quintal which is highest in the country. The CM said with a view to ensure that the farmers sell their produce online in any part of the state and on remunerative prices, the state government has made 54 mandis online whereas the remaining 54 mandis would soon be made online. Khattar also exhorted the farmers to switch over to micro irrigation to flood irrigation to save water and added that the subsidy on micro irrigation has been increased from 60 per cent to 80 per cent. He also listed out various other schemes implemented for the welfare of farmers including Bhavantar Bharpai Yonja and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The AAP government has informed the Delhi High Court that it has issued a direction to all the hospitals run by it or by autonomous bodies to install CCTVs to ensure the safety of its staff and patients, especially women. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar was further informed that the Delhi government's Director General Health Services has also asked the hospitals run by it that non-functional CCTV camera in their premises be repaired and the same be installed wherever required. Delhi government's additional standing counsel Gautam Narayan further informed the court that a total of 2,613 were installed in over 30 city government's hospitals, of which 2,372 cameras were functional. The AAP government was responding to a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking directions for installation of and deputing of security guards at all government hospitals under its jurisdiction. The court had issued notices to the authorities concerned on the plea by a former staff nurse who alleged that she was stalked by a patient in the hospital where she worked and this would not have happened if had been installed. In her plea filed through advocate Rajesh Sharma, she has said that an FIR was registered against the accused in connection with the case. The PIL said that the authorities should be directed to take steps towards providing security to women staff working in government hospitals, dispensaries and other health institutions, organisations and mohalla clinics here. Responding to the same, the Delhi government in its affidavit said, "A total of 2,207 security guards have been deployed in the hospitals run by them, these include female security guards as well as those who are posted in sensitive areas. "Separate counters exist for women at registration and pharmacies. Further separate wards exist for female patients at each of the hospitals. Sexual harassment committees have been constituted in each of the hospitals," the affidavit said. It further said that adequate screens were made available in examination areas as required in each of their hospitals. "Separate washrooms are available for women in all hospitals. Adequate lightening is ensured in all hospitals. Training sessions and soft skill sessions are held to sensitise staff," it added. The Delhi government counsel further submitted that the Director General of Health Services had issued directions to all directors, medical superintendents and principals of hospitals under their control, including those run by autonomous bodies to ensure the security of its staff and patients, particularly women. It has further directed that CCTV cameras which are not functioning be repaired and further CCTV cameras be installed whenever required. The plea has said that it is the "responsibility of municipal body, police and the hospital to comply with the Vishaka guidelines for the formation of a committee to investigate cases of sexual harassment against women at workplace and provide safety and security to the petitioner." "The authorities concerned are responsible for installing CCTV cameras in all hospitals, but they failed to do so," the plea said. The nurse also claimed in her plea that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in his poll manifesto had committed to work for security and safety of women in Delhi by way of installing CCTV cameras and private guards, but after becoming the CM he failed to act in this direction. Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa today undertook two sorties in a MiG-21 aircraft during his three- day visit to the Jaisalmer Air Force station in Rajasthan. The Indian Air Force chief visited various operational as well as welfare facilities, defence spokesperson Lt Col Manish Ojha said. During his interaction with station personnel, he exhorted them to maintain the highest standards of professionalism and the need to be vigilant, with regards to security of assets and information. Dhanoa reached the Jaisalmer Air Force Station on January 18 where he was received by station commander Group Captain M Bandopadhyay. He was briefed on the operational status of the station, Ojha said in a release. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India's entry into elite nuclear groups in the recent past has reaffirmed the country's strict non-proliferation commitments, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today. His remarks come in the backdrop of India becoming a member of the 'Australia Group' (AG), a move that is expected to raise New Delhi's stature in the field of non-proliferation and also help it acquire critical technologies. "I thank Australia and other members of the Australia Group for export control for supporting India's entry in it," Modi tweeted. He said over the last two years, India's membership of the MTCR, Wassenaar Arrangement and Australia Group reaffirmed the country's "strong non-proliferation credentials also our commitment to global peace and security". India is now a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), the Wassenaar Arrangement (WA) as well as AG, three of four non-proliferation regimes. The only one remaining is the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). Advocating for restarting the peace process between India and Pakistan and end border skirmishes, the Jammu and Kashmir government said today the hostility between the two nations has a direct bearing on the people of the state. "We want the restart of the process initiated by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to restore peace. This is the stand of our party as is the people of Jammu and Kashmir who are the worst sufferers (of border skirmishes)," Parliamentary Affairs Minister A R Veeri said in the Legislative Assembly. Veeri made the statement in response to concerns expressed by House members over the loss of human lives, livestock and damage to properties in border shelling. Nine people, including four security personnel, were killed in intense Pakistani shelling over the past three days. The shelling also forced residents to flee their homes close to the International Border and the Line of Control in Jammu division. Minister Veeri said the forward areas in five districts in the division were affected by the sudden spurt in cross- border firing, even as administration was taking all possible steps to avoid further loss of lives and damage to properties. Later talking to reporters outside the House, Veeri said: "It is our bad luck that we are caught in such a situation." "The happenings on the border have a direct impact on the people of Jammu and Kashmir. We want the peace process started by Vajpayee carried forward so that peace is restored on the borders and people of the two countries live in peace," he said. He said the situation near border areas was being monitored. He said Rs 50 lakh has been provided out of the Chief Minister's Relief Fund for meeting the cost of treatment and medicines for the livestock injured in the Pakistani shelling. The minister said an ex-gratia amount of Rs 1 lakh has been sanctioned for the family of each of the deceased in Jammu district, while an ex-gratia amount of Rs 5,000 each has been sanctioned for those injured as immediate assistance. He said 129 animals have died and 93 animals injured in the firing along the IB in Jammu, whereas more than 700 people were evacuated to safer places. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly was today rocked with protests by the Opposition over the killing of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua district, prompting the government to order suspension of a police officer. The Opposition members created uproar over the incident, a day after the government informed the state Assembly that a 15-year-old boy was apprehended in connection with the killing of the minor girl. The government has already order a magisterial probe into the incident and said it will inform the House about its findings. The body of the girl was recovered from Rassana forest in Hiranagar area of Kathua district on January 17, a week after she went missing while grazing horses in the forest area. A special investigation team (SIT) of police in the case apprehended the teenage boy for her murder and said the accused strangulated the victim after she resisted his attempt to rape her in captivity. "We have ordered a magisterial inquiry into the brutal abduction and killing of the girl. We will inform the House about the findings of the inquiry and nobody will be spared," Minister for Revenue and Parliamentary Affairs Abdul Rehman Veeri said amid uproar in the house. Veeri made the statement after the opposition repeatedly trooped into the Well of the House shouting slogans such as : "we want justice and hang the culprit". The issue was raised by Congress MLA Usman Majeed and the entire Opposition comprising the Congress and National Conference members rose on their feet demanding stern action against the culprit and the police officers for "dereliction of duty". BJP MLA Kathua Rajiv Jasrotia criticised the Opposition, leading to vociferous protests by the NC and Congress members who demanded a direction from the Chair to the government to suspend the police officers for their failure to trace the girl before her murder. "The government should immediately put under suspension the police officers concerned keeping in mind the seriousness of the crime to restore the confidence of the people," senior NC legislator Ali Mohammad Sagar said amid calls from other members who warned that they would not allow the House to function till justice is done to the girl. Amid the protests, Relief and rehabilitation minister Javaid Mustafa Mir intervened, saying: "We are very much concerned as we too have daughters. There will be no compromise and justice will be done." As the opposition continued their protests, Veeri announced suspension of Station House Officer of the concerned police station till further inquiry, leading restoration of the order in the house. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The second offshore patrol vessel (OPV) built by the Larsen and Toubro Shipyard near here for the Indian Coast Guard was launched today. The indigenously built vessel 'Vijaya', equipped with state-of art radar, navigational and communication system, will be utilised for day and night patrol and surveillance, anti-terrorist, anti-smuggling operations and coastal security, the Coast Guard said. According to a Rs 1,432 crore contract signed with the Defence Ministry, the L&T Shipyard at Kattupalli, about 45 km from here, would indigenously design and build seven OPVs. The first OPV, the country's first-ever such defence craft to be built in a private shipyard, was launched in October 2017. Launching of an vessel is an auspicious occasion as the ship touches the water for the first time. At a function held at Kattupalli Shipyard, Ennore, here, the second OPV was launched in the presence of Coast Guard (Western seaboard), Commander, Additional Director General, K Natarajan, an official release said. Speaking on the occasion, he said Coast Guard was on the path of rapid expansion which require a large number of ships and aircraft to strengthen the maritime security mechanism. Asset requirements were being met by adding new ships and replenishment of ageing existing OPV class of ships in a phased manner, he said. After completing necessary trials on 'fitted equipment and machineries', the first OPV would be inducted into service by March 2018. The OPV launched today was expected to be inducted into service by September 2018 after trials on the equipment. The vessel is fitted with 30 mm automatic gun with Fire Control System (FCS) and two units of 12.7 mm gun with FCS. The navigation and communication system were capable of operating in tropical conditions. The 98 metre long and 14.8 metres wide ship with a gross tonnage of 2,100 tonnes has an endurance of 5,000 nautical miles with a cruising speed of 12-14 knots which can be increased to 26 knots. The ship is fitted with two units of diesel driven engines of 9,000 kw each with low fuel consumption. It also has the capacity to carry one integral twin engine helicopter which would further enhance the operational, surveillance, search and rescue capability. The OPV would be manned by 102 crew, including 14 officers, it added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) American aerospace and defence major has proposed to manufacture custom-built F-16 fighter jets in India, which its officials say will give Indian industry a unique opportunity to become part of the world's largest fighter aircraft ecosystem. "We plan to introduce two new words into the lexicon of international fighter aircraft manufacturing: 'India' and 'exclusive'," Vivek Lall, vice president, strategy and business development, at Aeronautics told PTI in an interview. "India-specific state-of-the-art fighter production in India will be exclusive, something that has never before been presented by any other fighter aircraft manufacturer, past or present. There will also be a significant export market available for Indian-made fighters," he said. Lall, an Indian American who last year was instrumental in the decision of the Trump administration to sell top-of- the-line unarmed drones from General Atomics, in his previous capacity. Noting that the India-specific fighter on offer and its programme's size, scope and success will enable Indian industry to take advantage of unprecedented manufacturing, upgrade and sustainment opportunities well into the future, Lall said the platform will give Indian industry a unique opportunity to become a part of the world's largest fighter aircraft ecosystem. "We intend to create far more than an assembly line in India," he said. Lall claimed no other advanced fourth generation platform even comes close to matching the record of real-world combat experience and proven operational effectiveness. "The fighter being offered specifically to India is uniquely the best state-of-the-art fighter," he said adding that all three variants of the F-35 are single-engine aircraft. Many of the systems used on the India-specific platform are derived from key lessons learned and technologies from Lockheed Martin's F-22 and the F-35, the world's only operational fifth generation fighters, he said. Northrop Grumman's advanced APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar on the F-16 Block 70 provides F-16s with fifth generation fighter radar capabilities by leveraging hardware and software commonality with F-22 and F-35 AESA radars, he added. The APG-83 radar shares more than 95 per cent software commonality with the F-35 radar and more than 70 per cent hardware commonality. Lall said the F-16 provides the path to business relationships with Lockheed Martin, the only company in the world that has designed, developed and produced operational fifth generation fighter aircraft. Technology improvements will also continue to flow between the F-16, F-22 and F-35 for decades, at a fraction of the cost to F-16 operators, he said. The platform being offered provides unmatched opportunities for Indian of all sizes, including micro, small & medium enterprises (MSMEs) and suppliers throughout India, to establish new business relationships with and other industry leaders in the US and around the globe, Lall said giving an insight into the offer being made by his company. Asserting that approximately half of the Indian fighter supply chain will be common with the fifth generation F-22 and F-35, Lall said the aircraft brings the most modern avionics, a proven AESA radar, modernised cockpit, advanced weapons, longer range with conformal fuel tanks, auto ground collision avoidance capability, and an advanced engine with an extended service life. Even with the addition of targeting systems and two 2,000 pound (lb) class Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), the aircraft has a mission radius exceeding 1,300 kms 30 per cent greater than that of its closest competitor, he said. "Many of the advances in systems on the aircraft India would get draw directly from key lessons learned from Lockheed Martin's work on the F-22 and the F-35," he said. "The AESA radar is the result of over two decades of investment, use and experience with AESA technology, and it's fully operational today," Lall said. ASHLAND There are a few useful ways to guess how many mountain lions roam the Pine Ridge area. You can perform several rounds of sedating and collaring big cats with GPS-tracking devices. You can spend five days a week for several summer months traversing the escarpment with a dog trained to sniff for big cat scat to DNA test. Sam Wilson, program manager of furbearers and carnivores for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, told commissioners he and his staff used both methods to establish a number he shared Friday during the group's meeting at Mahoney State Park. The Pine Ridge, which stretches across Sioux, Sheridan and Dawes counties, is populated by 59 mountain lions, give or take. And that could lead to a vote on another regulated mountain lion hunt, though that decision is months from being made. Wilsons presentation summarized a data-collection effort that took place last May and June, in which he and his staff hiked miles and miles of the Pine Ridge. They collected likely mountain lion scat samples to be DNA tested and also captured cats and counted whether they had been previously captured and collared or were caught and released for the first time. We use mathematical principles and proven techniques to estimate the number of mountain lions that are likely in the area beyond those that we actually detected, Wilson said. Our population estimates here are not a count. Wilson said the two methods the team used produced the same estimate of 59. That number is for the Pine Ridge area only and not a statewide estimate, he said. Currently, 17 big cats eight females, nine males are collared and tracked using GPS. Sixteen of them inhabit the Pine Ridge area, with one male venturing off to Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area. Previous estimates have shown 22 to 33 mountain lions in the Pine Ridge. The population data likely does support opening a harvest season in Pine Ridge, Wilson told the commission. But he said he's months from making that recommendation to the commission. Wilson said the staff will schedule a public informational meeting in the Pine Ridge area to share the survey information, as well as go over the management program created in October. The management programs tenets include a recognition that mountain lions are key to the states biodiversity, as well as a promise to track mountain lion populations and allow for hunting to manage them when appropriate. It also authorizes Game and Parks staff to kill mountain lions known to have killed bighorn sheep. Two mountain lions were killed in 2017 following incidents after they killed livestock two goats in one instance; a calf in the other Wilson said. Wilson said his staff will make a recommendation on whether to allow hunting of mountain lions. The commission would have to approve any hunt by vote. Five mountain lions were killed in 2014 during the states lone approved hunt. Irritated by the quarrel between his daughter and her husband, a man has hacked his son-in-law to death in Ganjam district, police said today. Forty-year-old T Manu Reddy, father of two children, had gone to in-laws' house in Jhadabai village where his wife was staying for some days. While Reddy was quarrelling with his wife last night, his father-in-law attacked him with a sharp weapon killing him on the spot, police said. The accused was detained. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi Police suspects that a 30-year-old man shot dead in Rohini's Prashant Vihar area on Monday by a gangster and his men was killed as he was leaking information about them to the police, a senior officer said today. Ravi Bhardwaj was shot dead by Jatinder alias Gogi, one of Delhi's most-wanted criminals, and his accomplices while he was having food at a roadside eatery in Prashant Vihar. A CCTV camera footage showed Gogi and his men firing indiscriminately at Bhardwaj, who received at least 20 bullet wounds on his head, chest and abdomen. The district police, crime branch and special cell are investigating the case. A senior officer, privy to the investigation, said Gogi and Bhardwaj were co-accused in a 2014 attempt to murder case. On the day of his death, Bhardwaj had gone to Rohini Court in connection with a hearing in the case. Gogi was also supposed to attend the hearing but he did not come, he added. After the hearing concluded, Bhardwaj and his friends were having food when the accused came in a car and attacked him. A police probe has revealed that Gogi suspected Bhardwaj was leaking information about him to the police. He had learnt that the police was prodding Bhardwaj to provide information about Gogi. Police said one of Gogi's accomplices has been identified as Kuldeep. Gogi had escaped from the custody of Delhi Armed Police personnel from a bus near Bahadurgah when he was being taken to a court from the Tihar Jail in July 2016. His escape was facilitated by nearly a dozen of his associates who had also looted a MP5 submachine gun of the police. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Trump administration's first defence strategy seeks to maintain a balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region and prepare America for a power competition with Russia and China, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis has said. Unveiling the new defence strategy, Mattis told a Washington audience great power competitionnot terrorismis now the primary focus of America's national security. As a result he sought to increase the lethality of the American military. In an apparent reference to Russia, he warned against "threaten[ing] America's experiment in democracy". "If you challenge us, it will be your longest and worst day," he warned during his speech at the John Hopkins. "We will continue to prosecute the campaign against terrorists, but great power competitionnot terrorismis now the primary focus of US national security," he said. "This strategy is fit for our timeproviding the American people the military required to protect our way of life, stand with our allies, and live up to our responsibility to pass intact to the next generation those freedoms we enjoy today," he said. Rogue regimes like North Korea & Iran persist in taking outlaw actions that threaten regional and even global stability, he said, adding that oppressing their own people and shredding their dignity and human rights, they push their warped views outward. And despite the defeat of the Islamic State's physical caliphate, violent extremist organisations like the Lebanese Hezbollah, ISIS, and Al Qaeda continue to sow hatred, destroying peace and murdering innocents across the globe, the Defence Secretary asserted. "We face growing threats from revisionist powers as different as China and Russia, nations that seek to create a world consistent with their authoritarian modelspursuing veto authority over other nation's economic, diplomatic, and security decisions," he said. As part of the defence strategy, he said the US is going to build a more lethal force, will strengthen traditional alliances while building new partnerships with other nations. Asserting that "everything we do must contribute to the lethality of our military", Mattis said changing US forces' posture will prioritise readiness for war fighting for major combat, making it strategically predictable for the allies and operationally unpredictable for any adversary. The 14-page unclassified version of the national defence strategy said that one of its objective is maintaining favourable regional balances of power in the Indo-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and the Western Hemisphere. "A free and open Indo-Pacific region provides prosperity and security for all. We will strengthen our alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific to a networked security architecture capable of deterring aggression, maintaining stability, and ensuring free access to common domains," the strategy said. Without specifically mentioning India, Japan or other countries in the region, the strategy says with key countries in the region, the US will bring together bilateral and multilateral security relationships to preserve the free and open international system. China, it said, is leveraging military modernisation, influence operations, and "predatory economics to coerce neighbouring countries" to reorder the Indo-Pacific region to their advantage. As China continues its economic and military ascendance, asserting power through an all-of-nation long-term strategy, it will continue to pursue a military modernisation program that seeks Indo-Pacific regional hegemony in the near-term and displacement of the United States to achieve global preeminence in the future. The most far-reaching objective of this defence strategy is to set the military relationship between our two countries on a path of transparency and non-aggression, the strategy said. "Concurrently, Russia seeks veto authority over nations on its periphery in terms of their governmental, economic, and diplomatic decisions, to shatter the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and change European and Middle East security and economic structures to its favour," it said. The use of emerging technologies to discredit and subvert democratic processes in Georgia, Crimea, and eastern Ukraine is concern enough, but when coupled with its expanding and modernising nuclear arsenal the challenge is clear, the strategy said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The AAP today claimed it was being "victimised" as its 20 MLAs face disqualification for holding offices of profit, even as it asserted that the party was "not afraid of elections". In a blow to the ruling party, the Election Commission had yesterday asked President Ram Nath Kovind to disqualify 20 of its MLAs, setting the stage for their ouster from the assembly. The Commission said the party MLAs, by occupying the post of parliamentary secretaries between March 13, 2015 and September 8, 2016, held offices of profit, and were liable to be disqualified as legislators, highly-placed sources said. AAP Delhi unit chief Gopal Rai alleged that the poll panel failed to give the party a hearing before sending its recommendations to the president. "It is an undemocratic step. They are taking revenge from people of Delhi, the government and the Chief Minister of Delhi," he said. The AAP leader said the appointment of parliamentary secretaries had come up in various other states including Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Rajasthan, but only AAP was "being targeted". "This is double standard. Doesn't the constitution apply to all? We are being victimised. It is worse than the British Raj," he said. The case of disqualification of AAP MLAs is up for hearing at the Delhi High Court on Monday. "We will go to all democratic fora seeking justice," he said. "They talk of holding an office of profit...the Delhi government has not given a single penny to any of the parliamentary secretaries or even a chair, let alone any office space," Rai claimed. Underlining the AAP's connect with people, the party's Delhi unit chief said, "We are not afraid of elections. People decide our destiny". Rai said the issue was not "merely that of parliamentary secretaries" but the very "credibility" of democratic institutions, which he alleged was "being compromised". The AAP leader announced that a state-level meeting would be convened at its office here tomorrow to chalk out a plan for launching a mass agitation against the ongoing sealing drive in the city and the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). "We will take to the streets in large numbers for the traders, who are being harassed, first through demonetisation, then GST implementation and now the sealing drive," Rai added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) today took a Nepal-based man into custody for his alleged involvement in drugs smuggling and seized nearly 65 gram smack from him, officials said. The accused, identified as Subhash Sharma (23), was caught during a routine check on the Indo-Nepal border last evening, the Commandant of SSB, Shiv Dayal said. Sharma was then handed over to the local police, they said. During interrogation, he admitted that he had brought the smack from India and also disclosed his links with drug smugglers here, Dayal added. A case under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Act has been registered against the accused at Sonauli police station, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Rabale MIDC police in Navi Mumbai today arrested a Nepali national within hours after he allegedly killed another man who hailed from his hometown. Prem Bahadhur Ramkhadka (52), who hailed from Nepal and worked as a security guard in Sathenagar area, was stoned to death late last night, police said. Police probe zeroed in on Rudrabahadur Sherbahadur Gurang (42), who was tracked down and arrested from a hotel in Manmad while he was on his way to his home country, said an officer. Gurung, who worked as a sweeper at a hotel, and Ramkhadka often quarrelled, and yesterday they had another spat, police said. In a fit of rage, Gurung hit Ramkhadka with a stone, they added. Further probe is on. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) German luxury car manufacturer Audi today launched new second generation Audi Q5 in the region, with eight per cent increase in power delivery and 20 per cent increase in fuel efficiency than the previous model. Priced at Rs 53.25 lakh, the new Audi Q5 proves to be the perfect vehicle in its segment and delivery of the car in India will be from March onwards, Audi Coimbatore General Manager, Vivek told at the launch. It was expected to sell 20 to 25 vehicles during this year, as against the usual average 15 to 18 previous model, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The National Investigation Agency today dispatched a team to visit the blast site in Bodh Gaya where a small explosion took place in a flask at a tea shop. Two bombs were also found from the vicinity of the Kaalchakra ground, where the Dalai Lama has been holding discourses, during a combing operation by a police team, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Patna Zone, N H Khan had said yesterday. The NIA has dispatched a team including a superintendent of police-ranked officer and an explosives' expert to the site, the agency spokesperson said in a statement. "It is said that the blast happened in a flask kept under a generator at a tea shop opposite the ground. The police found some wires coming out. Later, searches were conducted in the vicinity by the police and two objects suspected to be improvised explosive devices were recovered," the NIA spokesperson said. He said on receiving the information, a team of NIA officials, including an SP and one explosives' expert, has been dispacthed to visit the site. The Tibetan spiritual leader had arrived in Bodh Gayaon January 1 and he is likely to stay there for a month. A host of key personalities, including Bihar Governor Satya Pal Malik, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Hollywood actor Richard Gere, have visited Bodh Gaya recently to get the blessings of the Buddhist monk. In 2013, the Maha Bodhi temple, situated at the place where the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment, was rocked by a series of explosions in which five people, including two monks, were injured. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The RBI today said it does not have any official posted at the Bank Note Press in Dewas, where a person has been apprehended allegedly for stealing currency. In a statement, the central bank said it has been reported in a section of the media that an RBI officer has been apprehended by CISF for stealing printed currency at the RBI printing facility at Dewas. However, the Bank Note Press (BNP), Dewas is a unit of the Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd which is not under the control of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), it said. Further, RBI "does not have any official placed" with BNP, Dewas, it said. "The reports, thus, are not based on facts. RBI regrets to note that the facts were not verified before publishing the reports," it added. As per the reports, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) caught a senior officer at BNP facility allegedly stealing newly printed currency notes. Currency notes worth about Rs 90 lakh were recovered from his possession which he reportedly stole over a period of time. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A man allegedly went on a stabbing spree killing one person and injuring three others when they tried to intervene during a quarrel betwee him and his wife, the police said here today. The incident occurred at Siruvathur last night. They said the 45-year-old man suspected his wife's fidelity and allegedly started stabbing her. Hearing her screams, his three neighbours, including a woman, tried to separate the couple. However, this made the man more angry and he allegedly stabbed all of them, the police said. While one person died on the spot, the other three, including his wife, were rushed to a government hospital. The man is absconding, police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) LINCOLN A second death row inmate has been notified by the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services of the lethal injection drugs that would be used in his potential execution. Prisons Director Scott Frakes notified Carey Dean Moore that diazepam, fentanyl citrate, cisatracurium besylate and potassium chloride are to be used and were on hand, as of Oct. 10, and an additional supply of diazepam and fentanyl were received Friday. The drug supply already owned by the department has been tested, and the new shipment will be tested, according to department spokeswoman Dawn-Renee Smith. They are the same drugs to be used in the potential execution of condemned killer Jose Sandoval, who was notified of the drugs on Nov. 9. The Nebraska death penalty protocol requires the director to provide notice to the condemned inmate at least 60 days prior to the attorney generals request to the Nebraska Supreme Court for an execution warrant. Moore, 60, was sentenced to death on two counts of first-degree murder in Douglas County in the 1979 deaths of two Omaha cab drivers. He is housed at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution. Moore has had multiple execution dates, the latest in 2007 and 2011, and all of them were stayed. Nine months after the 2007 date, execution by electric chair was declared unconstitutional by the Nebraska Supreme Court. Before the June 2011 date, the state's high court issued a stay after his lawyer challenged the purchase of one of the lethal injection drugs to be used and the lethal injection law itself. The department again on Friday refused to disclose the supplier of the lethal injection drugs, as it did in November. The ACLU of Nebraska filed a lawsuit in December, asking a judge to find that the department had violated the state's open records laws and to force Frakes to release the records. A coalition of Nebraska newspapers and broadcasters, including the Lincoln Journal Star, has joined the legal battle for release of the information. The combination of drugs chosen by the department for the two executions has never been used for that purpose. Nevada has chosen three of the drugs for its execution protocol: Fentanyl, a painkiller and anesthetic; diazepam, a sedative better known as Valium; and cisatracurium, a muscle relaxant that causes paralysis. Nebraska's fourth drug, potassium chloride, is used to stop the heart. In November, the New York pharmaceutical company Pfizer asked Nevada officials to return its fentanyl and diazepam, saying their policies prohibit the use of their drugs in executions, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal. A spokeswoman for the Nevada Department of Corrections said the agency was under no obligation to return the drugs because they were purchased from a wholesale pharmaceutical distributor. ACLU Executive Director Danielle Conrad said Friday that issuing a notice of execution in the wake of ongoing litigation is a waste of taxpayer dollars. All individuals sentenced to death in Nebraska are involved in multiple legal challenges about the nature of Nebraska's execution protocols, she said. The state can't obtain an execution warrant while the claims are outstanding. No date has been set for the execution of Moore or Sandoval, which Attorney General Doug Peterson would request. "Nebraskans have a right to know what is happening with their taxpayer dollars and are left to wonder what the Department of Corrections and Governor Pete Ricketts are hiding," she said. Nebraska has not executed a condemned prisoner for 20 years. After the Legislature repealed the state's death penalty in 2015, a referendum petition drive and subsequent vote of the people in November 2016 nullified the repeal. A year later Frakes issued the first notification of lethal injection drugs to Sandoval, and two months after that to Moore. Longtime death penalty opponent, Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers, criticized Ricketts and Peterson, saying they used the notifications as a chip to play in their re-election bids. "This is a media ploy to make it appear that they are being tough on crime, protecting the public, delivering on campaign promises and the rest of it," he said. There are far deeper, more serious issues involved that a court would grapple with should a request be made that it issue a death warrant, Chambers said. "But I think in the state of confusion that exists now in reference to drugs, the court is not going to issue a death warrant," he said. State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) today announced acquisition of government's entire 51.11 per cent stake in oil refiner HPCL for Rs 36,915 crore, paying a premium of over 10 per cent. ONGC will pay Rs 473.97 per share for 77.8 crore shares of the government in Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL), the company said in a stock exchange filing. The price it is paying is 14 per cent higher than Friday's closing price of HPCL and over 10 per cent of the 60 -day weighted average of the scrip. The transaction, which will help the government cross its annual sell-off (disinvestment) target for the first time ever, has been executed through an off-market deal. While the government started off talks for selling controlling stake in the country's third largest oil refining and fuel marketing company, seeking about Rs 1 lakh crore on grounds that an open sale would fetch no less than that, what ONGC paid was far less. ONGC's own valuation adviser EY had put HPCL's valuation at Rs 475 a share plus a premium for getting the controlling stake, sources privy to the negotiations said. The outside advise the company took from Citi put the price at Rs 500 per share. ONGC negotiated hard and brought down the acquisition price, they said adding the company would do short-term borrowing to fund the acquisition that would be an all cash- deal to be completed by end of the month. Also, the company has cash reserves of about Rs 12,000 crore. Sources said ONGC has already taken board approval for raising borrowing limit to Rs 35,000 crore from the previous approval of Rs 25,000 crore. Also, it has loan commitments from domestic and foreign lenders totalling roughly double the acquisition prices and the company would draw from them to make the payments in next one week, they said. Based on Friday's closing price of Rs 416.55, HPCL has a market capitalisation of about Rs 63,475 crore. At this price, the government's 51.11 per cent stake is worth Rs 32,442 crore. "Government of India has entered into an agreement with ONGC today for strategic sale of its 51.11 per cent equity share-holding in HPCL at a consideration of Rs 36,915 crore," the finance ministry tweeted. The ministry reasoned the merger to the February 2016 review called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi where he "underlined the need of efficient management of government investments in central public sector enterprises (CPSEs)". The government accordingly expanded the approach from of disinvestment to investment and public asset management. "Accordingly, as part of investment management strategy, the Government of India decided to explore possibilities of consolidation, mergers and acquisitions within CPSE space. An announcement in this regard was also made by the finance minister in his Budget speech of 2017-18," it said. In line with the finance minister's Budget announcement, ONGC proposed to acquire the government's existing 51.11 per cent equity shareholding in HPCL. The Union Cabinet, in its meeting held on July 19 last year, gave 'in-principle' approval to the said proposal and decided to set up an alternative mechanism under the finance minister to decide on the price, timing and the terms and conditions of the strategic sale. "The alternative mechanism under the chairmanship of finance minister in its meeting today approved the price bid of ONGC and the terms and conditions of the sale," it said. Through this acquisition, ONGC will become India's first vertically integrated 'oil major' company, having presence across the entire value chain. The integrated entity will have advantage of having enhanced capacity to bear higher risks and take higher investment decisions etc. In this process, ONGC has acquired significant mid-stream and downstream capacity and will attain economies of scale at various levels of operations. With a turnover of Rs 2,13,489 crore and profit of Rs 6,502 crore during 2016-17, HPCL ranks at 384th position in Fortune Global 500 and 48th place in Platts 250 Global Energy Companies. HPCL markets around 35.2 million tonnes of petroleum products with a market share of about 21 per cent and is number one lube marketer in the country. It has refineries at Mumbai and Visakhapatnam and a joint venture refinery at Bhatinda. It owns the biggest Lube refinery in India and the second largest cross country product pipeline network of about 3,500 km. HPCL has a vast marketing network spread across the length and breadth of the country with terminals, depots, LPG bottling plants, Lube blending plants, aviation fuel stations and around 15,000 petrol pumps. "ONGC Board on January 19, 2018 considered the proposal and approved acquisition of the entire 51.11 per cent shareholding (778,845,375 equity shares) of the President of India, at a cash purchase consideration of INR 473.97 per share with a total acquisition cost of Rs 36,915 crore," the company said. ONGC is the largest producer of crude oil and natural gas in India, contributing around 70 per cent of domestic production. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The opposition National Conference and Congress members today staged a walkout from the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly over the alleged failure of the government to protect the lives of the border residents in the ceasefire violations by Pakistan. Three civilians, two BSF personnel and an Army jawan, were killed and over 40 others injured in the heavy shelling by Pakistan along the International Border and Line of Control (LoC) in the Jammu region since Thursday. Soon after Speaker Kavinder Gupta took the chair, the opposition members started shouting slogans against the Centre and state government and staged a walk out to protest the killings in Pakistani firing. BJP legislators, led by state president Sat Sharma, raised anti-Pakistan slogans, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), attempted to pacify the opposition by promising a detailed statement on the ceasefire violations after the Question Hour. "A comprehensive report is being prepared to inform the House," Relief and Revenue Minister Javaid Mustafa Mir said, adding that he had already directed the home commissioner to prepare a report. NC's Ali Mohammad Sagar criticised the statement of Union minister Jitendra Singh and said the opposition raised the ceasefire violations issue thrice in the House yesterday and had sought a statement from the government. Singh, the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) had yesterday said, "Kashmir-centric Pakistan apologists owe an explanation to the nation and that there can be no pardon for them when they continue to shamelessly speak on behalf of Paksitan even on the day when the heavy civilian casualties have been inflicted on the borders by unprovoked Pakistani firing." Sagar alleged that the union minister tried to "mislead" people over the ceasefire violation by "baseless statements". "The government was apologetic for not issuing any statement on the issue yesterday," he told reporters. Congress legislature party leader Nawang Rigzin Jora also criticised the statement of the union minister and blamed the alleged "inconsistent policy" of the Centre for the frequent ceasefire violations. "This government, both at the Centre and state, is confused. The state government, in particular, is in chaos and involved in infighting. In such a situation when we do not have a stable government in the state and Centre is indulged in flip-flops, Pakistan will continue the shelling to its benefit," he said. "Where has the 56-inch chest gone? Our people are getting killed and displaced daily and the BJP leaders are doing over the miseries of the people," Congress legislator Wakar Rasool told reporters outside the House. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Odisha government has signed an agreement with Software Technology Park of India (STPI), philanthropist Sushmita Bagchi, and IIT Bhubaneswar, for setting up an incubator for promoting research. The Centre of Excellence for Virtual & Augmented Reality (VARCoE) will be be set up at the campus of IIT, Bhubaneswar, as per the agreement signed yesterday. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who was present during the signing of the agreement, appreciated the efforts of Startup Odisha Initiative. The centre is being set up with a unique collaborative partnership between the state government, Government of India through STPI and an IIT. Patnaik added that the incubator on Virtual Augmented Reality at IIT, Bhubaneswar, will be a landmark initiative for promoting research, technology incubation and product development in the country. The centre will cater to the startups and new generation entrepreneurs working in the area of Virtual Augmented Reality for immersive visualisation and allied areas, he said. A cheque of Rs 2.5 crore was handed over to Director, IIT, Bhubaneswar as contribution from the state governments 'Startup Odisha Initiative' for setting up the centre. Odisha's MSME Minister Prafulla Samal said that the proposed incubator at the IIT will focus on futuristic field of Virtual and Augmented Reality. Susmita Bagchi, a philanthropist, who contributed Rs 2.5 crore to Director IIT for the purpose, hoped that the VARCoE will be one-of-its-kind in the country to promote research and technology development for the benefit of industry and the society. Prof. R V Rajakumar, Director, IIT, Bhubaneswar while speaking on the occasion, stated that the VARCoE will be a state-of-the-art incubator for the benefit of the startups, researchers, faculty and budding entrepreneurs. STPI Director General Omkar Rai said that STPI could encourage the incubatees and startups graduating from the IIT-Bhubaneswar to join the STPI. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said today the state government would approach the Supreme Court to stop the release of the controversial film "Padmaavat". Speaking to reporters after a programme here, Chouhan said: "We would once again knock on the apex court's doors." He didn't elaborate. In November, after meeting Rajput community leaders, Chouhan had announced that the film would not be allowed to release in the state. The Supreme Court has stayed the orders/notifications issued by the Rajasthan and Gujarat governments prohibiting the screening of "Padmaavat", and restrained other state governments from issuing similar orders. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) While the Supreme Court has cleared the decks for the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Padmaavat", there is uncertainty over whether it would be screened in Madhya Pradesh, especially in single-screen theatres, a distributor said here. "Since the state government has not yet clarified its stand, there is atmosphere of uncertainty, especially for single-screen cinema owners," Central Cine Circuit Association's former general secretary Jitendra Jain told PTI. Jain, himself a prominent film distributor, said the film could be shown in multiplexes, but for single-screen cinemas security is a major concern. As to the release in multiplexes, the decision would be taken by multiplex companies based in Mumbai, he said. "Five days are left for the release of the film, and if the state government assures that it will provide security to single-screen theatres, the film can be exhibited in these theatres," said Jain. The Supreme Court earlier this week stayed notifications issued by some states which banned the release of the controversial film, and restrained other states from issuing such orders. Some Rajput organisations are opposing the film vehemently for alleged distortion of facts. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had said yesterday that the advocate general has been asked to study the court's order. "After this, we will see if we have to say something in the honourable apex court. We have not taken any decision so far," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Veteran Leander Paes and Purav Raja fought off a match point to shock formidable fifth seeds Bruno Soares and Jamie Murray and progress to the men's doubles third round at the Australian Open here today. The unseeded Indians overcame the Brazilian-Briton team 7-6(3) 5-7 7-6(6) after battling hard for close to three hours. Left-handed Murray, world number 9 in doubles and Soares, number 10, were one of the most consistent performers in the 2017 season but it was Raja who stood out with his superlative net play today. It was a tight contest from the beginning and after splitting the first two sets, the third set was locked 5-5 in the tie-breaker when Murray earned his side a match point on his second serve. Raja, though came serving extremely well to not only save that match point but also earned a match point for the Indians with excellent hands at the net. Soares served down a match point and Raja delivered a stunning backhand return winner to seal the issue. Paes and Raja, who won two Challenger level titles to close the 2017 season, are playing their second Grand Slam together. At the 2017 US Open, they fell in the second round. Now they will fight it out with Colombian 11th seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah for a place in the quarterfinals. The last time 44-year-old Paes played a quarterfinal at a Grand Slam was in 2016 at French Open where he and Marcin Matkowski had lost to Mike and Bob Bryan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan raked up the issue of Indian death-row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav in the UN Security Council after it was accused by India, the US and Afghanistan, for providing safe havens to terrorists. Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN Maleeha Lodhi was responding to Indian Ambassador to the UN Syed Akbaruddin who said Pakistan needs to change its "mindset" of differentiating between good and bad terrorists. India urged the UN Security Council to focus on challenges posed by terrorism emanating from the safe havens from across the border. In response to India, Lodhi raked up the case of Jadhav, who was captured in March last year and sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court for alleged spying, an accusation that India has dismissed as concocted. "Those who talk of changing mindset need to look within, at their own record of subversion against my country as our capture of an Indian spy has proven beyond doubt," Lodhi told the members of the UN Security Council, without naming Jadhav. Earlier, the US told the UN Security Council that the status quo regarding continues terrorist safe havens in Pakistan is not acceptable. The US has said that the status quo regarding continued terror safe havens in Pakistan is not acceptable and insisted that Islamabad join its efforts to bring a resolution to the conflict. "We seek to work cohesively and effectively with Pakistan, but cannot be successful if the status quo, one where terrorist organisations are given sanctuary inside the country's borders, is allowed to continue," US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan told the ministerial meeting. And the Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai reiterated the presence of terrorist safe haven across the border. But Lodhi continued to be in denial. "Indeed, with its safe havens inside the country and income from the narcotics trade, the insurgency does not really need any outside assistance or support centers to sustain its efforts," Lodhi said during a ministerial debate on Afghanistan. "Afghanistan and its partners, especially the United States therefore need to address these challenges inside Afghanistan rather than shifts the onus for ending the conflict on to others," Lodhi said. Afghanistan needed to address the challenges inside the country rather than shifting the onus for ending the conflict to others, she alleged. "Those who imagine sanctuaries outside really need a reality check," she said But there were no takers for Lodhi's claims that there are no terrorist safe havens inside Pakistan. None of the more than two dozen speakers came out in support of the Pakistani argument in this regard. US Vice President Mike Pence arrived in Egypt today to begin a delayed Middle East tour overshadowed by anger in the Arab world over Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Controversy over President Donald Trump's decision to move the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem had led to the cancellation of a number of planned meetings ahead of the trip originally scheduled for December. While the deadly protests that erupted in the Palestinian territories at the time have subsided, concerns are mounting over the future of the UN aid agency for Palestinians (UNRWA). Washington has frozen tens of millions of dollars of funding for the cash-strapped body, putting at risk operations to feed, teach and heal hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees. The Palestinian leadership, already furious over the Jerusalem decision, has denounced the US administration and had already refused to meet Pence in December. But the vice president's press secretary, Alyssa Farah, said he would still meet the leaders of Egypt, Jordan and Israel on the high-stakes four-day tour. Pence is scheduled to hold talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi today before travelling to Amman for a one-on-one meeting with King Abdullah II tomorrow. The trip had been pushed back in December as a crunch tax vote loomed on Capitol Hill. The leaders of both countries, the only Arab states that have peace treaties with Israel, would be key players if US mediators ever manage to get a revived Israeli-Palestinian peace process off the ground, as Trump says he wants. They are also key intelligence-sharing and security partners in America's various covert and overt battles against Islamist extremism in the region and Egypt is a major recipient of aid to help it buy advanced US military hardware. Sisi, one of Trump's closest allies in the region, had urged the US president before his Jerusalem declaration "not to complicate the situation in the region by taking measures that jeopardise the chances of peace in the Middle East". Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Egypt's highest institution of Sunni Islam, cancelled a meeting with Pence in protest at the Jerusalem decision. The head of Egypt's Coptic Church, Pope Tawadros II, did the same, saying Trump's move "did not take into account the feelings of millions of Arab people." After Jordan -- the custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem -- Pence will head to Israel for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. He will also deliver a speech to parliament and meet President Reuven Rivlin during the two-day visit. Pence can expect a warm welcome after Trump's decision on Jerusalem, which Israelis and Palestinians alike interpreted as Washington taking Israel's side in the dispute over the city. Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967 and later annexed east Jerusalem in a move never recognised by the international community. Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its united capital, while the Palestinians see the eastern sector as the capital of their future state. The international community considers east Jerusalem illegally occupied by Israel and currently all countries have their embassies in the commercial capital Tel Aviv. The State Department has begun to plan the sensitive move of the US embassy to Jerusalem, a process that US diplomats say may take years to complete. This week reports surfaced that Washington may temporarily designate the US consulate general in Jerusalem as the embassy while the search for a secure and practical site for a long-term mission continues. This could prove just as controversial as building a new embassy, however, as the building currently serves as the US mission to the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. And the facility sits astride the "Green Line" that divides Jerusalem. A senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has yet to make a decision on either a permanent or interim location for the mission. "That is a process that takes, anywhere in the world, time. Time for appropriate design, time for execution. It is a matter of years and not weeks or months," he said. Pence -- himself a devout Christian -- will visit the Western Wall, one of the holiest sites of Judaism in Jerusalem's Old City, and pay his respects at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed anguish at the death of people in a fire at a factory in Delhi's Bawana today. "Deeply anguished by the fire at a factory in Bawana. My thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives. May those who are injured recover quickly," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted quoting Modi. A Delhi Fire Services official said 17 people are feared dead as the fire ripped through a two-storeyed factory in outer Delhi's Bawana industrial area this evening. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A policeman was today injured after Naxals triggered an improvised explosive device near a market in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Dantewada district. A local police official told PTI that assistant constable Jagat Ram Karma was near a weekly market in Chhote Tumnar village under Geedam police station when the incident occurred. Karma, posted at Bijapur's Nelasnar police station, was rushed to a hospital in Bijapur and he is currently out of danger, the official informed. Combing operations have been launchedinthe region to track down the ultras, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Presidency Mentor Group Chair Prof Sugata Bose today said that he has requested West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to dissolve the group as it has served its purpose. The mentor group was formed by Mamata Banerjee in 2011 and was chartered to provide recommendations and a roadmap to establishing Presidency University as a pre-eminent institution of learning. Each of the mentor group members, consisting eminent academicians, have served the mentor group in all these years, Bose said at the closing ceremony of Bicentennial Celebration of the Presidency University here. Bose, an eminent historian, said, "We have sent the report of the Mentor Group to the Chief Minister where we have also suggested while there are 2-3 heritage aspects involving sentiments of all stakeholders of Presidency, it is also very important what we should choose what to retain and what to discard. "Now that other statutory bodies of the university is functioning, we feel that our work is done," Bose said in his address before the Vice Chancellor Anuradha Lohia, poet Sankha Ghosh and others. Ghosh said the members of the group will continue to offer informal advice whenever sought. The ceremony was organised by Presidency Alumni Association and Presidency University Kolkata. Bose said the Main building -- Baker building of the 200-year old institution -- has been beautifully renovated keeping the heritage aspects in mind. About the students' agitation surrounding the closure of Eden Hindu Hostel for renovation, Bose said, "After inspecting the building we had submitted in our report that it was in a squalid condition without minimum hygiene facilities and I also believe this hostel should not be saddled with the religious tag (Hindu) which refers to casteism." Sankha Ghosh also called for improving teacher-student relationship in institutions. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In an exquisite display of confluence of culture, artistes from the South-East Asian region today performed the epic of Ramayana here in their traditional storytelling format. The event, hosted at the Kamani Auditorium in central Delhi, was part of the five-day 'Ramayana Festival' that began today, to mark 25 years of Indo-ASEAN ties, organisers said. Dressed in costumes of different golden hues and sporting colourful masks, the audience in the national capital, otherwise accustomed to see Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana, in Indian dresses, were treated to a dramatic retelling of the epic in Thai style. The masked dance-drama ('Khon') of the Ramakien, the Thai Ramayana, was performed to the accompaniment of traditional percussion instruments, leaving the crowd enthralled. One of the iconic episodes portrayed was 'the Chase of the Golden Stag' with characters of Phra Ram (Rama), Nang Seeda (Sita) and Phra Lak (Lakshmana) in the Ramakien. The Ramakien or Rammakian, pronounced literally 'Glory of Rama' is the Thai epic, derived from the Indian Ramayana. It is said, the Ramayana came to South-East Asia by means of Indian traders and scholars who traded with the ancient kingdoms of Thailand, with whom the Indians shared close economic and cultural ties. The event is being organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). The festival will include performances by groups from ASEAN members. In an unprecedented event, leaders from all 10 ASEAN countries will be attending the Republic Day celebrations at Rajpath on January 26. A host of commemorative events are being organise to mark the ties. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vice Admiral Timothy W Barrett, Chief of Royal Australian Navy (RAN), accompanied by a four member Australian naval delegation, visited the Southern Naval Command here. During their two-day visit which began yesterday, the Chief of RAN had discussions with Vice Admiral A R Karve, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, SNC, wherein both sides discussed topics of mutual interest, including training conducted by the Indian Navy and exchanged crests, a Defence release said here today. The Australian delegation also visited the Water Survival Training Facility and the Flight and Tactical Simulator at the Naval Base. The delegation had earlier visited the Indian Naval Academy at Ezhimala. They had also participated in the Raisina Dialogue at New Delhi, to consolidate the existing strong bilateral naval relations between the two countries, the release said. The delegation departed for Mumbai today. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Livid at being reprimanded, a class 12 student today allegedly pumped four bullets into his school principal with his father's licensed .32 bore revolver here, police said. Critically injured, 47-year-old Ritu Chhabra, principal of Swami Vivekanand school, was rushed to a hospital where she succumbed to her injuries, they said. The four bullets hit her in the chest, stomach and shoulder, Yamunanagar Superintendent of Police Rajesh Kalia told PTI over the phone. The incident took place between 11:30 and 12 noon today. After shooting the school principal, the 18-year-old commerce student tried to flee. However, a couple of parents, who were present for the parents-teachers meet in the school premises, caught hold him of with the help of locals, the SP said. The student was thrashed by angry locals and then handed over to the police, an official said. During preliminary investigation, the accused student told the police that he was upset with the school principal for allegedly reprimanding him a couple of times. "He had a grudge against the school principal for reprimanding him few times in front of his class mates on the complaint of teachers," the SP said adding that he was not attending school for the past few days. The SP said the police were also investigating whether the accused was taking drugs. "He was supposed to attend his tutions today. But rather than going to tutions, he went to the school," the officer said. As he was a school student, he was allowed to meet the school principal, SP Kalia said. "He talked to the Principal for some time and then came out. He then again entered the principal's room and opened fire at her with the revolver," said the SP. During investigation, it came to light that the student stole his father's licensed revolver by breaking the wooden Almirah at his home. He took the revolver without the knowledge of his parents, Kalia said. The accused student's father is a financier and a landlord in Yamunanagar, he said. "He has confessed to his crime and weapon has also been recovered. He will be presented before the court the tomorrow," he said. The accused student has been booked for murder under section 302 of the IPC, said the police. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Saturday told a Delhi court that a Rs 4.14 billion fine was recently imposed on Young Indian Pvt Ltd by the Income Tax department in connection with the Herald case filed by him against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others. Swamy submitted before Metropolitan Magistrate Ambika Singh that the I-T department had launched a probe against Gandhis, YI, and four other accused after taking note of his complaint in the case. The court directed that the I-T department documents submitted by Swamy be kept in a sealed cover till further orders. Swamy, in a private criminal complaint, has accused the Gandhis and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by paying just Rs 50,00,000, through which YI obtained the right to recover Rs 902.5 million which Associate Journals Ltd owed to the Congress. "The I-T department took notice of the facts in my complaint and launched an investigation against the seven accused. A Rs 4.14 billion fine was imposed on YI for withholding information," Swamy said in the court. He said that he found the documents related to the I-T department's December 27, 2017 order lying along with newspapers at his doorstep recently. The counsel for the accused persons opposed the BJP leader's submission alleging that the I-T documents were in "unauthorised and unlawful possession of Swamy" and they should not be taken on record. "He (Swamy) can't be in possession of such documents. Let him file an affidavit about how he got these documents. This can't be taken on record," the counsel, appearing for the Gandhis, said. The counsel said that an application will be filed in the court by the accused in this regard. The magistrate then gave the direction for keeping the documents in a sealed cover. During the proceedings, Swamy also told the court that certain documents filed by him, whose authenticity was challenged by the accused, were filed before the Supreme Court by Sonia Gandhi herself. "In the petition challenging the Delhi High Court decision by which an appeal against the trial court order summoning the accused was dismissed, she (Sonia Gandhi) herself had filed these documents. Now they cannot say they will not admit or deny these papers," Swamy contended. The court posted the matter for further hearing on March 27. The Gandhis and the other accused -- senior party leaders Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda -- have denied the allegations levelled against them in the case. The court had summoned the accused persons, besides YI, on June 26, 2014. On December 19, 2015, it had granted bail to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Vora, Fernandes and Dubey, who had appeared before it pursuant to the summonses. Pitroda was granted bail on February 20, 2016 when he had appeared in the court. Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Vora (AICC treasurer), Fernandes (AICC general secretary), Dubey and Pitroda were summoned for the alleged offences of misappropriation of property, criminal breach of trust and cheating, read with criminal conspiracy of the Indian Penal Code. The Delhi government has directed all alcohol vends in the city to ensure sale of liquor through scanning from next month, officials said. The excise department has issued directives to all liquor vends in the city, warning them of strict action if alcohol is sold without scanning bar codes after February 15. According to an official, the move is aimed at plugging tax loopholes. The official, however, said liquor was normally sold at all alcohol vends after scanning of barcodes except on a few occasions when rules were flouted on the pretext of poor Internet connectivity. "All the incharge of liquor vends have been directed to put their system in place to ensure 100 per cent sale through scanning after February 15," another senior government official said. The sale of liquor without scanning would attract penal action as per terms and conditions of the licence, he added. "After February 15, excise department's teams will visit liquor vends to check whether the order is being followed. "If they (liquor vends) fail to comply, strict action, including cancellation of licence, can be taken against them," the official said. In April last year, the excise department directed all distributors to maintain one week's stock of all approved brands for sale in order to ensure "uninterrupted" supply to the liquor outlets across the city. Besides, liquor distributors were also asked to submit information about their stock to the department on the first working day of every week so that supply of liquor is not affected in the city. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Punjab BJP chief Vijay Sampla has asked the SGPC to ensure that Dalit Sikhs do not face discrimination in future, after it emerged that a family from the community was allegedly not allowed to hold 'Antim Ardaas Bhog' (the last rituals) at a village gurdwara in Sangrur. In a release today, Sampla, also the Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, urged Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Gobind Singh Longowal to ensure that there is no recurrence of such incident. A Dalit family in village Maanwala under Dhuri Tehsil of Sangrur was denied permission to hold 'Antim Ardaas Bhog' in the village gurdwara about a week ago, Sampla said. Sampla claimed one Kaka Singh, and his wife Ranjit Kaur of Maanwala village, were allegedly stopped from performing the last rites of their mother in the gurdwara. According to the BJP leader the reason as to why few villagers, including a Panchayat member, denied the permission was because of them being Dalits. They were asked to hold the rituals in their own gurdwara, Sampla said. "Not only was the Dalit couple denied permission to hold the Antim Ardaas, they were also refused the utensils. Forced, the Dalit family had to perform the Bhog at their home the next day," he claimed. Sampla expressed hope that the SGPC chief will not only amicably solve the matter, but will also ensure that such incidents do not take place in future. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) There is no excuse for the exploitation of millions of children to produce wealth at the cost of their childhood, Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi said, calling upon the global film fraternity to make greater efforts towards ending child trafficking and slavery. The 2014 Nobel Peace Prize winner made the remarks at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival in the US state of Utah where a documentary made on his life was premiered. "Slavery is an assault on humanity. There is no excuse for the exploitation of millions of children to produce wealth at the cost of their childhood and freedom, especially in this day and age," Satyarthi said in Park City last night. "I have never left any stone unturned in this fight, therefore I call upon the power of audiences at Sundance to join me and amplify the message against child trafficking and slavery that we must end in our lifetime. This is the place, today is the time and you are the people," he said, according to a statement by his office. The 92 minute-film by director Derek Doneen and producers Davis Guggenheim and Sarah Anthony, "Kailash", a feature- length documentary on his life and work, opened the Sundance Film Festival on Thursday night, it said. "The film highlights his organisation's efforts to rehabilitate, educate and re-unify children with their families in an overall mission to break the cycle of poverty and abuse," the statement added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court has set aside an order of the Himachal Pradesh High Court by which action was recommended against a judicial officer for granting bail to an accused within four days of rejection of his pre-arrest bail by a higher court. The high court had termed the action of the magistrate as "judicial impropriety" and "gross indiscipline" and recommended the chief justice to take appropriate action on the administrative side. It had set aside the order of magistrate and cancelled the bail plea of an accused, arrested for allegedly giving fake educational degrees to students for money. A bench of Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan said the approach of the high court was "erroneous in law" and set aside the order of single judge of the high court. "Merely, because an application for anticipatory bail preferred by the appellant was rejected, it could not be said that thereafter the magistrate was precluded from even considering the application for grant of regular bail," the bench said. The top court said, "The grounds for grant of anticipatory bail are altogether different from that of regular bail." "No doubt, anticipatory bail was rejected on August 26, 2016 and within four days thereafter regular bail was granted. However, the high court could not have cancelled the bail, only on the ground that the anticipatory bail was rejected," it said. It said that the high court was also wrong in observing that in the circumstances the only remedy for the accused was to approach the high court alone "as if he was precluded from filing an application for regular bail before the magistrate". Advocate D K Thakur, appearing for the Himachal Pradesh government, claimed that the accused had threatened the complainant immediately after coming out on bail. The top court said it was an event that occurred after the accused came out on bail and could be a ground which could be raised by the complainant before a trial court for cancellation of bail. An FIR was lodged at Dharamshala police station of Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh. The accused Chander Kant was charged with the offences of forgery, criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and other sections of IPC. After registration of the FIR and when the probe was pending, the accused had moved high court seeking anticipatory bail, which was dismissed on August 26, 2016. Thereafter, the accused was arrested and taken into police custody. After his police remand got over, he moved a regular bail application, which the judicial officer allowed and enlarged him on bail on August 30, 2016. The complainant challenged the order of magistrate granting bail to the accused before the high court, which on June 2, 2017, after seeking explanation, passed various strictures against the judicial officer. The judicial officer in her explanation to the high court had said there were "direct or indirect directions to grant bail liberally. Taking into consideration that anticipatory bail has been rejected but now as the accused remanded to custody and opportunity was given to police for custodial interrogation and recovery, I considered it to be a changed circumstance". However, the single judge in his order said, "To my mind, the action of the magistrate is clearly subversive to judicial discipline and amounts to gross impropriety because so long the order passed by this court was in force, the magistrate could not have entertained the application for bail much less granted the bail." The high court said, "Judicial discipline requires decorum known to law which warrants that the appellate directions should be followed in the hierarchical system by the court which exists in this country." "It is necessary for each lower tier to accept loyally the decisions of the higher tier. The judicial system only works if someone is allowed to have the last word and if that last word, once spoken, is loyally accepted," the bench had said. It had said that once the judgement rendered by the high court was absolutely clear and the bail granted to the accused had been rejected by a detailed order, then judicial comity, discipline, concomitance, pragmatism, poignantly point, per force to observe constitutional propriety and adhere to the decision, so rendered by the high court. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A class 12 student allegedly shot dead the principal of his school today, police said. The accused student fired four shots at principal Ritu Chhabra, who was in her office, with a .32 bore gun and critically injured her, they said. Chhabra succumbed to her injuries in the hospital, said Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Desh Raj. The boy was caught by locals and handed him over to the police, officials said. The incident took place between 11:30 am and 12 noon, police said. The student, police sources said, was upset over being rusticated from the school. Yamunanagar is around 100 km from here. Zaira Wasim starrer "Secret Superstar" made a big splash in China on the first day of its release, grossing USD 6.4 million. The opening day figure is the highest by any Indian movie, including "Dangal", starring Aamir Khan who is also the producer of "Secret Superstar". Two of China's top film and ticketing websites, that tracks the film revenues all over the country, said the movie did well. "'Secret Superstar' opened in first place on Friday with an estimated 41 million yuan (USD 6.4 million), easily besting 'Dangal's 15 million yuan opening day to score the biggest debut ever for an Indian film in China," stated the China Box office website. Another ticketing website Maoyan also said the movie was well received. "Secret Superstar" was released all over China yesterday. Aamir became a household name in China after the success of Dangal last year which raked up over Rs. 1100 crores since it was released in China. Aamir's "3 Idiots" was also a success in China, especially with school and college kids, as it dwelled on the theme of monotonous approach towards education focusing just on academic success. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Maria Sharapova says she is inspired by the likes of thirtysomethings Serena Williams and Roger Federer to get back to the top after her doping ban. The Russian, back in the top 50 after 15 months on the sidelines, had her progress at the Australian Open ruthlessly snuffed out by 2016 champion Angelique Kerber in the third round Saturday. "I'm here because I'm motivated to get better at my craft. I really do believe that I can otherwise I wouldn't be here," said the five-time Grand Slam champion after losing 6- 1, 6-3 in 64 minutes. "I definitely take great examples of a Federer or a Nadal or a Serena and Venus that have continued to have the motivation that they do at this age," said Sharapova who turns 31 in April. "It's not just walking through a Grand Slam tunnel and getting on court. "There's so much more to it. I have a lot of admiration for that because I know what goes into creating those moments and getting to that stage. "Yeah, that definitely inspires me, absolutely." Sharapova, one of the highest earners in women's sport, suffered a string of early defeats after her comeback last April for taking performance-enhancing meldonium but has been working her way back up the rankings since. "I think there are a lot of things that I need to get better at and improve on. But looking at the overall picture, the first thing is that I'm healthy," a clearly disappointed Sharapova told reporters. "That, to me, is a big thing because I'll be back on the practice court, I'm not starting from zero." It was Sharapova's second Grand Slam appearance since her doping ban. In her first at the US Open last year, as a wildcard she was beaten in the fourth round by Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova. But she turned the tables against the Melbourne Park 14th seed two days ago winning 6-1 7-6 (7/4). "There's a lot to build from," said Sharapova. "It's a lot of things that take time. To be able to get these matches, players that are playing this well, I'm going to face a lot of them this year. I'll have to bring it. "Today was not enough. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Gold biscuits worth Rs 18.17 lakh were seized from a passenger who arrived at Thiruvananthapuram airport, Customs officials said here today. Officers of Air Intelligence Unit, Air Customs, International Airport Thiruvananthapuram, intercepted the passenger, Jubin Thomas Mathew, when he arrived by Silk Air Flight No MI 492 at 9:46 pm yesterday, they said. Six gold biscuits, totally weighing 600 grams, were found concealed in the inner tube of the trolley handles in his two checked-in baggages, Customs Commissioner Sumit Kumar said. The officials also seized high valued cameras and their lenses (4 camera lenses each) and one full camera, totally valued at Rs 16.73 lakh. The total value of the items seized is Rs 39.40 lakh, Kumar said. The man was arrested today under the Customs Act, 1962, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Six convicts were today sentenced to death by a court here for the murder of three Dalit men over an inter-caste love affair in Sonai village of Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra in January 2013. Additional District and Sessions Court Judge R R Vaishnav also slapped a fine of Rs 20,000 on each of the convicts. Their "brutal" act was a "disgrace for humanity", worse than a "devil's act", and, therefore, they had forfeited the right to live, Special Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told reporters quoting the verdict. He said the court awarded the capital punishment, as demanded by the prosecution, considering the brutality involved in the crime. Half of the fine amount will be given to the victims' kin as financial aid, Nikam said. The police had beefed up the security around the court premises since morning as a large number of people gathered there for the verdict. On January 15, the court had convicted Popat alias Raghunath Darandale(52), Ramesh Darandale (42), Prakash Darandale (38), Ganesh alias Pravin Darandale (23), Ashok Navgire (32) and Sandeep Kurhe (37) for the offences of criminal conspiracy and murder under the Indian Penal Code, among other charges. Ashok R Falke was acquitted by the court as the prosecution could not prove the conspiracy charge against him. Sachin Sohanlal Gharu (24), Sandeep Thanvar (25) and Rahul Kandare (20) were killed at Sonai village on January 1, 2013 and their mutilated bodies were found in a septic tank. According to the prosecution, the convicts were irked by a lover affair between Sachin, a Dalit, and a girl from the Darandale family, who are upper-caste Marathas. The convicts include the father, elder brother and other relatives of the girl. The victims belonged to the Mehtar community. Sachin and his friends, who worked as sweepers, were summoned by the Darandale family on January 1 evening, ostensibly to clean a septic tank. The police found Sachin's decapitated body, with limbs severed, the next evening. The mutilated bodies of Sandeep and Rahul were found on January 3. The killings created an uproar in Maharashtra and then state home minister R R Patil handed over the case to the Criminal Investigation Department. The CID eventually filed a 982-page charge sheet. The trial was transferred to the Nashik court as the victims' families said a free and fair trial may not be possible in Ahmednagar district. Altogether 54 witnesses were examined in the case. While convicting the six persons, the court mainly relied on circumstantial evidence, prosecutor Nikam had earlier said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Spain's maritime rescue service says it has saved 56 migrants trying to make the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean Sea from Africa to European shores. The service says two boats were intercepted by its search craft this morning. One boat was carrying 23 men in the Strait of Gibraltar. The second boat with 33 men of sub-Saharan origin was located east of the Strait near Alboran Island. Europe's border watchdog said yesterday that 22,880 migrants had arrived in Spain last year by sea, up from 10,231 in 2016. It also warned it expects the number of migrants using the western Mediterranean route to Europe to increase this year. The Organisation for Migration says 2,583 migrants entered Europe by sea this year through Wednesday, and 199 died en route. A 22-year-old special police officer (SPO) fled with his service rifle in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, prompting a man hunt to trace him, a senior police official said. Mohammad Yaseen, posted at the Marwah police station, was missing with an AK-47 rifle since last night, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Doda-Kishwar-Ramban range, Basant Kumar Rath told PTI. Yaseen hails from Shishnan village, he said, adding that efforts were on to locate him. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Swedish national and his Indian girlfriend were today detained by intelligence sleuths after locals complained that they were loitering around an ancient church in Cantonment area here in a suspecting manner, police said. However, they were let-off after hours of intensive interrogation by the military intelligence, state and local intelligence and police, they added. "Swedish national Andrea Mitchell Olf along with his girlfriend Shreyal Sadana, a resident of Kakadev area ( Kanpur), who works with a multinational company in Gurgaon, had reached Kanpur today. "Shreyal had accompanied Olf to Saint Mary School where she had studied, and an ancient Church situated adjacent to the school. There some visitors informed the military intelligence sleuths that they were loitering around the area in a suspecting manner," Superintendent of Police (East), Anurag Arya, said. The military intelligence officials visited the spot and questioned the Swedish national and his girlfriend. "They were immediately taken to Cantonment police station where were questioned intensively. But police did not find anything suspicious," Deputy SP (LIU), Vijay Tirpathi told PTI. They were let-off when the intelligence sleuths found valid documents including passport and visa, which confirmed that the Swedish national had come to India on December 28, on one-month-long tourist visa. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Taxi operators today kept their vehicles off the roads in Goa for the second day, despite the state government invoking the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) prohibiting the strike. "The strike continues even today and not a single taxi will operate in the state. We have been protesting peacefully. The strike will continue," Vinayak Nanoskar, General Secretary, North Goa Tourist Taxi Association told PTI. Due to the strike, which started yesterday, around 18,000-odd taxis and 350 yellow and black pre-paid taxis are not operating even today. The tourist taxi operators in Goa are protesting against state government's decision asking them to install speed governor on their vehicles as per the directives of the Supreme Court. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has refused to cede the taxi operators' demand. Installation of speed governor was part the Supreme Court's directives, he said yesterday. The BJP-led government has invoked ESMA, but no action was taken against taxi operators yesterday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor Billy Bob Thornton, Carla Juri, and Charlie Hunnam have joined the cast of "A Million Little Pieces". The actors join Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Giovanni Ribisi in the detox drama, reported Variety. The film is adapted from James Frey's bestseller "A Million Little Pieces" by director Sam Taylor-Johnson and her actor husband Aaron. The book, published as a memoir in 2003, chronicles Frey's battle with drug addiction. It's big screen adaptation was in works at the Warner Bros studio but following revelation by the Smoking Gun website, which accused of Frey of fabrication, the project was shelved. However, the project is back in works with Sam as director and Aaron in the lead role. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The said it launched new strikes today against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia in northern Syria, amid mounting expectations of a cross-border ground operation. The army said it hit in "legitimate self-defence" camps and refuges used by the YPG in response to fire coming from the Afrin region controlled by the militia group, which Turkey deems to be a terror organisation. Similar strikes had also taken place yesterday, it confirmed. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly threatened over the last days to launch a ground operation, also including pro-Ankara Syrian rebels, to oust the YPG from Afrin and the area. Turkey accuses the YPG of being the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has waged a rebellion in the Turkish southeast for more than three decades and is regarded as a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies. But the YPG has been the key ally of Turkey's fellow NATO member the United States in the fight against Islamic State jihadists, playing a key role in pushing the extremists out of their Syrian strongholds. Turkish Defence Minister Nurettin Canikli said yesterday that the operation had "de-facto begun" because of the shelling but confirmed that Turkish troops had not yet crossed over into Syria. Analysts say that crucial for any major ground operation will be approval from Moscow which has a military presence in the area and a cordial relationship with the YPG. Turkey's army chief General Hulusi Akar and spy chief Hakan Fidan were in Moscow on Thursday for talks with Russian counterparts on Syria. Turkish war planes today launched air strikes on positions of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia in Syria, the prime minister said, as Ankara launched a new operation against the group. Units of pro-Ankara rebels known by Turkey as the Free Syrian Army (FSA) also began moving into the Afrin area of Syria which is controlled by the YPG, the state-run Anadolu agency said. "Our armed forces have started an air campaign in order to destroy elements" of the YPG, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said in a televised speech. An AFP correspondent on the Turkish side of the border saw two war planes launch air strikes inside Syrian territory, sending huge white plumes of smoke up into the early evening sky. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier that Turkey had "de-facto" launched the operation that Ankara had threatened for days in defiance of warnings from the United States. But these were the first reports from on the ground that the operation had begun in earnest. A Turkish foreign ministry official said in the wake of the announcement of the air strikes that Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu held talks with US counterpart Rex Tillerson, at Washington's request. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two people died and seven were injured in a fire that hit a hotel in central Prague today, rescuers said. "I can confirm we could not help two people," Prague ambulance spokeswoman Jana Postova told AFP, declining to give details about the victims. "We are treating seven people, of them three are in a serious condition. Two needed lung ventilation," she said, adding about 40 people had to be evacuated from the four-star Eurostars David hotel in the Czech capital's centre. Martin Kavka, spokesman for the Prague fire brigade, told AFP the blaze was reported after 1700 GMT and that firefighters had it under control about two hours later. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police today arrested two persons and seized 94.60 kg ganja valued at around Rs 10.55 lakh from their possession during a vehicle check in Bihar's Purnea district. Baisi Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Sunita Kumari said that a police team led by Baisi police station SHO Tarkeshwar Prasad Singh seized 94.60 kg of ganja valued at Rs 10.55 lakh during a vehicle checking drive. The police seized the contraband from a car at Baisi Purab chowk on NH 31 of the district, the SDPO said adding that the two arrested smugglers have been identified as Awadh Kishore Pandey and Tony Deb Burman. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two Naxals have surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, police said today. The cadres turned themselves in along with weapons before senior police officials at the district headquarter yesterday, a top police official told PTI. They were identified as Nelliram Kashyap, hailing from Orchha area of Narayanpur, and Munna Ista (30) of Barsoor area of Dantewada, he said adding both were active as janmilitia members of Maoists. Kashyap surrendered along with one muzzle loading gun, one tiffin bomb, explosive powder, Maoists pamphlets and crackers. Ista surrendered along with one muzzle loading gun, the officer added. He said the rebels had expressed disillusionment with "hollow" ideology of the Naxal movement and were impressed with the surrender and rehabilitation policy of the state government. A cash of Rs 10,000 were also given to each of the two as encouragement money. Further, they will be facilitated as per the surrender and rehabilitation policy, the official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Britain could take part in a new model of European cooperation after Brexit but is unlikely to rejoin the EU in its current form, a senior minister has said. Cabinet Office minister David Lidington, who chairs several Brexit ministerial committees, said the suggestion by some EU leaders that Britain might change its mind about leaving the bloc was a "red herring". "Having taken a decision by a referendum, I don't see that changing," he told the Daily Telegraph newspaper in an interview. However, he added: "We may be looking in a generation's time at an EU that is configured differently from what it is today. "And the exact nature of the relationship between the United Kingdom and that future system -- whatever it turns out to be -- of European cooperation is something that future parliaments, future generations will have to consider." Lidington was appointed earlier this month to his post, which involves standing in for Prime Minister Theresa May in parliament and deputy chairing cabinet meetings. He opposed Brexit in the 2016 EU referendum, but said most Britons did not want to be part of the EU as it stands -- and were unlikely to change their minds as the bloc moves towards greater economic and political integration. But he added: "There's going to be a need for a system of cooperation within the continent of Europe including the UK, that covers both economic and political cooperation." He noted that Britain will remain part of the NATO military alliance, the Organization for Security and Co- operation in Europe, and the Council of Europe human rights watchdog. "I can't predict sitting here today what that network of organisations and alliances including the EU, how that will change or is going to look in 10 years or 20 years time," he said. EU President Donald Tusk said this week that the bloc's "hearts are open" to Britain changing its mind. European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker followed up by offering to back any British attempt to rejoin, even after it leaves. Britain began the two-year Brexit process last year, putting it on course to end its four-decade membership of the EU on March 29, 2019. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An assistant Block Development Officer, posted at the Kamasin block in this district of Uttar Pradesh, was today found dead at his residence under mysterious circumstances. According to Banda SP Shalini, the officer, Lalmani Yadav (52) was posted for the past one-and-half years at the Kamasin block development office. His body was found hanging. The SP said it will only be clear after the post mortem whether Yadav committed suicide or he was murdered. The district panchayati raj officer, KK Singh Chauhan, said the deceased was a resident of Allahabad, and used to live alone at his government residence. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today announced financial aid of Rs 20 lakh for the wife and Rs 5 lakh for the parents of a BSF jawan killed in ceasefire violations by Pakistan, an official said. BSF head constable Jagpal Singh (49), a resident of Bulandshahr district, succumbed to injuries sustained during cross-border firing in Samba sector along the IB yesterday. UP Transport Minister Swatantra Dev Singh will today reach the residence of the deceased to express condolences to the family on behalf of the UP chief minister, an official spokesman said. Singh, posted with the Alpha company of the 173rd Battalion of the force deployed for border guarding, had joined the BSF in 1988. He is survived by a daughter and a son. Four people, including a BSF jawan, were injured after Pakistan violated ceasefire for the third consecutive day today in three districts of Jammu and Kashmir along the International Border, officials said. Two security forces jawans and as many civilians were killed and 35 others injured in mortar shelling by the Pakistani troops on civilian areas and BoPs along the InternationalBorder and the LoC in four districts yesterday, they added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US government officially shutdown today for the first time in five years after the Senate rejected a short-term spending bill to keep the federal government running, marking a chaotic end to Donald Trump's first year as president. The shutdown began at 12:01 am (local time) after a few Republicans joined Democrats in blocking the crucial measure would have provided short-term funding for the Pentagon and other federal agencies. Trump blamed the Democrats for the shutdown which comes exactly a year after he was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. "Dems want a shutdown in order to help diminish the great success of the tax cuts, and what they are doing for our booming economy," he said. Despite last minute bipartisan meetings, the bill to fund the government until February 16 did not receive the required 60 votes. The Senate voted 50-48 to block the stopgap funding measure. The short-term spending bill was passed by the House on Thursday. This is part of the Democrats strategy to force President Trump and the Republicans to negotiate with them on illegal immigrants who are facing deportation. The effect of the shutdown would be felt most from Monday when the federal government employees would not be able to join for their work and be forced to stay at home without pay. It is estimated that more than 800,000 federal employees would be furloughed. Only the essential services would be open. The last time that a government shutdown happened was in 2013. Earlier in the day, the Office of Management of Budget said it was preparing for "what we're calling the Schumer Shutdown". The Director of Office of Management of Budget Mick Mulvaney told reporters that efforts were being made to have the government shutdown less impactful than it was in 2013. "We're going to manage the shutdown differently. We are not going to weaponize it. We're not going to try and hurt people, especially people having to work for this federal government. But we still need Congress to appropriate the funds," he said. Military will still go to work, the border will still be patrolled, fire folks will still be fighting the fires and the parks will be open. But in each of these cases people will not be paid, Mulvaney said. Fanny and Freddy will be open, the post office will be open, the TSA will be open, but again all of these people will be working for nothing, which is simply not fair, he said. US Postal Services would be working. The last government shutdown lasted for 16 days in October 2013. The previous shutdown before that was for 21 days that ended on January 6, 1996. However, this is for the first time in recent history that a shutdown has taken place when both the House and the Senate as well as the White House is controlled by the same party. "This is completely unfair and uncompassionate for my Democratic colleagues to filibuster government funding, harm our troops, and jeopardise health coverage for nine million children because extreme elements of their base want illegal immigration to crowd out every other priority," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said. He argued that immigration reform needed to be handled separately from the spending bill. Trump has cancelled his scheduled weekend trip to Mar-a- Lago in Florida. However, he would continue with his trip to Davos to attend the World Economic Forum meeting next week. "Democrats can't shut down the booming Trump economy. Are they now so desperate they'll shut down the government instead?" said White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders and described it as a "Schumer shutdown". Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer is the Senate Minority Leader. "Senate Democrats own the Schumer Shutdown. Tonight, they put above our national security, military families, vulnerable children, and our country's ability to serve all Americans," Sanders said. "We will not negotiate the status of unlawful immigrants while Democrats hold our lawful citizens hostage over their reckless demands. This is the behaviour of obstructionist losers, not legislators," Sanders said in a statement. "When Democrats start paying our armed forces and first responders we will reopen negotiations on immigration reform. During this politically manufactured Schumer Shutdown, the President and his Administration will fight for and protect the American people," the White House said. Earlier, Trump held a last-minute meeting with Schumer to avert a government shutdown. "We had a long and detailed meeting. We discussed all of the major outstanding issues, we made some progress, but we still have a good number of disagreements. The discussions will continue," Schumer said soon after his meeting with Trump. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US government officially shutdown today for the first time in five years after lawmakers failed to agree on a spending deal. US President Donald Trump blamed Democrats for the shutdown which comes exactly a year after he was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. The shutdown began at 12:01 am (local time) soon after the Senate rejected a short-term spending bill to keep federal government running. The bill was passed by the House on Thursday. This is part of the Democrats strategy to force President Trump and the Republicans to negotiate with them on illegal immigrants who are facing deportation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As the search resumes for a new superintendent, the public is invited to attend a community focus group discussion on Jan. 29 to offer input on the direction of the South Middleton School District. Professional search consultant Tom Templeton will facilitate the discussion scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. in the Brenneman Auditorium of Boiling Springs High School. The event was rescheduled from the Jan. 16 event that was canceled due to inclement weather. The purpose of the event is to hear public comment on strengths and challenges facing the school district. The intent is to review issues that need to be addressed in the next year and beyond and determine what critical skills will be needed in the next superintendent. The school board reopened its search for a superintendent in early November after it was unable to reach an agreement with an unnamed candidate for the position. The board had launched an expedited search in July after Al Moyer announced his plan to step down as the district superintendent effective Aug. 18. Since November, Templeton Advantage of Newport has posted the vacancy on professional websites through the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators. This gave the search more of a regional and national reach, board president Randy Varner said in early January. Varner outlined a timetable that has all the applications due by the end of this month followed by interviews in mid-February. A second round of interviews could happen in late February or early March. The goal is to have a new superintendent in place before July 1, which is the start of the 2018-19 school year. The board would like to name a successor much earlier than that to give the new person an opportunity to train under acting superintendent Bruce Deveney. The US government officially shutdown today for the first time in five years after the Senate rejected a short-term spending bill to keep the federal government running, marking a chaotic end to Donald Trump's first year as president. Military will still go to work, the border will still be patrolled, fire folks will be fighting the fires and the parks will be open. But in each of these cases people will not be paid, Director of Office of Management of Budget Mick Mulvaney said. The shutdown began at 12:01 am (local time) after a few Republicans joined Democrats in blocking the crucial measure would have provided short-term funding for the Pentagon and other federal agencies. Trump blamed the Democrats for the shutdown which comes exactly a year after he was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. Democrats are far more concerned with Illegal Immigrants than they are with our great Military or Safety at our dangerous Southern Border. They could have easily made a deal but decided to play Shutdown politics instead. #WeNeedMoreRepublicansIn18 in order to power through mess! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 "Dems want a shutdown in order to help diminish the great success of the tax cuts, and what they are doing for our booming economy," he said. "This is the one year anniversary of my presidency and the Democrats wanted to give me a nice present," Trump said. This is the One Year Anniversary of my Presidency and the Democrats wanted to give me a nice present. #DemocratShutdown Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 "DemocratShutdown. Democrats are holding our military hostage over their desire to have unchecked illegal immigration. Can't let that happen!" he said in another tweet indicating that he has toughened his position against the Opposition Democratic party. "For those asking, the Republicans only have 51 votes in the Senate, and they need 60. That is why we need to win more Republicans in 2018 election! We can then be even tougher on crime (and border), and even better to our military and veterans!" Trump said. Despite last minute bipartisan meetings, the bill to fund the government until February 16 did not receive the required 60 votes. The Senate voted 50-48 to block the stopgap funding measure. While the Republcian party enjoys a majority of 51 votes in the 100-member Senate, a procedural issue that requires 60 votes for legislations to move forward prevented the shirt- term spending bill pass through the Senate. The short-term spending bill was passed by the House on Thursday. This is part of the Democrats strategy to force President Trump and the Republicans to negotiate with them on illegal immigrants who are facing deportation. The effect of the shutdown would be felt most from Monday when the federal government employees would not be able to join for their work and be forced to stay at home without pay. It is estimated that more than 800,000 federal employees would be furloughed. Only the essential services would be open. The last time that a government shutdown happened was in 2013. The White House said it has taken measures so that there is less impact of the government shutdown, but hundreds and thousands of federal government employees are now forced to stay at home till the time the Congress passes the short-term spending bill. For this to happen, the Republican, the Democrats and the White House need to agree on a deal. US Vice President Mike Pence, who is on a trip to the Middle East, said that his administration worked in good faith to put a bipartisan deal on the table that would strengthen our borders, end chain migration, eliminate the visa lottery, and deal compassionately with DACA. "But rather than solve problems, Democratic leadership preferred a shutdown that has dangerous consequences for our national defence. Their action tonight or lack thereof is unconscionable," he said. "Our administration will do everything within our power to support the brave men and women in uniform who stand on the frontlines of freedom. But as of tonight, due to a completely avoidable government shutdown, they'll stand their post without pay," Pence said. But the Democrats blamed Trump for the shutdown. "Tonight, on the eve of the first anniversary of his inauguration, President Trump earned an 'F' for failure in leadership," said Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. "President Trump and Congressional Republicans' obsession with passing a tax scam to benefit the wealthiest and corporations has blinded them to their responsibilities to the American people. "Despite controlling the House, Senate and White House, the Republicans are so incompetent, so negligent that they couldn't get it together to keep government open," she said. In a memorandum to the Department of Defence, Defence Secretary Jim Mattis reassured the nation of taking all necessary steps to protect the nation during the time of government shutdown. The White House said that the military will be working without pay. "We will continue to execute daily operations around the world - ships and submarines will remain at sea, our aircraft will continue to fly and our warfighters will continue to pursue terrorists throughout the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. "While training for reservists must be curtailed, active forces will stay at their posts adapting their training to achieve the least negative impact on our readiness to fight, Mattis said. "I recognize the consequences of a government shutdown. You have my personal commitment that the Department's leadership will do our best to mitigate the impacts of the disruptions and any financial burdens to you and your families," Mattis said. Earlier, the Office of Management of Budget said it was preparing for "what we're calling the Schumer Shutdown". Mulvaney said that Fanny and Freddy will be open, the post office will be open, the TSA will be open, but again all of these people will be working for nothing, which is simply not fair, he said. The last government shutdown lasted for 16 days in October 2013. The previous shutdown before that was for 21 days that ended on January 6, 1996. However, this is for the first time in recent history that a shutdown has taken place when both the House and the Senate and the White House is controlled by the same party. Trump has cancelled his scheduled weekend trip to Mar-a- Lago in Florida. However, he would continue with his trip to Davos to attend the World Economic Forum meeting next week. "Democrats can't shut down the booming Trump economy. Are they now so desperate they'll shut down the government instead?" said White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders and described it as a "Schumer shutdown". Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer is the Senate Minority Leader. (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.) By Tabita Diela and Nyimas Laula JAKARTA/KUTA, Indonesia (Reuters) - Indonesian authorities are investigating the use of bitcoin in the holiday island of Bali, amid warnings by the central bank in Southeast Asia's biggest economy over the risks posed by virtual currencies, an official said. The probe started after the central bank on Dec. 7, 2017 issued a regulation banning the use of cryptocurrencies in payment systems, said Causa Iman Karana, head of Bank Indonesia's representative office in Bali. "We found out from some postings on social media that Bali appeared to have become a haven for bitcoin transactions," said Karana. Central bank officials and police went undercover at the end of 2017 to investigate scores of businesses in Bali advertising online that they offered bitcoin payment services, said Karana. The team found two cafes still using bitcoin as a means of payment, but 44 businesses including car rental outlets, hotels, travel companies and jewellery stores, previously offering the service, had now stopped, he said. One of the cafes used bitcoin only for transactions of more than 243,000 rupiah, or about 0.001 bitcoin. A single transaction took about 1 1/2 hours to be processed and included a fee of 123,000 rupiah so this had discouraged its wider use for payments, said Karana. The official declined to name the businesses because he was still waiting for further instructions from Bank Indonesia in Jakarta. "The next step is we will ban them as mandated by the law. We ask them not to use it anymore. Along with the Directorate of Special Crime Investigation unit, we will enforce the rule that all transactions in Indonesia must use rupiah." Some locals in Bali said bitcoin was being used mainly by foreigners on the island, which is Indonesia's tourism hub and has a large expatriate community. Bank Indonesia has called ownership of virtual currencies high risk and prone to speculation, because no authority takes responsibility or officially administers them and because there is no underlying asset to be the basis for the price. Virtual currencies could also be used in money laundering and terrorism funding, and could have an impact on the stability of the financial system and causes losses for society, it has said. While trading has not be regulated so far, the central bank has said it was looking into the issue. Regulators around the world have been grappling with how to address risks posed by cryptocurrencies, as bitcoin, the world's most popular virtual currency, soared more than 1,700 percent last year. Prices have plummeted since South Korea said last week it may ban domestic cryptocurrency exchanges. Bitcoin.co.id, an Indonesian online cryptocurrency exchange, said on its website that bitcoin was trading at 162.70 million rupiah ($12,247) per unit after losing around a quarter of it value this week. ($1 = 13,285.0000 rupiah) (Writing by Ed Davies; Editing by Michael Perry) (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's ministry has put restrictions on the imports of petroleum coke in the capital Delhi and its surrounding region, in the latest effort to curb rising air pollution. Cement plants in the national capital region which use petroleum coke as a fuel would need to obtain permission from the state pollution control board to continue operations, the ministry of environment, forest and climate change said in a notification issued late on Friday. The ministry has also banned imports of petroleum coke for trading purposes in the capital region, the notice said, adding that even industrial units allowed to use petcoke will not be allowed to store more than three months worth of their consumption. India will also track the trade of the commodity, and has asked both sellers and consumers to submit monthly reports on petcoke-related transactions. India is the world's biggest consumer of petroleum coke, better known as petcoke, which is a dark solid carbon material that emits 11 percent more greenhouse gases than coal, according to the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy. India's government is in favour of imposing a wider ban on the import of petcoke, according to a government affidavit filed with its top court in December, a ruling on which is expected next month. India, the world's largest consumer of petcoke, imports over half its annual petcoke consumption of about 27 million tonnes, mainly from the United States. Local producers include Indian Oil Corp, Reliance Industries and Bharat Petroleum Corp. (Reporting by Aditi Shah and Sudarshan Varadhan; Editing by Andrew Bolton) (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (Reuters) - Greg Abel, considered by many investors the top contender to succeed Warren Buffett as Berkshire Hathaway Inc's chief executive officer, on Friday reported owning about $2.1 million of the conglomerate's stock. Abel, who along with Ajit Jain was named a Berkshire vice chairman and director last week, disclosed his stake a day after Jain reported a $109 million ownership stake. The stakes were disclosed in regulatory filings. Abel, 55, who has run the Berkshire Hathaway Energy unit, was appointed vice chairman to oversee non-insurance operations such as the BNSF railroad, Dairy Queen ice cream, Fruit of the Loom underwear and NetJets planes. Jain, 66, Berkshire's top reinsurance executive and the other strong contender to succeed Buffett, was appointed vice chairman to oversee insurance operations such as Geico auto insurance and General Re reinsurance. Abel reported holding his Berkshire stake indirectly for the benefit of his family. Berkshire Hathaway Energy said about a year ago that Abel owned a stake in that unit that could be converted into Berkshire stock worth more than $400 million at the time. Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire said last week that relevant factors in its succession planning were that both possess "integrity, business savvy, an owner-oriented attitude and a deep genuine interest in Berkshire." Buffett, 87, has run Berkshire since 1965 and has not signalled any plans to leave soon. He owns roughly one-sixth of the company, comprising most of what Forbes magazine said on Friday is his $91.6 billion fortune. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States mistakenly supported China's membership of the World Trade Organization in 2001 on terms that have failed to force Beijing to open its economy, the Trump administration said on Friday as it prepares to clamp down on Chinese trade. "It seems clear that the United States erred in supporting China's entry into the WTO on terms that have proven to be ineffective in securing China's embrace of an open, market-orientated trade regime," the administration said in an annual report to Congress on China's compliance with WTO commitments. "It is now clear that the WTO rules are not sufficient to constrain China's market-distorting behaviour," the report said. While the annual report from the U.S. Trade Representative's office has long taken China to task for unfair trade practices, the first such review under U.S. President Donald Trump takes a harsher tone against Beijing. It comes amid worsening trade tensions between the world's two largest economies and as the administration prepares actions to curb China's alleged theft of intellectual property. A decision in the so-called "Section 301" investigation is expected in the coming weeks. The report also points at Russia's behaviour, saying Moscow had no intention of complying with its WTO obligations, a trend the administration said was "very troubling." A White House official said despite consultations with China, it had failed to follow through on promises of moving more towards a market-orientated economy and playing by international trading rules. "The president and his principal advisor are united in the belief that this is a problem that has gone on for too long and needs to be addressed," the official said. "In the past, conversations have focussed more on discreet opening for discreet products, and what we're saying is systematically we're not going to tolerate broad-based policy that attempts to promote state-led enterprises," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Trump told in an interview this week he was considering a big "fine" against China for forcing U.S. companies to transfer their intellectual property to China as a cost of doing business there. While the administration is also looking at whether foreign imports of steel, aluminium, washing machines and solar panels are harming U.S businesses, China's alleged theft of intellectual property is a particular concern to Trump because it affects a large swath of American firms, the official said. Trump did not specify what he meant by a "fine" against China, but the 1974 trade law that authorized an investigation into China's alleged theft of U.S. intellectual property allows him to impose retaliatory tariffs on Chinese goods or other trade sanctions until China changes its policies. In Beijing, many experts believe Washington is unwilling to pay the heavy economic price needed to upset prevailing trade dynamics between the two countries. In the report released on Friday, Trump's trade envoy, Robert Lighthizer, said the global economy was threatened by major economies who undermined the global trading system. "The global trading system is threatened by major economies who do not intend to open their markets to trade and participate fairly," Lighthizer said. "This practice is incompatible with the market-based approach expressly envisioned by WTO members and contrary to the fundamental principles of the WTO." The Trump administration has already pledged to transform 164-member trade body and has blocked WTO judicial appointments in a move to win WTO reforms. "What we want to do is see countries behave responsibly within the international trading system," the White House official said. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; editing by Clive McKeef) (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Countering the allegation that his had reneged on the promise of creating 10 million jobs a year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi quoted a recent study showing seven million jobs had been created in the formal sector alone in the current financial year. This data of seven million jobs is not like building castles in the air. It has been calculated by an independent agency on the basis of EPFO (Employees Provident Fund Organisation) figures, Modi said in a television interview, days before leaving for Davos to attend the World Economic Forum meet. One should also count the opportunities that were being created in the informal sector, he added. As many as 100 million people have taken loans from the Prime Minister Mudra Yojana without any bank guarantee. Loans to the tune of Rs 4 trillion have been disbursed. New entrepreneurs are being created. Wont you count these figures as job creation? he asked. One can counter these figures on the political lines, but these numbers are not based on just wishful thinking, he said. We are on the right track so far as job creation is concerned. According to a study authored by SBI Group Chief Economic Advisor Soumya Kanti Ghosh and IIM Bangalore professor Pulak Ghosh, 590,000 jobs had been generated every month until November in the current financial year. This means that seven million jobs will be created in the formal sector in 2017-18 if one expands the trend on a pro-rata basis. The study, titled Towards a Payroll Reporting in India, calculated the number of jobs in enterprises from the membership of the EPFO, the Employees State Insurance Corporation, the General Provident Fund, and the National Pension System (NPS). So far as data from the EPFO is concerned, the study estimated that 3.68 million jobs were generated till November of FY18, which would imply 5.5 million in the entire year. This would be higher than the 4.5 million created the previous financial year, a period which saw disruption from demonetisation. When asked as to what kind of Budget, the last full one of the Narendra Modi government, it will be, the prime minister said the mantra of his was development. Whether this is the last or the first Budget, whether there are elections or not, the mantra of Modi is only development, development and development. The mantra of the Bharatiya Janata Party is only development. Sabka sath, sabka vikas (Cooperation from all, development for all). The PM spoke at length about the need for simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls. He said there was a need for increased debate on the issue. This cannot be the agenda of one political party or individual. It isnt Modis or BJPs agenda only. There is a need for discussion on this, he said. Modi said the country remaining in the perennial election mode not only affected governance, but also hurt the federal structure of the country. Talking about how elections lead to war of words between political rivals, Modi likened elections to the festival of Holi. Holi, he said, was celebrated on a particular day where it was acceptable to throw colours or mud on people. Similarly, the Lok Sabha and assembly elections should take place at a fixed time, for example in the second week of February. Modi said expenditure on the 2009 Lok Sabha elections was Rs 11.1 billion, which increased to Rs 40 billion in 2014. He also highlighted the enormous manpower that was deployed to conduct elections, and how it interfered in governance. On agriculture, he said his had an ambitious programme to double the farmers' income by 2022 through Prime Minister's crop insurance scheme, value addition of farm produce, irrigation programme etc. On the criticism related to demonetisation and the goods and services tax (GST), Modi said his governments achievements were much beyond these two reforms. If you consider only these two things as my government's work, it will be a big injustice to me, he said. While the previous UPA government did not take care of states' concerns over the GST, his government addressed those worries, he said, adding one had to adjust when such big reforms were undertaken. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was scheduled to be one of the key speakers at the India-specific sessions at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, but he will now not be travelling to the Swiss town. A finance ministry source said the change in plan was because the FM was needed in New Delhi to devote time to the . The Reserve Bank of India stated it has not posted any official at the Bank Note Press in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, after an official was apprehended by CISF here allegedly for stealing currency. In a statement, the central bank said it has been reported in a section of the media that an RBI officer has been apprehended by CISF for stealing printed currency at the RBI printing facility at Dewas. However, the Bank Note Press (BNP), Dewas is a unit of the Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd (SPMCIL) which is not under the control of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), it said. Further, RBI "does not have any official placed" with BNP, Dewas, it said. "The reports, thus, are not based on facts. RBI regrets to note that the facts were not verified before publishing the news reports," it added. According to the reports, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) nabbed a senior officer by the name of Manohar Verma at the BNP facility allegedly stealing newly printed currency notes. Verma was the deputy control officer in the Note Verification section of the high-security press. He was caught with Rs 200 currency notes worth Rs 40,000 hidden in his shoes. Currency notes worth about Rs 90 lakh were recovered from his possession which he reportedly stole over a period of time. The seized notes are believed to be the ones which were rejected due to minor defects. These notes could be easily used in open markets as the defects are too minute to detect. Such notes are supposed to be disposed off inside the press and cannot be taken. State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) on Saturday announced acquisition of government's entire 51.11 per cent stake in oil refiner HPCL for Rs 36,915 crore, paying a premium of over 10 per cent. ONGC will pay Rs 473.97 per share for 77.8 crore shares of the government in Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL), the company said in a stock exchange filing. The price it is paying is 14 per cent higher than Friday's closing price of HPCL and over 10 per cent of the 60-day weighted average of the scrip. The transaction, which will help the government cross its annual sell-off (disinvestment) target for the first time ever, has been executed through an off-market deal. While the government started off talks for selling controlling stake in the country's third largest oil refining and fuel marketing company, seeking about Rs 1 lakh crore on grounds that an open sale would fetch no less than that, what ONGC paid was far less. ONGC's own valuation adviser EY had put HPCL's valuation at Rs 475 a share plus a premium for getting the controlling stake, sources privy to the negotiations said. The outside advise the company took from Citi put the price at Rs 500 per share. ONGC negotiated hard and brought down the acquisition price, they said adding the company would do short-term borrowing to fund the acquisition that would be an all cash- deal to be completed by end of the month. Also, the company has cash reserves of about Rs 12,000 crore. Sources said ONGC has already taken board approval for raising borrowing limit to Rs 35,000 crore from the previous approval of Rs 25,000 crore. Also, it has loan commitments from domestic and foreign lenders totalling roughly double the acquisition prices and the company would draw from them to make the payments in next one week, they said. Based on Friday's closing price of Rs 416.55, HPCL has a market capitalisation of about Rs 63,475 crore. At this price, the government's 51.11 per cent stake is worth Rs 32,442 crore. "Government of India has entered into an agreement with ONGC today for strategic sale of its 51.11 per cent equity share-holding in HPCL at a consideration of Rs 36,915 crore," the finance ministry tweeted. The ministry reasoned the merger to the February 2016 review called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi where he "underlined the need of efficient management of government investments in central public sector enterprises (CPSEs)". The government accordingly expanded the approach from of disinvestment to investment and public asset management. "Accordingly, as part of investment management strategy, the Government of India decided to explore possibilities of consolidation, mergers and acquisitions within CPSE space. An announcement in this regard was also made by the finance minister in his Budget speech of 2017-18," it said. In line with the finance minister's Budget announcement, ONGC proposed to acquire the government's existing 51.11 per cent equity shareholding in HPCL. The Union Cabinet, in its meeting held on July 19 last year, gave 'in-principle' approval to the said proposal and decided to set up an alternative mechanism under the finance minister to decide on the price, timing and the terms and conditions of the strategic sale. "The alternative mechanism under the chairmanship of finance minister in its meeting today approved the price bid of ONGC and the terms and conditions of the sale," it said. Through this acquisition, ONGC will become India's first vertically integrated 'oil major' company, having presence across the entire value chain. The integrated entity will have advantage of having enhanced capacity to bear higher risks and take higher investment decisions etc. In this process, ONGC has acquired significant mid-stream and downstream capacity and will attain economies of scale at various levels of operations. With a turnover of Rs 2,13,489 crore and profit of Rs 6,502 crore during 2016-17, HPCL ranks at 384th position in Fortune Global 500 and 48th place in Platts 250 Global Energy Companies. HPCL markets around 35.2 million tonnes of petroleum products with a market share of about 21 per cent and is number one lube marketer in the country. It has refineries at Mumbai and Visakhapatnam and a joint venture refinery at Bhatinda. It owns the biggest Lube refinery in India and the second largest cross country product pipeline network of about 3,500 km. HPCL has a vast marketing network spread across the length and breadth of the country with terminals, depots, LPG bottling plants, Lube blending plants, aviation fuel stations and around 15,000 petrol pumps. "ONGC Board on January 19, 2018 considered the proposal and approved acquisition of the entire 51.11 per cent shareholding (778,845,375 equity shares) of the President of India, at a cash purchase consideration of INR 473.97 per share with a total acquisition cost of Rs 36,915 crore," the company said. ONGC is the largest producer of crude oil and natural gas in India, contributing around 70 per cent of domestic production. Congressman Scott Perry, who represents Adams, York, and part of Cumberland County, has come under fire from his own party for comments made on Fox News regarding the Las Vegas shooting. On Friday afternoon, Republican Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada posted on Twitter that Rep. Scott Perrys comments on the Oct. 1st shooting in Las Vegas are inexcusable. On Thursday evening, Perry, also a Republican, was a guest of Fox host Tucker Carlson. When the discussion circled to the Las Vegas shooting, Perry said nothings adding up. Its been four months they said hes a lone gunman, lone shooter, yet we cant get the autopsy results. But even more troubling than that, recently, Ive been made aware of what I believe to be credible evidence or credible information regarding potential terrorist infiltration through the southern border, regarding this incident, Perry said. Stephen Paddock killed 58 people after opening fire on a country music festival in Las Vegas. When pressed by Carlson for further elaboration, Perry seemed to maintain that a conspiracy is credible because no one has yet proved it isnt. Well, they could be, well, lets face it, ISIS twice before the attack, ISIS warned the United States that they would attack Las Vegas by, I think, in June and August, and then after the attack claimed responsibility four times, Perry said. Meanwhile, the local law enforcement investigative services are telling us there is no terrorist connection, lone gunman. Again, somethings not adding up. Las Vegas authorities held a news conference on Friday to discuss further details of the case. Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo was asked about Perrys comments, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times, and retorted Id like to see the evidence. There was one shooter in the massacre, Lombardo said, according to the Times. There was only one person responsible, and that was Stephen Paddock. On Twitter, Heller said, I applaud Sheriff Lombardos leadership and I fully support our local law enforcement who have been working tirelessly on this investigation. Even before Hellers rebuke, however, Perry faced scrutiny by a number of media outlets for being unable to source such a serious claim. A Washington Post article noted that Perrys comments appeared to mirror conspiracy theories that have been floated on far-right websites since the October shooting. Many of these theories follow a pattern, in which a white male offender can commit gun crimes only if under duress from outside forces. A link between terrorism and the southern border, as Perry put it, also helps to bolster the case for a wall on the Mexican border, a key point for conservative hard-liners The House Freedom Caucus, of which Perry is a member, supported a short-term funding resolution on Thursday night only under the condition that immigration policy be included in a separate vote on the so-called Goodlatte-Labrador bill, according to reporting by The Hill. That bill would extend the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allows immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as children to stay in the country under certain conditions. But it would also restrict other immigration programs and provide $30 billion for a border wall with Mexico. President Donald Trump relentlessly congratulates himself for the healthy state of the U.S. economy, with its steady growth, low unemployment, busier factories and confident consumers. But in the year since Trumps inauguration, most analysts tend to agree on this: The economy remains essentially the same sturdy one he inherited from Barack Obama. Growth has picked up, but its not yet clear if it can sustain a faster expansion. Hiring and wage growth actually slowed slightly from Obamas last year in office. Consumers and businesses are much more optimistic, but their spending has yet to move meaningfully higher. I dont see any noticeable break over the past year, said Michael Strain, an economist at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. We tend to overstate the degree to which the president has the ability to control the economy. The U.S. public appears to have a similar view, according to a Quinnipiac University poll last week. It found that two-thirds of American voters say the economy is excellent or good, the highest since the poll started asking about the economy in 2001. Yet 49 percent of respondents credited Obama for the economys health, compared with 40 percent who credited Trump. Trumps successful push for income and corporate tax cuts and his steps to loosen regulations have helped drive a surging stock market rally fueled by the prospect of higher corporate profits. And most economists are optimistic that growth will continue at a solid pace this year. We have created more than 2 million new jobs since the election, Trump said last week in Nashville, Tennessee. Economic growth has surged past 3 percent, something that wasnt supposed to happen for a long time. Were way ahead of schedule. Unemployment is at a 17-year low. Those trends arent very different from what came before. Employers added more jobs in Obamas last year in office 2.2 million in 2016 and nearly 3 million in 2014. Economic growth did top 3 percent at an annual rate during the second and third quarters of 2017. But it had surged above 4 percent in the second and third quarters of 2014. The unemployment rate fell from 4.8 percent when Trump took office to 4.1 percent now. It fell by the same amount or more in 2013, 2014 and 2015. During the presidential campaign, Trump portrayed the economy as floundering and called the unemployment rate one of the biggest hoaxes in modern politics. Now he accepts the governments data at face value. When the government reports growth for the October-December quarter next week, it may show the economy expanded at a 3 percent or higher annual rate for the third straight quarter. That could lift growth in 2017 to the fastest pace since it reached 2.9 percent in 2015. Some of that growth may reflect greater spending by consumers or businesses in anticipation of tax cuts. But most economists expect it will take time for Trumps deregulatory and tax policies to have their full effect. Theres no question that businesses and consumers are more optimistic. The Conference Boards consumer confidence index jumped to a 17-year high in November before slipping a bit last month. That hasnt yet resulted in more Americans opening their wallets, though. Spending growth in the first nine months of 2017 was slightly slower than in the previous year. Some economists are growing skeptical of consumer sentiment surveys because the responses seem increasingly skewed by political leanings. People in counties that voted for Trump reported a much brighter outlook on the economy after the election than did people in Clinton counties, according to a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. People in Trump-voting counties were much more likely just after the election to say their financial situation had improved in the past year, the New York Fed said, long before any of Trumps policies were in place. But the change in sentiment didnt produce changes in consumer spending, the report said. It does somewhat undermine the message from the confidence surveys, said Jim OSullivan, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics. American companies have stepped up their investments in machinery, software, and office towers this year after sluggish spending in 2015 and 2016. Such spending increased about 6.2 percent at an annual rate in the first nine months of the year. Still, business investment topped 9 percent in the first three quarters of 2014. In both cases, rising oil prices played an outsized role in spurring more corporate spending. When oil prices increase, drilling firms tend to buy more steel pipe and other goods that are used in drilling rigs. Dean Baker, an economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, points out that when mining and oil and gas are excluded, investment spending has increased an anemic 3.3 percent this year. Many economists expect growth to perk up in 2018, with the impact of tax cuts and the Trump administrations deregulatory efforts spurring corporate investment and consumer spending. So far, 15 regulations that were put in place by the Obama administration have been overturned by Congress. The administration has put dozens of others on hold. Theres just generally the feeling that theres more pro-growth policy coming from Washington, OSullivan said. OSullivan forecasts that growth will reach 2.8 percent for all of this year, roughly in line with other projections. 2017 was largely an Obama economy, Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moodys Analytics, said. But going forward it will definitely be a Trump economy. Other factors besides tax cuts and deregulation are playing a role. For the first time since the most recent major recession ended in 2009, the global economy is enjoying widespread growth. That kind of broad expansion helps boost spending on U.S. exports of factory goods, a boon to manufacturers, and also lifts the stock market because it increases profits for U.S. multinational corporations. Germanys economy expanded 2.2 percent in 2017, the fastest in six years. Business sentiment in Japan is at the highest level in 11 years. China is still growing at nearly a 7 percent annual rate. Manufacturing executives appear highly optimistic and welcome the attention Trump has lavished on their industry. Factories added 196,000 jobs last year after shedding workers in 2016. Still, manufacturing added 208,000 in 2014 and 207,000 in 2011. And most of the jobs that have been added this year were outside the Midwestern Rust Belt states that swung for Trump in the election. Instead, some of the states with the biggest gains are in the South, Southwest and Northwest. Factory jobs grew 4 percent in South Carolina from January through November, the largest gain nationwide, followed by South Dakota with 3.9 percent. Iowa, Rhode Island and Texas were next, followed by Wisconsin, which enjoyed a 3.2 percent gain. Florida, Oregon, Oklahoma, and Arkansas closed out the top 10. Meanwhile, Michigans manufacturing employment was flat last year, while factory jobs rose just 0.5 percent in Ohio. Pennsylvania lost manufacturing jobs. Fiat Chrysler said last week that it is moving production of some pickup trucks from Mexico to a factory in Warren, Michigan, near Detroit, which will be expanded. The move will employ 2,500 people. And Toyota and Mazda said they will build a factory in Huntsville, Alabama, that will add 4,000 jobs. At the same time, 215 more workers were laid off last week at the Carrier Corp. factory in Indianapolis where Trump touted a deal early in his presidency that prevented the plants closure. There are still jobs headed overseas, no question about it, Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, said. You cant tweet jobs back into existence. Friday, January 19, 2018 at 9:22PM This might be what your weekend needs. Reddit user CrazedEli or Ville Salminen in real life built and shared on the r/television subreddit his newest site called Flixable. Its basically a search engine for Netflix that shows you whats popular, original, or leaving the streaming service. Itll let you browse by genre or IMDb rating as well as filter searches based on release date. Salminen said he built the site as a hobby to teach him more about programming but he also realized it addressed a need people still had: how to look for content beyond what Netflixs algorithm suggestswhich admittedly looks like most of their original content but not much of the other content they offer. For now, it catalogs whats available on Netflix in the US, but he says hell be expanding this to include other countries as well. According to Salminen, With Flixable, I had one aim. To build a site that would make it easier for Netflix subscribers to choose what to watch on a movie night. He previously created a similar browsing site for Netflix called AllFlicks but he sold that to Reelgood in November 2017. This new site is basically building on his dream of rebuilding AllFlicks from scratch. He is in talks with Hulu representatives to make a similar site for the service. Source: Mashable "With the strong financial support from this Fellowship and the ANU Futures Scheme, my team will address some of the most fundamental questions about the immune system and will design new therapies for infections and a range of diseases," he said. "The range of roadworks across the Gungahlin district impact the travel patterns of drivers through the network, so full appreciation of the impact and effectiveness of the intersection improvements will not be clear until these works are completed." "A treaty is an acknowledgment that we are the first peoples of this nation, we're the oldest living culture in the history of mankind and it's about respecting that," Mr Devow said. There are a number of reasons for this. Firstly, there is the structural: under changes introduced by Rudd in 2013, it is a lot tougher to change Labor leaders than it used to be. Not only do both federal MPs and the party's membership now get a say in the leadership (requiring a campaign and a postal ballot), but 60 per cent of the caucus has to agree to have a leadership spill in the first place. "Nevertheless, given the Prime Minister's position of overall responsibility for the national intelligence community, it is not inappropriate that this power should be retained. In the case of the Attorney-General, this consideration does not apply," Ms Stone said. "The fire was described as 'lively' and difficult to contain. Twenty-four hours later, the RFS and planes are still on the job. To all those who give their time, their experience gained from hours of voluntary training, and disrupt their own (and their families lives) to protect us, we offer heartfelt thanks. Truly local heroes." Reflecting on last years Womens March that took place in D.C. and around the country, this one sign really stood out for me. It was a reminder that fighting for rights isnt once-and-done women who were marching in the 60s joined their daughters and granddaughters at last years Womens March and many have taken to the streets once again this year. In 1965, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Connecticut law that actually prohibited married couples from using birth control. Subsequently, with the Jan. 22, 1973, landmark ruling in Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court again affirmed that the Constitution protects every persons right to privacy in their health care decision-making, in this case, whether to have an abortion. We have made great progress in this country in reducing unintended pregnancies, due largely to expanded access to birth control, including a historic low of pregnancy among teens. Even with this progress, I believe, as do a majority of Americans, that people have a right to make their own decisions about their bodies, their families, and their lifes path, without political interference. Yet, here we are in 2018 facing some of the biggest threats to womens health and rights since birth control became legal more than 50 years ago. Undermining access to contraception is just one aspect of this administrations broader attack against equal rights and womens ability to fully participate in the workforce and pursue their life goals. Access to birth control is more than just a health issue. Its about health, rights and economic equality. Across the nation, over the past year, we have seen legislators and regulators try to undo provisions that enhance access to birth control by getting rid of programs that help low-income women access birth control, eliminating no-copay insurance coverage for birth control, and even prohibiting health care providers from giving women information about birth control and abortion. And since 2010, states have adopted more than 300 abortion restrictions 30 percent of all abortion restrictions enacted since Roe v. Wade. Birth control and abortion are personal medical choices that should be decided among patients and doctors, not politicians. Its time to stop criminalizing womens health care, interfering with the personal decisions of women, and substituting political agendas for the expertise of health care professionals. But despite these attacks on health care, I feel encouraged. More women will take to the streets to hold protest signs and head to the voting booths to support choice and run for office to advocate for womens health. We are sending a message that we will not tire from holding up our signs we will not give up. In the words of Golden Globe award winner Bruce Miller for The Handmaids Tale (a terrifying cautionary tale about a future without reproductive rights, including contraception and abortion): To all the people in the world who stopped The Handmaids Tale from becoming real: keep doing that. Groupe PSA has plans to return to the United States and the company will lean heavily on Opel engineers who previously helped General Motors bring the Cascada and Insignia to America as Buicks. Speaking at the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit, PSA CEO Carlos Tavares revealed the company has a three-pronged plan to return to America. The company kicked off its return early last year with the launch of its Free2Move service in Seattle. Free2Move is a mobility app which allows residents to book various transportation options including offerings from Car2Go, Lime Bike, and Zipcar. Reuters reports the second phase will involve ride services using vehicles from PSA. This will help to build customer awareness ahead of the third phase which involves selling PSA vehicles to customers in the United States. The company declined to say which brand will be offered in the United States but PSA North America CEO Larry Dominique has previously said the company has already decided which brand will come to the U.S. and it might not be DS. Regardless of which brand comes to America, Tavares said its vehicles will be designed with the assistance of Opel engineers because they can ensure the future products for this market will be fully U.S. compliant both in terms of regulations and consumer tastes. Tavares went on to say the cars are already in development but theres still no word on when they will arrive. In related news, Tavares said the company will be 100 percent electrified by 2025 but later clarified his statement by saying an electric or hybrid powertrain will be offered on all models by then. He also said that by 2030, 10 percent of PSA vehicles will be capable of autonomous driving while another 80 percent will be able to drive themselves under certain conditions. This seems to suggest 10 percent of the companys lineup will have a Level 5 system by 2030 while the others will have a less advanced system which is Level 3 or lower. Photo Gallery Nora Twomeys animated feature The Breadwinner made a strong showing this week at the Canadian Screen Awards, picking up a total of six nominations, including for best motion picture. It marks only the second time in the history of the award, which has been presented in various iterations since 1949, that an animated feature has been nominated for the events top prize. The other instance was in 2005, when Sylvain Chomets The Triplets of Belleville was nominated for and won film of the year. While The Breadwinner originates out of Irelands Cartoon Saloon, the film is eligible for the Canadian Screen Awards because it is an international co-production that has the involvement of multiple Canadian firms. One of its producers is Aircraft Pictures, while Guru Studio contributed artistically to the films production. (Both Aircraft and Guru are located in Toronto.) Canada once again shows the world it is a leader for world peace by hosting a conference in Vancouver January 16 to advocate for an aggressive diplomatic campaign designed to force the rogue regime (North Korea) to the negotiation table and avoid devastating military action. "We continue to find ways to advance the pressure campaign against North Korea, and send a unified message from the international community: 'We will not accept you as nuclear weapons nation' said U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson." Wasnt there another message sent by the international community, a treaty initiated by a Nobel Prize-winning organization (ICAN), and endorsed by 122 nations at the UN last July which said We do not accept any nuclear weapons nations? Which Canadian ally, after leading a three year war which destroyed North Korea and killed 20 percent of its population, has been threatening nuclear annihilation of North Korea for decades, long before a North Korean nuclear program existed? Which country is implementing a trillion plus dollar program to modernize their nuclear arsenal to make their nukes more useable? What if Russia repeatedly massed 300,000 troops along the Ukraine border, conducted fly-overs with stealth and nuclear weapons capable aircraft and announced plans for regime change as the US continues to do in the case of Korea, what would Chrystia Freeland have to say? Finally, though North Korea is labeled as a bellicose dictatorship, human rights violator and practitioner of cruel and unusual punishment of political dissidents isnt this description far more justly applied to Washingtons principal Arab ally Saudi Arabia, the place where 14 billion dollars worth of Justins jeeps are headed? Mark Haley The Kelowna Mission Group will be before City Council on January 23rd requesting a height variance on the towers to be built on the Aqua development. The OCP has approved a height of 6 storeys, the Mission Group are requesting 12-16 storeys. The lakefront is no place for towers and will have the ultimate effect of spoiling our city for the permanent residents. The OCP is there for a reason, it reflects the citizens wishes. Now we have a chance to make our voices heard - so please let us make the most of this opportunity. Dates of note January 18th. at the Hotel Eldorado Open House on the Aqua Project. January 23rd. at City Hall. Mission Group presenting application for variances to tower heights. Time of meeting 6.00pm Janet Smith Photo: CTV Vancouver police say a 53-year-old man who decided to piggyback through a fare gate in plain view of officers ended up travelling straight to jail. Police say the man was stopped when officers spotted him following another passenger through a fare gate without paying on Wednesday. When officers checked police databases, they found the man was wanted on eight outstanding warrants from five jurisdictions in the Metro Vancouver area for charges including theft under $5,000. Police say Walter Craft has made his first court appearance and been remanded in custody until his next appearance on Jan. 25. Photo: The Canadian Press A young cougar, orphaned when its mother was hit by a vehicle, is recovering from frostbite and hunger in Williams Lake. Conservation officer Ron LeBlanc went to a home on Monday to find the animal hiding under some lawn furniture on the deck. He says officers set up a live trap, using sardines and lamb as enticements, and within hours the hungry cat had been caught. LeBlanc says the homeowner thought his dog may have tangled with the cat, but other than having frostbite on his ear tips and being skinny and dehydrated, the cougar was in pretty good shape. There are no facilities in Canada that rehabilitate cougar kittens to go back to the wild, but LeBlanc says the Greater Vancouver Zoo was willing to take in the animal, and it will be transferred there next week. LeBlanc says at two to three months old, the cat was probably close to being weaned and has a very healthy appetite for meat. Photo: CTV Some tense moments in Richmond Thursday when police were called to a possible hostage situation and a man with a gun. Cpl. Dennis Hwang said shortly before 8 p.m. Jan. 18, RCMP responded to a business in the 10,000 block of No. 3 Road for a call of shots fired and a man brandishing a firearm, possibly with hostages. Multiple Richmond RCMP officers surrounded the business and established a security perimeter around the area. A 32-year old male, who was a patron of the business, was assaulted by a suspect dressed in dark clothing and wearing a balaclava. The victim was allegedly struck in the head with part of a firearm, believed to be a shotgun. The suspect then fled in a light-coloured vehicle occupied by multiple suspects. The victim appeared to be specifically targeted, said Hwang. An immediate broadcast was sent to all neighbouring law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for a light-coloured vehicle with multiple suspects and to exercise caution as they may be armed and dangerous. Members of the Vancouver Police Department located the suspect vehicle at 9 p.m. near Ross Street and Marine Drive. VPD officers, including those from their Emergency Response Team provided assistance to Richmond RCMP. A 19-year old male and a 22-year old male are currently in custody in Richmond. The crime vehicle has been seized awaiting further analysis and investigation. The victim was transported to hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries. He has not been co-operative with investigators. The victim and suspects are known to police, said Hwang. Richmond RCMP is continuing their investigation and other arrests may be forthcoming. This is the second incident in Richmond in as many weeks where a firearm has been reported. "Our investigators were able to confirm that no shots were fired, nor were any hostages involved," said Hwang. "These types of incidents are always treated very seriously and illustrate the dynamic and fluid circumstances that police must contend with on a daily basis. Further, it highlights the importance of accurate information. Photo: Contributed A new four-bed luxury recovery centre is opening its doors near Cawston along the Similkameen River. The Healing River Centre is located at the former VineGlass Vineyard resort on Sumac Rd. The 18 acre property will also provide many of the ingredients in meals for clients. The centres executive director Mark Stevens has a Masters Degree and two decades of clinical experience. He will oversee a team of counsellors and therapists. Dixon Terbasket has also been hired as a Syilx cultural co-ordinator and consultant. Owner Roger Hol says the centre will use evidence based treatments that have been scientifically proven to be effective. Hol is also a grape grower, and will continue to operate his vineyard business separately from the recovery centre. Healing River will start by offering 90-day residential treatment, followed a nine month maintenance program treating most types of addiction. More information can be found here. Photo: Contributed Police are announcing charges against an Okanagan Falls man after a traffic stop resulted in the seizure of a loaded firearm. The Penticton South Okanagan Similkameen Targeted Enforcement Unit pulled over a vehicle on Main street in Okaganan Falls Wednesday. Inside the vehicle, officers found a loaded, sawed-off double-barrel shotgun. "Police find this incident alarming as it is the second time in a week they have located a loaded firearm in a vehicle," Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said in a news release. Samuel Prescott-Perreault, 30, appeared in Penticton court Friday on 11 firearms charges. He has several previous convictions dating back to 2014 for break and enter, breach of probation and weapons charges. DEAR ABBY: I'm 18 and was best friends with "Sam" for two years until we started dating 10 months ago. It has been so much fun. He is the first person I have truly loved. When we first started dating we weren't exclusive, and he hooked up with my best friend. We all go to school together and see each other every day. Since then, I'm uncomfortable being around her. I have expressed my feelings to Sam, but there's nothing we can do. I often feel hot and cold about our relationship and get close to breaking up with him. I have considered therapy, but my family can't afford it. What can I do so I don't hurt myself and him? -- HURTING IN CALIFORNIA DEAR HURTING: You didn't mention what you and this young man plan to do in the fall, but if it involves continuing your education, your paths may diverge at that time. In the meantime, you and Sam should be free to see others because, if your emotional needs were being met, you wouldn't be blowing hot and cold about the relationship. DEAR ABBY: I started sucking my thumb when I was 1. My parents tried for years to break my bad habit, but it wasn't until I started going to slumber parties at 16 that I stopped. I am now 27, and a few months ago I woke up with my thumb in my mouth. Since then I have caught myself sucking my thumb in the middle of the night. It seems to happen when I'm really tired. I am now in a committed relationship and would die of embarrassment if my boyfriend saw me doing it. How can I stop once and for all? -- WET THUMB IN THE SOUTH DEAR W.T.: I have heard from other adults who suck their thumbs, so comfort yourself with the thought that it's not all that unusual. One way to fix the problem would be to not allow yourself to get overly tired. Another would be to coat your thumbs with a bitter or bad-tasting substance at bedtime. (Some people find the taste of nail polish deters them from thumb-sucking.) You could also apply hand cream and wear cotton gloves to bed. However, if that doesn't do the trick, simply level with your boyfriend and ask him if it's a deal-breaker. P.S. You were able to quit the habit for 11 years. Something triggered your return to it. Consider keeping a journal to identify what is going on before your thumb-sucking episodes so you can gain insight into what may be causing them. DEAR ABBY: I haven't been in a relationship since 1995. Is it true when they say, "Use it or lose it," and does it hold true for women also? -- WANTS TO KNOW IN INDIANA DEAR WANTS TO KNOW: I think the answer to your question may depend upon what "it" is. DEAR ABBY: I co-signed a college loan for my grandson. Unfortunately, he didn't earn passing grades and was kicked out. He frequently misses loan payments, and I end up getting a late payment letter. I am afraid his inattention to this debt will adversely affect my credit. I can make the late payment or pull the money out of my savings and pay off the loan. If I pay off the loan, I plan to deduct that amount from his inheritance. He's very apologetic about it when I talk to him, but I'm tired of it hanging over my head. How should I handle this? -- TIRED OF PAYING DEAR TIRED OF PAYING: Your grandson's irresponsibility WILL reflect on your credit if it hasn't already. Pay off the loan and do not co-sign for him again. He should repay the money he borrowed from you as well as any penalties when he begins earning his own money. However, if he doesn't, you are within your rights to deduct the amount from his inheritance. DEAR ABBY: I have become completely unemotional. I don't feel sad when there is a death. I feel no joy when I see a baby and, in fact, think people are selfish for having children in the world we live in today. When a couple gets married, I also feel -- nothing. I'm 66 and have a great life with no health or financial problems. I'm friendly when I'm out in public, although I'd rather be left alone. I'm not miserable. I am just burned out on human beings and feel numb. What's up with me? -- ABNORMAL IN ARKANSAS DEAR ABNORMAL: Have you seen your doctor during the past year? If not, you should, to rule out a physical illness. If there's nothing physically wrong, you may be describing something called "ennui" -- a kind of world-weariness. (An old song performed by Peggy Lee titled "Is That All There Is?" which you can find on YouTube, expresses it perfectly.) A change in your routine may give you the jolt you need. If you aren't in the habit of doing it, 30 minutes of brisk daily exercise might give you a lift. However, if that doesn't help your malaise, some sessions with a licensed mental health professional may help you understand why you've been feeling the way you do. DEAR ABBY: Can you and some of your readers give me an answer to a pressing question? I recently remarried, and I still feel like I'm visiting instead of living in my new home. None of my husband's late wife's furniture has been removed to make room for mine. Only a few minor changes have been made. When I suggest any changes, they are ignored. How can I tactfully make my feelings known? -- LIVING WITH A GHOST IN ALABAMA DEAR LIVING WITH A GHOST: Do that by stating your feelings CLEARLY. This is something the two of you should have reached an understanding about BEFORE your wedding. If your husband continues to ignore you after that, work it out with him with the help of a licensed marriage and family therapist or other mediator. DEAR ABBY: I am a tween and I'm scared about getting a disease or sickness. It started when I watched the news one night last month waiting for a show to come on. The news had all these terrible crimes and diseases, and that's when I started freaking out. My friend says I'm crazy, and I'm afraid she's right. All this worrying has me really feeling out of it. What should I do to quit worrying about diseases? -- SOUTHERN GIRL DEAR SOUTHERN GIRL: There's a saying in the news business, "If it bleeds, it leads." It means the more shocking a story is, the more attention it will grab and the more people will watch. Quieting your fears may be as simple as talking with your parents about what's scaring you, or having them schedule a visit with your pediatrician. DEAR ABBY: I've been seeking the answer to this for years. My husband is deceased. Am I still related to his family? How do I introduce them? -- IN LIMBO IN PENNSYLVANIA DEAR IN LIMBO: You are as related to them as you WANT to be. Introduce them by their names or as your former in-laws. DEAR ABBY: I am president and co-founder of the Wildlife Center of Virginia, one of the leading teaching and research hospitals for wildlife medicine in the world. We have treated more than 70,000 wild patients since our organization was established 35 years ago. Like the reader ("An Apple a Day," Aug. 11) who is under the impression that throwing an apple core out the car window is doing something positive for the Earth, many individuals make "little" decisions without considering the unintended consequences. The example of the apple core has been at the heart of our education program for more than three decades. Before throwing that apple core out the window believing that some small animal will come finish what's left, people should consider what will happen if the animal coming to eat their scraps happens to be on the other side of the road. Throwing out that apple core will lure that creature into harm's way. Countless opossums, raccoons, skunks and other small mammals are killed every day because of human food waste on the shoulder of the road. And it doesn't stop there. Predators like owls also suffer. They hunt along the side of the road, not because they eat apple cores, but because they eat the mice, voles and other small animals who are attracted to feed on that apple core. Then, when the opossum, raccoon or owl is killed by a car, scavengers are attracted to the pavement, where their lives, too, are at risk. If readers want to help the Earth, they should take their waste home and dispose of it or recycle it properly. The small act of throwing an apple core out of a car window can cost the lives of the very creatures they claim to want to help. -- EDWARD CLARK, WAYNESBORO, VA. DEAR MR. CLARK: When that letter appeared, I received a flurry of mail about it. Many readers touched on some of the points you have expressed. Thank you for writing so eloquently to educate my readers -- and me. Lesson learned. DEAR ABBY: I'm 29 and I'm having trouble holding down a steady job. I am a college graduate, and it's not because I don't like to work. My problem is I have a strong personality and I tend to butt heads with management. Deep down, I think I'll only be satisfied with a job if I'm the boss or own my own business. Do you have any suggestions about positions for someone who can't handle having a boss? -- MISS INDEPENDENT IN THE BRONX DEAR MISS INDEPENDENT: No. Unless someone has rich parents or a magic lamp, most people have to work for -- or with -- others until they build enough capital to start a business. Even then, business owners must interact with clients they don't always agree with. Because you tend to butt heads with those in management positions, you would be wise to start working on becoming more patient and less dogmatic. Both qualities will help you in the future if you can develop them. DEAR ABBY: The winter months are hard for me. They remind me that another year has gone by without my father and my younger sister. Dad had been a smoker since his teens and died from pancreatic cancer at 39. I was 13, and my siblings were younger. In those days, we didn't know that smoking was a risk factor for pancreatic cancer. My sister smoked from the time she was 13. She died from lung cancer at 44, leaving behind two young sons. Neither my father nor my sister got to experience the wonderful family milestones and celebrations we have had. Their grandchildren will never know them. Each year during the holidays, I feel a sadness in my heart. I urge every smoker to make a vow to quit and carry it through, not only for their own sake but also their family's. Stay determined to quit so you won't cause your loved ones sadness and won't miss out on their futures. With all my heart, I wish smokers the best of luck in quitting. -- MISSING DAD AND SIS IN SACRAMENTO DEAR MISSING: I'm glad you wrote because the American Cancer Society's annual Great American Smokeout will be held on Nov. 16. It's a day when millions of smokers put down their cigarettes -- just for one day -- with the conviction that if they can go 24 hours without one, then they can do it for 48 hours, 72 hours, and stop smoking for good. The idea grew out of a 1970 event in Randolph, Massachusetts, and became a national event in 1977. Readers, I'm not going to harangue you with death threats. We are all aware of the grim statistics associated with cancer-related deaths caused by tobacco. If you're interested in quitting, this is a perfect opportunity. Call (800) 227-2345 to be connected with counseling services in your community, provided with self-help materials offering information and strategies on quitting for good, and to receive information about medications available to help you quit. This service is free and provided 24/7. Or go online to cancer.org. DEAR ABBY: I need your help. Over the past few weeks, I have been vacationing at my mother-in-law's home. The other day I was browsing on her computer and accidentally opened her browsing history. It turns out that she regularly looks at and responds to Craigslist personals. I was shocked when I read some of the perverted requests she has responded to. The language she used would make a sailor blush. Keep in mind, my mother-in-law is a married woman. I don't know how to react. Should I tell my wife? Keep it to myself? Make a fake Craigslist post and catch her in the act? -- KINKS IN THE FAMILY DEAR KINKS: If you disclose this to your wife, it could damage her relationship with her mother. If she tells her mother what you found, it will create a breach in the family. If you trap the woman by creating a fake Craigslist post and she realizes she has been made a fool of, it will not -- to put it mildly -- endear you to her. Let it lie. DEAR ABBY: I am in a predicament. My therapist is great, but sometimes I think she shares too much. Last time I went, she was running late. When I finally got into her office, she told me the previous patient was nonverbal and had painted her nails during the session. Later in the session, she confided that years ago she had been date raped. Abby, I am in counseling because my father raped me when I was 15 (I am now 24). Her sharing has me worried because I don't want her telling others what I say or do during counseling. Further, her story of the date rape scared me. She described a situation that is not uncommon for me to be in, and it caused something almost like a flashback in me. I think what she did was insensitive, to say the least. I have nobody else to ask, so what should I do? I'm getting counseling for free now due to my income, and it took months to get set up with a counselor. Should I report her or accept that this was a mistake and say nothing? If I need to report her, how would I go about doing that? -- CONFLICTED ABOUT IT DEAR CONFLICTED: You should change therapists because it appears this one has more problems than you do. As to what agency you should report her breach of professional ethics to, contact the state organization that has licensed her to practice. Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069 Photo: CTV Firefighters in Surrey have turned to technology in the battle against opioid overdoses. The fire department has partnered with Vancouver-based software developer GINQO to create a program that mines data from dispatch calls in real-time to identify clusters of overdoses. Those clusters can be a sign that a batch of tainted drugs is circulating on the streets and the program can alert first responders to a potentially escalating situation. The software kicks in automatically when data from emergency calls corresponds with specific criteria, such as more than three overdoses within one square kilometre in a four-hour period. The Surrey Fire Service started using the program late last June and has since received 10 alerts about overdose clusters. Fire Chief Len Garis says when the department gets an alert, they can make sure they have the resources available to respond properly. "We were basically sitting and waiting for things to happen and now we can see the surges coming and we can adapt to it," he said. The department was inspired to take action after 17 overdoses over a 72-hour period in December 2016, Garis said. The overdoses were later linked to what appeared to be tainted batches of crack cocaine and pure cocaine, he said. The firefighters responded to an average of 7.5 overdose calls per day in Surrey last year. "There's a huge strain on our first responders because we've been running pillar to post trying to address this," Garis said. The department has also formed a partnership with Statistics Canada aimed at trying to determine a typology on individuals who are overdosing. Officials and software developers are working to make the alert program predictive so it can say when and where overdoses may occur. That will help first responders become proactive instead of reactive, allowing them to prevent overdoses, Garis said. "It's giving us some hope that we're trying to get in front of this thing," he said. Photo: Pilot PMR Sunniva Inc., which is planning to build BC's largest medical cannabis facility on Osoyoos Indian Band land, is working with OK College to set up a training program for future employees. Sunniva Inc., the company owned by Tony Holler that is proposing to build a 700,000 square-foot medical marijuana greenhouse near Oliver, is in discussion with Okanagan College about setting up a training curriculum for its future employees. "It would be a new offering for sure," Dennis Silvestrone said, OK College's director of continuing studies corporate development. The idea was first sparked in the fall when the involved parties met, according to Silvestrone. "Since then, a couple of my colleagues have been working with members of (Sunniva's developers), to scope out a training program for folks that would be working in the greenhouse," he said. "They've been developing job descriptions, we've been looking at competency, skills and knowledge that would be required for those positions." He said the program would likely be a course of 300-400 hours of theory and practice, with work experience involved at the Sunniva greenhouse to train people for skilled labour positions. The school also anticipates that some current course offerings in horticulture would be included to the new program relating to cannabis. Holler said he expects his cannabis greenhouse would employ about 200 people. It's not the only new marijuana greenhouse planned in the Okanagan; a Vernon-based medicinal marijuana company is building a similar facility in Lumby. With the cannabis industry budding, Silvestrone said he believes there will be good student interest if a related curriculum is set up with OK College. "This could be a significant economic driver for the Okanagan, if we look forward over the next three to five years," he said. "I would anticipate there will be a significant demand for skilled labour, in a number of areas related to the supply chain for cannabis." Silvestrone said he knows of a few schools in eastern Canada that have set up similar training programs for the cannabis industry, adding OK College has a "progressive stance" on training for that field. "For us, it's exciting to be part of a start-up of what could be quite a large business in the South Okanagan, and to be able to support that and create good jobs for people who live in the area," he said. "We're happy to be able to support (Sunniva's project)... and look forward to ways we can work with other similar companies across the Okanagan." Photo: Facebook B.C.'s education minister is joining calls for a school board member to step down after the trustee blasted education policies aimed at supporting LGBTQ students as "child abuse." The Chilliwack Board of Education passed a motion Thursday asking trustee Barry Neufeld to resign over the Facebook rants, saying Neufeld has lost the confidence of the board and partners in learning. Education Minister Rob Fleming echoed the call Friday in a Facebook post, saying Neufeld's comments were hurtful and offensive, and undermine the goals of the school board and the ministry. Neufeld declined comment on the board's motion or Fleming's remarks when reached by phone on Friday but the board's statement says Neufeld has stated he intends to continue in the position. In October, Neufeld criticized proposed changes to the board's Safe Schools Policy that align with the B.C. Human Rights Code ensuring all students are free of harassment, including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer. He later apologized for his comments in a statement, saying he believes in a safe learning environment, but added that educational resources should be reviewed by parents and teachers before they're implemented. In an interview with The Canadian Press in October, Neufeld said he believes the district's Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity program encourages children to question their biological gender and consider gender transition. "Throwing that out there for Grade 4 children to consider, to me, that is not wise and it infringes on the rights of parents to make these decisions,'' he said. "While individuals are entitled to their opinions, Mr. Neufeld has jeopardized student safety, divided his school community, and acted against board and ministry policies," Fleming said in a statement. He noted that an education minister does not have the authority to dismiss an individual trustee, but he does not believe that Neufeld should continue in his role. "Its time for him to now do the right thing for the Chilliwack school community and step down," the minister said. Neufeld has been a trustee for two decades. Photo: The Canadian Press FILE - In this Oct. 16, 2009, file photo, shows Senior Zimbabwean MDC opposition official Roy Bennett, left, and his wife Heather, relax at a friends home in Mutare about 200 km east of Harare, Andra Cobb was frantic when she called for help, telling an emergency operator that a helicopter she was riding in with her father, longtime partner and others had crashed in a remote part of New Mexico and that she was watching her "family burn." Police released 911 recordings Friday from the crash near the Colorado-New Mexico line that killed five people, including Zimbabwean opposition leader Roy Bennett, and his wife, Heather. Cobb, 39, was the sole survivor, escaping with broken bones before the helicopter burst into flames. Her father, Paul Cobb, the co-pilot, and her longtime partner, Charles Burnett III, a Texas-based investor who owned the ranch where the group of friends was headed, also were killed in the crash Wednesday, along with pilot Jamie Coleman Dodd. "I'm watching my family burn in a fire," Andra Cobb screamed on the call. "I don't know what to do. There's a big fire. I'm covered in gasoline." Dodd also called 911 before he later died. He told authorities immediately after the crash that there were three victims and three survivors him, Andra Cobb and Roy Bennett, who was suffering from a head wound as authorities tried to determine their location. Officials launched a search but said the response was slow because of the rugged terrain and lack of access. Andra Cobb remained on the call for about an hour as she waited for authorities to arrive. Bennett's death was met with an outpouring of grief in Zimbabwe. A white man who spoke fluent Shona and drew the wrath of former President Robert Mugabe, Bennett had won a devoted following of black Zimbabweans for passionately advocating political change. Photo: The Canadian Press Sen. Charles Schumer walks to the chamber after a closed meeting with fellow democrats on Capitol Hill, Friday. The federal government shut down at the stroke of midnight Friday, halting all but the most essential operations and marring the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump's inauguration in a striking display of Washington dysfunction. Last-minute negotiations crumbled as Senate Democrats blocked a four-week stopgap extension in a late-night vote, causing the fourth government shutdown in a quarter century. Behind the scenes, however, leading Republicans and Democrats were already moving toward a next step, trying to work out a compromise to avert a lengthy shutdown. Since the shutdown began at the start of a weekend, many of the immediate effects will be muted for most Americans. But any damage could build quickly if the closure is prolonged. And it comes with no shortage of embarrassment for the president and political risk for both parties, as they wager that voters will punish the other at the ballot box in November. Social Security and most other safety net programs are unaffected by the lapse in federal spending authority. Critical government functions will continue, with uniformed service members, health inspectors and law enforcement officers set to work without pay. But if no deal is brokered before Monday, hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be furloughed. After hours of closed-door meetings and phone calls, the Senate scheduled its late-night vote on a House-passed plan. It gained 50 votes to proceed to 49 against, but 60 were needed to break a Democratic filibuster. A handful of red-state Democrats crossed the aisle to support the measure, rather than take a politically risky vote. Four Republicans voted in opposition. In an unusual move, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell allowed the roll call to exceed 90 minutes instead of the usual 20 or so and run past midnight, seemingly accommodating the numerous discussions among leaders and other lawmakers. Still as midnight passed and the calendar turned, there was no obvious off-ramp to the political stalemate. Even before the vote, Trump was pessimistic, tweeting that Democrats actually wanted the shutdown "to help diminish the success" of the tax bill he and fellow Republicans pushed through last month. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders later termed the Democrats "obstructionist losers." Democrats balked on the measure in an effort to pressure on the White House to cut a deal to protect "dreamer" immigrants who were brought to the country as children and are now here illegally before their legal protection runs out in March. The president watched the results from the White House residence, dialing up allies and affirming his belief that Democrats would take the blame for the shutdown, said a person familiar with his conversations but not authorized to discuss them publicly. Predictably, both parties moved swiftly to blame one another. Democrats laid fault with Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress and the White House and have struggled with building internal consensus. Republicans declared Democrats responsible, after they declined to provide the votes needed to overcome a filibuster over their desire to force the passage of legislation to protect some 700,000 younger immigrants from deportation. Republicans branded the confrontation a "Schumer shutdown" and argued that Democrats were harming fellow Americans to protect "illegal immigrants." Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said a "Trump shutdown" was more accurate. Photo: Contributed Dozens of communities across Canada will host women's marches today, a year after the historic rallies that coincided with Donald Trump's inauguration as U.S. president. Dozens of communities across Canada will host women's marches today, a year after the historic rallies that coincided with Donald Trump's inauguration as U.S. president. Organizers say they feel a sense of momentum they could not have predicted when they first took to the streets a year ago. At that time, more than half a million women converged on the U.S. capital to protest Trump, whose remarks about women included boasts about sexual assault on a leaked recording. Participants in the original marches say their fears about the incoming administration have materialized, but the cause they marched for may be further ahead than it was a year ago. Activists including Sara Bingham of Women's March Canada point to the "Me Too" movement as one example of the way women's voices are being heard. At least 38 communities across Canada will host marches, rallies or other events on the one-year anniversary of Trump's inauguration. Photo: File photo Russian police had an unexpected encounter while searching a house in St. Petersburg a crocodile in the basement. The Fontanka.ru news portal said the incident happened Thursday while detectives were looking for undeclared weapons in the house of a man involved in staging reconstructions of historic military battles with period uniforms and antique weaponry. When they went down, they saw a crocodile resting in a small pool of water dug in the concrete basement. The owner of the house explained that he got the crocodile years ago. City prosecutors said Friday they were checking whether the man was complying with local laws. Photo: timesofindia.indiatimes.com Thousands of Indian troops battled for hours a huge fire emanating from a highly polluted lake, causing panic among thousands of people in the southern city of Bangalore, the army said Saturday. Nearly 5,000 soldiers swung into action on Friday after the fire threatened a military area with huge clouds of smoke billowing from the lake filled with sewage, chemical effluents and construction debris and choked with water hyacinth, an army statement said. The army said the efforts prevented the fire from engulfing civilian areas of Banagalore, one of India's key information technology hubs. Fire engines and water bowsers from nearby civilian areas also assisted in controlling the fire. A huge smoke was still rising from the area on Saturday morning with firefighters trying to douse it completely. In 2015, a toxic froth spilled over to some of Bangalore's streets due to extreme levels of pollution in the Bellandur Lake. Tests found extremely high amounts of phosphorous and other inorganic chemical compounds in the lake. Authorities have been trying to repair a barrier that was supposed to keep sewage from flowing into the lake, depleting its oxygen. Another Bangalore lake caught fire in May last year when garbage was set ablaze on its bed. It's not a popular thing to defend Paul Manafort, the international influence peddler who ran Donald Trump's presidential campaign for a short time in 2016. Just search for "Manafort" and, say, "sleazeball," and see what comes up. But even bad guys have a case sometimes. And Manafort has a case in his lawsuit against Trump-Russia special counsel Robert Mueller. Mueller sent Manafort a strong message last July, when FBI agents working for Mueller, guns drawn, broke into Manafort's house in the pre-dawn hours while Manafort and his wife slept inside. Mueller sent another message last October, when he indicted Manafort on eight counts (out of a total of 12) that targeted allegedly criminal acts that ended in 2014 or 2015, before Manafort's participation in the Trump campaign. None of the counts concerned alleged collusion during the 2016 campaign between Trump or his associates and Russia. Now, Manafort has pushed back with a lawsuit against Mueller. Manafort argues that the Justice Department gave Mueller overbroad powers, and that, as a result, the investigation of Manafort, and the resulting indictment, has ventured "beyond the scope of (Mueller's) authority" granted to him by deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein. Some legal analysts have characterized Manafort's lawsuit as frivolous. If Manafort were really serious, they say, he would have filed a motion with the court that will try the case against him. Or he would have made a different legal argument. This is not to argue with that legal thinking. But everything in the Trump-Russia affair operates on two levels, the legal level and the political level. And on the political setting, Manafort has made a strong case that he is being treated unfairly. Rosenstein authorized Mueller to investigate three things. First was "any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump." Second was "any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation." Third was crimes like perjury or obstruction of justice that occurred "in the course of, and with intent to interfere with, the Special Counsel's investigation." Manafort's objection is to the second part of Mueller's charge, "any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation." Manafort's argument is that virtually invited Mueller to venture far afield from the Trump-Russia topic -- and violated those Justice Department regulations guiding special counsels. The regulations specify that the special counsel "will be provided with a specific factual statement of the matter to be investigated." That's what Rosenstein did when assigning Mueller to probe alleged coordination between Trump and Russia. Manafort does not object. But the regulations go on to say that if the special counsel feels the need to go beyond his original charge, he "shall consult with the Attorney General," who will decide whether that request should be granted. Manafort argues that some of the charges against him -- for example, that he failed to file reports on his interest in foreign bank accounts in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, as well as that he failed to register as a foreign agent between 2008 and 2014 -- not only have nothing to do with the Trump-Russia affair but allegedly began and ended before Manafort's association with the Trump campaign. They clearly do not fall under the first part of Mueller's charge. If Mueller wanted to pursue those matters, Manafort argues, Justice Department regulations require that he "consult with the attorney general" (or in this case, the deputy attorney general), to get permission to broaden the scope of his investigation. But Mueller did not have to do that because Rosenstein had already given him an overly broad appointment by granting him the authority to pursue "any matters that arose or may arise directly from" that investigation. "That exceeds the scope of Mr. Rosenstein's authority to appoint special counsel as well as specific restrictions on the scope of such appointments," Manafort's suit argues. "Indeed, the Appointment Order in effect purports to grant Mr. Mueller carte blanche to investigate and pursue criminal charges in connection with anything he stumbles across while investigating, no matter how remote from the specific matter identified as the subject of the Appointment Order." There is plenty of legal arcana in the suit, and many legal objections to be made to it. And Mueller and Rosenstein could moot the whole thing by explicitly expanding Mueller's authority to include specific activities that have no connection to the Trump-Russia affair. But as a political case, Manafort makes a strong point: Mueller is prosecuting people (Manafort and associate Rick Gates) for alleged crimes that have nothing to do with Donald Trump, Russia and the 2016 election. That political argument may be heard more and more as the Mueller investigation goes on. Byron York is chief political correspondent for The Washington Examiner. Photo: Brandon Beal A crash about 20 kilometres west of Revelstoke has a section of Highway 1 down to alternating single-lane traffic. UPDATE: 12:50 p.m. Another crash has slowed traffic along the Trans-Canada Highway about 20 kilometres west of Revelstoke, according to a motorist. Brandon Beal said the highway was blocked off for a short time but traffic is now moving through an alternating single-lane. Beal said it's the third closure along Highway 1 he has endured today, as he is commuting from Cochrane, Alta. to Abbotsford. "I sat at the last scene for over an hour, and for 45 minutes at the accident scene prior to that," he told Castanet. Single-lane alternating traffic is also still in effect west of Golden, where DriveBC reported an accident closed the highway for about an hour in both directions. - with files from Colton Davies UPDATE 10:56 a.m. A motorist says Highway 1 is now open west of Golden. UPDATE 10 a.m. Highway 1 will be closed in both directions 18 km west of Golden to 17 km west of Golden because of a vehicle recovery. The road is expected to reopen at 11 a.m. with single-lane alternating traffic until 1 p.m. An accident has closed the eastbound lanes of Highway 1 near Golden. According to DriveBC, the highway is closed 11 kilometres east of the city and no detour is available. There is no word on when the eastbound lanes will reopen. Photo: Facebook Half-empty shelves show the amount of whisky confiscated from Fets Whisky Kitchen in Vancouver. In a prohibition-style move, government officials raided B.C. businesses and confiscated hundreds of bottles of whisky. Odai Sirri, vice-president of operations for the Grand Hotel in Nanaimo, said he was shocked when 11 bottles of specialty whisky were confiscated. "Our hotel was part of a co-ordinated raid that the liquor board had done across the island and in Metro Vancouver," said Sirri. "At 10 a.m., we were hit along with other hotels and bars that serve the kind of high-end unique whisky products that we do. "It's 2018 and it shines another spotlight on how archaic the liquor laws are in British Columbia. Year after year the issue does not get addressed. We're talking about a year where marijuana is being legalized, and the government is spending resources on whisky." He said the business is still unclear why the products were seized, but all were obtained from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society of Canada, not provincial liquor suppliers. Fets Whisky Kitchen in Vancouver, had hundreds of bottles seized. "The government inventoried, catalogued, sealed and removed 242 bottles of whisky from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society worth about $40K," the business said. B.C.'s Ministry of Attorney General provided a statement to CTV News on Friday that did not specifically comment on the seizures, but indicated the products were confiscated because they weren't purchased through the Liquor Distribution Branch. "The (Liquor Control and Licencing Board) operates independently in terms of the General Manager's supervision of licensees, and enforcement decisions cannot be directed by the Attorney General," the ministry said. It added that all liquor sold by bars and restaurants must be purchased through the branch and must be documented in the establishment's liquor register. - with files from CTV Vancouver Island Photo: Google Maps Two Canadians and two Americans who were kidnapped in Nigeria's north-central Kaduna state on Tuesday have been freed and are in good condition, police said Saturday. Police and a special anti-kidnapping squad rescued the foreigners in the Kagarko local government area Friday night after a massive manhunt, state police commissioner Agyole Abeh said. "No ransom was paid. It was the efforts of the police through the directives of the Inspector General of Police that led to their release," he said. One suspect was arrested in connection with the kidnapping and police were on the trail of remaining suspects, Abeh said. The foreigners have been taken to the capital, Abuja, Kaduna state police spokesman Mukhtar Aliyu said. "They are in good condition but due to trauma they have to undergo medical observation." Aliyu said. Gunmen ambushed the foreigners Tuesday as they travelled from Kafanchan in Kaduna state to Abuja. Two police escorts were killed in what police called a "fierce gun battle." The Americans and Canadians have not been publicly identified. Aliyu earlier said they are investors setting up solar stations in villages around Kafanchan. Elizabeth Reid, a spokeswoman for Global Affairs Canada, said Canadian officials worked closely on the ground with the Nigerian government. She said in an email that they have "been in regular contact with the Canadian families and the employer to provide assistance and support." Kidnapping for ransom is common in Nigeria, especially on the Kaduna to Abuja highway. Two German archaeologists were seized at gunpoint last year less than 100 kilometres northeast of Abuja and later freed unharmed. Sierra Leone's deputy high commissioner was taken at gunpoint on the highway in 2016 and held for five days before he was let go. Victims typically are released unharmed after ransom is paid, though security forces have rescued a few high-profile abductees. A number of bandits, including herdsmen, have been arrested. Photo: The Canadian Press Members of the movement Laicos de Osorno sing while holding up images showing the Rev. Fernando Karadima, and his protege Juan Barros, bishop of Osorno, with a message that reads in Spanish: "A bishop who covers up cannot be a priest," during a vigil in front of the Cathedral of Santiago, Chile. Pope Francis' top adviser on clerical sex abuse implicitly rebuked the pontiff over his accusations of slander against Chilean abuse victims, saying Saturday that his words were "a source of great pain for survivors of sexual abuse." Cardinal Sean O'Malley, the archbishop of Boston, said he couldn't explain why Francis "chose the particular words he used" and that such expressions had the effect of abandoning victims and relegating them to "discredited exile." In an extraordinary effort at damage control, O'Malley insisted in a statement that Francis "fully recognizes the egregious failures of the church and its clergy who abused children and the devastating impact those crimes have had on survivors and their loved ones." Francis set off a national uproar upon leaving Chile on Thursday when he accused victims of the country's most notorious pedophile priest of having slandered another bishop, Juan Barros. The victims say Barros knew of the abuse by the Rev. Fernando Karadima but did nothing to stop it a charge Barros denies. "The day they bring me proof against Bishop Barros, I'll speak," Francis told Chilean journalists in the northern city of Iquique. "There is not one shred of proof against him. It's all calumny. Is that clear?" The remarks shocked Chileans, drew immediate rebuke from victims and their advocates and once again raised the question of whether the 81-year-old Argentine Jesuit "gets it" about sex abuse. The Karadima scandal has devastated the credibility of the Roman Catholic Church in Chile, and Francis' comments will likely haunt it for the foreseeable future. O'Malley's carefully worded critique was remarkable since it is rare for a cardinal to publicly rebuke the pope in such terms. But Francis' remarks were so potentially toxic to the Vatican's years-long effort to turn the tide on decades of clerical sex abuse and coverup that he clearly felt he had to respond. O'Malley headed Francis' much-touted committee for the protection of minors until it lapsed last month after its initial three-year mandate expired. Francis has not named new members, and the committee's future remains unclear. "It is understandable that Pope Francis' statements ... were a source of great pain for survivors of sexual abuse by clergy or any other perpetrator," O'Malley said in the statement. "Words that convey the message 'if you cannot prove your claims then you will not be believed' abandon those who have suffered reprehensible criminal violations of their human dignity and relegate survivors to discredited exile." Francis' comments were all the more problematic because Karadima's victims were deemed so credible by the Vatican that it sentenced him to a lifetime of "penance and prayer" in 2011. A Chilean judge also found the victims to be credible, saying that while she had to drop criminal charges against Karadima because too much time had passed, proof of his crimes wasn't lacking. Those same victims accused Barros of witnessing the abuse. Yet Francis said he considered their accusations "all calumny" and that he wouldn't believe them without proof. Catholic officials for years sought to discredit victims of abuse by accusing them of slandering and attacking the church with their claims. But many in the church and the Vatican have come to reluctantly acknowledge that victims usually told the truth and that the church had wrongly sought to protect its own by demonizing and discrediting the most vulnerable of its flock. O'Malley said he couldn't fully address the Barros case because he didn't know the details and wasn't involved. But he insisted the pope "gets it" and is committed to "zero tolerance" for abuse. Photo: Contributed An Afghan official says that a group of gunmen have attacked the Intercontinental Hotel in the capital Kabul. An Afghan official says that a group of gunmen have attacked the Intercontinental Hotel in the capital Kabul. Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish confirmed Saturday that the hotel came under attack at around 9 p.m. local time, but could not provide additional details. Afghan Special Forces arrived at the hotel in response to the attack, Danish added. Nasrat Rahimi, a deputy spokesman for the Interior Ministry, confirmed that there were four attackers. One was killed by Afghan security forces and three others are still battling the forces from inside the hotel, he added. He only said three people are reported wounded so far, but that the number of casualties might rise. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Photo: CTV UPDATE: 2:15 p.m. IHIT has identified the victim of a fatal shooting in Abbotsford on Friday to be 24-year-old Lovepreet Singh Dhaliwal. In a news release, IHIT also identified a vehicle that was observed leaving the scene after the shooting, which was later found burnt out in a rural area of Langley. The vehicle, described as a black Acura TL, was found in the 22300 block of 61st Avenue. Cpl. Frank Jang urged anyone with information on Dhaliwal's death to speak to investigators. There are people who knew Mr. Dhaliwal that may have information that could help us solve his murder. I urge these individuals to come forward," Jang said. Dhaliwal was found dead in a van in the area of Promontory Court and Ridgeview Drive. Officers said he was pronounced dead at the scene when they arrived at 6:30 p.m. Police said he sustained several gunshot wounds, and his killing is believed to have been targeted. IHIT said they are working with the BC Coroners Service and Abbotsford Police Department to gather evidence. ORIGINAL: 12:35 p.m. A man in his mid-20s is dead after he was the victim of a shooting in Abbotsford on Friday night, which police said was targeted. Abbotsford Police Department responded at about 6:30 p.m. to shots fired in the 3500 block of Promontory Court. Upon arrival, officers found a man inside a van who had been gunned down. Witnesses told CTV they heard up to eight gunshots. The shooting was on the same street where an innocent bystander was killed in 2015 standing outside of his home, after his neighbour's house was targeted. That incident was related to gang violence, police said. It's unclear if the two shootings on the street are connected. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has taken over the investigation. - with files from CTV Vancouver Photo: The Canadian Press Hundreds of people have turned out to salute a speedy border collie that became an internet sensation for keeping a northern Michigan airport free of wildlife. People lined up to get inside City Opera House in Traverse City for a memorial service for Piper. The 9-year-old dog was euthanized Jan. 3 after battling prostate cancer. Piper's owner, Brian Edwards, choked up at times as he talked about the dog while photos were displayed on a large screen. Piper was a wildlife-control canine at Cherry Capital Airport the nemesis of geese, ducks and even snowy owls. Edwards says there's "no book on how to be an airport canine." He says it took "hard work." Images of Piper on the job, wearing his airport vest, ear muffs and goggles, made their way onto online social forum Reddit. He quickly became a top hit. 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Ireland United States Minor Outlying Islands United States of America Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Dispatch tells us Odessa Fire Rescue is in route to respond to a major fire at 12372 West Love Drive in Odessa. No word yet on the cause of the fire or if there are any injuries. CBS 7 News will continue to update you as more information becomes available. 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. 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. Steven Barney Layne Bryant, 60, of Cleveland, Tennessee, passed away on January 18, 2018. He was son of the late Buster and Princess Clark Bryant on Feb. 1, 1957. He was born and raised in Bradley County and was a truck driver for Bradley Concrete at the time of his passing. Steve enjoyed watching NASCAR and fishing; however, nothing compared to how much he loved spending time with his grandson, Fletcher Galloway. Steve leaves behind to cherish his memory his daughter Tailer Galloway (Christopher), grandson Fletcher Galloway of Fort Wayne, IN; sister Renae Edwards (Ted) of Gillette Wyoming; twin brother Stan Bryant; brother Tim Bryant (Sherry); mother of his daughter Cheryl Bryant and her friend Tony Chase all of Cleveland. Steve also leaves behind numerous nieces, nephews, and extended family members and friends such as Kelly Harris, as well as his special friends from The Village: Kelly, Nina, Jason, Ashley and Justin. The Bryant family would also like to extend their appreciation to Hospice of Chattanooga for the extraordinary care given to Barney in his final days. The family will receive friends from 5-7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 22, at Companion Funeral Home located at 2419 Georgetown Road NW, Cleveland, Tn. 37311. A celebration of life service will be held at 7 p.m. at the funeral home. You are invited to share a personal memory of Steve or your condolences with his family at his online memorial located at www.companionfunerals.com. Companion Funeral and Cremation Service and the Cody family are honored to assist the Bryant family with these arrangements. Colombian midfielder and Chicago Fire transfer target Juan Quintero will not sign with the MLS club, sources have told 90 Minutes. Quintero, 25, has signed a season-long loan deal, with a mandatory option to buy a percentage of his rights, with Argentinian club River Plate. Advertisement The Fire had offered a loan deal with an option to buy, and agreed personal terms with the player. Portuguese club Porto, owner of Quinteros rights, had been unwilling to loan the player once again after his latest loan spell at Independiente Medellin of the Colombian league. Chicago, negotiating only with the player and his agent, and never directly with Porto, informed them of its unwillingness to pay the transfer fee in December, and negotiations with Quintero broke down. Advertisement Two weeks ago, Quinteros agent met with people from River Plate, and opened up the possibility for Quintero to join the Argentinian club, with the possibility of playing the 2018 Copa Libertadores with one of the top clubs in Argentina and South America. Porto and River Plate agreed on the aforementioned deal days after the initial meeting. 90 Minutes also learned that Quinteros camp always viewed a move to Chicago as a last resort throughout the whole process, in case no other options were available, but never having a real interest in joining the MLS side. River Plate is set to officially annonuce the acquisition of Quintero in the coming days. Susie-Mae Woods, plays bingo at St. Bernard Hospital in Chicago as nursing medical assistant Lisa Brown talks to her after checking her blood pressure. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) It wasnt long ago that Charles Holland was giving opening-day tours of the gleaming outpatient center at St. Bernard Hospital in the Englewood neighborhood, built to bring a bevy of health care services and optimism to a community in need of both. A year and a half later, the carpets still look brand-new, but the CEOs tour is tinged with great anxiety about the future of the 114-year-old hospital. Advertisement As the state revamps an outdated formula that distributes hospital Medicaid funding, many hospitals like St. Bernard whose budgets rely heavily on the money are bracing for a financial hit they say they cant afford. We cant be cut a dollar, said Holland, who last year laid off more than 20 managers and instituted a pay and hiring freeze to control costs amid rising expenses. In fact, I need more money to keep the hospital viable for the future. Advertisement St. Bernard is among the states 22 safety net hospitals those where more than half of patient stays are covered by Medicaid. Across the Chicago area, those institutions are worried that the revised funding formula will cut deeply into their budgets. They say the prospect of mass layoffs, reduced services or outright closures of their facilities will be devastating to the communities they serve, which already lack adequate health care and jobs. Its just unconscionable; its detrimental to our very being, said George Miller, president and CEO of the 189-bed Loretto Hospital, where about 68 percent of inpatient stays are for Medicaid patients. Loretto is the largest employer in the Austin neighborhood, where the unemployment rate is nearly 20 percent, and 40 percent of its 585 employees live in the community, Miller said. At issue is the states hospital assessment program, which distributes about $3.5 billion in Medicaid funding to 200 hospitals across Illinois. Thats more than half of the institutions total Medicaid money. The program requires nearly all of the states hospitals to put money into a fund, which is then grown through a federal match before it is redistributed to the hospitals based on a complex formula that takes into account the size of their Medicaid population as well as their dependency on Medicaid funding. For some hospitals with mostly Medicaid patients, the assessment program makes up nearly half of their budget, while for others with many patients on private insurance, its a much smaller portion of their funding. The problem is that the formula hasnt been updated in over a decade and still bases the amount hospitals pay and receive on 2005 inpatient data and 2009 outpatient data, which officials say doesnt reflect how and where Medicaid recipients are currently getting their care. A decline in hospital stays, growth in outpatient services, population shifts and an expansion of Medicaid to include some 680,000 more Illinois adults has spread the Medicaid market to more hospitals than were serving the population a decade ago. The current assessment program expires after June 30, and the Illinois Health and Hospital Association, a trade group representing all the hospitals, has developed a model to modernize the formula. It has been working with the states Department of Healthcare and Family Services, plus the bipartisan Medicaid working group in the state legislature, to get a bill drafted. Thats proving to be a race against the clock, as the plan has to be approved by the General Assembly before being sent to the federal Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services for final approval and implementation. Lawmakers are expected to vote on the redesigned plan by the end of January or early February. Advertisement If July arrives without the new plan in place, some hospitals will not be able to pay their bills or keep their doors open. To guard against that scenario, crafters of the bill hope to include a bridge provision that would keep the current assessment plan in place until the new one is approved, though that plan also has to get the OK from the Medicaid agency. The formula changes havent been finalized, so it isnt clear how much more or less money each hospital will receive, but payments will increasingly reflect actual patient and procedure volume, rather than allocating a fixed sum. And the new formula will be based on Medicaid services provided by the hospitals in 2015, with regular updates to keep the data current. Hospitals that have seen a decline in Medicaid patients since 2005 could see reduced reimbursement, though the complexity of the formula means its not so clear-cut. For example, a hospital that has seen an increase in Medicaid patients could still get less money under the new plan if its share of the statewide Medicaid population has declined. To cash-strapped safety net hospitals that call the assessment their lifeblood, the notion that their funding could be reduced is flabbergasting. There are providers that are making profits that are earmarked to take our money, said Tim Egan, CEO of Roseland Hospital. The far South Side hospital laid off 35 of its 500 employees in December and instituted a pay cut for executives and all nonunion staff, while Egan himself wont collect a salary for at least 60 days. Advertisement Roseland gets $23 million from the assessment program, about half of its budget, and the most recent draft of the proposed changes has it losing $6.6 million of that money, Egan said. That would lead to certain closure of the only hospital within 7 miles in the high-violence community, he said. He calls the situation absolutely immoral. State statistics showing declines in patient volume dont tell the full story, he added. The state is increasingly moving people into Medicaid managed care organizations, which have higher rates of denying patient claims, and those denied patients are not counted in the states Medicaid statistics even though they are still treated. Egan says well over 60 percent of Roselands patients are on Medicaid, though the state lists the rate at 53 percent. But non-safety net hospitals that have seen dramatic growth in Medicaid patients over the last decade also need adequate funding to cover those rising expenses, officials said. Big hospital systems, like Advocate Health and Presence Health, with large patient volumes are among those that could get funding bumps. While the assessment hasnt been finalized, we support a new program that is based on updated data in which funds more closely follow Medicaid patients and the services they receive, Meghan Woltman, vice president of government and community relations at Advocate Health Care, said in a statement. Advocate, the largest system in the state, has 12 hospitals in Illinois. In addition to Medicaid beneficiaries, these dollars are critical to the health care infrastructure of the state, she said. Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, a member of the Medicaid working group, said legislators have twin goals: Giving stability to safety net and critical-access rural hospitals, which also are disproportionately affected by the changes, while putting more money where more patients are going. Advertisement At the start of discussions, the working group asked the states biggest hospital systems if it would be good or bad for them if the safety nets closed, and all said it would be bad, because they dont have the capacity to absorb tens of thousands of new patients, he said. Its good public policy to be sure that as we set this up for the next five to six years we are sending money to support the transformation of health care to more efficient models but also protecting access to health care, Harris said. To support hospitals that will lose money, there is a proposed funding pool of several hundred million dollars to help them adapt to the changing needs of their communities, such as by converting underused facilities to address growing needs like behavioral health, substance abuse and senior rehabilitation. We dont want to put hospitals out of business, said Rep. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon, a member of the legislatures Medicaid working group. We want to make sure health care providers are available in communities to provide the care they need. A critical point of contention as the redesign unfolds is how much money the state should be trying to get from the federal government to swell the assessment pot. The Illinois Health and Hospital Association, as well as the Association of Safety Net Hospitals, a lobbying group, are pushing the state to pursue more one consultant estimated $300 million more could be available. There is a limit to how much money the state can receive from the federal government, though determining that limit involves still more complex calculations. Advertisement We are working diligently to ensure that we maximize the funding for this Medicaid program to allow all of our hospitals to fulfill their mission of caring for their communities, said A.J. Wilhelmi, CEO of the Illinois Health and Hospital Association. John Hoffman, spokesman for the Department of Health and Family Services, said in a statement that the department is committed to drawing down as much federal revenue as it can, within the boundaries of what is permissible under federal law, to support our hospitals. We remain strong advocates of our safety net hospitals and will continue to work with the IHA to ensure their viability to support our communities in the years ahead. The 22 safety net hospitals in Illinois, most in the Chicago area, together employ 25,000 people, according to the Association of Safety Net Hospitals. Many are independent community hospitals like Norwegian-American Hospital in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, which sees 112,000 patients a year. Nearly 80 percent of its patient population is on Medicaid and it receives $31 million from the assessment, according to state figures. About 60 percent of its 900 employees live in the community. The hospitals CEO, Jose R. Sanchez, is not confident the state has its back. There is no support for safety net hospitals, there is no concern for poor communities right now, he said. Advertisement The safety net hospitals argue their community service provides value beyond a balance sheet. Dr. Angeles Valdes, director of Norwegians wound clinic, is a native of Puerto Rico, like many residents of the neighborhood, and said patients travel there for care from throughout Chicagos Hispanic community. We are not only bilingual but multicultural, said Valdes, who works to save limbs in the high-diabetes community. We have patients who come in from everywhere because they are looking for hope, she said. St. Bernard Hospital is the largest employer in Englewood, where economic and safety challenges have driven the population down 35 percent since 2000. Three hundred of its 850 workers live in the neighborhood or surrounding areas, filling cafeteria, cleaning, security and nursing jobs. The assessment funding constitutes a third of St. Bernards budget, and the $1.7 million decrease it is facing would force serious decisions about layoffs and service cuts after so much effort to improve services, Holland said. It recently opened a behavioral health outpatient practice that includes a methadone clinic that sees 220 patients a day. Advertisement The $33 million outpatient center it opened in June 2016, financed entirely by the religious order that has operated St. Bernard since 1904, is the best evidence of the hospitals efforts to respond to the needs of its community. An immediate care clinic, full of waiting families, has helped cut emergency room visits, and specialists like cardiologists have designated hours so people dont have to travel far for care. Dr. Daria Terrell, an orthopedic surgeon at the hospital, said the proximity is a huge relief for her many patients who walk with canes or crutches, while others come from hours away because they cant find another hospital that takes their insurance. The opening of the sunny building, on a lot that had been vacant for 40 years, was also a symbol that youre not giving up on the neighborhood, and the prospect of a closure would be psychologically damaging, she said. Advertisement The hospital doesnt limit its role to health care. In a conference room designated for community events, it has held mass baby showers for new moms who didnt have baby showers themselves, collecting gift donations from staff. It also hosts a monthly senior bingo night, where players can get their blood pressure taken between games. Its just something to do, get out of the house, and have fun and mingle with other people, said Olivia Taylor, 78, who walks the block from her home to attend. I look forward to it. Advertisement To Holland, the debate about how to fund hospitals like his shouldnt be about complex calculations. Its a compassion issue, Holland said. Where is the compassion? aelejalderuiz@chicagotribune.com Twitter @alexiaer Hats off to the folks who headed to Chicago on Saturday to take part in the Women's March. I applaud them. I admire them. But I did not join them. And for that reason I sit here today, toiling with feelings of inadequacy, with guilt and with more than a little curiosity. Advertisement Truth be told, I may tip my chapeau to them, but I also regard protesters in much the same way I think of headwear itself: I love a hat on others, especially ladies. I've just never felt comfortable wearing one myself. And I say that with my head hung low. Advertisement It's not that I don't get riled up over what has happened to our country the past year. No matter your politics, there's no question we have become one nation divided by a leader who is a master at adding fuel to the fire (and fury) that has changed the landscape of politics and family dinners. Yes, I do plenty of ranting. And cursing. I shake my head in disbelief. I even have thrown pillows at the TV while listening to what comes out of the mouth of this president. But unlike the legions of women across this country who have knitted hats and held up signs and knocked on doors and run for office, I've stayed on the sideline. And I confessed as much to a few of the people who marched on Chicago on Saturday, hoping they could help me understand my passive resistance at such an important crossroads in our nation's history. Perhaps, I secretly thought, these good folks might even offer something akin to forgiveness for the fact I chose to watch Netflix and clean toilets on Saturday instead of joining their efforts. Unlike other confessions I've uttered when it comes to my sins, I offered no excuses, including the fact I have a broken toe that screams bloody murder when I put on shoes. But bless her heart, protester Christine Foley I got to know her after writing a column about her experience with Hawaii's false missile alert tried to provide me with a few. She suggested that perhaps it was a fear of crowds or of getting hurt at these emotionally charged gatherings that kept me from attending. No, I told her. I hate crowds and violence but have no problem inserting myself into tightly packed or awkward or potentially volatile situations. And I can't even use the excuse that journalists are not allowed to take on active roles in these events because I know, deep in my heart, that's not the reason I shunned several invitations to join marchers last year and this year. Retired Naperville educator and community activist Dianne McGuire, who helped organize a group of about 60 women and "male allies" for this march, came awfully close to assuaging my guilt, reminding me it's never too late to become a catalyst for change. "Don't be so hard on yourself," she said. "Your time is coming." Advertisement Marchers head to, then out of, Grant Park for the Women's March 2018 On Jan. 20, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) But the more I listened to her exuberance, enthusiasm and passion, the more I decided that yep, she's got different DNA than me. So does Mavis Bates, an environmental activist from Aurora who also attended the march and believes that as a community organizer it is her job to get those like me off the platform and into the pool. Although she hates to use the word "judge," she said, "I do urgently feel the need to organize those who are passionate but still don't do anything." Said Bates, "You are the fire lighter, I have the box of matches. ...We try to find you. But you have to want to be found." By the way, it's not just women whose compelling words, not to mention actions, put me to shame. Vincent Martin, an IT engineer from Aurora who is African-American, attended the Chicago Women's March for a second year "because we all have a dog in this fight." And he's "more charged-up than ever" because "we can't accept Trump's first year in office as the new normal." Advertisement "We must," he said, "let the world know that not all Americans, by any stretch of the imagination, feel the way he does." And if it's energy I'm lacking, Martin said, "there's nothing like standing in a crowd of 300,000" to get the batteries charged again. I did perk up considerably when I called Stephanie Weber, who attended last year's protest, and found out she did not go to the march on Saturday. "I think it is a cool thing," said Weber, the longtime executive director of Suicide Prevention Services in Batavia. "But with my limited ability and energy " She paused. And I felt my heart do a little flippity-flip. Might I finally have found an explanation to my passivity? One I could live with? "I've gotten involved in Chris Kennedy's campaign," she said. "I am trying to use my limited spare time to do what I believe can be more impactful." Advertisement And there you have it. "Not everyone is made to march," said Bates, adding that perhaps I just need to find the right activity that will get me involved. "Maybe it's stuffing envelopes," she kindly said, "or making phone calls or knocking on doors." Or throwing pillows. At least for now. dcrosby@tribpub.com Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army fighters shout slogans before heading towards the Syrian border, in Kirikhan, Turkey, on Jan. 21, 2018. (Furkan Arslanoglu / AP) HASSA, Turkey Turkish troops and Syrian opposition forces attacked a Kurdish enclave in northern Syria on Sunday in their bid to oust from the area a U.S.-allied Kurdish militia, which responded with a hail of rockets on Turkish towns killing at least one refugee. The Turkish offensive on Afrin, codenamed Operation Olive Branch, started Saturday and has heightened tensions in the already complicated Syrian conflict, threatening to further strain ties between NATO allies Turkey and the United States. Advertisement On Sunday, the United States urged Turkey to exercise restraint and ensure that the offensive is "limited in scope and duration." A statement by State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert also asked Turkey to be "scrupulous to avoid civilian casualties," adding that all parties involved in Syria should focus on defeating the Islamic State group. The Syrian government, Iran and Egypt condemned the attack, which activists said has killed at least 18 civilians in the Kurdish-held enclave, Afrin, in the first 24 hours. Turkish officials say 11 rockets launched from Syria have landed in Turkish towns along the border, killing at least one Syrian refugee and injuring 47. Advertisement France called for an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting to discuss the developments there and urged Turkish authorities "to act with restraint in a context where the humanitarian situation is deteriorating in several regions of Syria." Turkish officials said the troops entered Afrin a day after dozens of Turkish jets and artillery units at the border pounded Syrian Kurdish targets. A spokesman for the Kurdish fighters said the attack was repelled. Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish militia, known as the People's Protection Units, or YPG, a terror organization and a security threat because of its affiliation with Kurdish rebels fighting in southeastern Turkey. The group controls Afrin, in Syria's northwestern Aleppo province, as well as nearly 25 percent of Syrian territory, to the east along Turkey's border. The YPG also forms the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces, the main U.S. ally against the Islamic State group in Syria. U.S. support for the Kurdish militia has been a cause of perpetual conflict between Ankara and Washington, which has backed the Kurdish militia. U.S. officials have said that the administration had appealed to Turkey not to go ahead with the offensive. A Turkish operation there could have an impact on U.S. operations further east in Syria, the officials said. The operation, for which Turkey has also rallied nearly 10,000 Syrian opposition fighters, could spill into a wider Turkish-Kurdish confrontation inside Turkey. There is an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 Kurdish fighters in the Afrin district, the Turkish prime minister said. The operation also includes airstrikes on the district, threatening to create another humanitarian disaster in the region. The Afrin district houses no less than 800,000 civilians, including displaced people from earlier years of the Syrian war. Russia pulled back troops that had been deployed near Afrin after it was briefed on the operation by Turkey. Advertisement Kurdish officials said Russian military officials have proposed handing over Afrin to the Syrian government to avert a Turkey military offensive. They said they refused the proposal. Badran Ciya Kurd, an adviser to the Kurdish administration in northern Syria who meets regularly with Russian and US officials, told The Associated Press Sunday that Russian officials suggested that handing over the enclave, encircled by Syrian government and its rival Turkey and Syrian fighters it backs, would avert the Turkish offensive. It was not immediately possible to reach Russian officials. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told a group of journalists that Turkey aims to create a 20-mile deep "secure zone" in Afrin. On Sunday, the state-run Anadolu Agency said the Turkish-backed fighters had penetrated 3 miles into Afrin as part of the offensive. At least one person, a Syrian refugee in Turkey, was killed when Reyhanli, a Turkish border town, came under a hail of rockets Sunday. It was the second Turkish town to come under attack. Earlier, the rockets fired from Syria targeted the border town of Kilis, but there were no casualties. Advertisement In a statement, the Syrian opposition fighters battling alongside the Turkish troops said the combined force seized Shinkal, a village on the northwestern edge of Afrin district. A Syrian rebel commander said the clashes with the YPG fighters were intense, but that the Turkey-backed forces would fight to "eliminate terrorism" from the area. SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali denied that Turkish troops had entered Afrin, saying Kurdish forces have been repelling attacks since Saturday. Bali said the SDF sent reinforcements to Afrin. The YPG said meanwhile that it had destroyed two Turkish tanks. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that Kurdish militia and Turkish forces clashed on the northern and western edges of Afrin. It said the Turkey-backed forces entered Shinkal and Adah Manli to the west. It added that the Turkey-backed forces captured three YPG fighters. The Observatory said airstrikes killed eight in Afrin's southeast, bringing the total of civilians killed since the attack began to 18. Sepan Jan, a journalist in Afrin, said stores and services were operating normally. Residents in border villages were taking precautions against the bombings, he said. The only road out of Afrin, leading to government-controlled Aleppo, has been closed for security reasons, he added. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to expand the offensive to Manbij, a town to the east that Kurdish forces seized from IS in a costly battle with the aid of the U.S.-led coalition. The town has since emerged as a model for U.S.-backed Kurdish rule of largely Arab areas. A Turkish dvance on Manbij would further strains relations with Washington, which has troops operating in the Manbij area. Advertisement Turkish troops first crossed into Syria after the Kurds captured Manbij in 2016, in part to prevent them from expanding westward and linking territory to Afrin. At least 70 Turkish soldiers were killed, most in battles with IS militants, which have since been driven from nearly all the territory it once held in Syria. Syria's government had vowed to shoot down any Turkish fighter jets over Afrin, calling it an "aggressive act." On Sunday, President Bashar Assad condemned the "brutal aggression" on Afrin but didn't repeat the threat. He said Turkey has always supported "terrorists" in Syria. Iran, a close ally of Assad, also condemned the Turkish assault and called on Turkey to end it. "The continuing crisis in Afrin may boost terrorist groups again in the northern parts of Syria," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said according to Iran's official IRNA news agency. Egypt, which maintains security coordination with Syria and is at odds with Turkey, said the military offensive threatened political negotiations. Turkey has prepared around 10,000 Syrian fighters to storm Afrin, according Rami Abdurrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Some were stationed in Azaz, on the eastern edge of Afrin and others in Atmeh to the south. Advertisement El Deeb reported from Beirut. Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey contributed to this report. I simply will not tell you that Chicagos City Hall has been smooching the behind of Amazon boss Jeff Bezos. No. I just wont do it. Advertisement And I wont say that the civic leaders of the other 19 cities still in the Great Amazon Headquarters Sweepstakes are smooching Bezos behind, either. No, no. No. Advertisement Theres been so much hype and political/media baby-talk about the Amazon sweepstakes all for the promise of 50,000 jobs and $5 billion in investments that the headquarters would bring that some of you might be making a mistake. You might think that some epic smooching is going on. Yet only a chumbolone would think so. And youre no chumbolone. Yes, the mayors of the competing cities, including Chicagos Rahm Emanuel, are fawning over Amazon boss Bezos, the richest man in the world, who also owns The Washington Post. And theyre groveling, flattering, cajoling and sucking up like crazy. About the only thing I havent seen is mayors dressing up like jesters and performing medieval egg dances for Bezos pleasure. But theyve got time. Yet the one thing theyre not doing is smooching Bezos behind. Thats not their job. Advertisement Thats your job. Local governments are pushing taxpayers right up close to the Bezos tuchis, using their official taxing powers to give commands to your lips to begin kissing that Bezos behind. You might not like it. You might not like the word behind, either. But there are other words, including bum, keister, rump, tushie, hind end, backside, buttocks, rump, haunch, and gluteus maximus. Or, my new favorite: fundament. There are many words for it, so pick the one that works best for you. But fundament is a good, solid choice, one not ruined by overuse. Advertisement Because if Bezos selects your town, and local politicians begin clapping and dancing, then you immediately drop to one knee and begin kissing the Bezotian fundament. Why? Because each city, Chicago included, is offering selective tax incentives, tax breaks, this sweetener and that one, to make their pitch more attractive. Not lower taxes for all businesses, but just for Bezos. Chicagos package offers more than $2 billion in tax incentives, a nice tidy sum. Illinois, Chicago and Cook County teamed up to offer more than $2 billion in incentives to Amazon, and offered 10 proposed sites. But as billions of dollars in incentives are offered to the favored, the cost of government doesnt go down. Somebody has to make up the difference. So guess who gets to kiss it? Advertisement If youre a Chicago shopkeeper, or you own some other small business, youd probably love to get smooched in this fashion. Small businesses create most of the jobs. They pay taxes and dont have top politicians as their tax reduction specialists, yet theyre often forced to beg for government services that theyve already paid for. Theyre just not big enough to demand respect. But Bezos is big. Illinois problem is that the city is broke and the state is broke, with billions in unfunded public worker pension liabilities, and taxes are going up again all over. There arent enough cops in the city, and in the suburbs, the property taxes are out of control. And people flee the state to lush, exotic locations like Indiana. Advertisement And though taxpayers will subsidize the Amazon deal, they wont get so much as an All-Pro wide receiver out of it. Cheerleaders for the project meaning mouthpieces will say I dont know what Im talking about and that by the time this great project is finished, it will probably pay for itself. Theyre probably right. They probably know everything. But do they also know robotics? Weve been told that automation will replace most of the jobs out there in a few years. And driverless truck technology, meaning driverless trucks, is coming even sooner than the robots, meaning even more jobs will be eliminated. So wholl be left to pay the Bezos tax in Illinois? Just the trial lawyers, public union bosses, tax reduction attorneys and politicians? Advertisement Oh, they wont stick around. Theyll be living large at some poolside club in the Cayman Islands, with cold rum drinks, laughing at J.B. Pritzkers jokes about the plumbers. Thats probably why the other big push in local government lately is to legalize pot and other drugs. Its a good idea. Because with jobs gone and taxes climbing, the people must be encouraged to drug themselves into a compliant stupor. Its better than revolution. The Amazon headquarters is indeed a massive project. And whatever city wins, politicos will puff out their chests, cut ribbons, dig into the ground with their famous silver shovels and smile for the cameras. The line about how itll pay for itself will be repeated and repeated again, by political hacks doing interviews on TV, and reporters nodding sagely because they dont know what else to do, until everybody says itll pay for itself the way sheep say baaaa. The 2016 Chicago Olympics was going to pay for itself too, remember? Advertisement We were told by politicians that the Olympics were great for Chicago and the city really needed the Olympics and anyone who didnt like the Olympics was mean, stupid, short-sighted and hated Chicago. Happily, Chicago taxpayers lost the Olympics, and now the Brazilians are paying for it instead. Im all for creating jobs. And 50,000 jobs are nothing to scoff at. But compelling taxpayers to smooch the Bezos fundament probably isnt the best way to stimulate economic development. Its simply fundament-al. Listen to "The Chicago Way" podcast with John Kass and Jeff Carlin at http://wgnradio.com/category/wgn-plus/thechicagoway. Advertisement jskass@chicagotribune.com Twitter @John_Kass RELATED [ Chicago made Amazons short list. Theres still plenty of competition ] [ Amazon HQ2 contenders include Chicago; Rauner, Emanuel react by trading jabs ] [ Chicago's competition: A look at the 20 bids for Amazon's HQ2 ] Get your knickers out of your asscrack snotnose....1st nobody owes me jack-**** because I served in Vietnam....2nd I said that the voting age should stay at 18 if you are on active duty and 3rd I meant because I was denied the right to vote when I was in combat because I was not old enough does not bother me... My generation (effin Hippies excluded) was not a bunch of snowflakes who whined and sniveled about every little perceived slight....We were able to suck it up and understand that life ain't fair....and then you die... Jaime Hauad was resentenced to time served and was released from the Graham Correctional Center in downstate Hillsboro, Ill., on Jan. 19, 2018. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) Jaime Hauad left home for the last time on a spring morning in 1997, kissing his mom goodbye as she still lay in bed. Later that day, he was picked up by Chicago police for questioning in a double murder in the 3100 block of West George Street. Advertisement Hauad, just 17 at the time, never went back home. Within days, he was charged. A conviction followed. A life sentence. Advertisement On Friday afternoon at 12:59 p.m., Hauad, who for two decades has alleged that police coerced a statement from him by threatening to cut his toes off in a paper cutter, walked out of Graham Correctional Center in Hillsboro, Ill., and into his mothers arms. When I was in prison, the people that went home before me like Juan Rivera other people who proved their wrongful convictions inspired me, Hauad said in a telephone interview Friday as he drove past small rolling hills and trees of Central Illinois. And I just hope that my story inspires people who are still in prison ... who are fighting. In a surprise decision this week, the Cook County states attorneys office agreed to reduce Hauads sentence to time served, granting him an immediate release from the Illinois Department of Corrections. Hauad had already been resentenced once, in 2016, after a Supreme Court ruling dictated that juveniles cant be sentenced to life. Hauad still had 14 years pending on that sentence as of Thursday morning, when Cook County Judge William Gamboney ordered the release, based in large part on a recommendation from Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxx's office, which had reviewed the case. The decision did not affect Hauads conviction on the murders, and he and his legal team plan to continue to fight for his exoneration. Central to Foxxs decision to agree to the release was the finding in 2017 by the Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission of sufficient evidence to support Hauads allegations of abuse which include the dramatic story that he was forced to put his feet in an office paper cutter as detectives threatened to cut his toes and sliced at the tips of his sneakers. Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 7 Anabel Perez addresses the commissioners about her incarcerated son, Jaime Hauad, during a meeting of the Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission at the Thompson Center on Sept. 21, 2016, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) Since it allegedly happened, Hauad has shared that story with his mother, his criminal defense attorney and, finally, attorneys at Northwestern law schools Bluhm Legal Clinic, which took up his case along with attorneys from the DLA Piper and Jones Day law firms in Chicago. Critical to their legal fight was that the torture commission was able to document Hauads seemingly outlandish story through police lineup photos. Hauad, who sat through two lineups, was wearing his Fila sneakers with the tips intact in the first. In the second, he is wearing a different pair of shoes and a friend is wearing the now-damaged Filas. Advertisement After Hauad was allegedly made to put his feet in the paper cutter, police took the shoes from him, he has said. A short time later, he saw the shoes in a hallway and grabbed them. He quickly gave them to the friend, who was also at the detective area that day under arrest. Hauad asked him to switch shoes and take the damaged Filas to his mother when he got released. The two switched shoes, and the friend delivered the Filas to Perez. She gave them to her sons defense attorney though the allegation never came up at trial. For the first time Friday, Hauad was able to recount to the news media the dramatic story himself. When I went to the second lineup, the first person I seen was a person I know from the streets, Hauad said. And one of the first questions he asked me was, What happened to your shoes? That was when I was able to tell him, This is what they are doing to me. Get these to my mom. And let her know. Hauad, speaking on his lawyers cellphone from the backseat of the car as he traveled home, recounted how his friend initially balked. His only hangup was he got some brand new (Nike Scottie) Pippens, Hauad said. He said, Man, I just got these. Advertisement It wasnt until years later that Hauad figured out how to document the incredible story. While in an IDOC law library, he saw another inmate with lineup photos and gently asked how he got them. He slid me a Freedom of Information form and told me if I write to headquarters of the Chicago Police Department they will send me that, Hauad said, referring to the state law that requires public bodies to release information upon request. I never knew that. That is all I did. The return of the photos was emotional for Hauad not only because he immediately saw that he finally had photo evidence of the damaged shoes but also because of how young he looked in the photo arrays. It was emotional for me to see how young I was, he said. It brought me to tears. I was a kid standing there. It was sad for me to see. Hauad, when asked about the abuse, said he recalled how one officer held his feet on the board while the other worked the blade. He was not convinced they were really going to cut his feet, he said. But he said he believes they were trying to scare him into confessing to the murders, which he maintains he did not do. Hauad never confessed to police, but his attorneys have argued in court filings that any statements he gave including an alibi that was later determined to be bogus were coerced. Advertisement They were trying to get me to sign some papers, he said. To be honest, I didnt think they were going (to go) that far (to cut him). But these were tactics they used to get you to confess to sign whatever documents they had to strengthen their case. I was a kid. And I got life. Hauad's attorneys are not aware of any internal investigation into the allegations against the officers, or discipline. In a statement, the Fraternal Order of Police called the decision to release Hauad a "betrayal of the criminal justice system." Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > On Friday afternoon Hauad, who left prison in a gray sweatsuit and with an envelope filled with paperwork, was on his way home to a relatives home near Chicago. One of the lawyers who worked on the case, Rachel Cowen of DLA Piper, said, "Watching him come out and embrace his mother was probably the most rewarding part of process." Though Hauad is also coming home to a wife whom he married while in prison she is not living in the Chicago area, which makes her home ineligible as a residence for an Illinois parolee. Because his release came up somewhat quickly, Hauad said he has not figured out exactly what his next move will be other than that he is looking forward to his first real job. Advertisement As for the streets he left behind Hauad said he has no intention of returning to the life he was living as a teenager. Unfortunately I joined a gang at an early age and was running with the wrong crowd, he said. I learned that bad company corrupts good behavior. I am going to be a law-abiding citizen. asweeney@chicagotribune.com @Annie1221 [ RELATED: Man convicted of double murder as juvenile is freed after 21 years in prison ] Last February, Antwon Golatte shows off the bullet wounds and injuries he suffered from a police shooting in 2015, with help from his attorney L. Chris Stewart. Last February, Antwon Golatte shows off the bullet wounds and injuries he suffered from a police shooting in 2015, with help from his attorney L. Chris Stewart. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune) Bucking a recommendation that two officers be fired, the Chicago Police Board suspended them without pay for a year each for firing into a moving car against department policy and wounding an unarmed man. But Officer Jaime Gaeta and Harry Matheos, since promoted to detective, could be back on street duties next month, since both were suspended when Superintendent Eddie Johnson brought department charges against them last February, said police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. Advertisement In a 5-1 vote at its monthly meeting Thursday night at police headquarters, the police board found that the two violated the departments use-of-deadly-force policy by shooting at a moving car that posed no immediate threat. But the police board balked at firing them, as Johnson recommended. Antwon Golatte was shot in the abdomen as he tried to flee during a traffic stop on the Far South Side, police alleged. He had been working as an informant for police for several years before the shooting in February 2015, according to a report issued in 2016 by the citys police oversight agency. Advertisement In its 27-page decision issued Friday, the police board said the officers never had the authority to make the traffic stop. The two officers had claimed to witness Golatte make a hand-to-hand drug deal, but while testifying at a police board hearing last year, both admitted they were were 250 to 275 yards away and didnt use binoculars. They admit that they did not observe any drugs, did not see the actual transaction, did not recall what anyone was wearing, and that the transaction coincidentally occurred right after they began their surveillance, according to the board. Max Caproni, the police boards executive director, said the now-defunct Independent Police Review Authority recommended that both officers be fired, but Johnson at first sided with the officers, finding their actions did not violate department policy. A three-member panel of the police board, however, then recommended the officers be fired, Caproni said, leading Johnson to file departmental charges against the two and recommend their firing. In the meantime, Golatte was acquitted early last year by a Cook County jury of felony charges connected to the afternoon shooting near 115th Street and Princeton Avenue in the Roseland neighborhood, court records show. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > According to IPRAs report of its investigation, Gaeta and Matheos said Golatte drove toward them before the two fired their service weapons at him. Gaeta, an 18-year department veteran, fired three times, and Matheos, on the force for 22 years, fired twice. IPRAs analysis of the bullet trajectories from the officers guns showed both opened fire while standing next to Golattes vehicle instead of in front of it, according to the report. That proved to be crucial evidence in IPRAs determination that the two violated departmental policy that prohibits officers from shooting at moving vehicles if the vehicle is the only weapon being used in the confrontation. As Officer Gaeta had time to react to (Golatte) manipulating the gear shift, reversing his vehicle, manipulating the gear shift again, turning his wheel, and then driving forward, it is reasonable to believe that he had the time and opportunity to move out of the vehicles path, as mandated by the general order, IPRA said in its report. Advertisement During his interview with IPRA, Matheos said that before he opened fire, he believed Golatte had struck another police officer with his vehicle while trying to escape. Matheos would be allowed to shoot Golatte if the other officer was in imminent threat of danger, but IPRA said it was unclear if that was the case. However, even if Officer Matheos subjective belief was reasonable, his conduct would still fall outside of CPD policy which clearly prohibits firing at or into a moving vehicle under the circumstances described here, IPRA said. jgorner@chicagotribune.com Twitter @JeremyGorner [ RELATED: Man shot by police in 2015 sues city, officers ] [ Cook County prosecutors decline charges in fatal Chicago police shooting of teen ] [ Chicago police watchdog rules 2015 shooting of Quintonio LeGrier and Bettie Jones was unjustified ] A man was shot in the leg in the 10200 block of South Commercial Avenue on Jan. 19, 2018. (Madeline Buckley / Chicago Tribune) Updated Jan. 23, 2018 4:20 p.m. She was in the middle of the 911 call when the gunshots rang out for a second time. The woman heard a few loud pops a moment before, then silence. But the gunfire resumed, and this time, the shots were louder and lasted longer. Advertisement Another silence. Then, she heard her son screaming. Advertisement A 29-year-old man was shot in the leg around 11:20 p.m. in a house in the 10200 block of South Commercial Avenue in the Southeast Sides South Deering neighborhood, Chicago police said. He was taken to Advocate Trinity Hospital where he was stabilized. The 50-year-old woman, who declined to give her name, said her son was shot in front of his three children when someone fired on the house. Police confirmed this, based on preliminary information. Im worried about my grandchildren, she said. She rushed outside after the shooting and saw her son getting into an ambulance, accompanied by his wife. She took the three children, 2, 4 and 8 years old, to her house. The woman later carried a small dog out of her sons house and brought it inside her home, while police walked in and out of the residence. Evidence markers sat near bullet casings on the street in front of the small, white house. The woman said her son will be OK. Shes thankful the children were unhurt. They peered out of her front window, watching the flickering blue lights of the squad car. Advertisement The man was among six people shot, one fatally, throughout the city Friday. In the homicide, a man was shot in the back of the head by someone who ran out of a liquor store while the man was standing in front of it, police said. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > The gunman wore a camouflage jacket with a black hooded sweatshirt underneath. The man, 29, was shot about 6:35 p.m. in the 2900 block of East 79th Street in the South Shore neighborhood on the South Side and taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for treatment, according to a police media notification, which corrected earlier information that the man was shot on Escanaba Avenue. He was later pronounced dead. The shooter ran north on Escanaba following the shooting, according to police. In other shootings: Advertisement A 40-year-old man was shot in the ankle around 3 a.m. Saturday by someone in a passing car while he was exiting a vehicle in the 5500 block of South Congress Parkway in the West Sides South Austin neighborhood, police said. He was taken to the University of Illinois Medical Center in good condition. Two men, 25 and 43, were injured around 9:55 p.m. Friday in the 400 block of West 86th Place in the South Sides Gresham neighborhood when someone approached them on the sidewalk and fired shots, police said. The men were stabilized at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. One was shot in the leg, and the other was grazed in the ribs. Earlier, a 33-year-old man was in good condition at Stroger Hospital after he was wounded in an unrelated shooting in the East Garfield Park neighborhood, police said in a media notification. The man suffered a gunshot wound to the hand about 3:30 p.m. in the 700 block of North Central Park Avenue, according to police. The man told police he was walking on the block when someone he didnt know came up on foot and shot him. An elderly woman was found dead in a Cabrini-Green neighborhood apartment Friday night after the high-rise buildings automatic sprinkler system put out a fire there, officials said. Fire crews were called to the building at 544 W. Oak St. about 7:10 p.m. following a call for a fire in a high-rise, said Cmdr. Frank Velez, a fire department spokesman. The woman was dead on the scene. Advertisement It was the second fatal fire of the day, after a man died in an apartment fire Friday morning in the South Shore neighborhood. At the Near North Side building, when firefighters arrived they were able to locate the apartment where the fire had started using a fire alarm control panel, Velez said. Advertisement When crews went to the apartment, they found the fire had been confined to one room, and that the buildings automatic sprinkler system had extinguished the blaze, but found the elderly woman in the room, dead, Velez said. Smoke detectors in the apartment also were working. The Fire Departments Office of Fire Investigation was investigating the cause. An autopsy was expected to be performed Saturday to determine the womans cause of death. Police are investigating a police-involved shooting in the 7600 block of South Ada Street on Jan. 20, 2017. (Madeline Buckley / Chicago Tribune) Chicago police officers shot and injured a man who was attacking a woman early Saturday on the South Side, according to police officials. The shooting happened around 5:40 a.m. in the 7600 block of South Ada Street in the Gresham neighborhood, according to Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. Advertisement Guglielmi said officers shot the man after they were called to a home for a domestic disturbance and arrived to find the man attacking the woman. The man and woman were rushed to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in serious condition, but they have been stabilized. Advertisement The woman is being treated for injuries she suffered during the attack, police said. She may have been stabbed, according to Guglielmi. The attack began inside and moved outdoors, police said. Family members said the woman called family asking for help. She called me and said, My husband is trying to kill me, the womans daughter, Pamela McClurge, told the Tribune. McClurge called 911 and rushed to her mothers home. By the time she got there, police had roped off the house. This is crazy, McClurge said. Check back for updates. Police respond to an incident in a train at the Argyle Avenue Red Line station the evening of Jan. 18, 2018. (WGN-TV) A CTA Red Line rider splashed paint thinner on another passenger, then set himself and several seats in a train car on fire before burning a Chicago police officers shoes in an arson that caused about $10,000 in damage, prosecutors said Saturday. David M. Ferguson, 28, was ordered held without bail Saturday in a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building. Advertisement Ferguson faces charges of aggravated arson, aggravated battery to a police officer and aggravated battery after he set himself, the train car and the officers shoes on fire about 5:20 p.m. on a southbound Red Line train near the Argyle Avenue station. Ferguson, of the 2900 block of West Cullom Avenue, remains hospitalized with third-degree burns, prosecutors said. The trains operator was treated for smoke inhalation, and the officer who police said at the time was not injured by the fire also went to the hospital for an injury he suffered to his right knee and shoulder, authorities said. Advertisement A woman who was riding in the same train car as the man who set the fire told the Tribune she was doused with liquid by the man before the fire was set. Prosecutors said Ferguson doused the floor and his clothing with paint thinner and threatened to kill himself in front of witnesses. During a brief standoff, a police officer tried to knock out of Fergusons hands the plastic bottle containing the chemical and a lighter Ferguson was holding, but Ferguson managed to ignite the chemicals during the struggle, authorities said. A hearing was scheduled for next week. Marilyn Hartman, 66, was arrested after getting onto an airplane at O'Hare without a ticket and flying to London, according to police. (Chicago police photo) A woman notorious for stowing away on commercial airplanes made it past two Transportation Security Administration agents at OHare International Airport by hiding her face with her hair, then stayed overnight at the airport before sneaking onto a plane and flying to London this week, prosecutors said Saturday. Marilyn Hartman, 66, faces a felony theft charge in connection with flying to the United Kingdom on a British Airways jet without a $2,400 plane ticket and a misdemeanor trespass charge in connection with getting into the airport illegally. In a hearing Saturday afternoon, a judge ordered her released on her own recognizance, but ordered her to undergo psychiatric treatment and stay away from OHare and any British Airways planes. Advertisement Hartman also will be required to have an ankle monitor until the conclusion of her case. There is no pun intended for your client, but she is a flight risk given the number of offenses, Judge Stephanie K. Miller said to Hartmans court-appointed attorney. Advertisement Dressed in a dark gray sweater and wearing black-framed eyeglasses, Hartman said nothing during the hearing, but her lips curled into a smile after the judge granted her release. Hartman used her hair to hide her face and walk past two federal TSA Precheck agents who were checking boarding passes around 2 p.m. on Jan. 14 at O'Hare, prosecutors said Saturday. After entering a security checkpoint, she then went to a terminal and tried to board a plane to Connecticut, but as she tried to dart around another passenger in line, she was stopped by a flight agent and told to sit down, Assistant States Attorney Maria McCarthy told the court. Hartman got onto a shuttle bus to the International Terminal and slept there overnight, prosecutors said. The next day, Hartman managed to get past British Airways ticket agents and a Customs and Border Patrol officer, and onto a plane, prosecutors said. She sat in an empty seat and flew to Londons Heathrow Airport, but when she showed her documents to a Customs agent, she was identified as someone who entered England without proper documentation, McCarthy said. Hartman, of the 100 block of Hamelitz Court in Grayslake, was flown back to OHare, and Chicago police and other officials were waiting for her when she arrived, prosecutors said. She later admitted to boarding the London-bound flight without buying a ticket, McCarthy added. Hartmans movements through the airport were captured on high-definition surveillance video, according to authorities. The TSA is investigating how Hartman was able to get through security, a spokesman said in a statement Friday. Advertisement This matter is subject to an ongoing investigation and TSA is working closely with our law enforcement and airline partners in that effort, according to the statement. During the initial investigation it was determined that the passenger was screened at the security checkpoint before boarding a flight. Upon learning of the incident TSA, and its aviation partners took immediate action to review security practices throughout the airport. This is Hartmans first arrest in Chicago since 2016, but she has a long history of trying to sneak onto airplanes. Hartman was given probation when she originally was sentenced after pleading guilty in a February 2016 trespassing charge, but she was sentenced to 364 days in jail a few weeks later, according to court records. She was credited for 23 days already served and could have spent less than six months in jail if given credit for good behavior, according to court records. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > At the time she was sentenced to jail, Hartman had been living at a mental health facility on the Near North Side before violating the terms of her probation by leaving the facility and going to OHare. Hartman has been detained several times across the country for trying to bypass airport security. In a court filing after her arrest in July 2015 at O'Hare on trespass charges, Cook County prosecutors described Hartman as a "serial stowaway." She told NBC-Ch. 5 in December 2015 that she "may have" boarded planes without a ticket eight times. Hartman also has three misdemeanor convictions for similar crimes in California, McCarthy said. Advertisement wlee@chicagotribune.com lford@chicagotribune.com Twitter @MidNoirCowboy Twitter @ltaford Marilyn Hartman, 66, was arrested after getting onto an airplane at O'Hare without a ticket and flying to London, according to police. (Chicago police photo) A woman notorious for sneaking onto commercial airplanes has once again been arrested this time after making her way through a federal checkpoint at OHare International Airport and onto a plane that flew her to London, authorities said. Marilyn Hartman, 66, is believed to have gotten through airport security without a boarding pass or passport, flown to Londons Heathrow Airport and was detained by British Customs officials when she landed Monday, according to a news release from Chicago police. Hartman was sent back to Chicago and landed at OHare on Thursday. She now faces a felony theft charge and a misdemeanor criminal trespass charge, according to police. Advertisement Hartman, of Hamelitz Court in Grayslake, was expected to appear in court Saturday. The Transportation Security Administration is investigating how Hartman was able to get through security, a spokesman said in a statement Friday. Advertisement This matter is subject to an ongoing investigation and TSA is working closely with our law enforcement and airline partners in that effort, according to the statement. During the initial investigation it was determined that the passenger was screened at the security checkpoint before boarding a flight. Upon learning of the incident TSA, and its aviation partners took immediate action to review security practices throughout the airport. This is Hartmans first arrest in Chicago since 2016, but she has a long history of trying to sneak onto airplanes. Hartman was given probation when she originally was sentenced after pleading guilty in a February 2016 trespassing charge, she was sentenced to 364 days in jail a few weeks later, according to court records. She was credited for 23 days already served and could have spent less than six months in jail if given credit for good behavior, according to court records. At the time she was sentenced to jail, Hartman had been living at a mental health facility on the Near North Side before violating the terms of her probation by leaving the facility and going to OHare. Hartman has been detained several times across the country for trying to bypass airport security. In a court filing after her arrest in July 2015 at O'Hare on trespass charges, Cook County prosecutors described Hartman as a "serial stowaway." She told NBC-Ch. 5 in December 2015 that she "may have" boarded planes without a ticket eight times. Myron Liggins, 20, and Marcus Johnson, 25, were charged after being arrested running away when they crashed a stolen lime green Ford Mustang (main photo) that police had followed for about 10 miles early Jan. 19, 2018. (Madeline Buckley / Chicago police booking photos) Two men accused of stealing a lime green Ford Mustang convertible at gunpoint before leading Chicago and Illinois State police on a high-speed chase faced a Cook County judge Saturday. Myron Liggins, 20, and Marcus Johnson, 25, were each charged in connection with the pursuit of the Mustang that crisscrossed the South Side before the car crashed in the Gresham neighborhood early Friday morning. In court, prosecutors said the fleeing car traveled as fast as 94 mph on the northbound Dan Ryan Expressway. Advertisement Liggins, of the 8300 block of South Ada Street, faces charges of aggravated armed vehicular hijacking and armed robbery with a firearm. Johnson, of the 2400 block of East 77th Street, was charged with aggravated fleeing from the police over 21 mph for the second time and aggravated possession of a stolen motor vehicle. Both men appeared side by side during a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building on Saturday. Judge Stephanie K. Miller ordered Liggins currently on parole for a 2015 aggravated fleeing conviction held without bail, but released Johnson on electronic monitoring. Advertisement A third man, James Lee, 33, faces a misdemeanor charge of domestic battery and was ordered released on his own recognizance Friday. It's unclear exactly what his role was in the case. The incident began Thursday night when two brothers called one of the defendants, looking to purchase marijuana, according to prosecutors. The brothers agreed to meet one of the men in the 11600 block of South Church Street in the Morgan Park neighborhood. The brothers arrived in the Mustang and were accosted by Liggins, who ordered the two out of the vehicle and took their wallets. Johnson got into the Mustang, and he and Liggins fled the scene, according to Assistant State's Attorney Kevin Sobczyk. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > An Illinois State Police trooper began following the Mustang early Friday near Lake Shore Drive and Chicago Avenue but lost it near Grand Avenue, Chicago police said. A Chicago police helicopter kept watch on the fleeing vehicle, Sobczyk said. The chase resumed on the West Side when Chicago police officers spotted the car near Blue Island and Damen avenues in the Heart of Chicago neighborhood, authorities said. The officers pursued the car across several police districts and neighborhoods until it crashed into a parked SUV in the 8700 block of South Union Avenue in the Gresham neighborhood on the South Side, police said. Both men bailed out of the car, but were quickly captured by police. After initially losing track of it, police spotted the car near Blue Island and Damen avenues, then pursued it until it crashed into a parked SUV about 10 miles away in the 8700 block of South Union Avenue in the Gresham neighborhood on the South Side, police said. The car originally had been stolen around 9:15 p.m. Thursday in the Morgan Park neighborhood on the Far South Side, according to police. Two men, 21 and 22, were sitting in the Mustang in the 11600 block of South Church Street when someone forced them from the car at gunpoint. Advertisement Check back for more details. To recap: Today a man who has five children by three different women, who cheated on all of them, had sex with a **** start right after his last child was born, bragged about committing sexual assault, said he'd date his own daughter if he wasn't her father, gave a lecture on morality. Tens of thousands of people participated in the Women's March Chicago on Jan. 20, 2018. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune) (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune) The women of Chicago came out in force once again, with an estimated crowd of 300,000 rallying for equal rights and against the Trump administration at the second Women's March Chicago on Saturday. "The energy we saw throughout the year and continuing through today demonstrates once and for all that we are experiencing a resurgence in the women's movement," said organizer Jessica Scheller. "Only time will tell how much we can accomplish through it." Advertisement Last year's event unexpectedly shut down parts of the Loop with what organizers said was a quarter-million participants flooding Grant Park the day after President Donald Trump's inauguration. While some wondered if momentum might wane over time, many marchers said cultural movements like the #MeToo and Time's Up campaigns against sexual misconduct as well as Trump's policies only increased their fervor this year. "I'm marching for the women before us, the women of today and the women of the future," said Lindsey Vaught Kerr, 29, of the Roscoe Village neighborhood, who carried a hand-made sign that read "We won't stop until it rains glass." Advertisement Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 31 Demonstrators march near Federal Plaza on Dearborn Street during the Women's March Chicago on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. (Lou Foglia/Chicago Tribune) (Lou Foglia / Chicago Tribune) The event, dubbed March to the Polls, was held in solidarity this weekend with hundreds of similar marches in Washington D.C. and across the globe that are projected to draw millions. Organizers said the focus this year has shifted from resistance against the Trump administration to influencing upcoming local, state and midterm elections. They estimated some 300,000 attended Saturday's rally and march in downtown Chicago, exceeding last year's attendance. City officials wouldn't release official numbers Saturday. Hundreds of marchers, many wearing the event's signature pink knit hat, began lining the perimeter of Grant Park before programming was scheduled to beginand before the rally area was even open at 9 a.m. The weather was chilly but sunny with clear skies as music pulsed from the stage. Eighty-year-old Sandra Whitmore of Northbrook came with her four children. She said she's been attending protests since her first in 1968 in San Francisco. Marchers head to, then out of, Grant Park for the Women's March 2018 On Jan. 20, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) The experience then was so intoxicating, Whitmore said, that she's attended dozens of protests in the five decades since. Her sign read: "My arms are getting tired from hold'n this sign since the 1960s." Cast members from "Hamilton" and Second City's "She the People" made appearances. Speakers included Democratic politicians such as Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer and City Clerk Anna Valencia. "I am female. I am Latina. I am queer," actress Monica Raymund of the TV show "Chicago Fire" told the crowd, drawing cheers. "I am their worst nightmare. And so are you. And that's OK, we'll be fine." Officials from the Chicago Foundation for Women, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and Emily's List also addressed the crowd. Advertisement "This year is simple. This year is about right versus wrong," said speaker Tom Steyer, a billionaire activist funding a drive to impeach Trump. "The United States of America is not going to go backward." Transgender activist Channyn Lynne Parker talked about growing outrage at sexism in the work force. "For every woman who has had to fend off sexual harassment in the workplace, claw her way to the top and fight for equal pay, no more," she said. Groups and individuals sponsored portable restrooms labeled with signs that said "S**HOLE," a slightly coy nod to Trump's alleged comments about immigrants, describing Haiti, El Salvador and African nations this month. "When the government shuts down, women still march," event emcee Fawzia Mirza told the crowd, referring to the partial federal government shutdown that began Saturday. A little after noon, throngs of marchers chanting "we lead with love" and "this is what democracy looks like" started to slowly make their way from Grant Park to Federal Plaza. The city closed several streets from late Friday to Saturday evening in anticipation of the march, with Metra and the Chicago Transit Authority providing extra service to accommodate the crowds. Advertisement Even at 8 months pregnant, Chloe Pedersen of Brookfield said she had to take part. Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 19 Protesters, part of a 500,000 strong crowd, attended the Women's Rally on the one-year anniversary of the first Women's March in Los Angeles on Jan. 20, 2018. (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images) "I couldn't not go. It's too important," she said, and then motioned to her belly. "Certainly if there's a little girl in here, I want her to know I was here today." Lisa D'Angelo of Evanston said she slipped on a patch of ice and broke her left leg a few days before the event, but borrowed a wheelchair from a friend so she could join the march. "People need to still come out," she said. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > Charity Weishar, of the Edgewater neighborhood, marched for the first time because she was overseas during last year's event and had to experience the 2017 rally second-hand on social media. "The energy here is electric. It's like a big warm hug," she said. Advertisement By early afternoon, pink hats dotted the Loop as the marchers began to disperse. Some left their signs along Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive, visible to traffic and passersby. One was written by a 5-year-old boy named Liam, who scrawled "No Trump Noooo. You ar bad" in crayon. "We remain incredibly proud of the women of the city of Chicago who continue to demonstrate this city is a thought leader in the civil rights movement," Scheller said. "Chicago has a long and storied history of activism and what we saw today was a continuation of that proud history." Women's March 2018: Follow live updates from our reporters and photographers Women will march around the globe today in show of political force Democratic State Senator Donne Trotter, seen here in 2013, is retiring after 30 years in the General Assembly. Democratic State Senator Donne Trotter, seen here in 2013, is retiring after 30 years in the General Assembly. (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune) SPRINGFIELD A Democratic senator known for his expertise on the state budget as much as his sharp sense of style announced Friday that he is leaving office after 30 years in the General Assembly. Sen. Donne Trotter, whose district stretched from the South Side to parts of Will and Kankakee counties, said last years large wave of resignations convinced him it was time to allow a new generation to serve. Advertisement Trotter said Senate President John Cullerton always says there are three ways to leave: in a casket, because you lost or to walk out because its the right time. And I think its the right time. The resignation was effective immediately. Its likely that state Reps. Marcus Evans or Elgie Sims, who were both mentored by Trotter, would be appointed to fill his seat. Advertisement Like a proud father, I am not taking sides, Trotter said. But I think our team that weve developed and nurtured here in the district certainly qualify to go forward. Trotter, 67, first became a member of the Illinois House in 1988, before joining the Senate in 1993. He is a longtime member of the Senate Democratic leadership team and often was relied on to help shape the states annual spending plan. The lawmaker was a key advocate for expanding health care coverage for low-income families and sponsored legislation that allows parents to legally abandon newborn children at a hospital, fire station or emergency medical facility. He frequently stood out on the Senate floor, wearing patterned shirts and bow ties while colleagues were dressed in black or navy. I will miss his leadership, his counsel, his wisdom, his calm, his experience and, to top it all, his fantastic sense of fashion, Cullerton said in a statement. I wish him nothing but the best, and am honored to have worked with him and to consider him my friend. Trotter also was an outspoken supporter of gun control measures and had long opposed concealed carry in Illinois. He voted in favor of concealed carry legislation in 2014 after a federal court struck down the states ban, though he later opposed the effort to override Gov. Pat Quinns veto of the bill. In 2012, Trotter was arrested for trying to board a flight with a handgun in his carry-on luggage. He eventually pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of reckless conduct. At the time, Trotter was seeking to succeed outgoing U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., but dropped out of the contest a few weeks after his arrest. Despite political differences, Trotter was praised by leaders on both sides of the aisle who described him as a calm voice of reason though he was sometimes left apologizing for his statements. Advertisement Angry over health care cuts, Trotter once likened Quinns support for Department of Healthcare and Family Services head Julie Hamos to Adolf Hitlers support for Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels. Hamos is the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, and Trotter later said his comments were inappropriate and wrong. More recently, Trotter compared Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner to an Islamic State warrior after the governor proposed major budget cuts. Trotter said he might have made some wrong comments or things that were taken wrongly, but he was proud of his ability to work with colleagues in both parties to get things done. He lamented an increasingly polarized environment thats led to gridlock and dysfunction in Springfield. Everything begins with a conversation, and I have always tried to be part of a conversation, he said. Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady said that while an aisle may have separated us politically, he and Trotter shared a passion to serve the people of Illinois, and to make our state a better place. Trotter said he plans to push for policy changes on the national level to expand access to health care and mental health services. He is eligible for annual pension payments of 85 percent of his final legislative salary, which is nearly $88,500. Advertisement mcgarcia@chicagotribune.com Twitter @moniquegarcia In this Nov. 14, 2017, photo, Glenn R. Simpson, co-founder of Fusion GPS, arrives for an appearance before a closed House Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill. A document produced by the House Intelligence Committee's GOP majority focuses on discrediting Fusion GPS, according to sources. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP) A document described by House Republicans as a top-secret memo about surveillance "abuse" contains talking points focused on discrediting Fusion GPS, the firm that hired a British ex-spy to compile intelligence reports about alleged connections between President Donald Trump's associates and the Kremlin, according to people who have read it. It suggests that the former spy, Christopher Steele, lied to FBI agents who interviewed him during their probe of the 2016 election and that this purported lie was included in a successful application for a federal court order to conduct electronic surveillance on Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, said these individuals, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing the material's sensitivity. Advertisement The document was produced by the House Intelligence Committee's GOP majority, which voted Thursday to make it available to the entire House membership, though not to the public. The panel's Democrats all opposed the move. In a statement issued Thursday, the committee's ranking Democrat, Rep. Adam B. Schiff, D-Calif., called the document "profoundly misleading," saying it was "drafted by Republican staff attacking the FBI." He did not discuss the document's contents. Advertisement "Rife with factual inaccuracies and referencing highly classified materials that most Republican Intelligence Committee members were forced to acknowledge they had never read, this is meant only to give Republican House members a distorted view of the FBI," Schiff said. "This may help carry White House water, but it is a deep disservice to our law enforcement professionals." Conservative Republicans are increasingly calling for the document's public release after first declaring it should remain classified. Several have taken to social media, conservative television and radio outlets, and even the House floor, to demand the public be able to see what they've read. "Americans deserve the truth," said Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., the head of the House Freedom Caucus. The hashtag #ReleaseTheMemo trended shortly after Meadows and other House conservatives tweeted it. According to Hamilton 68, which tracks Russian-linked Twitter accounts, #ReleaseTheMemo was the top hashtag being promoted Thursday and Friday by such accounts. Rep. K. Michael Conaway, R-Texas, who heads the Intelligence Committee's probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 election, described the memo as a list of "problems we have discovered with FISA," which is short for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the law governing the collection of foreign intelligence on U.S. soil. A senior committee official, who was not authorized to speak on the record, said the talking points, which were based on classified material made available to the committee by the FBI and the Justice Department, mischaracterize the work of the intelligence community and law enforcement "in a way that is damaging as well as false." One of the document's talking points suggests that the government's application for a wiretap order on Page includes a reference to Steele assuring the FBI he did not speak to reporters about the allegations of collusion between Trump associates and Russia - although Steele later acknowledged in a separate civil lawsuit that he had talked to reporters before the 2016 election, said the individuals familiar with the document. Current and former law enforcement officials have said the surveillance application relied on far more information than just Steele's research. Advertisement In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Glenn Simpson, a Fusion GPS co-founder, said the FBI had other sources offering information about possible Russian interference in the U.S. election who raised concerns similar to Steele's, according to a transcript released this month. "We all know [the Republicans] are engaged in complete and total warfare against the FBI," said the committee official, who did not discuss the memo's contents. "They're trying to tie all of that to Fusion GPS and Christopher Steele as some unholy seed." In conservative media, the document has already renewed pundits' calls for special counsel Robert Mueller III, who has taken over the FBI's probe, to shut down his investigation. On Thursday, Sean Hannity opened his Fox News show by declaring the memo's contents would end the probe. "I have a message tonight for the special counsel, Robert Mueller III: Your witch hunt is now over," Hannity said. "Time to close the doors." The talking points have nothing to do with Section 702, a controversial surveillance power that Congress just voted to renew, said individuals familiar with the content. But some lawmakers who opposed renewing the program without stronger privacy protections sought to use the document to urge Trump to delay signing the bill into law. "I believe that the information that is contained in the top-secret memo would have been critical to know before the reauthorization," said Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas. On Friday afternoon, Trump rebuked the Section 702 critics, tweeting that he had just signed the renewal. "This is NOT the same FISA law that was so wrongly abused during the election," he said on Twitter, referencing conservatives' claims of surveillance abuse. Advertisement The House Intelligence Committee official called such claims "irresponsible - a way of poisoning the well" of Mueller's probe. The Washington Post's David Weigel and Erica Werner contributed to this report. The government is shutting down for the first time in more than four years, and President Donald Trump has spent days trying to lay the blame on the Democrats. Friday he tweeted: Not looking good for our great Military or Safety & Security on the very dangerous Southern Border. Dems want a Shutdown in order to help diminish the great success of the Tax Cuts, and what they are doing for our booming economy. But there is a strong case to be made that it's the president's actions (and lack thereof) that caused, or at least greatly exacerbated, the shutdown. In other words, Trump shares a sizable chunk of the blame. Here's why: 1. All of this is happening on his watch: This is the first shutdown with one party controlling all of Washington. Republicans control both chambers of Congress and the White House, so how could Trump not get some of the blame for a shutdown? He's (ostensibly) in control of his party. A politically potent symbol to drive home that point: The government shut down on the first anniversary of his presidency. When you layer on what Trump has said about shutdowns, it is fair to wonder if Trump actually wants one, or at least is OK with one if it happens. My colleagues reported in November he told confidants a shutdown could be good for him politically; a chance to flex his hard-line muscles on immigration. He's also tweeted stuff like this: Either elect more Republican Senators in 2018 or change the rules now to 51%. Our country needs a good "shutdown" in September to fix mess! The president's aides said Friday that Trump was instrumental in bringing conservative House Republicans on board with the spending bill, and that he was "actively working " to prevent a shutdown. He invited Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) to the White House on Friday to talk about a deal. Schumer said he "even put a border wall on the table," suggesting Trump could get money for the U.S.-Mexico border wall in exchange for keeping the government open. But Schumer said Saturday that Trump rejected that deal, the second bipartisan immigration deal in a week he's rejected. 2. No one in Washington seems to know what he wants: So, wait, if the president said in private he would be OK with a shutdown, but in public decried one, what did he actually want? That is a mystery to even his allies in Congress. This week, Trump cast doubt on whether he would sign a short-term spending bill to keep the government's lights on for another month, hours after his spokeswoman said he would. Hours before a precarious vote in the House of Representatives to avoid such a scenario, Trump pulled the rug out from under GOP leaders, taking away their only leverage to get Democrats on board: funding the Children's Health Insurance Program. Trump also pushed back on his chief of staff's statements by suggesting he had not backed off the notion of a border wall covering most of the 2,000 miles along the U.S.-Mexico border. He tweeted: The Wall is the Wall, it has never changed or evolved from the first day I conceived of it. Parts will be, of necessity, see through and it was never intended to be built in areas where there is natural protection such as mountains, wastelands or tough rivers or water. 3. He torpedoed a deal on immigration right when it mattered most: Trump has also been extraordinarily inconsistent on what he wants on an issue that is impossible to separate from this shutdown: preventing the deportation of immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children, known as "dreamers." He ended the Obama-era dreamer protections in September, tossing it to Congress to fix. Then he switched his position several times on whether he wanted Congress to find a permanent solution and/or what he wanted in exchange for it. (A border wall? Would a fence be OK? Ending the visa lottery program?) Senators came up with a bipartisan deal they thought he could support. It included some money for a barrier on the border. In phone calls earlier in the day, these senators thought he was on board. When they went to the White House to present the deal, Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., told the New York Times he found Trump almost automatically opposed to any deal. Then the president reportedly asked why the deal had to let in people from "shithole countries" like Haiti, El Salvador and African nations, and then you-know-what really hit the fan. 4. "Shithole countries": With two words, Trump caused an international stir and made it much more difficult for Democrats to negotiate with the president on even the shortest of spending deals. Their base was already frustrated Democrats did not extract dreamer protections in a December spending deal. Suddenly, a vote even on a short-term spending bill without protections for young undocumented immigrants could be interpreted by liberals as a capitulation to Trump. This isn't to say Trump is the only one who will get blamed for this shutdown. Republicans have spent the past few days casting Democrats as the villains. They are willing to vote against a spending bill over an unrelated issue, immigration. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tweeted: The choice to fund the government by Friday is simple.1) pass a noncontroversial, bipartisan bill to keep the government open OR 2) Democrats manufacture a crisis & force a government shutdown over an unrelated issue that we have until at least March to resolve. Josh Holmes, a former top aide to McConnell, R-Ky., points to recent history to make the case that Democrats are the ones to blame: In 2013, conservative Republicans refused to vote for a spending bill that did not defund Obamacare. The government shut down for 16 days, and polls showed a majority of Americans blamed Republicans. "You take the party label off and watch how that's played out," Holmes said. "It's never been good for the party that's blocking the funding for reasons irrelevant to the funding." For right now, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll showed the opposite. On the eve of this shutdown, Americans say they'll blame Republicans and Trump over Democrats. The reasons Trump is to blame are pretty clear. He told an emergency room physician he had a liking for raw fish - specifically, salmon sashimi. It's what the 30-year-old man, from Fresno, California, suspected had landed him in the bathroom with stomach cramps and bloody diarrhea. But what he did not anticipate was the moment he spotted something hanging from his rear end, and he naturally assumed the worst. "He was like, 'Oh my goodness, my guts are coming out from me,' " said Kenny Banh, the emergency physician at the University of California at San Francisco, in Fresno, who treated him. Banh recounted what the man told him on the podcast "This Won't Hurt A Bit" earlier this month. He gave it a pull, Banh said, and it kept coming. "He picks it up and looks at it and what does it do? It starts moving," he said. "He was like, 'That's a worm.' " It was a Monday in August 2017 when the man showed up in the emergency room of UCSF Fresno's Community Regional Medical Center clutching a plastic grocery bag and asking doctors to treat him for tapeworms - parasites that can invade the digestive tract of animals and humans. Banh said he didn't think too much of it; he had heard patients express similar concerns about tapeworms in the past. Banh opened the sack. Inside, he said, was a cardboard toilet paper tube - with a tapeworm wrapped around it. Banh said the worm was dead when he saw it but noted the man told him "it was alive when he pulled it out and it was wiggling in his hand." Banh stretched it out on ER floor and measured it - all 5 feet of it, he said in an interview Friday with The Washington Post. "It got long enough that some of it was sneaking out of him," he said about the parasite. Banh said it's not certain which species of tapeworm it was or how long it had been inside the patient. He said his patient was convinced he got the tapeworm from eating raw fish. Banh said given the fact that the man had not recently traveled or been drinking questionable water - and the fact that he said he ate sushi or sashimi almost daily - he is "almost positive" that the self-assessment is correct. However, Banh said, there are risks with any type of food. "You have to be aware," he said, explaining that the concern is not with the sushi or sashimi as such but with whether it is properly prepared. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has released guidelines for controlling parasites that may live in seafood - by cooking the food or freezing it at certain temperatures for certain amounts of time. That said,in January 2017, a study published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's journal Emerging Infectious Diseases noted that wild salmon caught in Alaska's icy waters were found to be infected by a Japanese tapeworm known as Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense. As The Post's Ben Guarino reported at the time: "The researchers behind the study, tapeworm experts from the Czech Academy of Sciences and biologists at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, concluded that "salmon from the American and Asian Pacific coasts and elsewhere pose potential dangers for persons who eat these fish raw." They hunted for the tapeworm larva via microscope, and confirmed it was the Japanese species using a recently developed molecular technique. "The fish species in the study involved several types of wild Alaskan salmon: chinook, coho, pink and sockeye salmon, as well as rainbow trout. They found a Japanese broad tapeworm burrowed in the muscles of a Pacific pink salmon, near the fish's spine." Experts say Diphyllobothrium latum are among the most common - and largest - of the tapeworms that can take up residence in human bellies. They can grow up to 30 feet, according to the CDC. In addition, the agency noted, they can live for years. The CDC states that humans get Diphyllobothrium most often by eating uncooked or undercooked fish, such as salmon, that is infected with tapeworm larvae. Once inside the host, the larvae then grow. The Post's Sarah Kaplan put it best: "The life of a tapeworm unfolds over three stages. First, their larvae, which dwell in some animals' muscle, are swallowed by another unsuspecting host. With hooks or suckers, they cling to the lining of the gut and get fat off nutrients predigested by the host as they develop. When it comes time to procreate, these hermaphroditic creatures make use of the full suite of male and female reproductive organs packed into their rear ends - they can self-fertilize or mate with another individual. Their eggs are swept out into the world via the host's bowel movements, then swallowed by another host, when the cycle begins again." "It's not like every single piece of raw fish is infected," said Janine Caira, a distinguished professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Connecticut. Although, she noted, every day a person eats it, he or she is increasing the odds of getting a parasite. But aside from the sheer horror of it, tapeworms do not typically do much damage to their hosts. Infections are usually asymptomatic, although they can cause abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting, according to the CDC. And, doctors say, they are treated pretty easily with medication. The patient was given medication to kill any other tapeworms, Banh said, but no others came out. "He swore off sushi after this," Banh said, but predicted that eventually his patient will eat it again. Democratic governor candidate J.B. Pritzker defends his secretly recorded conversations with now-imprisoned former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Pritzker and fellow candidates Daniel Biss, Bob Daiber, Tio Hardiman, Chris Kennedy and Robert Marshall met with the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board on Jan. 19, 2018. (Roger Morales and Kayli Plotner/Chicago Tribune) (Roger Morales And Kayli Plotner / Chicago Tribune) Six Democratic candidates for governor met with the Tribune Editorial Board on Friday to debate the issues, answer (or swerve clear of) our questions, and seek our endorsement. It was lively. You can watch an archived version at chicagotribune.com/demgov. We tipped our hand with our first question: Were distressed about residents fleeing Illinois and employers avoiding the state because of its anti-employer reputation. If the entire 75 minutes had been a discussion of how to save Illinois and attract projects like Amazons second headquarters, wed have applauded. Advertisement Spoiler alert: We held our applause because none of the six wowed us with a rescue plan for Illinois to recover from its mediocre jobs climate and public finance crisis. Props to candidate Chris Kennedy, though, for recognizing that Illinois has so many problems it seems to be circling the drain. Like us, Kennedy isnt anti-Illinois. Hes like many residents and employers who fear for the future of a state that cant pass balanced budgets, or agree on a pension fix, or keep taxpayers and jobs from fleeing. Yet Illinois already has one of the highest state and local tax burdens in the country, we reminded the candidates, so before you tell us your solution involves raising taxes even further ... Advertisement Most of these candidates see more tax revenue, via progressive income tax rates, as part of the solution. The hard truth is many other states manage smarter, operating governments in stable, more cost-effective and employer-friendly ways. No one disagreed with the premise that Illinois is in trouble. Weve got to create jobs in the state in order to expand the amount of (tax) revenue, candidate J.B. Pritzker said. When you dont have a budget and youve got complete uncertainty in the state, no one wants to invest in the state, no one wants to create jobs in the state. Not only is Pritzker correct, his comment was a lot more forthright than the members of his party who control the General Assembly and have smothered Republican Gov. Bruce Rauners turnaround agenda. You dont hear House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton talking about radically changing tax and budget systems to solve Illinois debt crisis. Theyve got their constituency and their agenda, which includes sticking it to Rauner. Our beef is that Madigan, Cullerton & Co. refuse to focus on making Illinois attractive to investment, to employers and to the thousands of taxpayers who are leaving. Employers want certainty. Residents dont want to be overburdened by taxation. Everyone in Illinois politics should be fighting for new opportunity. For growth. For prosperity. Daniel Biss, a state senator whos voted in favor of some of those terrible budgets, said they were the best of bad options. As governor, though, Biss told us, hed negotiate with the General Assembly or use line item vetoes to create smarter budgets. He agreed that bad budgets are job killers because they scare off employers and investment. We have a fundamentally unsustainable budget, which makes it hard for anyone to have a sense of what the state is going to be like in 10 years, he said. Therefore, people say, Well, Im not going to figure out what its like now, because they assume its going to be worse in a decade anyhow. What we didnt hear: unprompted ideas on how to subdue Squeezy the Pension Python, or promises to cut regulatory red tape on employers. Three other candidates joined us: downstate schools official Bob Daiber, Chicago activist Tio Hardiman and Robert Marshall of Burr Ridge. Each of the six professed his commitment to improving Illinois. In the United States today, people want educated young people, Kennedy said. If we give the world highly educated high school and college kids, the world will give us its jobs. But if Amazons Jeff Bezos called you, we asked the six, what would you say youll do as governor to make Illinois, so mired in dysfunction, the place to invest his billions? Advertisement Biss didnt deny the dire reality here which isnt yet Illinois, change or die, but is flirting with that: When Im governor, were going to be making the hard choices to actually have a budget and a financial system and a tax system that works for people, and hes going to want to be here. The admission of Illinois plight is striking to hear from Democratic candidates for governor. Its candor that so many Democratic legislators whove helped create todays Illinois wont voice. What these six say matters. One of them could, 12 months from now, be governor of Illinois. Two men have been charged with the armed robbery of a 38-year-old Aurora man outside his home on the city's Far East Side. Ameen Salaam, 23, of the 15000 block of Oak Street, Dolton, and George Pittman, 24, of the 100 block of North Menard, Chicago, are both charged with single felony counts of armed robbery with a firearm. Salaam is also charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance. Both were present at bond hearings Friday, are listed in custody at the DuPage County jail and are next due in court Feb. 8. Advertisement Orders signed by DuPage County Circuit Judge George J. Bakalis set Salaam's bail at $150,000, and Pittman's bail at $250,000, with each needing to post 10 percent to apply for bond. The man said he parked in his driveway on the 2700 block of Preston Court after getting off work and had just got out of his car shortly before 11:30 p.m. Wednesday when two men approached him. One of the men had a handgun, police said. Advertisement When the man saw the gun, he made a lot of noise and ran away toward his front door, he told police. "It appears the two men were alarmed by all the noise the victim was making," police said in their statement, noting that after stealing a pair of shoes from the man's car, the men ran to their own vehicle parked near Preston Court on Prairieview Lane. The man they'd robbed said he heard gunshots before the men left the area and decided to follow them in his car, police said. The robbers reportedly shot at the man more than once from their car before losing control of their vehicle and driving into a ditch near Butterfield Road and DuPage Parkway, then running away into a wooded area, police said. Within an hour, police found Salaam walking near Butterfield and Hedgerow, with about 3.5 grams of cocaine on him, they said. Special operations investigators found Pittman inside a car they'd followed from the area of the robbery to Orchard and Interstate 88 and took him into custody without incident, police said. The driver was not charged, police said. Police said investigators believe at least two other people were in the suspect vehicle when it crashed. No injuries were reported and police did not find anything struck by the gunfire or locate a gun, police said. The stolen shoes, however, were found near DuPage Parkway and Blue Spruce Lane, police said. "The robbery is not a random act and detectives are crediting area residents for supplying key information that was passed along to the police," according to the police statement. Aurora police announced the charges, which were authorized by the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office, Friday on Facebook. DuPage County Sheriff's deputies and Illinois State Police assisted Aurora police, they said. Advertisement hleone@tribpub.com Twitter @hannahmleone A longtime Corvallis attorney is under investigation by the Oregon State Bar for allegedly misusing funds in her position at a private law firm. Pamela Hediger worked for Evashevski, Elliott, Cihak & Hediger, PC for about 15 years, said President Thomas Elliott. She has been fired and her name has been removed from the firms name, Elliott said. Phone calls to Hediger for comment were not returned. The law firm sent letters to all of Hedigers clients on Dec. 21, stating that during a routine examination of its books, the firm found reason to believe that Hediger has improperly used firm funds and the funds of some clients for her own benefit. Elliott said the firm does not yet know the amount of funds that may have been misused or how many clients were affected. He said he is confident that no other firm employees were aware of or involved in Hedigers alleged misuse of funds, and that there has been no financial impropriety since her actions were discovered. Everybody has been shocked, he said. No one at the firm knew that this was going on. In its letter to clients, the firm expressed disappointment in Hediger. Since opening our firm in 1984, we have taken immense pride in being transparent with our clients and putting their interests ahead of ours, states the letter, which was signed by Elliott, as well as Vice President Steven Adkins and Secretary Joel Howe. While this was and is a shocking discovery, we are resolved to do everything that we can in order to maintain your trust. Elliott said the firm reported the alleged misappropriation to the Oregon State Bar, the statewide agency that regulates the legal profession. The firm also alerted the Benton County District Attorneys Office. Further, the firm is performing an audit of its trust account, he said. Elliott said that when the investigation is complete the firm will compensate clients for their losses. District Attorney John Haroldson said he received a letter from the firm in December regarding Hedigers alleged actions. Hediger previously worked at the prosecuting office as a deputy district attorney in the 1990s. To avoid a potential conflict of interest, Haroldson said he immediately turned the case over to the state Attorney Generals office, which is reviewing the matter for criminal misconduct. As of Friday, no criminal charges had been filed against Hediger. Haroldson said he has no reason to believe any funds were misused by Hediger during her time at the District Attorneys office. He said that district attorneys offices typically have a great amount of oversight and that deputy district attorneys do not have discretionary access to funds. One of Hedigers clients submitted a complaint to the Oregon State Bar on Jan. 3. The complaint, filed by Lebanon resident Cyndee McNeal, accuses Hediger of using funds from McNeals personal injury claims for her own benefit. In the complaint, McNeal states she was in a motorcycle accident in October 2014 in which a dog hit her motorcycle. She states the homeowner submitted a claim to his homeowners insurance and received compensation of about $100,000. McNeal states she began working with Hediger in January 2015 and that Hediger was filing an uninsured/underinsured motorist claim to her motorcycle insurance for $100,000. McNeal states Hediger informed her there was a lien on the money, and that she was negotiating with the hospital to write-off medical bills. Lebanon attorney John "Tre" Kennedy, who is now representing McNeal, said it is his understanding the personal injury claim had settled and that there was money being held in the trust account for McNeal. But, Hediger allegedly gave McNeal various reasons why it was not accessible. McNeal states she was scheduled to meet with Hediger on Dec. 21, but that Hediger called the day before to cancel. McNeal then called the law firm and was informed by Elliott of Hedigers alleged actions. I would like her to be held accountable financially and professionally, McNeal states. The state bar has opened an investigation into Hediger for allegedly violating the Oregon Rules of Professional Conduct, often referred to as the ethics rules, said the agencys spokesperson Kateri Walsh. Lawyers are bound to abide by the rules, Walsh said. She said the agency will investigate the alleged misconduct and present its findings to the State Professional Responsibility Board. That group will review the investigative results and determine whether the matter should be dismissed or proceed to formal ethics charges, Walsh said. If the matter advances, it would go to a trial hearing with a three-person panel of a statewide adjudicator, an attorney and a non-lawyer member. The bar would present its evidence and Hediger could present a defense, Walsh said. The panel would render a decision regarding guilt and, if Hediger were found guilty, the panel would recommend a sanction, she said. The sanction could range from public reprimand to a short or lengthy suspension of the law license, to permanent disbarment, Walsh said. According to documents filed in Benton County Circuit Court, a Corvallis property Hediger owned went into foreclosure last year. An Indiana man has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison for illegally selling firearms and ammunition in Chicago and the south suburbs, according to the U.S. attorney's office in Chicago. Darick Hudson, 47, of Michigan City, Ind., had previously pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a firearm by a felon, according to a news release from the attorney. He was sentenced Jan. 10. Advertisement Hudson sold six firearms and ammunition on three occasions in October and November of 2015, but the buyer was cooperating with law enforcement, according to the release. One of the sales allegedly took place in Lansing and another in Calumet City, according to the release. A fourth sale was supposed to have taken place in Calumet City but when Chicago police approached his vehicle, Hudson fled into Indiana, where he was apprehended, according to the release. Lincoln-Way officials will seek appraisers to determine what the closed North High School in Frankfort Township would be worth. (Daily Southtown / Gary Middendorf ) Lincoln-Way High School District 210 officials has taken the first step toward possibly selling the shuttered Lincoln-Way North High School by agreeing to seek appraisers for the building. The board will send out requests for qualifications from firms to find out what it would cost to have the shuttered two-story school appraised and what is the highest and best use for it. Advertisement Assistant Superintendent of Business Brad Cauffman determined that the cost of the district's outstanding bonds for the construction of North is at least $100 million. Any potential sale would have to cover the cost of the bonds, Superintendent Scott Tingley said. Advertisement The school was opened in 2008 and was closed in June 2016 after the district landed on the state's financial watch list. Tingley said when it closed that the district needed time to stabilize and figure out what it cost to operate North, parts of which are being used by the Frankfort Square Park District for its programs. A district spokeswoman said that, if the school were rented out, it would cost $2 million annually to operate it. The building costs the district $300,000 to maintain while closed, the spokeswoman said. The superintendent on Thursday night also presented enrollment projections, which indicated that over the next five years, the student population will decline by 340. The number of students currently housed in the district's three high schools is 6,943, but that could drop by 340 students to 6,600 by the fall of 2022, the study showed. The numbers do not include special education students who attend classes off campus in other facilities; about 80 to 100 students. Enrollment in the fall of 2016 was 6,971. The district used the Cohort-Survival Method to calculate enrollment, which is based on grade progressions from year to year, Cauffman said. The data is most accurate for the next two years, he said, which shows 6,880 in the fall of 2018, and 6,745 in 2019. Advertisement The functional capacity of the district's school are 2,300 at West High School, and 3,370 each at Central and East high schools, Tingley said. As long as each school has an enrollment of about 2,000, it can maintain its academic programs without having students travel to other campuses for classes, he said. Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > District enrollment reached a peak in the fall of 2010 of 7,288 and has steadily dropped over the years, despite an increase in building permits over the years. The study showed that there have been more than 400 building permits issued in each of the past four years, but that has no impact on high school population. Permits for new homes have steadily increased in the district since hitting a low of 117 in 2010. Housing permits doubled from 2011 to 2012, from 158 to 315, according to the study. In other matters, the board again agreed to extend the due diligence period for Woodman's Market, which wants to buy the district's land at 191st and Harlem Avenue. This is the third time the district has amended its sales agreement with the grocery store, and delayed the closing on the land. The previous deadline of Dec. 15 has now been extended to March 6. Tingley said Woodman's wanted to lower the purchase price to $3.6 million, from $4.5 million, but that is not an option because the district would have to go through the entire bid process again. Advertisement Instead, the retail grocer will work with the village of Tinley Park on other possible incentives, he said. Due to floodplain issues, the future landowner can only have one outlot on the site, instead of four or five, which reduces the potential revenue, Tingley said. Woodman's is "committed to making this work," and the district wants to close on the land deal in this fiscal year, he said. One week after voting to remove its president for alleged misconduct and performance deficiencies, the Calumet School District 132 board Thursday chose a replacement. Karen Ivey, who had served as board president from May 2015 to April 2017, was reappointed to the post. Corliss Smith, who briefly ascended to the presidency upon removal of board president Patricia Carr earlier this month, was reappointed as vice president. Advertisement Carr, who was stripped of her board president title at the Jan. 11 meeting over what she claims are illegitimate and personal reasons, attempted to nominate an alternative to Ivey, but was rebuffed by her own nominee. Board member Ernestine Stover, who declined Carr's nomination, said she did not want her name associated with "this mess," referring to the board's recent upheaval. As a result, the board voted 4-3 to appoint Ivey as president. According to her bio on the district website, Ivey, who declined comment on her appointment, has served on the Calumet school board since 2001. Advertisement During her previous tenure as board president, Ivey, along with other board members at the time, came under fire from residents for attending out-of-state conferences on the district's dime. A 2017 Daily Southtown investigation into the school board's spending on conferences found that Ivey had attended three out-of-state conferences within the past year and accounted for about one-third of the $34,092 that the seven-member board had spent on conferences between April 2016 and March 2017. Carr, who had been critical of the board's spending on conferences, replaced Ivey as president at the board's reorganization in late April 2017, days after the Southtown article was published. Synathia Harris, another critic of the board's conference spending who was elected last year on a reform platform, was appointed secretary at the same meeting. The board majority has since spent more than $20,000 to launch misconduct investigations into both Carr and Harris, who claim the queries are politically motivated. The first board-initiated probe into the pair was conducted by an independent investigator who failed to substantiate the charges against either, concluding that their behavior did not amount to harassment, according to a copy of his report obtained by the Daily Southtown. Shortly after the independent investigator provided the board his report on Carr and Harris, it voted to launch a second misconduct investigation this time into only Carr to be conducted by James Petrungaro, the board attorney whose law firm Carr had sought unsuccessfully to replace four months earlier. None of the accusations leveled at Carr involved criminal conduct. Most dealt with conflicts over her personal style and her alleged penchant for taking action on board matters while refusing to honor the will of the majority. One of the charges against Carr involved her alleged refusal to grant Ivey's request to attend a conference in New Orleans last September. Advertisement According to Petrungaro's report, Ivey and another board member asked Carr to place an item on the board's August agenda regarding their approval to attend the conference, but Carr refused. She then issued a memo asking that all board members refrain from traveling and show more restraint with district resources. "We as a board (have) recently been in the newspaper for extravagant spending on travel. Allow this negative view of our board members to quietly slip away," reads the memo, which is attached as an exhibit in Petrungaro's report. As a result of Carr's alleged refusal to consider additional board travel in her memo she states that board members are already approved to attend two upcoming conferences Ivey and two other board members convened a special meeting where they approved their attendance at the New Orleans conference. In December, the board passed a resolution supporting the removal of Carr as board president, citing 12 administrative charges of "misconduct and performance deficiencies," that had been investigated and sustained by the board's attorney. She was officially stripped of the board presidency by a 4-3 vote earlier this month, but has stated her intention to challenge the legality of the board's action in court. Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > Since the Illinois School Code does not address a board's removal of one of its own officers, and there is no court precedent on the permissibility of such an action, it's unclear whether Carr's ouster will withstand a legal challenge. Advertisement Her attorney Steven Glink, who said he believes the board's actions were illegal, intends to soon file a declaratory action and a separate emergency motion for a temporary restraining order, in the hope that a judge will move swiftly to reverse Carr's removal. "There is no question she was elected president and has a two-year term, and there's no dispute that the school code does not give other board members the express authority to do what they did," he said. "The only question is whether they have implied or inherent authority to do what they did." District Superintendent Elizabeth Reynolds said the district had no comment on Carr's threatened lawsuit. "If a lawsuit is filed, the Board of Education will review the allegations, consider all of its options for responding to that lawsuit and will make a decision it deems best for the entire School District community," she said in an emailed statement. "As is the case with any disagreement someone has with a decision made by the school board, we hope that the School District will not be forced into litigation." zkoeske@tribpub.com Twitter @ZakKoeske The village of New Lenox will soon tear down this house it owns at 102 W. Haven Ave., with plans to improve the S-curve intersection at Haven Avenue and Cedar Road. (Susan DeMar Lafferty/Daily Southtown ) The two-story blue house on the corner of Cedar Road and Haven Avenue in New Lenox will be torn down soon, creating an opportunity to improve a S-curve intersection, possibly with a roundabout, officials said. The village bought the home at 102 W. Haven in 2003, thinking the land might be needed in the future to straighten out that roadway. Advertisement It housed the village's cable TV studio until the current village hall opened in 2007. At that time, officials hired an engineering firm to design some options to improve the traffic flow at that intersection, but no action was taken. Over the years, officials have grappled with the best solution for that busy, curvy intersection. Advertisement Now that the village made its final payment on the home just last year, talks are resurfacing about what to do with that funky corner, officials said. At a recent village board meeting, trustees awarded a contract for $15,700 to Bechstein Construction Co., of Tinley Park to tear the house down when weather permits. "It's great that we are making this first move," said Mayor Tim Baldermann in a video of the Jan. 8 village board when Bechstein was hired. "This is an ideal location for a roundabout," he said, adding that the village officials will discuss their options. A roundabout is a circular intersection, usually without traffic signals, which allows motorists to move in a counter-clockwise direction around an island at a slower speed, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Roundabouts have been proven safer and more efficient than other types of circular intersections, but it doesn't have to be a perfect circle and can be adapted to its specific location, the USDOT website said. While a plan has yet to be drawn up, it is likely that more land will be needed to accommodate a roundabout specifically land on the northeast corner, owned by the Oral Motor Clinic, 105 E. Haven Ave., a privately owned speech and language therapy center, New Lenox officials said. Cars parked in the clinic's lot often interfere with the line of sight for motorists northbound on Cedar Road, or westbound on Haven, Baldermann said. Advertisement Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > "The roundabout is one of the options for the intersection. We do not have formal plans," said Village Administrator Kurt Carroll in an email response. "I anticipate we will have further discussion during the comprehensive plan update about what direction we will take to clean up that intersection, which is in progress. Until we know exactly which plan will be used, we do not know how much right of way will be needed," he wrote. But trustees seemed to be enthused about the roundabout idea. "We looked into a roundabout years ago. It's a great idea," said Trustee Dave Smith, in the video. "A roundabout would work, once people get used to them," said Trustee Dave Butterfield in the video, noting that this traffic method has worked well in other areas, such as Wisconsin. slafferty@tribpub.com Advertisement Twitter @SusanLaff At 90, Hildegard Popoff is ready to retire and sell her specialty shop, All Small Miniatures in Frankfort, seen Jan. 11, 2018, is now up for sale. (Gary Middendorf / Daily Southtown ) It may be a small world, after all, but for Hildegard Popoff, it has been a big, wonderful run. Retirement looms for the 90-year-old Hildegard, who grew up in the Black Forest of Germany and traveled halfway around the world to eventually open her own shop in south suburban Frankfort where she sells the dollhouses and miniatures she came to love as a child. Advertisement The survivor of World War II and, more recently, a nasty pedestrian knock-down that broke her leg and hip in five places says, "It's time." It's time to hand the keys of All Small Miniatures to someone who is younger, more agile and who, hopefully, will love every minute of working there as much as she has. Advertisement "I have to take care of this and that, and I have to sell," Hildegard said. "So, now I am looking for somebody who would like to buy it." A somebody, she adds, who appreciates tiny replicas that pay big attention to detail. Items like the vintage miniature of a Gutenberg printing press that "actually works," she said. Or like the wagon hauling a European version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs that her brother gave her to replace the one he'd broken when they were children. Or like the more modern fairy doors that sparkle with glitter and LED lighting and are said to be an invitation for fairy folk to visit. "All of it is so nice to play with," she said, surveying the displays inside the specialty shop on Ash Street. "How can you not love it?" Born in Immendingen, Germany, in 1927, Hildegard lost her father when she was just an infant. She has fond memories of her mother feeding her passion for miniatures and dollhouses. Advertisement "I always wanted small things; the smaller the better," she said. Times were tough, she said, but her mother was resourceful and could turn a shoe box into an enchanted kitchen or baby's room. "During the war we couldn't get anything. But she always found a way," she said. Her mother was good at sewing and often made doll clothing and accessories for Hildegard to use in her shoe box scenes. After the war, Hildegard went to work for the French government that occupied western Germany. It was there she met her husband, Nick Popoff, a Russian refugee who'd been sent with his parents, brother and sister-in-law to Germany after the war. Nick and his family applied for and were accepted to emigrate to the United States. It was a long process, Hildegard recalled, that included lots of health checkups, lots of questioning and her marriage to Nick. They were wed in January of 1951 and made the move to Wilmette, Ill., seven months later. Hildegard Popoff and her husband, Nicholas, moved to America shortly after World War II. Eventually they settled in Frankfort where Hildegard opened her store All Small Miniatures. (Gary Middendorf / Daily Southtown ) "We have never in my life met so many nice people than here in the United States. You cannot imagine. You're standing there and you don't know anything or anyone and they come to you. They were absolutely kind. Compared to how it was living through the war, everybody here was so friendly," she said. Advertisement The Popoffs lived for a time with the north suburban family who sponsored their journey to America. Hildegard worked as a maid and Nick took a job in Chicago and classes at night. In 1952, Nick was drafted into the U.S. Army. Because he spoke four languages, including Russian and Serbian, he was assigned to Intelligence work at Fort Meade, Maryland, and thus avoided being sent to the Korean front, he said. "He was very proud to be a soldier for the people who took his family in," Hildegard recalled. When Nick returned to the Chicago area two years later, the family who'd sponsored them lent the Popoffs money to buy their first home in Evanston. Ten years later, they moved to Glenview. Nick worked as an engineer and Hildegard raised the couple's two children, Steven, professor and chairperson of the department of anatomy and cell biology at Temple University in Philadelphia, and Susan, a nurse practitioner who recently finished her doctorate. In 1974, about a year after Nick's company was bought by a Park Forest company, the couple moved south to Frankfort. Advertisement One day while shopping with her daughter, Hildegard came across a miniatures shop in the village's Grainery shopping center. The owner was impressed by Hildegard's love for tiny replicas and offered her a job. With both her children in school, Hildegard accepted the offer. After a fire destroyed much of the Grainery in 1985, Hildegard bought the miniatures business. Over the years, the store has moved several times but has always remained in Frankfort. At 32 years old, the Popoffs believe it is the oldest shop in the village. "Once I bought it, it was just up, up, up. I had a lot of fun. I was just happy," she said. "I have loved it. It is not a big money maker but it was nice for me." The shop sells pieces and collections, many custom-made, some shipped from Europe. There are houses and furnishings, miniature appliances, clothing and detailed miniatures, such as suitcases, mirrors, jewelry and a wallet with credit cards. Hildegard Popoff shows her display of hand-crafted miniatures at her store All Small Miniatures in Frankfort on Jan. 11, 2018. (Gary Middendorf / Daily Southtown ) Sharon Mackie provides restoration work on old and broken dollhouses, some of which are brought to the store in pieces, she said. Advertisement Nick, 88, helps by adding electricity and even a hot tub, when requested. And now, battery-operated LED lights are all the rage, Hildegard said. How has she been able to keep working for so long? "I don't know," Hildegard said. "But I always felt if you could do something you enjoy doing, it is not really like work." Hildegard said her biggest competition has been the Internet. She used to attend trade shows but her leg injury, which left her with a permanent limp, now prevents her from going. Among the most rewarding moments, she said, are when customers who came in as children return with children of their own. Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > Beverly Slager, of Orland Park, has been a customer at the shop for five years. Advertisement "I'm going to miss seeing her," said Slager, who owns three dollhouses. She said Hildegard helped her understand how to install electricity into her houses. "She helped me with a lot of stuff," she said. But mostly, she added, "she would sit with you and tell you stories about growing up in Germany. She's a very nice lady." "It is a good feeling," Hildegard said, "to do something for somebody and make them happy." dvickroy@tribpub.com Twitter @dvickroy The first of what could be several solar farms in Will County was unanimously approved by the county board Thursday. Cypress Creek will install solar panels on a 48-acre parcel on Goodenow Road in Crete Township, and sell the energy it generates to Commonwealth Edison. Cypress will lease the land from the owner and has the option to renew the lease for four terms of five years each, which would allow the solar facility to operate for up to 40 years, according to county officials. Advertisement Before approving its first solar farm, and knowing there were more requests in the pipeline, the county board last month invited solar experts to make a presentation to explain this new energy source. Developers in Illinois are prompted by the Future Energy Jobs Act, which offers incentives for solar power production, in addition to federal tax credits, Samantha Bluemer, of the county's land use department, previously told the board. Advertisement To qualify for the incentive program, a company must have a county permit, an agreement with ComEd and a lease with the landowner. Once they are accepted, they must build the facility within 18 months, officials said. County officials placed 16 conditions on the special use permit for the Cypress Creek operation, which addresses maintenance, an emergency plan, and decommissioning the site restoring it to farmland. Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > It also required a 30-foot vegetated buffer along the north side, which abuts the Forest Preserve District of Will County, and enclosing the site with a chain link fence with landscaping in front of it, including four to five-foot evergreens every 30 feet along the roadway. Outdoor lighting is prohibited. The panels cannot exceed 25 feet in height at maximum tilt. The county also required that if the solar farm is not used for 12 months after installation, it will be decommissioned. It also requires the developer to provide some form of financial surety to cover the cost of decommissioning before receiving a permit. While the county can regulate zoning and land uses, the operation of the solar farm would be overseen by the Illinois Power Agency, officials said. Board member Judy Ogalla, R-Monee, in whose district the solar farm will be located, said the county board went through a "very detailed effort" in reviewing this project, and the company provided "good information" to the residents and the board. "I hope other solar developers are as easy to work with as Cypress Creek," she said. slafferty@tribpub.com Advertisement Twitter @SusanLaff Pat Rinkenberger, of Homewood, (left with flags) and Elaine Gillies, of Homewood, (with sign) wait for the Metra train in Homewood to take them to Chicago for the second Womens March on Saturday. (Frank Vaisvilas / Daily Southtown) Holding signs with messages that included "Respect yourself" and "It's 2018, not 1958," dozens of women lined the Homewood Metra station Saturday morning on their way to Grant Park in Chicago for the second Women's March. Organizers of this year's march said about 11:30 a.m. that the City of Chicago had informed them they had exceeded last year's crowd of 250,000. This year's theme for the march and rally is "march to the polls" as organizers hope to encourage people to vote in November. Advertisement "We all just want to be a unified voice," said Mary Pat Meehan, of Homewood, who was waiting for a train. She carried a sign with a quote from author and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel reading, "The opposite of love is not hate. It is indifference." Advertisement Meehan said she went to the rally last year, when many marchers had been motivated to attend by the election of President Donald Trump. But she said the rally turned out to be positive and many were marching for kindness, generosity and inclusion, values she said are lacking in the current political climate. "It's not so much being against something. It's about being for something," Meehan said. She said she planned to meet her sister-in-law and several nieces from around the Chicago area at the rally. Near her was Irene van der Hoek, also of Homewood, who was holding a sign keeping to the theme of the march while also taking a dig at Trump. It read, "Grab 'em by the polls," referencing an obscene comment Trump made about women on audio tape during an "Access Hollywood" interview. "We need to keep on fighting for not just women's rights but on all issues like immigration," van der Hoek said. She last year's march that she attended was "awesome" and "very empowering." Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 31 Demonstrators march near Federal Plaza on Dearborn Street during the Women's March Chicago on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. (Lou Foglia/Chicago Tribune) (Lou Foglia / Chicago Tribune) Pat Rinkenberger, of Homewood, who also was waiting for a train to Grant Park, said she went to the rally last year in Washington, D.C. She said she never used to go to events with large crowds but when she attended last year's rally of more than a half-million people, it was "life-changing." Rinkenberger said she's going this year not to protest but to help protect programs she cares about, programs that she said protect the environment, education and health care. Advertisement Lori Saulters of Dyer, Ind., said she and three other women held their own women's march rally in Ludington, Mich., last year. She said the rally, although small, was powerful. But she said she wants to experience the march in Grant Park this year. Fewer people were waiting for the train to Chicago at the Tinley Park Metra station, but those there were just as enthusiastic about going to the march. Cynthia Boyna, of Tinley Park, said she didn't go to the rally last year but wanted to experience it this year with her granddaughter. Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > "I'm more aware, now," Boyna said. She said she wanted to stand up for women because of the comments the president has made regarding women. She said she finds him crude and insulting. Alice Mossman, of Midlothian, also was waiting at the Tinley Park station and said she was meeting up with a few friends at the rally. She said they're mostly against Trump but they're also hoping to inspire people to get out and vote. "I just wanted to be a part of something greater than myself," Mossman said. Advertisement At the rally itself, Tinley Park resident Peggy Killacky came dressed as a dinosaur, something she said was intended to show her interest in environmental causes. "I don't want to go extinct," she said. "I'm marching for my grandchildren." Daily Southtown reporter Anne Halston contributed. Frank Vaisvilas is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. Barrington residents Chris Mitchell, from left, Cara Richardson and Jake Mitchell, 17, attended the Womens March in downtown Chicago on Saturday as a family. (Anne Halston / Elgin Courier-News) Elgin resident Debbie Soulier joined thousands of others marching in downtown Chicago a year ago advocating for women's rights and protesting against the election of President Donald Trump. The inaugural march was "amazing, absolutely amazing," Soulier said. "It was empowering." Advertisement So Soulier got up early on Saturday morning to board a Metra train from Elgin to Chicago to once again participate in the Women's March, held in Grant Park. This time, her sister-in-law, Sandi Wozniak, joined her. "The electricity running through me feels like I could charge a phone," Soulier said. "It is so exciting." Advertisement Soulier and Wozniak were the only people on an 8 a.m. train car from Elgin to the city, but they would soon join thousands of others at the march. The two met a group of family and friends at Union Station, where they were surrounded by more women holding signs and wearing pink hats, a symbol of the Women's March. Organizers said Saturday's attendance topped last year's Women's March, which was estimated at 250,000 people. This year, the Chicago's Women's March focused on getting more women registered to vote, getting the women's vote out and encouraging women to run for public office. Hundreds of marches were held throughout the country. Barrington residents Chris Mitchell, Cara Richardson and Jake Mitchell, 17, attended the Chicago march as a family. Chris Mitchell and son Jake Mitchell wrote a sign telling men not to be jerks on the train in from Barrington that had dozens of people asking to take their picture. "As a family, we talk about the issues about what's going on in this country, Chris Mitchell said. A Barrington High School senior, 17-year-old Jake Mitchell said he believes it's important to march to be a part of history. "This is history in the making," he said. "You don't want to sit on the sidelines while it happens." As for Wozniak, she couldn't make last year's march. Soulier attended with her husband, a firefighter, and other family members, as a result of what she called the "horror of the election of Donald Trump." Wozniak, who protested the Vietnam War as a teenager, feels the movement has already helped women. Advertisement "I think women are walking more proudly and with their heads up," she said. Soulier said she has always been an activist. Her passion for politics began as a teen growing up in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The islands are a U.S. territory, but residents cannot vote for U.S. presidents. She recalls the first time her family members were able to vote: for the islands' governor. Soulier said her mother bought a special dress from a JC Penney catalog and new high heels for the occasion. She said she also had the day off of school in celebration of the first election. The experience reinforced her appreciation for her right to vote, she said. "I realize how important it is to use your voice," Soulier said. "People have fought and died for women and people of color to vote. It's your responsibility to vote as an American citizen. To me, voting is sacramental," she said. But the movement cannot just be just for one day, Soulier and Wozniak said. "It's not just the march," Wozniak said. "It's what you do afterwards. Speak up, America." Advertisement Debbie Soulier, left, and her sister-in-law, Sandi Wozniak, both of Elgin, were among thousands attending Chicagos Womens March on Saturday. (Gloria Casas / Elgin Courier-News) Courier-News reporter Anne Halston contributed. Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News. North Chicago fire Chief Dell Urban and Battalion Chief Josh Rickabaugh show some of the bags that Urban will hand out to the homeless when she goes to Chicago on Saturday for the Womens March. (Frank Abderholden / News-Sun ) Inspired by last year's Women's March Chicago, Dell Urban is going again Saturday, but while there she plans to pass out 100 bags filled with toiletries, food and clothes to homeless people in Chicago. Urban, the North Chicago fire chief, attended the January 2017 march that drew so many people it had to be moved from its original location to the lakefront. This week, she recalled how she almost didn't go. Advertisement "We didn't have any plans," she said of her and her girlfriend. "But it was such a beautiful day, and I love photography, so we decided to go. "We were overwhelmed by the number of people. We went to the wrong spot at first, but a police officer directed us to the lakefront. They found a platform with a bird's-eye view of the rally, and they embraced the energy of the crowd. It was amazing." Advertisement Urban added with a laugh that some of the fun was just looking at the protest signs some people had made. "People can be so creative," she said, though she noted that not all of the signs were necessarily family-friendly. All told, she added, "I'm so glad I went," saying participants in the march fed off everyone's energy. Urban planned to attend this year's Women's March Chicago, but before Christmas she was moved by several news stories she read and saw about how homeless people were being cleared out of some viaducts in Chicago. She said one older woman really touched her heart when the woman told a reporter that she lost everything she had, even Christmas presents. "That struck me," Urban said. "Here was someone that had nothing but was still willing to give." So Urban decided to collect toiletries, food and clothing that she could bring to Chicago to hand out to the homeless before going to the march in an effort to show them someone cares. "We were going to deliver the bags and then go and be a part of history," she said. She posted on Facebook and let people know what she was doing, and before she knew it, there were items coming from everywhere, including friends and relatives. Advertisement "I had no idea it would turn into such a movement. I've heard from childhood friends in Wisconsin, friends in Wadsworth and other fire departments, even from people I didn't even know," Urban said. "I have a niece in Alaska (who) sent a huge care package that she and her people at her work had put together for me." North Chicago fire Chief Dell Urban said she enjoyed the energy and camaraderie of the 2017 Womens March Chicago, where the photography buff took lots of pictures. She even ordered some of the posters she saw to decorate her home, like this one in front of Roosevelt University. (Dell Urban) According to Urban, the donations for the homeless are "filling my house, garage and car." She enlisted her friends to help pack the bags and get them ready for distribution. Urban began her career in the fire service in an odd way. "My brother Lonnie dragged me over to the Newport Fire Protection District, and that was it. Thank goodness I listened to him for once," she said with a laugh. Her brother is a retired Lake County sheriff's deputy. This year marks Urban's 30th year in the fire service, and despite being one of the trailblazers as a woman chief and some of the bumps that had to be overcome, she said she wouldn't change it for the world. That's one of things she likes about the march. Advertisement "It helps the younger generation by encouraging them to have confidence," she said. "It empowers them." A guide for residents going to the march can be found at: www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-women-march-chicago-2018-details-htmlstory.html. fabderholden@tribpub.com Twitter @abderholden SWEET HOME Think youve got a good eye for picking out your familys Christmas tree? Do you love exploring the great outdoors, especially the Willamette National Forest? Well, the Sweet Home Ranger District has a challenge for you: Find the perfect tree to become the 2018 Capitol Christmas Tree that will grace the west lawn of the Capitol in Washington, D.C. Each year since 1970 the Capitol Tree has come from of the countrys national forests. The 2013 tree came from Washington State, and in 2002 the tree came from the Umpqua National Forest in Oregon. Friday morning, on the historic Weddle Covered Bridge in Sankey Park, forest officials urged the public to head into the Sweet Home Ranger District with camera and GPS in hand to search for the Douglas-fir or noble fir tree they think should represent Oregon. We are super excited to be here, Nikki Swanson, Sweet Home District Ranger said, flanked by two trees decorated with ornaments made by district employees. We are thrilled about this honor. Swanson said that in addition to the 65- to 85-foot tree, another 75 trees will also come from the forest and will be used to decorate other government buildings in Washington, D.C. Swanson added that individuals and families can also participate by making ornaments to decorate the trees. We will need 10,000 ornaments handmade by the people of Oregon for the peoples Christmas tree, Swanson said. She encouraged families and groups to get together for ornament making events. The first local event will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Sweet Home Boys & Girls Club, 890 18th Ave. Diane Guidry, Region 6 Deputy Regional Forester, said that national forests in Oregon and Washington issue more than 56,000 Christmas tree permits annually in addition to providing numerous recreational opportunities, harvesting timber to construct homes and offering habitat for a broad range of wildlife species. She encouraged the public to visit their public lands and to enjoy the great outdoors. Mayor Greg Mahler said the selection of the tree from the Sweet Home Ranger District will provide the community with numerous opportunities to show others what a wonderful community Sweet Home is. As a community we can come together to help make the ornaments; maybe hold a parade in November as the tree begins its journey to Washington, D.C., Mahler said. We can hold our tree lighting event simultaneously with the White House and have the opportunity to build partnerships on a national level. This is a great opportunity we can show the country just how great our little town is. Linn County Commissioner Will Tucker said his family plans to travel along with the tree as it makes a reverse Oregon Trail journey to the nations capital. The tree will leave Oregon in November and make numerous stops in communities along the way. Oregonians are invited to sign a banner that will adorn the trees trailer creating a Christmas card from Oregon. The public can follow its journey at www.capitolchristmastree.com. This years theme is Find Your Trail!, in recognition of two 2018 anniversaries: the 50th anniversary of the National Trails System Act, and the 175th commemoration of the Oregon Trail. This will allow us to show others how we grow some of the best timber in the world, while cleaning the air, sequestering carbon and restoring habitat, Tucker said. We can showcase how our Christmas trees often Douglas-firs are farmed, cut, wrapped and send around the world. Oregon trees are recognized for their color, fragrance, shape and freshness. Tucker said Christmas tree farms are a $90 million annual industry in Oregon and 92 percent of those trees are shipped out of state. Tucker said he hopes the national tree will cause many people to talk with Oregonians about the importance of timber-oriented jobs, plus new technologies such as cross-laminated lumber for buildings. Other guest speakers were Juine Chada of Sen. Ron Wydens office, Linea Gagliano, director of Global Communications with Travel Oregon and Bruce Ward, director of Choose Outdoors. People walk north on LaSalle Street during the Women's March on Chicago on Jan. 21, 2017. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) The inaugural Women's March Chicago last year inspired Naperville residents to band together in civic and politically minded groups. The march this year is motivating those groups to join forces to change the community. While some Naperville activists feared the march's momentum might fade over the months, many Naperville organizations are reaping the benefit of increased numbers and involvement. Advertisement As the former Naperville Township Democratic Organization chair, Dianne McGuire recalls the difficulty they used to have in finding people to help on campaigns or attend meet-the-candidate events. In May, roughly 200 people showed up to an Indivisible Naperville meeting, a group McGuire co-founded, to listen to Democratic gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker outline his platform. Advertisement While numbers wax and wane depending on the topic, McGuire said interest in Indivisible Naperville remains strong. "I'm not searching for volunteers; they're calling me now," she said. Lifeless in recent years, Will County NOW was resuscitated a year ago with the help Naperville's Laura Welch, who serves as the group's president. Welch said the energy she experienced at the march never diminished. "It is just the opposite," Welch said. "It's exploded into an amazing revolution." Like many Naperville area organizations, NOW spent the past year studying the issues and talking to government officials to become informed citizens. Members now are applying that knowledge to developing programs to pursue various issues. In the coming months, the group will offer a safety fair for young women who will be headed off to college in the fall. Welch said they need to learn how to protect themselves against sexual assault and what to do and where to turn should an assault occur either to them or a friend. "If anything, we want to empower them not to be a bystander," Welch said. Advertisement Along the same vein, NOW members also might develop talks for teen boys. "A big part of (the #MeToo movement) is shedding light on locker-room talk and what's wrong with it, and that cat-calling is not OK," she said. "We need to teach (young men) that no means no." Welch said NOW is looking at giving young girls the tools to develop self-confidence "before they start getting smacked down." To that end, the group plans to create a Rebel Girls Book Club based on the "Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls" children's book. The book features 100 bedtime stories about the life of 100 extraordinary women from the past and the present. Will County NOW is able to get more accomplished because her members are able to band together with other organizations with like-minded missions, Welch said. "The change I see is people are working together," she said. Advertisement One of the groups NOW has been working with is the League of Women Voters of Naperville. The two sponsored a showing of the documentary film, "Equal Means Equal," which focuses on how women today are treated in America. In addition, NOW members frequently attend the nonpartisan league's events, which have included community forums for residents to speak with their congressmen; citizen watchdog and school government training; book clubs and forums on women's issues; and marches or walks in support of science and community unity. Because of the influx of people who've joined the league in the past year, the group also was able to revive a Birthday Box program that previously had been suspended because of the lack of bodies to assemble the boxes. When local teens turn age 18, league members provide the young adults with a box with filled with voting materials to encourage them to become informed voters and register to vote. Organizers say they wouldn't be able to accomplish nearly as much as they do without the help of social media, websites and other forms of electronic communication. Advertisement "When I ran for state representative in 2008, I don't recall much of a Facebook presence," McGuire said. She said mailings to home addresses aren't nearly as effective as emails or social media posts. "Email addresses are like gold," McGuire said. Local groups also anticipate the added infusion of energy from Saturday's march will spark more of a push to alter the political scene at the county, state and federal levels. A leader of the Coalition for a Better Illinois 6th says the 2017 Women's March had a direct impact on the organization. "Most of the groups that are part of the coalition are led by women who had not been involved in politics or community organizing up until the women's march last year," said Reid McCollum, a leader with the Coalition for a Better Illinois 6th, a network of 24 grassroots groups working in Illinois' 6th Congressional District to inform and engage the public. McCollum went to the Washington, D.C., Women's March last year where he was inspired to get involved. "My story is similar to most of our leaders," McCollum said. Advertisement He sees the coalition's timeline beginning with the call to action of last year's women's marches, followed by the Indivisible guide and the Feb. 4 protest in Palatine outside a meeting between Republican U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam of Wheaton and Palatine Township Republicans. Since its inception, the coalition hasn't seen any lull in involvement in the past year, McCollum said. "There are people who weren't involved last year who are going to march this year," McCollum said. "More people showing up now to this saying, 'I'm here and ready to go.'" And the motivations to march this year haven't changed from last year's. "Nothing that needed to change has changed yet," McCollum said. "People who marched last year, we're now organized. There's no less reason to march." Naperville Sun reporter Erin Hegarity contributed. subaker@tribpub.com Advertisement Twitter @SBakerSun1 A large group of protesters, some wearing pink hats and others carrying signs, board a Metra train at the Route 59 station on their way to the Womens March Chicago on Saturday morning. (Diane Moca / Naperville Sun) Some wore pink hats. Some held signs. Some showed no outward hint they were part of a protest. But all seemed to have the same resolve as they joined dozens of others at the Route 59 Metra station heading to the Women's March in Chicago, one of hundreds of cities around the world that swelled with protesters Saturday for the second year in a row. "It's not a bunch of people being angry, but about something that needs to be addressed," said Celeste Jenkins, of Warrenville, about this year's Women's March, held for the second time in Grant Park in downtown Chicago. Jenkins said she and her family saw an even bigger crowd in 2017 when they took the Metra train to attend last year's event, organized in response to President Donald Trump's election. A Metra employee said this year more trains were added to the schedule to accommodate the anticipated uptick in riders on Saturday. Advertisement James Piehl, an 18-year-old College of DuPage student from Naperville, said he thinks it's important for men to attend events like the Women's March. "Feminism is an ideology that everybody should believe in," Piehl said. "I benefit from the current system, and I don't think it should be that way." Advertisement The Women's March was dubbed "Power to the Polls" by national organizers, who hope it will motivate people to vote for candidates supporting women's issues and will encourage more women to seek elected office. Organizers at the Chicago march said this year's attendance had at least reached that of last year's, which was estimated at 250,000. "People making most decisions affecting women are not women. I think the march was the beginning of women getting the confidence to come together and speak out more," said Maureen Kublin-Heffernan, of Oswego. She and others at the Naperville train station said the impact has already been felt since the first Women's March. This year, 29 women in Illinois are running for statewide or federal elected office, compared to 19 women just four years ago, according to Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer, who traveled to the National Mall to join the epicenter of the protest in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. Earlier this month, she said the first march gave women the support needed to overcome the fear of running for office and the courage needed to join the subsequent #MeToo movement by sharing a personal experience with sexual harassment or assault. Courtney Boyda Madden, of Aurora, said last year's march "does have an impact ... people feel more empowered to speak out." While local participants said this year's event did not focus as much on opposition to the president, Suzanne Apgar, of Naperville, said Trump "helped to spark" the movement, which drew an unexpectedly large crowd in 2017 in Chicago and worldwide. "I think, given his attitude, this has spurred more women to stand up and speak their minds. Since we got the vote in 1920 ... not enough has changed," Apgar said. "I was there in the '60s. I didn't have the guts to march. I didn't have the guts to speak up. My parents would've killed me." But some still expressed anxiety about sharing their beliefs. One woman waiting to join the rally didn't want herself, or even her sign, to be photographed because she feared repercussions at her job. Kublin-Heffernan's 13-year-old son, Oliver Heffernan, didn't worry about any push-back from others. He said he was joining his mom at the march while his sister was home with the flu because it's "the right thing to do. I have a little sister and mom and aunt and friends." Heffernan said he went to last year's march with his parents, two siblings and an aunt. Advertisement As she waited for the train to take her to the rally, Madden said she didn't attend last year's march because she was pregnant with her daughter, but she treasures the picture of her newborn in the hospital wearing a pink pussy hat. "Women's voices need to be heard. It's time for us to stand up and show we're not going to be quiet. It has to do with recognizing women for what they do. It's ridiculous we don't have equal pay. We don't have statues of women. We're not recognized, and we need to be," said Madden, adding that she hopes her infant daughter will "live in a world where what she says has the same weight that a man says, not weighted based on her gender or race." Its important to show support for women and womens issues, said Patty Schaffer, who lived in Naperville for 28 years and now lives in Chicago. Schaffer attended the Womens March in Chicago on Saturday, Jan. 20. This year, were here because things need to change and we want to be a part of that change. Her daughter, Meghan Schaffer, 28, said she experienced sexism while growing up in Naperville. It is a town for the nuclear family, where the man works and the women dont. (Anne Halston / Naperville Sun) Janice Wunsch, of Naperville, was one of many people at the train station who said they were marching because of others. "I have five granddaughters. I want them to have equal rights. We don't now," said Wunsch, who attended last year. "I'm a senior citizen doing this for my granddaughters and grandson," Apgar said. "I want this world to be a better place for them. If it teaches young men to be more respectful of women, that's accomplish(ing) something too. It's a start." Patricia Davoust, of Warrenville, said she's participating a second year in a row because we "still need awareness in a huge public way, especially men, who need the message." Advertisement Jenkins said she plans to attend the Women's March every year with her sister and parents in the hopes that "we won't have to march like this" when she reaches the age of her mother. Hill Middle School student Chloe Pettigrew, 12, attended last year's event and was excited to be able to march again this year. "By being here, I learn that women should be treated the same way as men and have all the same rights," the Naperville sixth-grader said. Naperville Sun reporter Anne Halston contributed. Diane Moca is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun. Seven residents who have had prior involvement with the Park Ridge Farmers Market have been appointed to a new city committee tasked with running the annual outdoor event. The Park Ridge City Council on Jan. 16 approved mayoral recommendations to appoint David Arena, Roman Berko, Jay Crowley, Karen Grunschel, Lisa Keller, Deanna Madigan, and Eileen Manning to the Farmers Market Committee, which was created by the city last year. Advertisement The terms of Crowley, Keller and Madigan will end on Jan. 31, 2020; the terms of Arena and Berko will end on Jan. 31, 2021; and the terms of Manning and Grunschel will end on Jan. 31, 2022, according to the city. The committee will be asked to select two of its members to be "market masters," charged with administering the Farmers Market and enforcing its rules and regulations, the city's Farmer's Market ordinance says. Advertisement Each resident named to the new committee indicated on applications that they had previously volunteered with the Farmers Market Committee before its members were subject to formal appointment by the mayor with approval by the City Council. The appointment requirement was among changes the City Council made to the city's Farmers Market ordinance last year. The running of the Farmers Market had long been part of the city's municipal code, with volunteers assisting since the market started in 1991. But management responsibilities previously handled by city staff were taken on by volunteers when a designated city employee retired in 2012, Grunschel said. Support to the Farmers Market Committee will now be provided by the city's Department of Community Preservation and Development, aldermen decided last year. According to the city's meeting calendar, the new Farmers Market Committee is scheduled to meet on Feb. 15. The Park Ridge Farmers Market is held each Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., from Memorial Day weekend through the end of October, at 15 Prairie Ave. in Uptown. Aldermen have called upon the market to be "self-sustaining," without additional costs to the city. The city pays a $1,150 lease for parking in a lot owned by AT&T and holds insurance coverage for the market, City Manager Joe Gilmore said last year. Advertisement jjohnson@pioneerlocal.com Twitter: @Jen_Tribune A padlock keeps the lead-contaminated West Calumet Housing Complex secure on 151st Street at Gladiola Avenue in East Chicago. (Joe Puchek / Post-Tribune) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has deemed East Chicago's now-vacant West Calumet Housing Complex as a contaminated site that's ripe for redevelopment. The EPA on Wednesday released a list of Superfund sites across the country ideal for a "redevelopment focus list," according to a press release. While the EPA says the redevelopment of the West Calumet Housing Complex and old Carrie Gosch School is pending remediation in the area, residents want some guarantees before the site is given a new use. Advertisement "EPA is more than a collaborative partner to remediate the nation's most contaminated sites, we're also working to successfully integrate Superfund sites back into communities across the country," EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said, in a statement Wednesday. "Today's redevelopment list incorporates Superfund sites ready to become catalysts for economic growth and revitalization." Debbie Chizewer, of Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law's Environmental Advocacy Center which is working with the East Chicago Calumet Coalition, said it's important for the EPA to clean a site in a way that protects human health. Advertisement Chizewer said she sees that Pruitt's EPA wants to get sites into use, but that remediation should be done right. "I think it's most important to get the perspective of the people living there," Chizewer said. The EPA's Superfund Task Force report said future uses of these sites should be planned with community input, Chizewer said. "It's important to have the community at the table," Chizewer said. In December, Pruitt put the U.S.S. Lead Superfund site, which encompasses East Chicago's Calumet neighborhood, on a list of 21 sites across the county in need of immediate and intense attention, according to a press release. "This 70-acre site includes the former West Calumet Housing Complex, a city park and the Carrie Gosch School," the EPA said in its site description. "The school is available for reuse and the city has said the housing complex parcel will be zoned for residential use." "The EPA is re-evaluating cleanup options for Zone 1 in coordination with the city and the school district," the EPA added. East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland in July 2016 told West Calumet residents they should move because of the high levels of lead and arsenic contamination at the site. The East Chicago School Corp. shuttered the Carrie Gosch School, moving students to the former West Side Junior High at 4001 Indianapolis Blvd. Advertisement Copeland has asked the EPA repeatedly to clean the site to residential standards as the reuse of the site is now being explored. The remediation alternatives and ultimate plan to remove the contaminated material will follow what the future use of the site will be, according to the EPA. Once the new plans are developed, the EPA will release those alternatives and collect public feedback. The EPA's initial record of decision, released in 2012, planned to remediate the contaminated soil at the housing complex without displacing residents or tearing down any buildings. The intention to simply dig out the soil was the plan funded through the 2014 consent decree. When Copeland notified residents in July 2016 that they would have to move and he intended to have the complex demolished, the EPA had to revisit that plan. The West Calumet Housing Complex is now vacant, the last resident moving out in June 2017, and waiting demolition. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development gave the East Chicago Housing Authority permission to demolish the complex in September. Advertisement The approval HUD gave the East Chicago Housing Authority only allows the demolition of the buildings and removal of roadways, sidewalks and foundations, according to HUD. HUD blocked plans to remove underground utilities, according to the final decision issued by the federal housing agency. clyons@post-trib.com Twitter @craigalyons River Forest police are investigating after a Friday carjacking involving two people armed with guns in the 500 block of Monroe Avenue. The driver reported he had pulled his SUV into a driveway just before 6 p.m. Friday when two gunmen described as young men or boys approached, River Forest police said in a news release issued Saturday afternoon. The two then got into the SUV and drove away toward eastbound Lake Street, police said. Advertisement A second car, which police believe drove the gunmen to the area, was described as a maroon four-door Chevy Impala, police said. Officers from River Forest, Oak Park, Forest Park and Chicago searched for both cars in the area immediately after the carjacking but were unable to find the vehicles. Both suspects are described as possibly juveniles, with each standing 5-foot-8 with slim builds and wearing ski-style hats, police said. Advertisement Because of a rise in reported carjackings in the area, River Forest police said they have increased the number of uniform and plain-clothes officers operating in the village in recent weeks. According to police, recent carjackings appear to be crimes of opportunity, and police ask residents to be aware of their surroundings, keep doors locked, keep windows rolled up and keep watch for people who may be following or approaching your car. Police said victims should not argue or fight with the carjacker, instead recommending they leave their car and belongings and call 911 immediately. Anyone with information about can contact the River Forest Police Department at 708-366-7125. sschering@pioneerlocal.com Twitter @steveschering Renderings of antennas and transmitter equipment that can be attached to municipal light poles to boost cell phone reception. (Village of Vernon Hills) Cellular data antennas mounted on light poles are set to flood public right-of-ways across Illinois, and Vernon Hills is moving to create enforcement plans for the moment Gov. Bruce Rauner signs the bill authorizing their use. The antennas would be about 30 inches tall and contain an additional processor, according Building Commissioner Mike Atkinson. He said the devices would be used to boost service within existing coverage areas. Advertisement As technology evolves, the need for data capacity evolves, Atkinson told village trustees during a Jan. 9 committee meeting. What number (of them) would we have moving into the future? Its really hard to determine, but theyre coming and its easy to estimate that it wouldnt be a small number. If the bill is signed into law, municipalities will not be able to limit the number of antennas wireless providers can install, Atkinson said. The devices would be permitted on all utility poles in public right-of-ways, he added. Advertisement Public right-of-ways are typically the few feet of land between roads and sidewalks that local governments reserve for utilities the entire public benefits from. Vernon Hills has around 5,000 light poles that stand approximately 180 feet apart, according Dave Brown, director of public works. There are certain allowances that were placed in there that . . . gives our village the opportunity to have a certain level of control, not the amount that we want, but a certain level of control, Atkinson said. Versions of the bill passed both chambers of the General Assembly last year, and at some point after returning to session on Jan. 30 the Senate is supposed to revote in consideration of changes made in the House. Originally proposed by state Sen. Terry Link (D-Vernon Hills) in February 2017, the bill did not give municipalities much control, but Atkinson said recent revisions negotiated by the Illinois Municipal League do grant some local power. The bill, in its current form, would require communities to pass local ordinances mirroring the state law in order to gain those controls, he said. As soon as we know theyre not going to make any more changes, then well have the public hearing, Atkinson said Thursday. It could happen as early as February, but we dont know for sure. Once the act is signed into law by the governor we can react quickly by getting in front of our board for final review and approval. We dont want any window of opportunity or ambiguity. Vernon Hills first considered their own ordinance in September when a contractor for Verizon Wireless approached the village about installing a few antennas due to service issues that needed to be resolved. Hawthorn Middle School North was one of the areas in need. Advertisement On Jan. 9, Atkinsons update focused on how to acquire the limited oversight abilities municipalities could receive when the bill is signed. One of the things that was added into the act was that we can now ask for a structural analysis and we can get specifications on the equipment, Atkinson told trustees. So, we can verify if the pole can handle the additional load. Another new provision says local governments can make wireless providers install the antennas as far as 100 feet away from their desired location if it is intrusive to a home or business. Fees were also added into the bill. Atkinson said local government can charge $350 for applications in bunches of up to 25 locations, $650 for applications involving just one antenna intended for an existing pole, and $1,000 for any antenna going on a newly erected utility pole that only serves the applicant. Allowing for new utility poles goes against underground utility policies Vernon Hills and other communities created for developers as part of community beautification efforts. Advertisement We have a number of subdivisions with no utility poles, so in those areas were going to see requests for new poles because theres nothing to put them on, Atkinson said. The proposed bill would limit the antennas to no more than 10 feet above the desired existing pole, and new utility poles plus antennas can only be 45 feet above ground or at the same height of any existing pole within 200 feet of the desired location, according to Atkinsons report. Its definitely a need for our residents and business owners who increasingly rely on this technology, Atkinson said Thursday. You dont want to say no to them, but its just a question of coming up with reasonable regulations for placement of these things. In an effort to limit the intrusiveness or aesthetic impact, Atkinson said Vernon Hills ordinance will also cover private poles, such as lighting structures in commercial parking lots and parks where its easier to hide these small cell sites. Mayor Roger Byrne asked if private property owners could make money leasing space on their structures. They can, we wouldnt get in their way, Atkinson said. What wed do is regulate through zoning how they could appropriately place them. Advertisement rkambic@pioneerlocal.com Twitter @Rick_Kambic Adam Frisch not sure if he'll run against Boebert in CD3 in 2024 Frisch filed paperwork for a 2024 bid for CD3 this week, but he said it was in case he needed to fundraise for a potential legal defense for this election. LEBANON POLICE Injury wreck 11:23 a.m. Wednesday, intersection of Main and Milton streets. Lebanon police responded to a collision near the intersection between a Toyota Sequoia and a Toyota Camry. Medics were dispatched to see to a 40-year-old female involved in the crash who complained of back pain. Marisa Lyn Headley, 45, was cited for following too closely. Vehicle recovered 7:41 a.m. Wednesday, South Fifth Street. Police recovered a green Honda Accord that had been reported stolen out of Albany. It was returned to the registered owner. Pedestrian struck 7:35 a.m. Wednesday, intersection of Seventh Street and Airport Road. Police responded to a report of a vehicle striking a high school student who was walking to school. The student was crossing Airport Road, headed north on Seventh Street, when a red pickup truck hit him. The male driver stopped and spoke with the student but no information was exchanged. The student declined medical treatment and the parent was notified. LINN COUNTY SHERIFF Dumped logs 9:37 a.m. Friday, intersection of Waterloo and Berlin roads. Linn County deputies responded to a report of a semi crashing into a power pole, overturning and losing a load of logs. No one was injured. The pole provided electricity to Hamilton Creek School, which was out of power until about 1 p.m. School officials invited parents to pick up their children if they chose, but said many of the approximately 300 students were on a field trip that day, anyway, so not many families took advantage of the option. The sheriff's office said the log truck company removed the logs and the power company was notified of the incident. No citations were listed. SWEET HOME POLICE Assault 9:41 a.m., 1641 Long Street. Police received a report of a student assaulted at Sweet Home High School and needing stitches. A 15-year-old female was referred to the Linn County Juvenile Department, where she was released to parents. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi signed a series of agreements, during Netanyahu's visit to India, the first in fifteen years, aimed at deepening cooperation in the areas of energy, the film industry, aviation, cyber and investment. These agreements come as India is starting to plan a free trade pact with Israel, and Indian energy companies are looking to explore oil and gas in the Mediterranean. The welcoming of Netanyahu to India signifies a long term strategic change in culture in India. India and Israel started to develop strategic ties ever since the war on terror started, which only increased during the ghastly 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. And then Narendra Modi, himself a right-wing nationalist, went to visit Israel to solidify the alignment. "This is the dawn of a new era in the great friendship between India and Israel that began with Prime Minister Modi's historic visit to Israel, which created tremendous enthusiasm. It continues with my visit here, which I must say is deeply moving for my wife and me, and for the entire people of Israel. And I think it heralds a flourishing of our partnership to bring prosperity and peace and progress for both our people," Netanyahu was quoted as saying. He brings with him, the little kid, who was the only survivor in the horrific attack in Mumbai, who was saved by her Christian nanny, who is considered a heroine in Israel. The ties between India and Israel are complicated. Indian academia remains deeply anti-Israel, given India's post-colonial role. India consistently supported the Palestinian cause, and in later years a two-state solution, which is essentially dead after Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Netanyahu said as much, during his visit. He said that Israel was disappointed that India supported the UN motion against Jerusalem, but also added that one vote isn't a sign of the trends in Indo-Israeli ties. Netanyahu also said two more significant things. First he mentioned that India is a world power, when asked about the presence of the Indian navy in the Mediterranean. He also said, and this was missed by the majority of the news reports, but is immensely significant, that Israel would try and mediate if needed, between China and India, should there be any dispute, and should it be required. While, it possibly shall not be required, as India and China both prefer bilateral solutions to any problem, it is a remarkable gesture, as Israel shares good offices with China. And finally, he said that Israel will help in technological advancement in India. Israel is one of the most tech advanced nations in the world, and Israeli tech might help India's nascent modern armament industry, as well as its farming sector, particularly with India's huge and growing population. It's important to remember a few things. First of all, India's relationship with Israel is purely tactical. India, given its post-colonial history, is loath to fall into any alliance. That will be evident, when India tries its balancing act with Israel. While there are massive shared aligned interests, in two significant sectors, Israeli and Indian interests differ. First, the issue of Palestine. Second, an even bigger headache, in Iran. India and Iran share historic ties and India has always relied on Iran as a counterbalance to Sunni Jihadism in Afghanistan and Pakistan. India is also developing ports in Iran as a counterbalance to the Pakistani ports used by China. Iran also happens to be the mortal enemy of Israel. What if push comes to shove, and there's a war in Middle east? The nightmarish scenario is difficult to ponder. That said, Indian PM Modi shares a personal camaraderie with right wing nationalist parties, and Israel is no different. But this visit shouldn't be given too much importance, as while the rhetoric maybe high, the real politics remains complicated. Sumantra Maitra is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/SumantraMaitra.htm Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. 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 Events coming up in the next few days Foreign Minister Wang to visit Chile and Uruguay China's Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, will undertake official visits to Chile and Uruguay from January 21 to 25, the Foreign Ministry announced. Wang will also lead a delegation to the Second Ministerial Meeting of the Forum of China and Community of Latin American and Caribbean States in Santiago, Chile, from January 19 to 22. I am a retired newspaperman. I am 69 and live in Poca, WV, with my wife of 45 years, Lou Ann. We grew up in Cleveland. Three kids. Grandfather. More on who I am is here. Report all errors to DonSurber@GMail.com I had the privilege or reading a pre-release version of "God Shines Forth: How the Nature of God Shapes and Drives the Mission of the Church." Here are 20 quotes from the book, which you should pick up. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NEW YORK - An employee is severely depressed and unable to complete a task. Or has mood swings and outbursts, unnerving colleagues and disrupting the workplace. These are some of the hardest situations small-business owners and managers can face. John Crossman has had employees at his commercial real estate company whose personal problems made it hard for them get work done. He's sympathetic, because he's struggled with depression and sought counseling in the past. When he sees an employee in emotional distress, he asks, "Is there something we can do to be helpful?" At the same time, "you have to decide, what business boundary are you going to put up," says Crossman, whose eponymous company is based in Orlando, Fla. Small-business owners juggle competing concerns when they're dealing with employees' mental health issues, and it can be particularly difficult for the many owners who don't have a dedicated human resources staff. They may be worried on a personal level about a troubled staffer's well-being, but they also have a business to run. If employees cannot get their work done properly or on time, revenue can suffer. In cases where a staffer has angry outbursts, co-workers might complain of a hostile work environment or might quit. If staffers alienate customers or vendors, an owner will have to repair the relationships. Owners also must comply with federal, state and local laws. The Americans with Disabilities Act, which applies to companies with 15 or more employees, prohibits discrimination against workers with disabilities including mental illness and requires employers to make reasonable accommodations to help staffers work. The Family and Medical Leave Act, which provides for up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for medical conditions including mental illness, applies to companies with 50 or more employees. Some state laws offer employees even more protection. And workers who feel discriminated against because of emotional issues might file charges with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. At Maple Holistics' warehouse, one worker suffered from severe social anxiety. He couldn't always make it into work on time, and he didn't communicate well with his nine co-workers. Managers at the Farmingdale, N.J.-based company that manufactures maple food and personal care products knew they had to make accommodations. "I knew he was not necessarily going to make it in from 9 to 5 every day," marketing manager Craig Eckersley says. "I was never critical because I knew it was something he had to deal with." The staffer, who worked on an hourly basis, wasn't paid for the time he missed. But he also wasn't disciplined. Eckersley and other Maple Holistics bosses helped other staffers understand that their co-worker needed compassion. While some initially asked, "What's up with this guy?" they grew to welcome him. "He carved out his niche and people got to work well with him," Eckersley says. Crossman believes helping a staffer in trouble will help his company as well. In one case, an employee was struggling to cope after being served with divorce papers in the office. Crossman suggested the man take time off, and he did. When another employee had emotional problems, Crossman persuaded her to start working with the counselor he had seen, and when she couldn't afford the sessions, he paid part of the cost. Crossman sees dealing with troubled staffers as a fact of life as a business owner. "We live in a world where there are so many broken people," he says. Some owners might want an emotionally troubled staffer to seek treatment. But the laws about medical and mental conditions also protect staffers' privacy. So a boss can't tell an employee, "You're having emotional problems and you have to see a therapist," or ask if they're on medication. "But if the employee says, I've got depression, or I've got bipolar personality disorder, whatever the case is, the employer would be able to have a dialogue with the employee and say, 'OK, what can we do to help you?' " says Jonathan Yarbrough, an employment law attorney with Constangy Brooks Smith Prophete in Asheville, N.C. Once employers are aware of workers' medical conditions, bosses can be required to make some accommodations for them. The answer may be that an emotionally troubled staffer needs a schedule change or to have time away from work to see a mental health provider. But owners must also address any impact that staffers' behavioral issues have on co-workers, says Jay Starkman, CEO of Engage PEO, an HR provider based in Hollywood, Fla. "An employer has an absolute obligation to provide a workplace that is safe for other employees and to provide a workplace that is not a hostile working environment. Those two things trump everything," Starkman says. Owners should get advice from an HR professional or employment law attorney on how to address a staffer's emotional or mental problems, and to ensure the company is complying with federal, state and local laws. Even if staffers acknowledge they're suffering from an emotional problem or mental illness, if they're not able to do their work despite the owners' attempts to make accommodations, the company can consider disciplinary action, Starkman says. "You have a right as an employer to have performance at an acceptable level," he says. In Britain, which also has laws to protect people with disabilities including emotional problems, Lisa Forde wants to be sure her 11 staffers don't feel they'll be judged harshly if they contend with emotional issues. "We want people to be open. If they're having a bad day and we know that, we can make allowances," says Forde, owner of Dotty About Paper, a stationery and invitation company in Bridgnorth, Shropshire. When one staffer was depressed and the company faced a project deadline, Forde structured the workload so the staffer had manageable portions each day. She also made sure other employees were willing to help. Forde, who has been in business for 14 years, says it's inevitable that she'll deal with staffers' emotional needs. "We've seen a lot of things over time, and since we're a small business, we've become much more aware of them," she says. BALTIMORE - A wealthy investor who credits his success to studying philosophy in college has given $75 million to the philosophy department at Johns Hopkins University. Johns Hopkins announced the donation from William "Bill" Miller III. The university says the gift will help the department increase its full-time faculty and create endowed faculty positions and endowed support for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. Miller, 67, enrolled in a doctoral philosophy program at Johns Hopkins before leaving to pursue investment management. He says he credits much of his business success to philosophy studies. WASHINGTON - The owners of a Trump-branded hotel in Panama sued President Donald Trump's family-owned company in federal court this month, alleging that the namesake business committed mismanagement and fraud. The lawsuit includes previously confidential arbitration filings before the International Chamber of Commerce. It alleges that Trump Hotels tried to "bully, intimidate and harass" its way out of a $15 million arbitration claim. The owners, led by investment firm Ithaca Capital Management, are seeking to fire Trump's company and abandon the Trump brand. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, was intended to terminate Trump's 20-year contract, and alleged "gross negligence and potentially fraudulent conduct" by the Trump Organization, including "looted" bank accounts. The hotel currently carries a $1.9 million deficit in its reserve accounts, Trump's opponents allege, because of improper use of funds. Trump's hotel company, meanwhile, alleged in arbitration filings that Ithaca and other hotel unit owners committed fraud and racketeering. That claim on behalf of Trump International Hotels Management argued that the owners acted in bad faith and lacked the authority to terminate the contract. The Trump claim also alleged that Ithaca's managing director, Orestes Fintiklis, falsely promised to support the hotel's management before undertaking "a lawless coup" in the building. At stake in the dispute is control over the operations of the Trump International Hotel in Panama City, a 70-story luxury waterfront high-rise. The hotel has been struggling, with occupancy in recent days - a period considered peak high season - ranging from just 26 to 28 percent. Ithaca and its allies among the unit owners blame that performance on mismanagement and damage to Trump's brand since he assumed the presidency. Trump attorney Alan Garten, meanwhile, blames a widespread downturn in Panama's hotel business. Earlier this month, the Associated Press reported that staff at the hotel ran off a team of Marriott executives invited to visit the property as part of the owners' search for a company to take over the hotel's operation from Trump. The head of Trump Hotels later called the head of Marriott to discuss the visit. Garten said the call was friendly. "We have a great relationship with Marriott," Garten said. "They were appreciative that we let them know that we have a valid contract." Marriott generally steers clear of properties facing ownership and management disputes. But the call from a senior Trump executive to the CEO of Marriott, which manages more than 6,000 hotels, raised the awkward matter of how American companies interact with a business owned by the president. Marriott, like most major international companies, has significant business and public policy interests before the Trump administration. Federal employees who travel and hold government conferences pay to use its properties, and Marriott has been lobbying the administration and Congress over U.S. tourism, trade and legal restrictions against property ownership in Cuba, disclosures to consumers about resort fees, and other issues. A spokeswoman for Marriott declined to comment. The dispute between Ithaca and Trump's hotel business was previously known only due to the feuding parties' communications with individual hotel unit owners. "Our investment has no future so long as the hotel is managed by an incompetent operator whose brand has been tarnished beyond repair," Fintiklis, the managing partner of Miami-based Ithaca Capital Partners, wrote in a letter. Trump Hotels accused Ithaca of deceiving its fellow hotel owners and illegally terminating the Trump contract. "Unfortunately, it is YOU, the unit owners, who will ultimately be the ones to bear responsibility for the bad acts of Mr. Fintiklis and his cohorts," Trump Hotels executive vice president Jeff Wagoner said in an earlier letter to the owners last week. The effort to remove Trump hotels from managing the hybrid condo-hotel units on the property began last year, after Ithaca Capital Group purchased 202 unsold hotel units from the building's struggling developer. After buying the units in August with Trump Hotels' blessing, Ithaca quickly turned sour on the brand. Fintiklis did not respond to emails from the AP seeking comment. Al Monstavicius, a retired Nevada doctor who owns a penthouse hotel unit in the building, said Trump's statements regarding Mexicans and his determination to strip hundreds of thousands of Central Americans in the U.S. of protection from deportation have made Trump's brand toxic in Panama. If the owners in Panama succeed, it won't be the first time Trump has been ousted there. In 2015, amid the early months of Trump's presidential campaign, the owners of apartments and other businesses in the same building voted to fire Trump's management company over budget issues and allegations of misspent funds. Since then, the property's overall finances have improved. Its annual deficits, which exceeded $1 million, have since turned into a surplus, according to financial documents provided to the AP by an owner. The chief executive officers of Alphabet's Google and YouTube pledged to scour videos and other content more closely for misleading news and inappropriate messages on their web services ahead of elections in the U.S later this year. "We have more elections coming, so we're all working harder," Google CEO Sundar Pichai said during an interview at an event in San Francisco on Friday hosted by MSNBC and Recode. "We feel a huge sense of responsibility." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Fiction 1. The Woman in the Window: By A.J. Finn. A recluse who drinks heavily and takes prescription drugs may have witnessed a crime across from her Harlem townhouse. 2. Origin: By Dan Brown. A symbology professor goes on a perilous quest with a beautiful museum director. 3. The Rooster Bar: By John Grisham. Three students at a sleazy for-profit law school hope to expose the student-loan banker who runs it. 4. Little Fires Everywhere: By Celeste Ng. An artist upends a quiet town outside Cleveland. 5. Sing, Unburied, Sing: By Jesmyn Ward. A 13-year-old boy comes of age in Mississippi while his black mother takes him and his toddler sister to pick up their white father, who is getting released from the state penitentiary. 6. Robicheaux: By James Lee Burke. A bereaved detective confronts his past and works to clear his name when he becomes a suspect during an investigation into the murder of the man who killed his wife. 7. Unbound: By Stuart Woods. The 44th book in the Stone Barrington series. 8. The People vs. Alex Cross: By James Patterson. Detective Alex Cross takes on a case even though he has been suspended from the department and taken to federal court to stand trial on murder charges. 9. The Midnight Line: By Lee Child. Jack Reacher tracks down the owner of a pawned West Point class ring and stumbles upon a large criminal enterprise. 10. Before We Were Yours: By Lisa Wingate. A South Carolina lawyer learns about the questionable practices of a Tennessee orphanage. Nonfiction 1. Fire and Fury: By Michael Wolff. A journalist offers an inside account of the first year of the Trump White House. 2. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry: By Neil deGrasse Tyson. A straightforward, easy-to-understand introduction to the universe. 3. Leonardo Da Vinci: By Walter Isaacson. A biography of the Italian Renaissance polymath that connects his work in various disciplines. 4. Grant: By Ron Chernow. A biography of the Union general of the Civil War and two-term president of the United States. 5. Promise Me, Dad: By Joe Biden. The former vice president recalls his toughest year in office, as his son battled brain cancer. 6. Let Trump Be Trump: By Corey R. Lewandowski and David N. Bossie. Insider accounts of the Republican presidential campaign and its outcome. 7. Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans: By Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger. Maj. Gen. Andrew Jackson takes on the British in Louisiana. 8. The Last Black Unicorn: By Tiffany Haddish. The comedian recounts growing up in South Central Los Angeles, exacting revenge on an ex-boyfriend and finding success after a period of homelessness. 9. Killers of the Flower Moon: By David Grann. The story of a murder spree in 1920s Oklahoma that targeted Osage Indians. 10. Hillbilly Elegy: By J.D. Vance. A Yale Law School graduate examines white working-class struggles. New York Times This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate As the federal government prepared for a potential shutdown Friday, David Todd wondered what he would do on Saturday. Todd, who lives in The Woodlands, is president of a coalition that's working to repair flood-damaged trails at Sam Houston National Forest. He'd planned to spend part of the weekend in the Huntsville-area forest re-covering tree roots that were exposed when Hurricane Harvey's floods washed away soil and sediment. But if federal functions ground to a halt at midnight, he said, "I'm curious if we're going to be allowed to do volunteer work" there. He wasn't the person uncertain on Friday. RELATED STORY: 2,900 Johnson Space Center workers could go without pay during shutdown A shutdown loomed at midnight if the Senate failed to pass a bill to continue funding the federal government. And if every government-funded agency suspended operations, Todd's plans might be canceled along with the plans of anyone who wanted to visit national forests, parks, recreation areas or monuments. Or maybe not. Late this week, the Trump administration was looking for ways to keep national parks and monuments at least partially open to the public in the event of a shutdown. In previous shutdowns, national parks have closed, barring visitors altogether. But this time, the U.S. Department of the Interior planned to give visitors access to the facilities that don't require government staffing. That means some parks, monuments, trails and historic sites could stay open, though without any staffing by federal employees. On Friday, what that might look like was unclear. Would the gates be open at national forests like Sam Houston? Could visitors come in to hike, fish and camp even if rangers and other employees were absent? Todd remembers the Bill Clinton-era government shutdown, which lasted nearly a month in 1995 and early 1996. He had plans then to hunt at the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana. He'd heard about the shutdown, but Todd drove 150 miles from Shreveport, not expecting the refuge to really be closed. "The thought of the government shutting down didn't mean that much to me, so we went up there," he said. "And sure enough, they had the gates closed and they had law enforcement and they were enforcing the closure. They wouldn't allow us into the area." That might not happen Saturday, but he's not sure what to expect. Jacob Rutherford likes to hunt in Sam Houston National Forest. In fact, he helped start a Facebook group about three years ago for people who like to hunt the forest. The group is now more than 1,600 members strong. In a government shutdown, Rutherford said, "I think the forest will be fine." There might not be rangers or anyone to collect trash, he said, but "I don't think it would affect anybody going out to the forest to actually hunt or go fishing or things like that." Furthermore, he wonders, can you really close a national forest? Sam Houston has so many entry points, hikers might enter federal territory without even realizing it, Todd said. "There are so many access points," he said. "If they were to say, 'OK, the trails are closed, we're shutting down, we're going to take the day off,' they really can't stop anybody from going on the hiking trails." Besides, he pointed out, almost two-thirds of the trails at Sam Houston are still closed from Harvey's damage. Those trails will have a gate in front of them anyway, whether the government shuts down or not. Meanwhile, Texas state parks aren't bracing for any big bump in visitors, said Kevin Good, special assistant to the director of state parks. The last time the government shut down in 2013, he said, "we had a very small bump in visitation but it wasn't any large migration" from national to state parks. Alyson Ward can be reached at alyson.ward@chron.com or @alysonward. I've always resisted the idea of taking a guided tour on my annual visits to Japan. My interests are pretty niche, and I know Tokyo well enough that friends there have trouble suggesting new things to see. This year I decided to try two guides offering personalized tours. One, Lee Chapman, is a photographer who specializes in older neighborhoods. The other, Mark Hobold, writes a history blog called Japan This! that is sometimes too geeky even for me. Chapman says he takes guests to "an interesting, slightly grittier side of Tokyo that you never see in the media or guidebooks." This is clear from the start: Meeting in the touristy Asakusa neighborhood, we quickly leave the well-trodden areas for a block with street seating for a bar and eateries where people are already drinking and watching horse racing at 10 a.m. Sunday. More Information If you go LEE CHAPMAN: Tours $181-$316 for up to four people; leechapman.photos/tokyo-photowalk-tours. MARK HOBOLD: Tours start at $450 for up to six people; japanthis.com/japan-this-tours. See More Collapse Chapman, an Englishman, has lived in Tokyo since 1998. Many of his photos show buildings in fascinating, beautiful states of decay - a fairly common sight despite Tokyo's image of futuristic newness. "I've realized from Instagram that a lot of people find that really interesting," he says. "But you won't see that in the Japanese media because they think it's a bad image." He specializes in street shots of ordinary people, and ordinary life is what we see walking through these old residential neighborhoods. "It's where people live their lives. Especially in these areas, a lot of them have lived there their whole lives," he says. "There's a sense of community, with people talking with the shop owners and running into people on the street and chatting." In fact, they stopped to chat with Chapman, who's fluent in Japanese, more than once, like when we were contemplating a caged chicken outside a bar. A local explained it was there for good luck. I could have learned a lot about photography from Chapman, but I was too distracted by his stories. Although when he took me to photograph an old restaurant that I'd particularly loved on his blog, that was a lesson about skilled professionals versus the rest of us. His photo was magical. Mine, despite repeated attempts, was a snapshot of an old building. My tour with Hobold started at Nezu Shrine, a place I've visited dozens of times, but where I immediately learned new things. One was that a nondescript pile of stones was a monument for the burial of the afterbirth of the sixth shogun Tokugawa Ienobu, whose residence had been next to the shrine. "All the shoguns have these monuments," he said. Noted. Hobold, an American who's lived in Japan since 2005, knows more Japanese history than even most Japanese care about. Once, for a meet-up with his "Japanese history nerd friends," his Japanese wife tagged along. "She left after 20 minutes, bored to tears," he says. So he knows that, as he says, "I have to grade my geekiness to the appropriate category." Customers find him via his blog, so they realize what they're getting into, but they have different backgrounds. "Some have a decent grasp of Japanese history. They have a context. Others have zero context," he says. For the latter, he says, he gives fewer names and dates and more stories, and makes familiar connections, like explaining to an American that something happened "around the time of the (U.S.) Civil War." Why do people tour with him if they aren't that obsessed with samurai history? "Some are interested in history in general," he says. "If they go to another country they want to come away with an idea of the history. And they're genuinely curious people." Photographers also book him: "They want Japanese-looking stuff that other people don't have." Despite their differences, the tours had some similarities, like a focus on places that are gone: an old shoemaker's shop that Chapman once photographed, since torn down, or a long-vanished castle, now a park full of gnarled trees. Both tours also concentrated on areas that were not conventionally scenic. Both guides also had a real depth of knowledge. Not tied to a canned, memorized spiel, we could spontaneously go off course if something caught my interest. At one point Hobold and I, drawn by the smell of a stand selling grilled octopus, headed to a temple that wasn't on the plan. After claiming he had nothing to say about it, he talked at some length about the legend of the resident goddess. He and a girlfriend had scoffed at the superstition that visiting the goddess' temples causes couples to split, but they broke up shortly after going to one. Because they're so specialized, Chapman and Hobold also charge more than the more generic tours advertised on sites like Vayable and Airbnb's Experiences. Both guides taught me ways of seeing the city that stuck with me. Hobold mentioned that a shrine in certain districts suggests there was once a samurai residence there. I remembered this later when I saw a small old shrine in upscale Omotesando that seemed out of place amid fashionable modern shops. From Chapman's photography I've learned to peer, discreetly, past the showrooms of old-style stores to see the tatami-matted living areas behind, relics of a quickly vanishing city where life was once very different. NEW YORK - A senior executive at Bank of America in New York departed last week after an internal investigation into a young female banker's accusation of inappropriate sexual conduct, according to people at the bank who were briefed on the investigation. Omeed Malik, 38, was a powerful figure in the hedge fund world. He was a managing director and helped run the prime brokerage business that raises money for hedge funds. Among his roles, Malik was an adviser to Jon S. Corzine, a former New Jersey governor and U.S. senator, as Corzine started a hedge fund, and he was a speaker at a high-profile hedge fund conference organized by Anthony Scaramucci, who briefly was White House communications director last year. Malik, a former lawyer at Weil Gotshal & Manges, a prominent New York firm, also was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. While a wave of sexual harassment allegations has roiled Hollywood, Silicon Valley, the media world and Washington, until now Wall Street, an industry long dominated by men, had remained relatively insulated from the #MeToo movement. The details of the conduct that led to Malik's departure are unclear. Malik and his lawyer, Mark Lerner, did not respond to requests for comment on Friday. The young woman, who is an analyst at Bank of America, complained about Malik within the past several weeks, said the people briefed on the investigation, who were not authorized to speak publicly. The bank then opened an investigation. Officials from human resources interviewed as many as a dozen people who have worked with Malik. Allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination have cropped up at Bank of America in the past. Two years ago, it reached a settlement with a female managing director who had filed a lawsuit claiming the bank fostered a "bros' club" culture, mistreated female employees and paid them less than men in comparable jobs. The terms of that settlement were not disclosed. It's been just over six years since the last Ford Ranger pickup rolled off the assembly line, and Ford Motor Co. is ready to make the small-size truck for North American markets again. But this time, it's a midsize pickup, and it looks a lot more like the current F-150 than the former Ranger. Production on the new truck will begin in late 2018 for the 2019 model year. It will be powered by Ford's 2.3-liter EcoBoost gasoline engine and mated to the company's 10-speed automatic transmission. The new Ranger will be available in both two-wheel- and four-wheel-drive configurations. Making the announcement on the eve of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Ford truck marketing manager Todd Eckert said the new pickup, while based on the Ranger the company has sold in the global market since 2011, features an all-new exterior design, chassis and powertrain developed specifically for the North American truck market. "We're not just bringing the global Ranger here and dropping it into the U.S. market," Eckert said. "The powertrain and the off-road packages are both unique to the U.S. market." That means that, unlike Ford's bigger trucks, the new Ranger will not be offered with a diesel engine - at least not at first - or with a manual transmission. The reinvented Ranger will allow Ford, which dominates the full-size truck market but has not had anything to offer in the competitive midsize segment, to sell against Toyota's Tacoma, Chevy's Colorado, Nissan's Frontier and GMC's Canyon. It's about time, said Kelley Blue Book senior analyst Karl Brauer. "The old Ranger was kind of an enigma as the last compact truck on the market, after the Tacoma, the Frontier and the Canyon all got bigger," Brauer said. "The new one is not little anymore, so it has finally caught up with the midsize trucks." Like its larger F-150 sibling, the Ranger will feature a high-strength steel frame paired with frame-mounted steel bumpers. It will feature some aluminum parts, also like the F-150, including the hood and tailgate. Eckert said the reinvented Ranger is expected to offer best-in-class torque and payload. The new Ranger will be built in the Wayne, Mich., factory that currently builds the Focus. Ford is shifting production of that vehicle to plants in China and will use the freed-up factory space to make Rangers starting this year and new Broncos starting in 2019. Eckert said the truck will come standard with driver assist technology like automatic emergency braking. Safety features including blind spot detection, lane-keep assist and lane-departure warning will be available on higher trim levels. The truck will be compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The FX4 Off-Road Package will include skid plates, off-road shocks and suspension, and heavy-duty tires. To be sold in supercab and supercrew configurations, the Ranger will be available in three trim lines - the entry level XL, the mid-level XLT and the high-end Lariat. It also will be offered with a Ranger-specific off-road package. Other key details, such as pricing, payload, fuel economy and towing capacities, have not been revealed. The truck itself will be on display at the Ford exhibit during the Detroit Auto Show, which runs through next week. A Nigerian immigrant has been convicted in Fort Bend County in the 2015 stabbing death of his fiancee. After deliberating for some 13 hours, a jury late Friday afternoon convicted 59-year-old Osa Alohaneke in the slaying of Evelyne Ebane Epiepang, 52. Alohaneke looked down and showed no emotion when the verdict was read in court. Prosecutors alleged that Alohaneke used a kitchen knife to attack Epiepang, his fiancee, and her friend, Veronica Taku. Alohaneke, who was living at the time in a section of southwest Houston that lies in Fort Bend County, was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Jurors acquitted Alohaneke of the assault charges. Epiepang was stabbed more than 30 times and died as she called 911 operators for help. Screams echoed in the courtroom for more than four minutes when prosecutors played the 911 call for jurors last week. When police arrived, Alohaneke was on the phone with an attorney, his hands covered in blood. Blood was splatted on his arms up to his elbows, Assistant District Attorney Amanda Bolin told jurors during her closing arguments. "His mission was pain and devastation and he accomplished his mission," Bolin said. Defense attorney Eric Ashford pointed to what he said were weaknesses in the case against Alohaneke, many of which he alleged were caused by a haphazard investigation by the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office. "Was this case taken seriously by investigators? They didn't even do the forensic analysis needed to determine the murder weapon," Ashford told jurors. Ashford told jurors that detectives took several knives from the scene but that no testing was done to figure out which was used in the killing. In addition, the attorney said, detectives took Alahoneke's clothes when he was arrested but never tested them for blood or DNA. Neither were fingernail scrapings were taken from the victim. Also, he noted that detectives took Alahoneke's phone but that jurors were never shown text messages as proof he was involved in the attack. Ashford also attacked the credibility of Taku, the only witness to the killing. She had testified she saw Alohaneke "turn white like a ghost after the murder". "This could have been a hallucination," Ashford told jurors. "But did detectives investigate Taku's mental status? No, during testimony they said they didn't think it was important." Jurors now begin the penalty phase. Alohaneke faces a sentence of up to life in prison. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Thousands of homes in Galveston were still dealing with frozen and busted pipes on Friday after a two-day stretch of freezing weather, with the rest of the city remaining under a water conservation advisory that could last through the weekend. City Manager Brian Maxwell said the city had received 4,000 to 5,000 calls as of Friday morning, running the gamut from frozen or broken pipes to water leaks. The city issued a water conservation advisory on Thursday after its water tanks had dropped to below 60 percent of capacity. Maxwell said Friday the tanks were back up above 60 percent, and that the city was getting hourly updates on water level readings. A determination as to whether to lift the water conservation advisory was to be made later Friday. "We're feeling a lot better about it now," Maxwell said. "That being said, we still have a lot of leaks out there because even though [Galveston's] tanks are being filled back up, [the city is] still drawing maximum capacity from the Gulf Coast Water Authority, which isn't something we want to do either." City public works staffers have been working around the clock but are well beyond the capacity to deal with the magnitude of water issues across the island. Nearby cities, including Dickinson and League City, have provided staffing help, and Galveston has emergency contractors working to repair several water main breaks. A combination of factors contributed to the water crisis in Galveston, including aging pipes, residents leaving their water running to avoid pipe freezes, and even a cruise ship that docked on the island on Thursday and used a part of the city's water supply. Maxwell said he hadn't seen a freeze of this magnitude on the island in 35 years, the difference now being that many of the homes on the island are vacant second homes or vacation rentals, where homeowners may not be aware of a piping issue. Still, he was encouraged by the all-hands-on-deck approach of plumbers across the region aiding residents, noting that several Houston-area plumbers were also lending a hand. "It's a great time to be a plumber," Maxwell said. Sandra Melgar, a 57-year-old widow convicted of killing her husband, Jaime Melgar, in 2012, is the subject of a new "Dateline" episode airing Friday. In one of Houston's more bizarre cases in recent years, a jury found Sandra guilty in August 2017 of stabbing her husband to death, staging a home invasion, and tying herself up in a closet in her northwest Harris County home. All of this was done the day before a party celebrating the couple's 32nd wedding anniversary. People gathered at The Overlook in Atascocita, Friday, Jan. 19, during the annual Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce Awards Extravaganza to recognize business leaders who demonstrated commendable work in the community. The event was emceed by KHOU reporter Brandi Smith, who received immediate wide-spread media attention when she and photographer Mario Sandoval helped save the life of Robert Roberson, a truck driver trapped in rising floodwater during Hurricane Harvey. After Smith and Sandoval were rescued from the overpass they had been stranded on for 26 hours, they stayed in Candlewood Suites in Kingwood for three days covering the evacuations in the Lake Houston area. "Seeing the incredible response from your community, and I know that gets a lot of attention, but so should what so many of you in this room did and what so many in this community as a whole did to step up and help when that call came it was incredible," Smith said. "It was absolutely incredible to watch." The 2017 Haden McKay M.D. Citizen of the Year was city of Humble Mayor Merle Aaron. During his acceptance speech, he commended the community as a whole and all who have helped with post-Harvey needs. Aaron keeps an inspirational day calendar on his desk. He made a habit of ripping off the previous day's paper and reading the quote of each day. However, on April 12, he stopped because he was so inspired by that day's quote. "It says, 'Those who suffer belong to all of us, and if all of us will respond, there is hope,'" Aaron said. "I truly believe that. I believe everyone in this room was affected in some way by Hurricane Harvey, and I believe that everyone in this room because I can look and see people who I've seen in the communities, whether they were in Kingwood, or Humble, or Huffman, or Dayton, or Spring that responded to someone's need. That responded because there was someone suffering. That's a good quality. We're going to come through this thing called Harvey, and we're going to come out of it stronger because we know that we have each other." Corinn Price, along with Insperity, was given the Lake Houston Impact Award for efforts to help alleviate storm-related needs in the Lake Houston area. "This year, the Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce board found the need to create a special award a one-time recognition to a very deserving person and business," said Jerry Martin, 2017 chamber chairman. Price is Insperity's director of community involvement. After the devastation from Hurricane Harvey, Price saw the need for a relief fund, similar to the city of Houston's relief fund, but specific to the Lake Houston area to help residents and businesses with recovery efforts. Insperity's management agreed to help finance the initiative, known now as the Lake Houston Area Relief Fund. The effort raised $1.6 million. "Three and a half months later, those funds have been distributed to 400 families and countless businesses in the Lake Houston Area to help them rebuild their lives and their livelihood," Martin said. "This was a tremendous response in our community." Price is also the 2018 chair of the chamber's board of directors. Other 2017 honorees: Clo Lewis, FFG Strategic Consulting Chairman's Award Bradley O'Dell, Merrill Taylor and Associates Rising Star Award Sam Schrade, DNA Studios Spirit of the Chamber Award For more information, visit www.lakehouston.org. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate High school students in the Katy Independent School District will be able to read a popular young adult book about racism and police brutality, providing their parents approve. But "The Hate U Give" will continue to be off-limits as part of a curriculum for younger students. In November, the district set off a social media firestorm when it was reported they had banned the critically acclaimed novel by Angie Thomas. Katy ISD officials said the only step they took was to temporarily pull it pending a review. Now district officials said the book is back on the shelves at all high schools in Katy. "I've read the whole book. I'll tell you this: It's a good book," said Katy ISD Superintendent Lance Hindt. "It is practical and it is relevant today." He said the content of the novel was never the issue. It follows a 16-year-old girl from a poor neighborhood who feels she lives a double life attending a suburban preparatory school. The main character later sees an unarmed friend being fatally shot by police during a routine traffic stop. The problem was what Hindt called the "pervasive" profanity in the novel. "I can't use the language in this meeting that's written in this book," Hindt said during a Jan. 15 school board work session. "It is our job as educators to determine what is age appropriate content." The book was pulled when Anthony Downs, whose children attend Memorial Junior High and Taylor High, took his complaints about the book to the Nov. 6 Katy ISD board meeting. Downs told trustees he read 13 pages of the book and was unable to read further because of the language. Katy teenager Ny'Shira Lundy is now being home schooled but was attending an area prep school when she first came across "The Hate U Give." "I was shocked. For the time I was able to truly see myself in a book character," Lundy said. "It made me feel confident. I shouldn't be afraid to embrace who I am." Lundy, 15, started a petition addressed to Katy ISD officials to reinstate the book. She said 4,000 people signed it. "Today, I'm here to thank you for placing "The Hate U Give" back on the school shelves with parental consent," Lundy told trustees. Victoria Orepitan, a pre-AP English teacher at Cinco Ranch High School, told board members her students are used to tackling uncomfortable material and had just finished reading the Athenian tragedy "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles. "It is a difficult and complex and sometimes controversial story," Orepitan said. " What students gain from it is both an understanding of the world they live in, the world Oedipus lived in and the rules of our society." She said it would be wrong to deny students the opportunity to learn about modern society by removing books simply because the language may be objectionable. "None of us think our kids are going to become wizards because they read Harry Potter," Orepitan said. Hindt said he read "The Hate U Give" twice and likely will see the recently announced movie version. "But it will be an R rated movie. It will not be available for kids that are 17 or younger unless they are with a parent or guardian," Hindt said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate It's been four years, but the FBI still wants to arrest an allegedly violent pimp who's a wanted fugitive for aiding a sex trafficking ring that amassed millions by brutally forcing women and girls to sell themselves in Houston cantinas. The madam who ran the gritty establishment, Hortencia Medeles-Arguello aka Raquel Medeles Garcia, or "Tencha," is now serving a life sentence and 13 other defendants have been convicted for aiding the operation, but Alfonso "Poncho" or "El Grenas" Diaz-Juarez--who is believed to be one of the most violent members of the crew--has eluded arrest. Federal agents are offering $50,000 for information that leads to his capture. "I don't believe he's in the United States," said Alfred T. Tribble Jr., an FBI supervisor who oversees the human trafficking unit for the Houston area. "It's going to take an international law enforcement effort to capture this individual." Diaz-Juarez has ties to Mexico, Texas and Florida, officials said. He is a Mexican national. Tribble described him as ruthless, the type of criminal known among law enforcement as a "guerrilla pimp" because he inflicts violence on victims. "He beats women and has been very vicious," he said. Diaz-Juarez is being sought for conspiring with other to commit sex trafficking and harbor undocumented immigrants. He was indicted in October 2013, Diaz-Juarez, a Mexican national, was indicted with 13 other co-conspirators for running an international sex-trafficking organization. The sex-trafficking scheme he is alleged to have helped ran from 1999 through 2013. Women and girls were brought to the cantina brothels with the help of "padrotes," or pimps. The victims were forced or coerced to performing commercial sex acts in a warren of locked back rooms Diaz-Juarez is accused of using force or violence to punish and control these young women prostituted in the Houston area and harboring undocumented immigrants. Federal agents issued a warrant for his arrest on Oct. 10, 2013. But six months before then, in April 2013, he was released from Harris County Jail after a conviction for a similar crime. He had been serving time for compelling prostitution - a state crime associated with human trafficking. A criminal complaint from 2010 alleged he'd repeatedly threatened and beaten his victim, even while she was pregnant, and held her infant son hostage to force her to sell herself in a cantina for nearly two years. "The defendant forced her to prostitute herself at La Costenita Bar until she was 5 to 6 months pregnant (June/July 2008). She then was returned to the bar in March of 2009 by the defendant and forced to prostitute herself under the same threats of bodily injury, actual physical violence and the holding of her infant son until she returned with the monies that she obtained," the criminal complaint says. In January 2013, Diaz-Juarez was sentenced to one year in the Harris County case. He got a plea deal and that offense was reduced to a misdemeanor. By April of that year, he was released from jail. A Spring woman who is allegedly a major cocaine supplier in the Cypress Station area was arrested recently, the Harris County Sheriff's Office reports. Sheretta Shaunta Washington, 39, faces numerous drug dealing charges in Harris County, according to a Jan. 19 news release. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A Fort Bend County jury ruled a Nigerian immigrant was guilty in the 2015 stabbing death of his fiance on Friday. Osa Alohaneke, 59, was living in an area of southwest Houston located in Fort Bend County with his fiance, 52-year-old Evelyne Ebane Epiepang, when he allegedly attacked her and her friend, Veronica Taku, with a kitchen knife. Alohaneke was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Jurors acquitted Alohaneke of the assault charges. Epiepang was stabbed more than 30 times and died as she called 911 operators for help. Screams echoed in the courtroom when prosecutors played the 911 call for the jurors last week. When police arrived, Alohaneke was on the phone with his attorney, his arms covered in blood to his elbows, assistant District Attorney Amanda Bolin told jurors during her closing statement. "His mission was pain and devastation and he accomplished is mission," Bolin said. During his closing arguments, defense attorney Eric Ashford pointed out weaknesses in the case against Alohaneke, many of which he said were caused by a haphazard investigation by the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Department. "Was this case taken seriously by investigators? They didn't even do the forensic analysis needed to determine the murder weapon," Ashford told jurors and pointed out detectives took several knives from the scene but no testing was done to figure out which was used in the murder. In addition, detectives took Alahoneke's clothes when he was arrested but never tested them for blood. DNA and fingernail scrapings taken from the victim were also never tested for DNA or blood evidence, Ashford said. Also, Alahoneke's phone was taken by detectives but jurors were never shown texts as proof he was involved in the murder. Ashford also attacked the credibility of Taku, the only witness to the alleged murder who testified she saw Alohaneke "turn white like a ghost after the murder." "This could have been a hallucination," Ashford told jurors. "But, did detectives investigate Taku's mental status? No, during testimony they said they didn't think it was important." Jurors deliberated 13 hours before returning with their unanimous decision shortly before 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 19. Alohaneke look down and showed no emotion when the verdict was read in court. Jurors are now tasked with deciding the penalty phase of the trial. Alohaneke now faces a sentence of five to 99 years or life in prison. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate When it comes to drinking, bartenders have seen it all. Anthem Black, head bartender for The Refuge Bar & Bistro, made his way to The Woodlands from New York where he said everyone is "overly assertive and no nonsense." Black said bartending in New York was great because it was more his speed. As a fast talker and a fast moving person, he fit right in. However, he said he really enjoyed the more relaxed atmosphere working in The Woodlands. "Once you get past your 20s and your 30s when you're going, going, going, you have to relax," he said. Bartending is all about the environment, and for Black it's always been a fun one. "People are drinking. Their guard is down and they're enjoying themselves. This is a great place," he said. Now Playing: Anthem Black, a bartender at the Refuge Bar & Bistro, makes one of the restaurant's signature drinks. Video shot by Staff Writer Patricia Dillon. Video: Houston Chronicle Black has been bartending off and on since the age of 21 and has been at The Refuge for two years. Black described it as the most challenging position he's held, but that he loves every minute of it. More Information Essential tools for an at-home bar according to Anthem Black: Strainer - is a must Shaker - the difference between stirring and shaking is huge A jigger - keeps the drink from being a boozy, get messed up kind of drink King cube maker - a time released water machine that keeps whiskey from being too watery See More Collapse "This is a level of bartending I've never had to do before. It's crazy. Nothing is premixed. Even sweet and sours are lemon juice, simple syrup and egg whites-shaken-per drink," Black said. "It's challenging, which is really fun." Black said his favorite part of the job is showing off for the customers. He enjoys being able to take something simple like lighting absinthe on fire in a glass and wowing the crowd with his expertise. "It's super chill, but it allows for a little bit of flair," he explained. "Super simple. Something that freaked me out when I first saw it and did not want to try, but actually it's super chill." Like most bartenders, Black has his own signature drink-Daddy's Snow Cone. The drink is not on the restaurant menu, but according to Black it is absolutely delicious. It consists of whiskey made out of hibiscus and honey bourbon that is distilled by the owner of Refuge, melded with orange and lime and then poured over crushed ice. "It's not for kids, but it's so tasty," Black explained about why he chose the name. "Have to cut yourself off after about three." Black said that the most popular drink request is for an Old Fashioned. The bar makes a variety of the old-time cocktail, including a tequila Old Fashioned and the Refuge Creekside Old Fashioned. "Any spin we can do on Old Fashioneds is amazing," he said, adding that the bartenders will compete to see who can make a better version. During the interview, The Villager asked Black to divulge some of the best and worst about patrons who visit the bar. What's the worst pickup line you've heard? Black: "Hey, weren't we just on Tinder?" Guys will try it because girls will sit and be on Tinder biding time and you'll see some random guy come up to her and say "Hey, didn't we just meet on tinder?," which makes the person stop and have to acknowledge them. It works but it gets you in trouble sometimes because "No, that's my wife sitting next to me," will be the response. What's one of the best pickup lines? Black: We have a live band that comes in on Fridays and Saturdays so just asking people to dance is the best pickup line here. "Hey, you look like you're moving. Let's go." And that's great. But, the best pickup line: "Is this guy bothering you?" It works because sometimes the response is "Of course not. We're friends." And then you're introducing. Best pickup line ever. Tell me one of the worst things you've seen someone do because they drank too much? Black: Fall asleep at the bar. Actually, it turned out to be the sweetest story. There was this one guy and something happened with his mom and he wasn't feeling too well about it. He was drinking but then he started to fall asleep. Apparently he had been drinking before so he started to fall asleep at the bar and he was 7'2". Huge guy and I could see it happening and was like, "man, if he falls asleep I can't pick him up." So I just went, "hey, man you can't fall asleep," and he goes "I wasn't, I wasn't." He goes, "My mom's real sick." So I said, "I'm sorry." He goes, "I just really came in here for a hug." So asked, "Do you want a hug?" We just hugged each other and he asked, "Was I falling asleep?" And I nodded yes. He paid and then he left but it was just so sweet and genuine. I mean he just wanted some people time. Do people ever pour their hearts out to you, or is that strictly Hollywood? Black: Oh, no, all the time. It happens. We've had a couple customers who have gone on dates and they'll come in with them for the thumbs up or thumbs down from the bartenders. We've had people come in late at night for a bachelorette party and then they'll just start talking about men. Why are men so difficult or why don't they understand? It's super fun to be on this side of the bar. CPR TRAINING OFFERED The Woodlands Township Neighborhood Watch be offering a series of "hands-only" CPR training sessions, with the sessions free of charge. The sessions begin in February, with the first session set for Saturday Feb. 3. at The Woodlands Fire Department Station No. 7 on Kuykendahl Road. Besides learning life-saving skills, people attending the sessions will earn a point for their village of residence. The top three villages will receive a cash donation for their scholarship fund provided by Woodlands North Houston Heart Center. The sessions are free and take about 20 minutes. The training sessions will also include blood pressure checks, a raffle to be a "Doctor for a Day" by CHI St. Luke's Hospital, as well as crime prevention information. Full Schedule: Feb. 3: 10 a.m. 1 p.m. Station 7, 26722 Kuykendahl Road Feb. 17: 10 a.m. noon Station 1, 9951 Grogan's Mill Road Feb. 17: 24 p.m. Station 3, 1522 Sawdust Road March 3: 10 a.m. noon Station 8, 11800 Gosling Road March 3: 24 p.m. Station No. 5, 10100 Branch Crossing Drive March 24: 10 a.m.noon Station No. 6, 1100 Windsor Lakes Blvd. April 7: 10 a.m. noon Station No. 4, 7900 Bay Branch Drive April 7: 2 4 p.m. Station No. 2, 9303 Gosling Road Additional training events can be scheduled for groups or organizations by contacting The Woodlands Township Neighborhood Watch at 281-210-3800 or at neighbor@thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov. BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO MEET IN SPECIAL SESSION, THEN REGULAR MEETING The Woodlands Township Board of Directors is scheduled to meet in a special planning session, then will gather in their regular board meeting Wednesday. Jan. 24. During the planning session, set to begin at 4 p.m., the board will again discuss incorporation matters and the consulting companies that made a "short list" for an incorporation study. The board will then meet in its regular session at 6 p.m. where it's possible they'll select the company to do the work. TOWNSHIP OFFERS FREE BIKE-SHARING RIDES Township officials want to spread the word that if you haven't tried out the new Mobike bike-sharing program yet, you can get your first three rides for free. To do so, download the @Mobike app with promo code: The Woodlands. The code expires Jan. 29, but once redeemed, it's valid for 30 days. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Jim Kuykendall, the 3-time mayor of Oak Ridge North, has announced he's running for reelection. Kuykendall was joined in his announcement by two members of the Oak Ridge North City Council-Alex Jones and Paul Bond-who said in separate email messages to the Villager they intend to seek re-election, too. Kuykendall said on Thursday, Jan. 18, he would be seeking a fourth term to lead the tiny city of more than 3,000 residents that straddles The Woodlands Township and Shenandoah. "I still have some things that I want to get done," Kuykendall said, adding that as far as he knows, he didn't have a running opponent. "I think for the most part, people are pretty happy with the way things are going and I hope that is a good sign for me." Kuykendall was originally appointed to fill a mayoral vacancy created when former mayor Joe Michels became a member of the Conroe Independent School Board of Trustees in 2010. Since Kuykendall took office, the property tax rate in Oak Ridge North has dropped or stayed the same seven years in a row, going from 64 cents per $100 valuation to 46 cents per $100 valuation. But the mayor doesn't take all the credit for low tax rates. "They were working on this before with the previous mayor, Joe Michels," Kuykendall said. "With the council's help, we have been able to do it. My commitment was to keep the highest quality services for the lowest tax rate." If elected for a fourth term, Kuykendall said he would continue working with the state and Montgomery County on "mobility issues" throughout the city, including planned work on The Woodlands Parkway Overpass project. Kuykendall blames developer issues for the falling through of a planned Crowne Plaza Hotel and that of an Oak Ridge North Conference Center. The mayor is not the only city official up for reelection this year in Oak Ridge North. Positions held by council members Paul Bond and Alex Jones are set to expire this May. In response to email questions inquiring about their status for another term, both Bond and Jones confirmed they would be seeking re-election. Bond, who is seeking re-election to his Position 1 seat on the city council, said he hoped voters recognize how invested he is in his home city. "I do intend to file for re-election. I have a full year of experience on council now. It's a real privilege to serve the residents of the City of Oak Ridge North, and I look forward to the opportunity to serve a full term if elected," Bond said in an email message. "(I) Hope that the residents of Oak Ridge North feel I am worth the investment. My family and I are vested in this city. My wife and I have lived in this area since 1973, parents live here, and our son's family lives here also. (I) Cannot imagine living anywhere else." Jones, who holds the Position 3 seat on the council, said he believes the city has unfinished goals he wants to help make a reality if re-elected. "The City is making slow but steady progress towards resolving several critical problems for our residents, such as traffic congestion, aging water lines, and more recently drainage issues," Jones said in an email message. "I've worked diligently with our City Council, Mayor, and City employees to find solutions that we can afford as a small city, and alternate means of funding for critical those projects that are more costly to address." According to City Secretary Elizabeth Harrell no candidates-either current or in opposition-had filed for candidacy in Oak Ridge North as of midday Thursday, Jan. 18. NO CANDIDATES YET IN SHENANDOAH Meanwhile in Shenandoah, city council position 1 and 5, as well as the mayor's seat are also set to expire in May. The candidates in those seats are Ron Raymaker, Mike McLeod and Mayor Ritch Wheeler, respectively. Shenandoah Interim City Secretary Courtney Clary said that as of Thursday, Jan. 18, no one had filed for candidacy. Requests for comment from the three Shenandoah candidates was not returned by press time. The first day to apply for ballot by mail was Jan. 1, while the first day to file for a place on the ballot was Jan. 17. The last day to file is Feb. 16. City council elections for the cities in Texas is scheduled for May 5. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The Woodlands Township Board of Directors is moving forward with an evaluation of possible incorporation with board members likely selecting a consulting firm this week to help in the process. The township's Board of Directors is set to meet in a special planning session at 4 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 24. That meeting will be followed by a regular meeting of the board scheduled for 6 p.m. Board of Directors Chairman Gordy Bunch said, "it is expected" the board will pick one of the four competing firms, although that decision could still be pushed back. "Of course, things can change and any board member can request to table the item," Bunch said in an email Friday. "Staff is completing due diligence on the firms that presented and our ad Hoc Incorporation Committee consisting of Secretary (Ann) Snyder, Vice Chairman (John) McMullan and myself will meet prior to the schedule meeting and anticipate providing the board with a recommendation." The expected decision comes after board members heard from four different consulting firms during their meeting Wednesday. Those firms were selected as finalists to conduct the incorporation study. The firms-Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC), BerryDunn, Matrix Consulting Group and the Novak Consulting Group-were chosen after a township task force had evaluated proposals from seven firms that had originally applied for the job. During a Jan. 17 meeting, board members heard presentations and questioned representatives of the various firms, who told the board that a long list of matters has to be evaluated, including the condition of local roadways, law enforcement, public education and other issues. The costs of what was termed "inheriting" local infrastructure and services is one of the matters to be considered in regard to possible incorporation. Another consideration is finding new sources of revenue. Board of Directors Member John McMullan noted during the presentation that the firm selected would have to advise the board on, "'This is what we think it costs.''' CONTRACT FOR DRAINAGE STUDY APPROVED Also during Wednesday's meeting, board members unanimously approved a $150,000 contract for engineering and design firm Moffat & Nichol to conduct a study on the drainage and flooding issues along Spring Creek. The study will come after hundreds of homes were damaged when the creek flooded during Hurricane Harvey. Board of Directors Member Bruce Rieser, who also heads up the township's Drainage Task Force Committee, noted the Katy-based firm has also been named by Harris-Montgomery Counties Municipal Utility District 386 to conduct a flood study. "After we selected Moffat & Nichol, MUD 386 also selected Moffat & Nichol to do their independent engineering analysis of Creekside Park," Rieser said. "I've talked to the president of (MUD) 386, Rich Jakovac, and there's no conflict of what we're asking them to do and what they're asking them to do," Rieser added. ANOTHER NEW MEMBER NAMED TO DSC Also during the Wednesday meeting, the board named a new member to serve on the Development Standards Committee, the third new member to join the committee in a little more than a month. The board unanimously selected Robert Adams to fill the spot of a committee member who had recently retired and stepped down from the DSC. Adams is a licensed architect, which fulfills a requirement that at least five members of the committee have experience in architecture, engineering, contracting, building code enforcement or related fields. Adams will join Brian Boniface and John Anthony Brown, who are also serve on the township's Board of Directors, and were named to the committee in December. ...... Houston ISD officials said Saturday the district will need to cut about $200 million from its 2018-19 budget to bring spending in line with an increasingly gloomy financial outlook. In an equally momentous move, Houston ISD officials also proposed far-reaching changes to how the district operates its magnet and school choice systems, some of the boldest moves to date by second-year Superintendent Richard Carranza. Still reeling from Hurricane Harvey, Houston Independent School District officials revealed at a board meeting Saturday that the district is facing a double whammy: A multimillion-dollar, state-mandated "recapture" payment requiring districts with high property values to "share the wealth," and an expected drop in enrollment and tax revenue because of the devastating storm, which severely damaged schools and delayed the start of classes by two weeks. Now Playing: HISD plans to reopen four school on Monday Video: Fox 26 Houston The proposed cuts come at an inopportune time, with the district battling to stave off a potential state takeover because of 10 chronically under-performing schools. Although the measures outlined Saturday are preliminary and could change significantly before HISD's board votes on them, officials acknowledged that the district is entering an uncertain time. "It's a sea change for HISD," said Rene Barajas, the district's chief financial officer. "But at the end of the day, from a budgetary perspective, we're still going to get the job done. It's just going to be harder." Leveling out staffing District officials said about 44 percent of necessary spending cuts could come from schools, while about 56 percent could be from central administration, maintenance and operations. Among the biggest proposals: Centralizing school funding and standardizing staffing based on student-to-staff ratios. HISD: Trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones elected board president amid many challenges Barajas proposed scaling back the practice of giving schools a pot of money each year through per-unit allocations, known as the PUA system. As the funding system exists now, each school is given a certain amount of money by the district, and principals have almost complete discretion to spend that money on staffing, programs and other needs and wants. Under the proposed new system, each school would have set staffing levels based on student-to-staff ratios, which would be paid for by the district's central administration rather than the school's checkbook. For example, at the middle-school level, each school would have one teacher per 30 students and one counselor per school or for every 500 students. Now, there is no codified staffing system for the district, and some schools have as many as 15 assistant principals while others have one or two. The staffing standardization would mean the district's largest schools, such as Bellaire and Lamar high schools, could see a large number of teachers cut, while under-enrolled schools such as Kashmere High would likely see cuts on a smaller scale. Barajas recommended centralizing schools' substitute teachers, athletics departments, special education, career technical programs and campus stipends. That would save schools and the district money, he said. District officials also called for cutting about $116 million from spending on central administration, operations and facilities. Barajas said HISD's budget situation is the result of a perfect storm growing recapture payments, a projected loss of tax revenue due to lower property values after Hurricane Harvey, fewer students (also due to the hurricane) and a slew of other issues. And though Houston ISD can lessen the amount it owes for "recapture" because of the storm, the district still stands to lose more than it will gain because of potentially lower tax revenues, thanks to hundreds of thousands of flooded buildings. He said it's as if HISD lost $10 in local taxes but its recapture payment was only $2 less. "That means I'm still short $8," Barajas said. Deep cuts loom Houston ISD Chief Operating Officer Brian Busby said that in his 20 years with the district, he's never seen cuts so deep that they would affect every level of the district. "This is a different kind of cut. We've had cuts where we had to cut food service staff because of a shortfall, but we always had a way we could get out," he said. "We always had CFOs who could come in say, 'We'll help you this time but won't help again,' and they would go in fund balance or the superintendent's account. "But now there is no fund balance, there is no superintendent's account to go to for this, because there's never been a cut at this level," he said. Andy Dewey, executive vice president for the Houston Teachers Federation, said it seems to make sense to change the way schools are funded and to standardize some positions instead of giving principals power and little oversight to make those decisions. But he worried about what potential staffing cuts could mean for classrooms. "I want to see how the new funding system will affect our biggest schools like Bellaire and Lamar," Dewey said. "We can't go back to 40- and 45-kid class sizes in high school. If that's going to happen, it has to be looked at." He also said the district should be ready for a "major battle" when it comes to changing magnet programs, although he initially agreed with some potential changes, such as creating feeder pattern magnets and more closely examining which programs are attracting students and which are not. The proposed changes to magnet and school choice systems arose from the recommendations of a study committee composed of magnet and neighborhood school principals, parents, university experts and district staff, according to Mark Smith, HISD's chief student support officer. CHRONICLE INVESTIGATION: Houston ISD's special education numbers still low despite changes Under the current magnet system, schools have significant freedom to create magnet programs and fund them as they see fit. There are about 115 different magnet programs and schools throughout the district, and at many of the most sought-after magnet schools including the High School for Performing and Visual Arts and DeBakey High School for Health Professions there are far higher rates of white and affluent students than are enrolled across the district. Two types of magnets The proposed new system would create two types of magnet schools: unique magnet campuses that enroll students from across the district, and feeder magnets that would establish magnet programs in elementary, middle and high schools that feed into one another. It calls for creating four school choice/magnet quadrants. Each geographic quadrant would offer schools with the same magnet themes, perhaps including but not limited to performing and visual arts, dual language, early college, career technical programs and special education programs. There would be an elementary, middle and high school of each magnet theme in each quadrant. Vanguard programs and schools, including Carnegie Vanguard High School, would lose their magnet designation and would become schools and programs of choice. That means they would lose their additional magnet funding, although the state already gives schools extra money for every gifted and talented student they educate. Carnegie Vanguard High would continue to offer open enrollment to students from across the district and would still likely offer transportation to all its students. Smith said the committee also recommended giving some preference to students from economically disadvantaged families and neighborhoods when considering admissions to the districts' most sought-after open-enrollment magnet schools, and suggested eliminating many academic and test-score requirements that students must clear before they can be entered into a magnet or school choice lottery. Ultimately, the potential changes would likely cut the number of magnet programs and schools district-wide from about 115 to about 85 and would codify a system for reviewing, starting and ending magnet programs and schools. Smith said student applications for magnet programs may need to be reopened in March for students who applied to magnet programs that may cease to exist come August. Carranza shelved plans to drastically cut magnet funding in 2016 after facing pushback from some parents. He said that proposal was flawed because his administration had failed to get feedback from parents and did not do a good job of communicating how the changes would affect existing schools and programs. He stressed that the committee's recommendations are far from final and that the district will reach out to parents and school communities in the coming months to get feedback and tinker with their ideas. "We never went in with a lens to destroy magnets that's not our goal," Carranza said. "Our goal take a serious look at our portfolio of schools, identify areas that need improvement and start a conversation with the board to see what needs to change to ensure equitable access." Companies held responsible for cleaning up the San Jacinto Superfund site have disclosed involvement in three supposedly independent groups that popped up to protest an Environmental Protection Agency plan to permanently remove hazardous paper mill wastes from the capped pits east of Houston, according to a letter their attorneys provided to a Harris County judge. Representatives of groups called Keep it Capped, Galveston Maritime Business Association and the San Jacinto Citizens Against Pollution have attended meetings, organized events and launched a website to support keeping the waste pit sites capped, even though the river front site frequently floods and leaked cancer-causing dioxin after Hurricane Harvey. But the revelation of what attorneys called "significant participation" in those protest groups by at least one of the corporations required to fund EPA-ordered Superfund clean-up activities came to light only after Jackie Young, a long-time community leader and executive director of the Texas Health and Environmental Alliance, formally complained that she had been harassed by the groups. "This is outrageous," Young said. "Such well-funded efforts distracted the Superfund process and could have drowned out the voices of our residents that received no funding from the responsible parties in this mess." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Michael Paulsen/Staff Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Courtesy Harris County Show More Show Less 3 of 3 The San Jacinto Waste pits, adjacent to the Interstate 10 bridge that links Channelview and the town of Highlands, were filled up with paper mill wastes in the 1960s and forgotten. The leaking pits were rediscovered after fish in the lower San Jacinto River were found to be poisoned with dioxin; the site was designated for Superfund status by the EPA in 2008. A temporary cap installed in 2011 has required repeated repairs. The plan to permanently remove about 212,000 cubic yards of material laced with dioxin, a known human carcinogen, won approval from the EPA in October 2017 after government divers confirmed cancer-causing dioxins had again escaped the pits after Hurricane Harvey battered the site. The plan is supported by Young's group and a long list of environmental organizations as well as local and state government leaders. But it's been opposed by the corporations charged with cleaning up the pits, Waste Management of Texas and McGinnes Industrial Maintenance Corporation or MIMC. The connection between corporate PR efforts and the supposedly independent groups protesting removal was revealed in a recent filing in a Harris County waste pit lawsuit. The pending civil lawsuit involves more than 600 people who believe their health and property were damaged by long-term exposure to dioxin from paper mill wastes stored in the pits that leached into the river. Young's nonprofit is not part of the civil lawsuit. But her complaints came during a hearing last year when she described how the corporate defendants' subpoenas for records in the case have caused a crippling amount of work for her tiny organization and that she'd also been harassed by independent organizations she believed to be tied to the corporations. In the hearing, attorneys initially denied any connection with the three protest groups. But the attorneys later advised the court that they'd just learned about PR efforts that included "significant participation" and "involvement" in keepitcapped.org, the Galveston Maritime Business Association and the San Jacinto Citizens Against Pollution, according to information provided to the court. In a statement, Waste Management of Texas acknowledged Friday that attorneys for both firms in December "learned that an additional PR firm had been retained to assist MIMC with advice and community outreach efforts relating to the proposed EPA remedy for the San Jacinto Superfund site." "The companies do not believe that the community outreach efforts are relevant to the personal injury or property claims involved in the pending litigation," Waste Management said in its statement Friday. But in response to the disclosures, Young has requested a full explanation from the companies and sanctions from the judge overseeing the civil case. LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The man accused of tackling U.S. Sen. Rand Paul in the Kentucky lawmaker's yard has been charged with assaulting a member of Congress as part of a federal plea agreement. And his lawyer confirmed what's long been suggested by neighbors: The attack stemmed from a dispute about yard maintenance. No date has been set for Rene Boucher's guilty plea for the attack on the Republican senator, said Josh J. Minkler, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. "Assaulting a member of Congress is an offense we take very seriously," Minkler said in a release. "Those who choose to commit such an act will be held accountable." Boucher faces possible prison time for the attack, which his attorney says "he's very regretful" about and had to do with the upkeep of their yards. "This is over a matter that most people would regard as trivial," Boucher's attorney, Matt Baker, said in a phone interview Friday. "It has to do with yards and the maintenance of those." Boucher is "very meticulous" about how he maintains his yard, while Paul takes "a much different approach" to the upkeep of his property, Baker said. "It all goes to large piles of leaves and branches and yard clutter that were placed on the property line," Baker said. Some neighbors had speculated the attack was motivated by a dispute over yard debris. But Paul's office has rejected that. Paul told Fox News in November that ultimately, the motive does not matter. Boucher, a retired anesthesiologist, faces a misdemeanor assault charge in Kentucky state court. He pleaded not guilty to that charge. Paul and Boucher are longtime neighbors. Boucher faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine in the federal case. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump directly contradicted his own chief of staff on Thursday and said his position on building a wall between the United States and Mexico had not "evolved." Trump's chief of staff, John F. Kelly, told some Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday that Trump had "evolved" on the issue of the wall, and that the president was not "fully informed" when he promised to build such a barrier last year. In an early morning Twitter post, Trump took the unusual step of publicly pushing back against his own White House, signaling a disconnect between the president and his staff at a critical time of negotiations with Congress to avoid a government shutdown. He wrote: "The Wall is the Wall, it has never changed or evolved from the first day I conceived of it. Parts will be, of necessity, see through and it was never intended to be built in areas where there is natural protection such as mountains, wastelands or tough rivers or water....." He continued: ".... The Wall will be paid for, directly or indirectly, or through longer term reimbursement, by Mexico, which has a ridiculous $71 billion dollar trade surplus with the U.S. The $20 billion dollar Wall is "peanuts" compared to what Mexico makes from the U.S. NAFTA is a bad joke!" Kelly's comments on Wednesday, which he made at a meeting with members of the Hispanic Caucus, were unusual as well. It is rare to see a White House chief of staff undercut a president's public statements. But during a factory visit in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, Trump praised his chief of staff. "He is great, I think he is doing a great job," Trump said of Kelly. "I think General Kelly is doing a really great job. He is a very special guy." Asked whether he minded Kelly telling lawmakers he had not been fully informed about immigration, Trump said: "No, he did not say that. He didn't say it the way you would like him to say it." But according to one person familiar with the president's thinking, Trump was livid when he learned that Kelly had described him as "evolving" in his immigration position. Throughout the evening on Wednesday, Trump fielded calls from allies who described Kelly's comments to Congress as undermining the president, stoking Trump's fury. Lawmakers who attended the meeting on Wednesday described Kelly's remarks. Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, D-Ill., who was at the meeting, said Kelly told the group that "a 50-foot wall from sea to shining sea isn't what we're going to build." Gutierrez told reporters that Kelly referenced Trump's campaign promises to build a wall and said, "There were statements made about the wall that were not informed statements." The first Hispanic woman to go to space who later went on to log almost 1,000 hours in orbit and become director of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston is retiring in May. A center spokeswoman confirmed Friday that Director Ellen Ochoa informed employees earlier that same morning of her impending retirement during an internal meeting. Ochoa, a veteran astronaut originally from California, is the 11th director of Johnson and only the second female to run NASA's human space flight hub, which had a budget of $4.5 billion in fiscal year 2017 and employs more than 3,000 people. In an email to employees, Ochoa said that this year will be her 30th at NASA, and her youngest of two sons turns 18, so it is "a natural point for our family in which to move on to the next phase." "It's a really tough decision to determine when to make that transition; for me, it comes down to my personal situation," she wrote. "We'll move to Boise, ID, and I intend to be involved with a number of activities that interest me (including getting back to playing flute, which I once considered for a career!)" Ochoa, now 59, was not available for comment Friday. In 1988, Ochoa joined NASA as research engineer at Ames Research Center in California and two years later moved to the Houston center when she was selected as an astronaut. By 1993, she became the first Hispanic woman to go to space. She has flown four times, according to NASA's website, logging almost 1,000 hours in space. Ochoa became the center's deputy director in 2007, and replaced Michael Coats as center director in 2012. Then-NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement at the time that "Ellen's enthusiasm, experience and leadership, including her superb job as deputy director, make her a terrific successor to Mike as director of JSC. Herb Baker, who retired last year from NASA, said Ochoa is one of the best center directors he's worked with in his 42 years at the agency. "I just think the world of her," Baker said. "She's very accessible and she's very smart -- no surprises there -- and she cared deeply about the people who worked out there" at Johnson. Baker also called her brave: she made decisions, such as combining the astronaut and mission control offices, that others before her would have been hesitant to do. Center director "is not easy job, as you might guess. There's a lot of responsibility there," Baker added. "The center director is responsible for people's lives. The decisions they make impact life and death, literally." As center director, Ochoa oversaw the nation's astronaut corps, the Orion program and mission operations for the International Space Station, among other things. MORE CONTENT: JSC'S ELLEN OCHOA WILL JOIN ASTRONAUT HALL OF FAME. Last year, Ochoa was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame and she has received the Distinguished Service Medal, NASA's highest award. Additionally, five schools, including one in Texas, have been named after her. The search for her replacement will be conducted by NASA headquarters, but center officials said they do not have a timeline for when that will occur. Ochoa said in her Friday email that more information about center leadership will be announced by acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot "later in the spring." When Ochoa became center director in 2012, her appointment was announced the same day Coats, her predecessor, announced his retirement. MORE CONTENT: JOHNSON SPACE CENTER DIRECTOR ANNOUNCES HIS RETIREMENT. "We're fortunate to have a team of excellent leaders here at JSC, so I know I'll be leaving JSC in good hands," Ochoa wrote to her employees Friday. "I have several months to go as Center Director, and you can count on me to continue to be fully committed to our mission and our people here." Alex Stuckey covers NASA and the environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at alex.stuckey@chron.com or Twitter.com/alexdstuckey. KABUL - At least four gunmen stormed a major international hotel complex in the Afghan capital Saturday, touching off gun battles and sending guests and staff fleeing for cover, officials and staff said. There were no immediate reports on the extent of casualties from the clashes at the hilltop Inter-Continental Hotel, one of the city's main sites for foreign visitors, envoys and other guests. At least two attackers were killed, said Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid, but clashes were ongoing hours after the group entered the hotel and portions of the building were ablaze. There also was no immediate claim of responsibility. The Taliban and Islamic State have each waged attacks in the past against diplomatic targets and other sites in Kabul. The attack was the latest strike on a high-profile target in Kabul, deepening worries about the ability of militants to strike at the heart of Afghanistan's leadership. The hotel was hosting a meeting of more than 30 directors of communication and information technology companies from across the country. On Thursday, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul issued a warning about "reports that extremist groups may be planning an attack against hotels in Kabul." It gave no specifics on possible targets or how the intelligence was gathered. The spokesman for Afghanistan's Interior Ministry, Najib Danish, said the number of casualties was not clear. But another Interior Ministry official, Nasrat Rahimi, said several people had been killed, according to the Associated Press. The attackers managed to slip through security cordons and entered the hotel through the kitchen, Danish said. They appeared to include suicide bombers, he added. One witness, quoted by the Reuters News Agency, said the assailants took some hotel staff and guests as hostages. Wahid Majrooh, ministry of public health spokesman, said police and army ambulances were used to transport the injured. In 2011, Taliban suicide bombers and gunmen attacked the Inter-Continental in a siege that lasted more than five hours. At least 11 people were killed, including hotel staff and visitors. The hotel has not been affiliated with the InterContinental Hotels Group for decades but continues to use a variation of the name. ELKO -- Cowboy artists from around the world have long been fascinated with the work of legendary saddlemaker and silversmith G.S. Garcia. Now, 111 years after it was constructed, visitors will be able to step into history and see his workshop in the newly restored building that is the new home of the Cowboy Arts and Gear Museum, which will also feature cowboy arts and culture. The grand opening of the museum is set for 2-4 p.m. Feb. 2 at 542 Commercial St. Hosted by NV Energy, the reception will offer drinks, appetizers and refreshments. Built about 1907 for the Garcia Harness and Saddle Shop, the building was remodeled to house offices for the Elko-Lamoille Power Co. and, later, NV Energy until 2016. Work began in 2017 to restore and repurpose the building to become a museum in partnership with the NV Energy Foundation. It was restored to look like it did in 1907, right down to the pressed tin brick facade, said Cowboy Arts and Gear Museum director Jan Petersen. Inside, visitors will get a feel of what Garcias shop looked like more than a century ago, replicated from photographs, said Sue Wright, one of the gear museums board members. Eventually, well have a display of a saddle in the progress stages, Wright said. Garcia bits and spurs will also be displayed in the original cases that J.M. Capriola bought when the shop closed in 1938. People will also see the model horse Garcia used when he crafted his gold-medal saddle and a Garcia saddle on loan from the Northeastern Nevada Museum. For the 34th annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, a small Basque exhibit will celebrate this years festival theme, Petersen said. Petersen explained that the opening of the museum in G.S. Garcias old shop was a dream she shared with Paula and Doug Wright, former owners of J.M. Capriola Co., and something they talked about frequently. We fantasized about having it in the original building, but NV Energy was fully ensconced in it at the time, Petersen said. I think this building was something Paula always wanted to do, Wright said. I still cant believe were in here. When NV Energy announced its move to a newly constructed operations center on Ruby Vista Drive, the company offered the building to a group of people to form a nonprofit organization. Museum board members include Petersen, Mike and Tana Gallagher, Mary Simmons and John and Sue Wright of Capriola. This whole project couldnt have been done without the assistance and support of NV Energy, Petersen said. They are ardent community supporters. Petersen said there are plans for the building to apply for a Nevada historic designation. One step at a time, she said. The museums first exhibitors will be photographer Nicole Poyos series on the Winecup Gamble Ranch and Merrilee Morrell Dosss One Mans" collection of bits and spurs. A website, www.cowboyartsandgearmuseum.org, will be launched before the grand opening, and the museum can be found on Facebook. The organization also welcomes local involvement and financial support. The opening of the museum in downtown Elko marks an exciting time because it could be the start of making Elko a center of history, art and culture enthusiasts, Petersen said. What were planning on with the addition of the cowboy museum is that Elko will become a history destination, Petersen said. We have the Western Folklife Center, the California Trail Center, the Northeastern Nevada Museum, which is the hub of it all, and a new Shoshone museum, the Newe Gahnee, to open in the Elko Indian Colony. Five destinations become a destination to celebrate all traditions, cultures and heritages from the first inhabitants to the most recent, she said. Petersen also sees the Cowboy Arts and Gear Museum as being another link to Elkos past when the business district was on both sides of the railroad tracks. We are enthusiastically looking forward to being a part of the renewed interest in downtown, Petersen said. Commercial and Railroad streets were the focus of business. This was and still is the heart of Elko. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Saturday officially marks the anniversary of Donald Trump's first year in office. Looking back at the first 365 days, there's no doubting Trump has brought a lot of changes to the presidency, but none may be as clear as the Commander-in-chief's daily tweeting. Socialbearing, a Twitter analysis tool, reveals that Trump sent out roughly 2,500 tweets (which includes Trump sharing tweets with other people) during his first year. That works out to an average of 6 to 7 tweets a day. HOUSTON: Trump's comments cloud King celebration in Midtown Now Playing: Women came out in force a year ago to protest after US President Donald Trump's inauguration, and a this Sunday they intend to stage a similar massive show of force, this time without the pink 'pussy hats'. That is because a year on America's women realise the scale of assault on their rights this president seems prepared to endorse. What's more, Trump's election appears to have had a galvanising effect on women everywhere, amplified since by the #MeToo and TimesUp movement "Womens' March Global can have an immense historical part in this because what we've seen on the global side is that while the #MeToo and TimesUp movements have been widely recognised in the United States, globally they have not translated and so it's not...when Asia Argento came out in Italy she recieved a tremendous amount of backlash and recieved death threats, enough for her to leave Italy because of those death threats. We see in France actresses and women coming out against the #MeToo movement. So there's still a tremendous amount of work that needs to be done globally to make the #MeToo and TimesUp movements inclusive and intrasectional and ensure that women of all backgrounds are being heard and that their stories are being believed, and while that has happened in the US, it hasn't happened globally", says the Head of Field Operations Women's March Global, Uma Mishra-Newbery. Women in at least 34 countries will march on Sunday, many of them impatient to see the American depth and scale of female revolt in their homelands. Video: Euronews The routine tweets have become such a staple of the Trump presidency, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said he asks his staff to print out the president's tweets in order to help plan American policy. During his first year in office, Trump used the word "great" and the hashtag "MAGA" the most. MAGA is an acronym of Trump's campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again." In total, Trump's tweets were shared more than 48 million times by users. See the 20 Trump tweets that got the most retweets during his first year in office. Fernando Ramirez is a reporter for Chron.com and the Houston Chronicle. You can read more of his stories here and follow him on Twitter at @fernramirez93. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate AUSTIN -- Two leading Democrats running for governor on Saturday called for universal background checks for Texas gun buyers, a move surely to run afoul of Republican supporters of the Second Amendment. During an afternoon forum during an AFL-CIO political committee convention, both Houston entrepreneur Andrew White and former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez said they support the universal checks to keep people from buying guns who would be dangerous to have them. "Why should I be able to buy a gun without a background check?" White -- who has said he is a firm supporter of the constitutional right to bear arms -- told the audience, calling it "common sense" change in current law. They were the only two of nine Democratic candidates who were invite to speak to the meeting. Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy opened the forum by saying that Republican Greg Abbott, never a close friend of unions, was not invited. Union leaders are expected to endorse one of the two candidates. Speaking to the Houston Chronicle after the program, Valdez and White said Abbott should be pushing harder to get the Republican-controlled Congress in Washington to approve the next allocation of Harvey recovery funding. Amid partisan bickering over a budget deadlock that shut down the federal government, Congress failed to approve the next installment of $81 billion in disaster relief funds -- some of which is destined to come to Texas. "You'd think the Republicans could talk to them selves and get it done," White said, echoing comments from Valdez that Abbott needs to push harder with legislative leaders in Washington to get Texans the next installment of badly needed relief funding. In the past two months, as the relief funding bills have been delayed and stalled, Abbott has expressed increasing frustration with Congress for not approving the money. "This election is one of the most important in our lifetimes," White told the crowd, noting that the retirement of House Speaker Joe Straus -- a moderate on some issues who is credited with blocking passage of the bathroom bill among other controversial issues -- will leave much-more-conservative Republicans like Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. "I'm the candidate who can beat Greg Abbott," White said, blasting the governor and other state GOP leaders for being "part of the Donald Trump school of government." Valdez, a San Antonio native and daughter of migrant farm workers, said she is the candidate who will stand up for average Texans. "I have fought for and will continue to fight for the common folk," she said. During a question-and-answer session that came after they made brief speeches, both were asked how they stand a chance at winning when Abbott has more than $43.3 million in his campaign war chest and Republicans have won all statewide offices for two decades. In their first few weeks of campaigning, White has reported he raised about $219,000 and Valdez reported raising $46,000 -- small amounts compared to the millions that previous Democratic Party gubernatorial candidates have raised, with just eight weeks to go before the Democratic primary election. Both insisted they can win. "Is someone trying to buy the (election)?" Valdez responded to Abbott's record fund-raising haul. Valdez said the upcoming primary "is all about energizing the base" and not so much about having large sums of campaign cash on hand. White said Democrats need a candidate for the general election "who can convince the reasonable Republicans to vote for a Democrat" -- noting that many of those Republicans probably used to be Democrats. "Is someone trying to buy the (election)?" Valdez responded to Abbott's record fund-raising haul. The candidates' comments mostly drew light applause from the friendly crowd, a change from past years when the conventions gave rousing support to Democratic candidates. ELKO Jurors took one hour to decide Dr. Gary Wright was not medically negligent for burning a hole in a patients bowel in 2013. The jury returned its verdict Jan. 19 to Judge Al Kacin, one hour after the court recessed for lunch and deliberations. The trial started Jan. 10 in Elko District Court. Jessica Van Hoy sought $275,000 in damages from Wright in a lawsuit alleging that he was neglectful in his medical care and treatment of her when she underwent an exploratory laparoscopy to find the source of abdominal pain. Wright, a former OB/GYN at Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital, performed the procedure on Van Hoy on April 3, 2013. During the lapaorscopy, he removed an adhesion, and in the process, burned the serosa tissue using a Kleppinger bipolar electrocautery tool too close to her bowel, causing a perforation in her bowel. Wright told Van Hoy and her husband about the burn after the surgery and sent her home, advising her to contact him if she had pain, which he said may occur in three to four days. Van Hoy said she was in pain, sweating profusely and suffering with nausea 15 minutes after leaving the hospital and called Wright, who advised pain medication. She returned to the hospital that afternoon and underwent a second surgery performed by Dr. Christopher Ward the next day to repair the perforation. Van Hoy was hospitalized for nine days. Charles Spann, representing Van Hoy, told the jury that their side had the burden to prove by a preponderance of evidence that Wright did not obtain a second opinion before concluding the surgery; did not convert the laparoscopy to a full-open procedure to check for damage on the bowel; and sent her home rather than keep her in the hospital for observation. During the trial, Ward was called to testify. During closing arguments Friday, Spann reminded the jury of Wards testimony, in which Ward explained there was no way to tell if fluid was going to start leaking in the perforated bowel in a laparoscopy unless the patient was opened up to run the bowel. Ward was a reluctant witness who had no special interest in the case, Spann said. Wrights attorney, Anthony Lauria, said the fact that the hole was recognized, treated appropriately and resolved fairly quickly with no long-term problems was undisputed evidence. All the medical experts who testified agreed that the thermal spread that occurred by using the Kleppinger tool was something that could happen when the surgery is done properly, Lauria said, referring to testimony provided by Dr. Haydee Docasar and Dr. Mark Dodson. All experts agree that it does not mean Wright was negligent, Lauria said. It is a recognized risk and potential complication of electrocautery. Lauria also reminded the jury to remember the plaintiff had the burden to prove that Wrights conduct departed from standard medical care and was the proximate cause of injury, which is the basis to award damages. He also told the jury that you cannot create your own standard of care or assert that Wright should have decided to open her up if that wasnt required. [You] cant say Dr. Wright should have done the [full-open] surgery because no one said he should have, Lauria said. The 10-member jury consisted of eight jurors and two alternates. For civil matters, three-fourths of the eight-member jury, or six jurors, can determine the verdict. The jury was asked to determine if there was negligence, if the negligence was a proximate cause of any personal injury to the plaintiff, and if damages should be awarded. Only if youre convinced there is evidence for negligence and proximate cause, then you can award damages, Lauria said. Van Hoy asked for $250,000 for past pain, physical and mental pain and anguish, disfigurement and disability between April and June 2013, and $25,000 for future physical pain and disfigurement, referring to a nine-inch scar on her abdomen. Wright moved to Elko in 2005, opened his own practice at the Pinion Road Medical Clinic and was the department chair of the OB/GYN unit from 2010 to 2013. He moved to Texas in 2016. RENO A winter storm moving into eastern Nevada after dumping a foot of snow in the Sierra has set a precipitation record in the north-central part of the state. The National Weather Service reported Friday the liquid equivalent of .41 inches recorded at the Eureka Airport about 250 miles east of Reno broke the old record of 0.3 set in 1983. The liquid equivalent is the water left over from rain and melted snow. The storm headed into Utah Friday, off its expected path north of U.S. Interstate 80, and was following an area along U.S. Highway 50 through southern Lander, Eureka and White Pine counties. The weather service cancelled a winter weather advisory for northern Elko County but issued a winter storm warning in effect until 4 a.m. Saturday for the central region, including the Ruby Mountains south of Elko and Great Basin National Park east of Ely along the Utah line, where up to a foot of snow is possible in the mountains. Here is a selection of stories curated by AP editors to keep you informed as you start your weekend. Editor: On January 16, 2018, I read a news story titled; "California couple's ordinary home held torture chamber." The story was about 13 siblings held captive by their own parents. Kids, that were allowed to shower twice a year and allowed to eat only once a day. Kids that were chained and never allowed to leave their home. America's national media has posted far too many news stories about single parents or parents who beat, molest and murder their own siblings, this, in a country where these types of incidents are not supposed to occur? Should America strengthen laws, build stronger and more severe Child Welfare Programs? Then of course, you look at the kids/teens now days, most of their parents don't follow them, care what they say, do, or act, they simply say; "kids will be kids." Of course, if you attack their siblings you'll probably find yourself locked up. Most kids/teens have no clue of how lucky they are, most don't care, and these are the type of kids who walk all over their parents, lie, steal, drink and just do whatever, because they know their parents will be there for them. Always on their cell, always texting, always boasting and bragging about everything they have and how new it is, and then you find that they are the ones who love bullying others. Is there a solution? How do you tone down a society that advocates racial hate or thinks that bullying is OK? How do stop anything when theres so much corruption going on, where theres so much crime and sexual crimes occurring? If people do not like kids, children, or teens, why do they figure that they should get married and have their own? People who become sick or insane need help, but where would that help come from? I wish I knew, Im not smart enough to know the answer but something has to be done. Larry Kibby Elko 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. Fundatia de Binefacere Caritas Moldova solicita oferte de pret de la companii cu privire la dezvoltarea designului pentru Sala Events & Sufragerie AKRON, Ohio -- An Akron man was indicted Thursday on charges in connection to carjacking a 24-year-old man in Akron's North Hill neighborhood. Marcus Kidd, 18, is charged with aggravated robbery, receiving stolen property, failure to comply with order or signal of police, receiving stolen property and obstructing official business, court documents say. Kidd posted 10 percent of his $10,000 bond Thursday, records show. The carjacking happened about 10:30 p.m. Dec. 19 on Cranz Place near Dayton Street, police said. The man told police he was sitting in a driveway in his 2014 Dodge Charger when three men approached. One of them pulled him out of his car and punched him in the face. Another man fired shots before they stole the car and drove west towards Dayton Street, police said. An officer saw the car minutes later at East Cuyahoga Falls Avenue and Dayton Street. The men led police on a chase before they took off from the car at Fouse Avenue and Ranney Street, police said. Kidd was taken into custody after they found him hiding behind a garage on Floyd Street near Dan Street, according to the police report. Police did not say if Kidd had the gun or if he was the one that pulled the man out of his car and punched him. Police also did not return messages asking if the other two men were charged. If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Friday's crime and courts comments section. MEDINA, Ohio - The Medina City Schools Board of Education is expected to vote on a $750,000 settlement with former Superintendent Randolph Stepp at its meeting Monday night. Former Medina City Schools Superintendent Randolph Stepp Stepp sued the school board for breach of contract, defamation and invasion of privacy after he was fired in 2013 in the wake of a state audit that found more than $4,000 in "illegal spending" by Stepp and more than $1.5 million in spending that wasn't properly documented or had no clear public purpose. The audit was requested after public outcry over an $83,000 bonus and payment of $172,000 in Stepp's student loans approved by previous school board members. None of the current school board members served during that time. Current Superintendent Aaron Sable is recommending that the school board accept the settlement agreement and mutual release of claims between Stepp and the school board. The $750,000 payment would be paid by the school board's insurers, Liberty Mutual, to Stepp and his attorneys, Buckingham, Doolittle and Burroughs LLC. None of the settlement amount will come out of school district coffers, according to a press release from the district. The press release noted that "most of the information regarding the case and settlement is confidential and not official until the board votes." The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Middle Auditorium at Medina High School. CLEVELAND, Ohio - Charter school critics cheered the vote Thursday night to shut down the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) online charter school, while State Rep. Andrew Brenner and ECOT backers blasted the state for forcing the closure mid-year. "What a relief!" said State Rep. Teresa Fedor, a longtime opponent of charters and critic of ECOT's poor report cards. "Finally, education officials are standing up for our children and taxpayers." And Steve Dyer, the former state representative who works with the Ohio Education Association on charter issues, said the vote should have come far sooner. "Everyone who could have done something about this school for 18 years should be ashamed of their failure," he said. Even national charter supporters who want better quality schools applauded the decision. Nina Rees, head of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, called it "a good day for those who believe in the importance of closing poor-performing schools." But supporters of charters and the school say the state should not have forced the budget problems that led ECOT's sponsor, the Educational Service Center of Lake Erie West, to withdraw support Thursday and immediately stop operations. Two Ohio Department of Education investigations found that many students at the 12,000 student school, who take classes from home on computer, spent little time signed on to ECOT's online system and barely participated in their classes. As a result, the department is deducting money from the school to recover $60 million in overpayments to the school for 2015-16 and $20 million for 2016-17. ECOT is challenging those findings to the Ohio Supreme Court, which will hear oral arguments on the case Feb. 13. With ECOT saying it will be bankrupt by March if those repayments continue, the ESC pulled the plug while the school still has enough money to meet its payroll and debts. Brenner, a longtime supporter of ECOT and of online schools, said the state should have worked out a payment plan. He was angry that 12,000 students have to seek new schools mid-year, as well as at the state seemingly cutting off a way to recover all $80 million. "I want the state of Ohio to recover the money," Brenner said. "The only way to do that is to set up a better repayment plan with ECOT." That would mean spreading payments over a few years and charged the school interest, or even just making sure ECOT could finish this school year. He also asked the department to release ECOT's offer to restructure payments - one the department denied Thursday just before the ESC's vote. The Plain Dealer has asked the department since Wednesday for that offer, but the department has only said it will respond in a "reasonable" time, as required by law. Ron Adler, who heads the charter school advocacy group the Ohio Council for Quality Education, called the department's stance "shameful" and "far too politicized," saying that the department "needs to be reeled-in by the General Assembly." "They seem to believe that closing charter schools is more important than helping them," Adler said. "And they refused to alter their demands that could help nearly 3,000 students to graduate this spring - feeling it more important to extract maximum punishment on ECOT. The Department would never dream of treating a traditional district school in this appalling manner." ECOT spokesman Neil Clark questioned the state's refusal to accept a payment compromise right after Thursday's vote. "By rejecting an offer that would have allowed our current students to finish the year, Governor Kasich, State Superintendent Paolo DeMaria, (ODE lawyer) Diane Lease, and company showed they were more interested in settling a political score than in doing what's best for students," Clark wrote in a press release. "These bureaucrats wanted blood for ECOT challenging them on their illegal and retro-active rule-making," he added, referring to ECOT's main argument in its appeal to the Supreme Court. ECOT maintains that the state illegally changed how it funds e-schools - from just using enrollment as it had for years, to requiring participation in classes. Kasich, though, told media this week that he has not been involved in any negotiations over EOCT and staying afloat. "We don't believe it's our job to do that," he said. "It's not appropriate." Rees defended the decision because the state tracked how well students were participating in class. She hoped the state would "strengthen" its funding and accountability system so that mid-year closures like this are rare. And State Sen. Peggy Lehner, who heads the Senate Education Committee, said the school is to blame, not the state. "It is a real tragedy that thousands of Ohio children are scrambing today to find a new school," Lehner said. "However after court after court has determined, ECOT's failure to educate thousands of children entrusted to its care has brought us to this point." She added: "We now have a moral obligation to help the children affected find a suitable school as quickly as possible." Students can simply re-enroll in their home school districts, which have said they would welcome students back. But others note that many won't, since they and their families already became disillusioned with those schools, leading them to enroll in ECOT. Click here to see how many ECOT students are from your district. Other online schools are an option. Apryl Morin, who heads charter oversight for the ESC of Lake Erie West, told the board Thursday night that Ohio Virtual Academy, the state's largest e-school now that ECOT is closed, was able to accept all ECOT students. Ohio Connections Academy, the next-largest, was ready to accept 300 students immediately, Morin said, and was looking at hiring more teachers to add more students. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A man now faces the death penalty after jurors on Saturday found him guilty of slaying two men in a downtown Cleveland apartment building in 2016 James Johnson, 31, was convicted of aggravated murder, aggravated burglary and other counts in the Jan. 21, 2016 slayings of Rashaad Bandy, 35, and Brandon James, 27, in their eighth-floor apartment in the Archer building on West 9th Street. He carried out the killings as part of a course of conduct and while committing aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery and felonious assault, specifications that make him eligible for the death penalty, jurors found. The sequestered jury deliberated until after 8 p.m. Friday, and returned about 8 a.m. Saturday and deliberated for less than an hour before reaching their verdict. The penalty phase of the trial will begin Thursday, where jurors will decide whether to recommend that Judge Kathleen Sutula, who oversaw the trial, should impose the death penalty. Johnson smile as he was led into the courtroom by deputies before the verdict. He showed no emotion during the hearing, and saluted to a group of people gathered seated to support him as he was led back to a holding cell after his conviction. Johnson and a man who has yet to be identified were let into the apartment building about 7:30 p.m. by a friend of Bandy and James. The building manager at the security desk wrote down that one of the men gave his last name as "Johnson" and that he was there to see his uncle, prosecutors said. Johnson and Bandy grew up together and were so close that Johnson referred to Bandy as his "uncle," lawyers said. Johnson and the unknown assailant then went to the eighth floor, burst into the apartment, and Johnson fired a shot into the wall, prosecutors said. James took off running, and Johnson fired a fatal shot into his back, prosecutors said. Johnson then executed Bandy with a single shot to the back of his head, prosecutors said. The men then left with two duffel bags and everyone in the room's cellphones, but left six pounds of marijuana and a loaded handgun. Johnson then skipped Bandy's funeral and went to Michigan, where he was arrested after leading police there on a chase and giving them a fake name. Witnesses, including the building's manager, a man inside the apartment at the time of the killings, identified Johnson in part because he has a lazy eye. Another key piece of evidence was Johnson's uncle, a Cleveland fire department arson investigator, who happened to see Johnson the morning after the killings dump a pair of Timberland boots into a dumpster at a gas station on Cleveland's East Side. Johnson's DNA was also found on the door handle of an apartment down the hallway, which prosecutors said he inadvertently opened as he tried to run from the scene of the killing. To comment on this story, please visit Saturday's crime and courts comments page. ROCKY RIVER, Ohio -- Officials in Rocky River are warning residents of possible flooding over the weekend as the temperatures rise and snow melts. The mercury in the thermometer (digi-centric youngsters will have to Google that reference) could stretch into the 40s throughout the weekend across Northeast Ohio after weeks of snow and bone-chilling cold. Rain is likely on Sunday - and combined with melting snow - could cause some flooding. Rocky River is warning residents to be prepared to evacuate their homes if necessary and to be cautious while walking in water deeper than six inches. "The ice in the west channel and at the mouth of the Rocky River may prohibit water from moving predictably and rain - compounded with snow melt - could raise river levels quickly," the city said in a news release. If flooding occurs, residents should not wait to leave their homes, the city says. The city offered the following tips if flooding happens: Plan where to go if evacuating Pack important insurance paperwork, photographs and items of value, phone charger, etc. for easy removal from your home including an overnight bag Make a point to unplug electronics, move items off the floor and possibly turn the power off to your home before evacuating if warm weather allows. For questions or concerns, please contact Public Safety Director at Mary Kay Costello at (440) 331-0600 or call the Rocky River Police Department during after business hours at (440) 331-1234 ext. 0. If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Friday's crime and courts comments section. WASHINGTON - If President Trump and squabbling congressional Democrats and Republicans can't reach a deal to fund the federal government by midnight, it will shut down. That's happened several times in recent memory, though it's never occurred when the same political party controls the House of Representatives, Senate and White House. Shutdowns affect different agencies in a variety of ways. Here's a quick rundown of what happens to some of the more visible federal functions during a shutdown: Post office: Post offices stay open, and mail delivery continues. Social Security: Checks for existing benefits will be issued, but processing new applications may be delayed. National parks: Facilities that require staffing would close but visitors could still access some memorials and open-air parks where staffing isn't required. NASA Glenn Research Center: During past shutdowns, all workers were furloughed except for security staffers and a few safety-related employees. Federal courts: Federal courts usually have enough money on hand from court filings and other fees to stay open for several weeks during shutdowns. After that, they curtail services. Federal prisons stay open. Government Funding Bill past last night in the House of Representatives. Now Democrats are needed if it is to pass in the Senate - but they want illegal immigration and weak borders. Shutdown coming? We need more Republican victories in 2018! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 19, 2018 Passports: Passport processing is suspended during shutdowns, but there may be some exceptions for emergencies. Travel: Air traffic controllers, luggage screeners and customs agents remain on the job as their work is deemed vital for national security. National Weather Service: Weather forecasting is a safety issue, so it would stay open. Veterans: Veterans administration hospitals stay open and benefit checks are issued, but new benefit applications and pending clams aren't processed. Active duty military: During shutdowns, military personnel continue to work, but they don't get paid until Congress provides funding. Some civilian military employees are furloughed. Smithsonian: Closed. The Cleveland Metroparks has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed last summer by a half-dozen rangers, who claim they were shortchanged for time they worked caring for dogs in the K-9 unit. The suit also says they are owed about seven hours of pay for every week they housed the dogs at home and that the Metroparks failed to make, keep and preserve records of the hours worked by the rangers in the K-9 unit. Last month, the Metroparks agreed (pending final approvals) to settle the suit for $190,000 PLUS back wages, which could amount to thousands of dollars per ranger. I asked the Metroparks for an estimate of how much is owed to the rangers. I'll update this post when the Metroparks responds. Speaking of the Metroparks: Don't expect to find Chief Marketing Officer Sanaa Julien back in the park system. You may recall that the Group Plan Commission, which manages Cleveland's Public Square and other spaces, appointed Julien in 2016 as a loaned executive from the Metroparks to guide branding and event planning for the newly renovated square. The agreement between Metroparks and GPC expires Feb. 28, 2018. The Metroparks said Julien is not coming back and her position has long been filled. Under the loaned-executive agreement, the GPC pays her salary and the Metroparks provides health benefits and pays contributions toward her retirement. Tony Coyne, chairman of the GPC, said Julien has been a godsend and the commission is working out details to keep her as its own. Racial tension rising in party: The Cuyahoga County Democratic Party's executive committee, which includes hundreds of party insiders and elected officials, will gather Saturday morning at Euclid High School to endorse candidates in the May primary. Most of the action will be centered on a handful of judicial races and the contest for Ohio Senate District 23, which pits state representatives Nickie Antonio and Martin J. Sweeney against one another. (You can read my column on that race here.) Last weekend, the party's ward and city leaders made recommendations in the races, which set off some soul-searching and bickering. Why? No black or Hispanic candidate in judicial races received the formal recommendation of ward and city leaders. As a result, some members of the local Black Lives Matter network plan to picket the endorsement meeting tomorrow morning. In the party's endorsement battles, connections are far more important than qualifications. Most candidates take their campaign for the endorsement seriously because the prize is the party's get-out-the-vote machine. Candidates work the phones, organize mini teams and host dinners and mail letters. In the end, some candidates end up working nearly as hard for the endorsement as they do in the general election, where they often cruise to victory thanks to a Democratic-leaning electorate. Amazon speak: Cleveland's bid to win Amazon's second headquarters has introduced a new line of doublethink that would make George Orwell blush. As you know by now, the city's civic and political leaders don't want to share any details about their losing bid, which they say is so good that revealing it could harm the future of mankind. Anyway, below is the news release from Team Neo, the private nonprofit that organized and sheltered the bid from public scrutiny. It remains committed to not sharing the bid details while still boasting of its greatness. "In a few short weeks last fall, the City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County joined the Greater Cleveland Partnership (GCP), JobsOhio, the State of Ohio, the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA), the Downtown Cleveland Alliance and other groups to portray the vision and vitality that are transforming the region. The data compiled will play an ongoing role in the region's business attraction and retention efforts." (Read the entire release below.) Clevelanders step forward: Hours after cleveland.com announced that it is partnering with Open Table -- a non-profit that organizes tables of advisers to help guide individuals trying to break free of poverty's grip -- more than 70 people stepped forward to join the effort. Many more are welcome. The partnership is a part of cleveland.com's A Greater Cleveland series that documents the lives of the poor. You can read more about Open Table and cleveland.com's call to action here. Continue Reading Below Advertisement Shockingly, the plan sort of ... worked? The two men got the poison in his ear, but Mashal's bodyguards saw it and chased them down. The remaining agents fled to the Israeli embassy, which was quickly surrounded by troops. It turned out that squirting poison into a political leader's ear and running away was not as subtle as they'd hoped. The five would-be assassins tried to blend in by falling back on their cover as Canadian tourists, their hopes hanging entirely on people believing that Canadians were so stupid that they would seek shelter in a completely different country's embassy. And boy howdy, these men were especially not Canadian. They didn't know basic facts about the country, couldn't sing its national anthem, and each wrote "FUCK YOU THIS IS CRAZY" next to pictures of milk in bags. They didn't even know about the Toronto Blue Jays, who had recently won back-to-back World Series. They knew so little about Canada that they might have been trying to invent a fake country and accidentally landed on three syllables that happened to be a real one. Continue Reading Below Advertisement The king of Jordan, dying of cancer at the time, was not amused in the slightest by these -- to be fair, highly amusing -- antics, and put Israel through the wringer. Not only did they have to provide the antidote to cure Mashal, but they were also forced to free a bunch of political prisoners. They failed so hard at assassination that they wound up with a net positive for the living. It was an absolutely humiliating loss, and Benjamin Netanyahu had to fly to Jordan to publicly apologize to Crown Prince Hassan, swearing it would never be repeated. Hassan later said it was one of the most bizarre things he had ever experienced. We're inclined to agree. BRIDGEPORT One of the states highest mill or tax rates 54 mills. A current fiscal year budget deficit of between $14 million and $17 million. Estimated long-term debts totaling $1.08 billion. Connecticuts largest municipality may not have recently been on the brink of bankruptcy like the capital, Hartford. But Bridgeport is eligible to participate in a just-launched initiative allowing the state to help manage financially challenged cities. The new state Municipal Accountability Review Board (MARB) is taking applications. So could Bridgeport join Hartford, whose troubles lead to the MARBs creation, and another taker West Haven, and ask for such intervention? Bridgeport would meet eligibility criteria for MARB, confirmed Chris McClure, a spokesman for the state budget office. Its not as though Bridgeport is in the same situation as Hartford, (but) they would be in the same eligibility criteria as Hartford. If Bridgeport applied, the MARB could: Review and make recommendations about the citys annual budget, which Mayor Joe Ganim will submit to the City Council this spring; similarly review and recommend ways to tackle the municipal debt; and approve labor agreements and arbitration awards. In exchange Bridgeport could tap into a total of $55 million set aside over the next two years for MARB participants. I have thought from Day 1 that Bridgeport very much should be looking at the possibility of entering MARB, said state Rep. Steven Stafstrom, a Democrat like Ganim who represents Bridgeports highly-taxed Black Rock neighborhood. Stafstrom has been lobbying Ganim, who first ran the city in the 1990s, to accept independent budget assistance since voters returned the ex-mayor to office in November, 2015. With a mill rate of 54 and the unfunded liabilities the city has, how can you not be at least considering this? Stafstrom said. Ganims office as of Friday did not provide comment for this story, but at least one city union sees the MARB in Bridgeports future. Ahead of last weeks failed vote on a new police contract, union leaders circulated a power point urging the deal be approved. The power point warned some studies show Bridgeport in worse condition than Hartford and that union members have an interest in avoiding MARB. Stafstrom said that in conversations the Ganim administration has expressed caution about the MARB: I dont know theyve flatly said no, but I havent seen an application submitted yet, lets put it that way. Budgeting and politicking Ganim in spring 2016 dismissed the idea of a state takeover of Bridgeports finances even as he complained about inheriting a $20 million deficit from former Mayor Bill Finch: We inherited a terrible mess and were working through it. The message from the Ganim and Finch administrations Finch held office for eight years has been that City Hall has steadily reduced Bridgeports debt. Labor contracts, for example, have increased employee health costs and phased out retiree health care. Ganims budget staff has said about $12 million of the current fiscal years $14 million to $17 million deficit is covered. The Ganim administration, with help from Stafstrom and the citys legislative delegation, recently orchestrated a financial maneuver to pay $96 million toward $200 million in pension debt, while saving $2 million annually in interest over three decades. This is the kind of outside the box thinking we need to tackle our short and long term fiscal challenges, Ganim said in December. The returned mayor has had prior experience with state budget oversight. Ganim was first elected in 1991 when Bridgeport was already operating under the auspices of a state financial review board. The board dissolved itself in 1995. Lennie Grimaldi is an author and runs the Only in Bridgeport website. During the 1990s he was Ganims chief political adviser, having previously been communications director for ex-Mayor Tom Bucci when the state finance board was created. Grimaldi recalled that the state offered no money to Bridgeport, but that the review board forced some tough medicine that really helped crystallize how to make some tougher decisions, pare back the size of government and get stronger union concessions. Still, Grimaldi said, given Connecticuts budget woes, entrusting the MARB to right things in Bridgeport could be like the blind leading the blind. He said the state has to have a better plan for its urban centers and do more to invest in them. Ganim, who is running for governor, is claiming his years in charge of Bridgeport 14 total between his first and current terms make him the candidate to turn the cities and state around. And that means participating in the MARB could hurt that campaign message, according to Ronald Schurin, an associate professor of political science at the University of Connecticut. What Ganim has going for him is his claim he saved Bridgeports finances 20 some odd years ago and is in a position to save the state, Schurin said. Were he to look for state oversight and bailout (for Bridgeport), it would be a very negative strike. It could also take away one contrast with Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, a Democrat who is weighing a run for governor. David Walker, a Republican gubernatorial candidate and Bridgeport resident, is concerned the MARB would not go far enough in Bridgeport, and believes Ganims candidacy is clearly a factor in the mayors reluctance to apply. It would be a tangible admission that the city is in worse condition than hes been willing to admit in the past, Walker said. BRIDGEPORT Just three months after a divided City Council relinquished its authority to approve tax breaks for developers, leaving those decisions in the executive branchs hands, two members hope to reverse that decision. I dont think our power should be given to a department (the economic development office) to fulfill the duties we are elected to fulfill, said Councilwoman Eneida Martinez. Martinez and Councilman Ernest Newton, who represent the East End, have cosponsored a resolution to reverse a council vote that limited the length of tax subsidies to a maximum of 20 years and established clearer guidelines for approval, but eliminated the legislative bodys power to vote on such deals. I dont think theres checks and balances, Newton said. That mid-October vote was 10 in favor, 8 against. Newton was not yet a member, while Martinez, an incumbent, left the meeting early and did not vote. Of the group of council members that were in favor, half are gone, either because they were not re-elected or did not seek another term. Newton, a council president in the 1980s, and Martinez are expecting some of their fellow freshman to also support their effort. When I was running that was one of my main points that we need to bring the power back to the council, said new member Marcus Brown. I advised everyone that when I got there, thats one of the things Id be trying to reverse. If businesses want to come here, then they should come before this council to make an argument for tax incentives, Brown said. The tax break redo will be considered by the councils ordinance committee, co-chaired by Brown and Martinez. Rowena White, a spokesman for Mayor Joe Ganim, said the administration will not be discussing this resolution with the media prior to discussion with the City Council. City Hall is likely not happy with the effort given how hard Ganims staff lobbied to alter the tax subsidy process. And one of the reasons for that was to address ongoing concerns from council members about how tax breaks are awarded. That debate started in 2015 when then-Mayor Bill Finchs administration sought 35-year and 40-year subsidies for a mixed-income housing development on the East Side. Ganim, who had been mayor in the 1990s,successfully challenged Finch in the 2015 Democratic primary in part by criticizing the length of the tax breaks offered by the Finch administration. There is general agreement among city officials that in order to compete with other municipalities Bridgeport has to be willing to give something to developers. So what the returned Ganims economic development staff presented to the council in October established a more formal process for issuing subsidies and limited their length to 10 or 20 years. But, in exchange, the Ganim administration wanted sole authority to negotiate and authorize such deals, taking the council out of the mix. City Hall argued that would give developers more certainty and remove the politics from the process. Newton said he likes most of the safeguards that were part of those October changes That protects the city very well and just wants to restore the legislative bodys right for a vote. New Council President Aidee Nieves voted for the changes last fall believing they would help attract more investment to Bridgeport. Nieves has reservations about reversing them so soon. We havent even crossed that bridge yet to say this doesnt work, Nieves said. Were repealing it without even trying it. Martinez does not want to wait. We need to nip it in the bud now, while its fresh, she said. Mickey Herbert, head of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, wants the changes left be. It seems like the decision made in October was a good one and it doesnt seem to make a lot of sense to have it (control) return to the council, Herbert said. Its a challenge to get people to invest in Bridgeport in the first instance. It seems like the last thing we need to do is introduce additional uncertainty into the process. Its official. March 29th is permanently recognized as National Vietnam War Veterans Day. The statute was signed into law by President Trump. Please dont be upset when I tell you the Council and staff will be in my opinion, working night and day to put a city tax on Netflix and probably 11 percent. Assemblymember Sebastian Ridley-Thomass bill in Sacramento to prevent local government from putting a tax on Netflix until 2023 was stopped cold, so get out your check book. Oscar Meyer said it will no longer add nitrates and artificial preservatives to its hot dogs. While messing around one of our file cabinets I came across the Culver City newsletter of the Friends of the Library from June 2003 which I thought was particularly interesting. During 2002 the executive board allocated or spent $5000 for public computers, $1200 for large print books, $3000 for childrens books, $500 for the Judaica collection, $500 for the Spanish language collection, $500 for Black History month, $1000 for Civil Service test books, $50000 for the Audio-Visual collection, and $500 for a photocopier for library work and $1050 for this years Summer Reading Program. It was noted our Friends group is one of the largest in the Los Angeles County System; 71 percent of our elected Culver City officials are members; and 80 percent of the elected members of the Board of Education are also members. Your Friends had a Logo contest, a monthly newsletter and a quarterly membership meeting. Officers of the Friends Executive Board Offices Names President Neil Rubenstein Vice President Herb Rosenberg Treasurer Mayor Scott Malsin Corresponding Secretary Diane Rosenberg Historian Efrem Violin Book Store Wayne Pulian Board Member at Large Pat Lundgren The drone problem in Australia as it relates to eagle attacks is so acute the State of Queensland recently held the World of Drones Congress and gave Boeing almost $780,000 for drone testing. Drones costing as much as $80,000 are increasingly favored by big landowners such as mine and cattle ranchers. In the past three years a mining company lost 12 drones to eagle attacks at a cost of $210,000. If you are an active or retired educator I just bet you have had a few sleepless nights. awhile back I read in the Long Beach Press Telegram about California schools are on the hook for $24 billion in future health care costs for their retirees, a mountain of debt forcing some districts to curb benefits or spend less on teacher salaries and classroom equipment. Chew on this, the Los Angeles Unified School District boasts a whopping 56 percent share -or $13.5 billion of the liabilities; California teacher pension fund is facing nearly $100 billion in future payments it cant currently afford. Do you have extra money in your checking account? If you do please send it to Governor Brown at State Capitol Sacramento, California. It just seems all those estimators working on the bullet train misjudged the construction costs for a 119-mile segment in the Central Valley. Originally figured to cost $6.3 billion it is now $1.7 billion, or a 27 percent overrun, and some feel it could zip up to $9.5 billion. Are you wondering whatever happened to Harriet Tubman and her face on the $20 bill replacing a slave holding President Andrew Jackson? Tubman not only escaped from bondage but rescued hundreds of people from enslavement as a conductor on the Underground Railroad; she also served in the Union Army as a nurse, an armed scout and as a spy. If you are into the Los Angeles Punk Music scene then check out the Grammy Museum, 800 West Olympic Blvd. (grammymuseum.org) 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday through March 2018. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first drug ever for Sickle Cell. Endari will be available in November 2017 for patients over five years of age. If we only subscribed to one magazine it would be Worst Pills, Best Pills News published by Public Citizen. Diabetes drug can gliflozin doubles risk of amputations the FDA warns in a drug safety communication issued on May 16, 2017. Also, being investigated the recently approved diabetes drug Invokana for increased risk of amputations. Has anyone other than Maria AKA Wild Gypsy Lady noticed all those U-Haul trailers heading East on Interstate 10? It could be a active job market or perhaps its a new city ordinance eliminating jail time and reducing penalties for having small amounts of marijuana that will allow officers to focus on violent crimes, Police Chief Erika Shields of Atlanta said awhile back those cited by Las Cruces police for driving without a current license can pay the ticket with 80 ounces of peanut butter from October 23 through October 27, 2017. The peanut butter donation will go to the New Mexico College food bank. For those who missed an article, all my commentaries can be found at http://www.culvercityobserver.com; strolling down the page and underneath Opinion look for Rubenstein. 19 Ocak 2018 Cuma, 10:33 Following the rights violation ruling the Constitutional Court passed on Can Dundar and Erdem Gul, Mr Erdogan said that he did not recognise the ruling. He did not stop at this, and asserted that the first-instance court did not have to comply with the Constitutional Courts ruling. This was in a period in which the state of emergency regime had yet to be established and Mr Erdogans wishes and suggestions found no take up. That is, in spite of everything, the judiciary had relative independence. However, nowadays, let alone the judiciary sticking up for its independence, even expecting it to comply with the minimum conditions of the rule of law is a flight of fancy. The decisions of judges and prosecutors who fear they may be dismissed at any time and know they may be detained display, not justice, but simply their determination to protect themselves. The flouting by the first-instance courts of the ruling the Constitutional Court passed on Sahin Alpay and Mehmet Altan is a result of this climate of political pressure. Unfortunately, the judicial organs do not have much choice apart from complying with the instructions that politicians blatantly give them in full view of the public. OK, let me repeat at the risk of being boring. Article 153 of the Constitution says that Constitutional Court decisions shall be binding on the legislative, executive, and judicial organs, on the administrative authorities, and on persons and corporate bodies. Article 138 of the Constitution, in turn, regulates the obligation for the legislative and executive organs and the administration to comply with court decisions and that they may not alter decisions or delay the execution of decisions. In and after the referendum in which individual application to the Constitutional Court was introduced, no additional regulation was incorporated into these articles of the Constitution. There thus exist no different constitutional provisions between rulings the Constitutional Court issues on other matters and rulings it issues on individual applications as to their bindingness. That is, the rulings the Constitutional Court passes on individual applications are final and binding. The decisions that the first-instance courts have issued under the pressure of the state of emergency political climate are contrary to the Constitution. Through these decisions, these courts have most probably also deprived the Constitutional Court of being an effective means of recourse with the European Court of Human Rights. Article 90 of the Constitution, for its part, states that in the case of a conflict between international agreements on human rights and statutes, international agreements will be applied. One of the main justifications for enabling individual application to the Constitutional Court was decreasing applications to the European Court of Human Rights and remedying rights violations within national law. The flouting of Constitutional Court rulings by the first-instance courts has rendered this justification and, essentially, the individual application mechanism meaningless. Problems that we cannot remedy under national law will go before the European Court of Human Rights; the court will most probably rule that Turkey has violated the European Convention on Human Rights and award damages to the applicants. It was not for nothing that Turkey was the 2016 compensation record holder. Following the Dundar and Gul ruling, Mr Erdogan announced that only damages would be paid under a probable European Court of Human Rights rights violation and damages ruling. This comes down to however much it is, we will pay the money, but we will release nobody if a rights violation is declared. Such a situation will chart a path that may lead as far as Turkeys expulsion from the Council of Europe. The legitimacy crisis that comes from being a state that does not comply with its own constitution is an added bonus Is all this part of the ruling partys conscious strategy to break away? Or, has the power poisoning caused by state of emergency conditions well and truly robbed the ruling party of its sense? Patrons stand in line at the food court in the Oak Court mall. Although the main incident over the break occurred at the Wolfchase Galleria, Oak Court, which is the mall closest to campus, has had its share of criminal activity. Movie theaters, schools and churches these are just some of the places where high-profile shootings have occurred over recent years. Over the past year, malls were added to the list of locations shootings have taken place, with shoppers shot at, injured or killed in New York, Florida and Missouri malls. Shortly before the new year arrived, Tennessee became another state impacted by a mall shooting. On Dec. 26, 2017, gunshots were fired at the Wolfchase Galleria Mall, resulting in four injured victims and the arrest of Marquice Lester. Lester was charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of unlawful possession of a weapon, according to Shelby County Court documents. Six teenagers were charged with disorderly conduct and unlawful possession of a weapon, according to Memphis police. The shooting was not the first act of violence at Wolfchase Galleria the mall closed after a fight in 2014 and after another in 2016. Michael Gurley, a forensic psychologist and crime scene expert, said the lack of resources in Memphis is the reason many minors are involved in this type of behavior. Social media and a lack of juvenile intervention programs has a lot to do with this continuing problem, Gurley said. Gurley also said he thinks minors are following the violence they see every day in Memphis. The juvenile population in Memphis is affected by the crime rate in Memphis and the social media perception of Memphis, Gurley said. Juveniles follow a social movement and a cultural movement. When surrounded by violence, the result is violence. Gurley said the presence of the Wolfchase shooting serves as a reminder that the community should step up and prevent these incidents from happening. This can be done by recognizing all cultures and sub-communities within the city as equal, Gurley said. You cant have impoverished portions of the city that are suffering from violence and a violent response. Gurley also said the violence in Wolfchase defies the preconceived notion that violence only happens in South Memphis and Orange Mound. Violence sees no economic value its human response is based on developmental traits in life, Gurley said. Put bad fuel in a car, it runs bad. Put good fuel in a child, and they develop into a great adult. Other malls in Memphis, like the Oak Court Mall, have taken action as a result of the Wolfchase shooting by implementing a Parental Escort Policy. Oak Court Malls policy states anyone under the age of 18 must be with a parent or legal guardian. Guests who refuse to leave the mall when asked by security officers can be prosecuted for trespassing. The malls officials also stated the policy can be implemented at any day and time when it is deemed necessary by management, security or local authorities. Simon Property Group, Wolfchase Gallerias owner and public relations team, did not specify if they are adding extra security measures. As always, our primary concern is for the safety of our customers and employees, the company said in a public statement. Patrons stand in line at the food court in the Oak Court mall. Although the main incident over the break occurred at the Wolfchase Galleria, Oak Court, which is the mall closest to campus, has had its share of criminal activity. The Oak Court mall remained fairly quiet over the Christmas season. This mall closest to the U of M campus has seen its share of robberies and gun-related crimes recently. One main entrance to the Wolfchase Galleria mall leads to the carousel. Shots fired at the mall on Dec. 26, 2017, leave some patrons worried about their safety when visiting the Cordova area mall. Outside the doors of The Cheesecake Factory is where shots were reported on Dec. 26, 2017. This shooting worries some patrons and makes them wonder if this mall is the best place for shopping. Theyre calling it The Big Match the wedding of the year on FA Cup final day. And now its getting the big-screen treatment. When Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle on May 19 at St Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle, dozens of charitable donors and supporters many from the US will watch on giant TV screens at the couples Kensington Palace home. Supporters of Sentebale, the charity founded by Prince Harry in 2006 to help vulnerable children in Lesotho and Botswana, have received emails alerting them to the exclusive celebration, which will feature a reception and a viewing party, an American term for a big-screen gathering popular for events such as the Oscars. Prince Harry has sent emails to friends and charity workers to invite them to Kensington Palace to watch the Royal wedding on big screens The Kensington Palace event is perhaps a nod to the former Suits actresss Hollywood background. A Royal source said: Harry and Meghan are strictly limited to the numbers they can invite to the actual wedding so we understand this is a way of saying thank you to donors. St Georges Chapel seats about 800 people, compared with the 1,900 guests who were able to attend Prince Williams 2011 marriage to Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey. The charity workers and friends of the Royal couple will attend a 'viewing party' where they will be able to watch the wedding on a big-screen The source added: If you cant be at the wedding, you can watch it in a palace, which is the next best thing. A viewing party is a way of having an exclusive gathering, celebrating and feeling special even if you are not actually at the main event. Guests will be able to watch events unfold on giant screens, while mingling with an exclusive crowd. They can say they went to Kensington Palace for the wedding. To Americans, thats a big deal. A spokesman for Kensington Palace declined to comment. An 11-year-old girl from became convinced that she was hearing the devil's voice with insects crawling all over her body after she took Tamiflu last year. Lindsay Ellis's father, Charles, decided to go public with her harrowing story yesterday after reports emerged that another girl - a six-year-old in Allen, Texas - tried to jump out of a window under the influence of the flu treatment. Already this year, 30 children have died of the flu, and parents are turning to Tamiflu to treat their young ones at the first signs of sickness. But, in rare cases, Tamiflu has been linked to hallucinations like this one, from Indianapolis, Indiana, whose delusions subsided after she was taken off of the drug. Lindsay Ellis, then 11, was incoherent when her father took her to the hospital, where she had to stay for three months last year before recovering from a reaction to Tamiflu The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that anyone for whom the flu might pose serious health risks including children younger than five get flu shots, and start taking flu antiviral drugs. Tamiflu, or the generic oseltamivir, is one of three such drugs the CDC has endorsed for treating this year's flu. But every year, reports of terrifying neurological side effects emerge. The Food and Drug Administration ( FDA) says on its website that 'children and teenagers with the flu may be at a higher risk for seizures, confusion, or abnormal behavior early during their illness.' It says that these symptoms can happen in untreated flu sufferers or in those who have recently taken Tamiflu, but that that the latter group 'should be watched for signs of unusual behavior.' 'These serious side effects are not common but may result in accidental injury to the patient,' the site warns. This was very nearly the case for Lindsay Ellis. Linsday's father, Charles (center) is calling for better warnings of the dangerous potential side effects of Tamiflu (right) like those that his daughter(left) experienced Lindsay's brothers visited her in hospital in February, while she was absent from home and school last year When Lindsay, now 12, tested positive for flu at a local clinic, they prescribed her Tamiflu immediately, but did not mention any possible neuropsychotic side effects. Three days into the five day course, Charles's daughter started acting 'loopy.' While his cousin was watching her, he called Charles, who was at work at Kroger manufacturing, to tell him he needed to pick up Lindsday, who said she had 'things crawling all over her.' In the car, Lindsay spoke in a high-pitched voice, saying '"hi Daddy,' real weird, like somebody out of The Exorcist,' Charles says. Then she started screaming, 'oh my god, oh my god, daddy, get it off me, it hurts!' 'She said she saw a portal to hell, she could hear the devil, and she was going to resurrect my soul,' Charles says. She begged him to read to her from the Bible, and Charles realized that her delusions were based on her greatest fears. Her father rushed her to the hospital, where her spinal tap and brain activity tests were clear, but she continued to hallucinate for six hours, 'and then her body shut down,' Charles says, as if to escape her antiviral nightmare. Lindsay's mother, Jessica Martin, shared a picture of Lindsay as she began to recover in February, but Lindsay had a long road ahead, learning to talk and walk again The doctors told Charles Lindsay must have had a severe reaction to the Tamiflu. 'She looked like a vegetable,' Charles says. From that day, January 19, 2017 until March 10, 2017, she stayed more or less that way. Finally, Lindsay was released, but had to relearn to walk, talk and use a spoon - which she did, in a 'miraculous' three weeks, her father says. Lindsay eventually recovered, though she still suffers occasional tremors. Tamiflu's informational does include a warning about 'neuropsychiatric events.' However, the label says that the 'contribution of Tamiflu to these events has not been established,' dismissing them as possible symptoms of the flu itself. The insert says that the 'reports (mostly from Japan) of delirium and abnormal behavior leading to injury, and in some cases resulting in fatal outcomes.' But the insert says that it is too difficult to quantify these 'voluntary' reports, and that its own data suggests they are rare. Japan, where most of the reports of dangerous hallucinations have come from, banned the drug for children and teens after a disturbing number of young people jumped from windows and vehicles and tried to commit suicide two of whom completed the act. Charles says he wishes the US would do the same, or at least, that there were more clear warnings about the drug. 'Isn't it our d**** right for doctors to explain what could happen to your child?' he asks. While everyone was poring over the details of Donald Trumps medical examination, one insight into the Presidents life was largely overlooked: Mr Trump is going bald. Sure, this might be obvious from his unusual coiffure which is clearly intended to cover up a thinning thatch, but the Presidents medical report showed that he is taking an anti-hairloss drug, finasteride. Despite presenting himself as so cocksure and confident, deep down Mr Trump is clearly very unhappy about his appearance. Finasteride has been around for about 20 years, yet it is far from being a magic pill. It only causes re-growth of hair in a small number of people (in most, it simply slows the rate of loss), with 30 per cent improvement in hair loss over six months. Going bald is bound up with a loss of virility and masculinity in a way that the menopause is often linked to a loss of femininity for women Furthermore, the positive effects on your hair only last as long as you take it, and the potential side-effects can include impotence and breast growth. Its wildly popular, though. At least four of my friends are taking it and thats just those who have confided in me. I suspect there are many more, but they feel unable to discuss it because hair loss is such a sensitive issue for so many men. In fact, I think society fails to grasp quite the level of distress hair loss can cause men. Those who try to do something are mocked for being vain, while those who are balding are ridiculed for being old and unattractive. Going bald is bound up with a loss of virility and masculinity in a way that the menopause is often linked to a loss of femininity for women. For many young men who find theyre thinning on top, the image of the fat, bald man strikes horror. But theres more to it than simply being laughed at. Hair loss can result in a variety of psychological and emotional problems associated with how we perceive ourselves and how we think others view us. There is a sense of powerlessness and impotence, and a feeling of our bodies being out of control. I have seen many men who have become clinically depressed as a result of starting to lose their hair, and several have tried to kill themselves because it made them so low and desperate. Yet still we struggle to appreciate the impact it can have on a mans life. For while women will openly talk about the menopause, and support each other, men are notorious for bottling up their feelings so they remain hidden and unacknowledged. Just this week I went for a drink with friend who is a builder. He earns a modest amount but was telling me how he had been doing extra shifts to save money. What for? I asked, assuming it was something like a deposit for a flat. For a hair transplant, he said. I was amazed. Ive known him years and I dont think hes ever spoken to me about his appearance before. Sure, hes thinning on top but it never occurred to me that he was worried about it and certainly not worried enough to be saving 15,000 for surgery. I think about it constantly, he told me when I expressed surprise. I hate it and on bad days when its really on my mind, I dont want to go out in public. This admission was clearly a huge step for him, and I suspect he only told me because he knows I work in mental health. When I suggested he talk to his girlfriend about it, he shook his head. Id die of embarrassment, he said. Of course many men are able to embrace their thinning hair and, as Prince William did this week, opt for a closely shaved look. Even then, there is a whole emerging market for men who dont want to appear to be going bald despite shaving their head and some opt to have the stubble tattooed onto their heads. This can look very good. Another friend had this done a few years ago and his wife, whom he met later, still doesnt know that his stubble is in fact a clever tattoo. But even this goes to underline how all this is going on in the shadows. Men dont feel able to talk about it because they think it makes them seem unmanly. For many young men who find theyre thinning on top, the image of the fat, bald man strikes horror But the distress they experience is real, and I think many would benefit from psychotherapy to help them come to terms with this natural process. No intervention surgical or pharmacological offers a total solution to hair loss, whereas psychotherapy can liberate men to embrace whats happening rather than trying to fight it. Its perhaps easier to change whats happening inside your head than whats happening on top of it. The care homes that just don't care A Which? report this week suggested that half the major care home providers are failing residents in a quarter of their homes. But what particularly struck me was that small care homes are more likely to achieve a good rating than larger ones. Ive often thought the term care home is utterly inappropriate. For too many residents, these places fail to provide care and are certainly not a home in any sense that you or I would recognise. Many of them are little more than holding pens where people are sent to wait to die. There should be no place for the profit principle in providing care to the elderly and the vulnerable yet, increasingly, care homes are seen only as a source of income. More and more homes are being bought up by private equity firms who care not a jot about the welfare of the residents: they are only interested in their balance sheet. For them, the residents are just a figure on their bottom line. Over the past few years, two care homes have closed for every new one thats opened. At first, this sounds odd. Surely, with our ageing population, we need more care homes, not fewer? In fact, whats really happening is that smaller care homes are closing and being replaced with large, factory-style care homes, with some housing 60 or more residents. (In the medical profession they are often referred to as granny farms.) This is because, just as with factory farming, theyre deemed more efficient and cheaper. But as the Which? analysis shows, the care is grossly inferior. We know that living in large, characterless institutions is dehumanising, and there are increased rates of neglect and abuse. This is part of the reason that the old Victorian asylums were closed in the Nineties. You simply cannot provide care on an industrial scale. It makes my blood boil. Keep sexuality private Controversial plans for GPs and hospitals to ask all patients about their sexual orientation come into force this April. Many doctors have described these plans as intrusive and insulting, and I completely agree. Its another example of insidious state invasion into our private lives. But most importantly, it also risks alienating patients and encouraging them to give false information. I was treating a young female Muslim patient transferred from another service. Her previous therapist had asked about her sexuality and, put on the spot, she had said she was straight. She was actually gay, and her problems stemmed from this and her deeply homophobic upbringing. But she spent the next six months in therapy never saying what was really the problem. She told me only after Id been seeing her for months and she felt she could trust me. These sorts of plans are cooked up by a metropolitan elite who cannot get it into their heads that outside of Central London not everyone is waving a rainbow flag. And asking people if they are straight or gay before they volunteer that information themselves will damage the doctor-patient relationship. How we fail our brave ex soldiers Controversial plans for GPs and hospitals to ask all patients about their sexual orientation come into force this April. Many doctors have described these plans as intrusive and insulting, and I completely agree. Its another example of insidious state invasion into our private lives. But most importantly, it also risks alienating patients and encouraging them to give false information. I was treating a young female Muslim patient transferred from another service. Her previous therapist had asked about her sexuality and, put on the spot, she had said she was straight. She was actually gay, and her problems stemmed from this and her deeply homophobic upbringing. But she spent the next six months in therapy never saying what was really the problem. She told me only after Id been seeing her for months and she felt she could trust me. These sorts of plans are cooked up by a metropolitan elite who cannot get it into their heads that outside of Central London not everyone is waving a rainbow flag. And asking people if they are straight or gay before they volunteer that information themselves will damage the doctor-patient relationship. Health chiefs have ordered Britons with the flu to stay at home as new figures confirmed the worst outbreak in seven years. The number of cases rose by 40 per cent in a week and GP surgeries are heaving under the strain. But the fact that at least 120 people have died as a result of the flu so far this year means the advice to do without medical help might seem worrying and confusing. Here, I answer a few of the questions asked by rightly concerned patients in my clinic Surgical masks are popular in Japan and with celebrities such as Katy Perry (left) and Nicki Minaj (right) Surgical masks prevent you from touching something with the virus, then putting your fingers in your mouth or nose. Supermodel Naomi Campbell, pictured, knows that The official line is stay at home if you have the flu, and do not go to your GP. Is that safe? Yes, for those who are otherwise healthy and not in one of the high-risk groups vulnerable to the more severe complications that can arise from flu, such as sepsis or pneumonia. Children under five, those over 65 and pregnant women are all considered high-risk, as is anyone with diabetes or respiratory, heart, liver and kidney diseases. If this is you and you develop flu symptoms a fever, a cold and sore throat, aches and pains and feeling totally exhausted speak to your GP or call 111 for advice about what to do next. For everyone else, staying at home and resting will protect yourself and other people, as you are less likely to spread the virus. If symptoms do not improve, or they evolve or worsen after seven days, then seek medical attention. OK, how do I know when its time to call a doctor? Everyone should be aware of symptoms which may indicate something more serious: for example, difficulty breathing or passing water infrequently, despite drinking water, could indicate sepsis, a potentially fatal condition which can arise from flu. Flu doesnt generally cause vomiting or diarrhoea, so if these occur it should also be a cause for concern, as are symptoms such as chest pain, a prominent, focused headache, confusion and dizziness. A fast resting heartbeat or a temperature over 38C which doesnt come down with paracetamol and ibuprofen can indicate pneumonia. If you notice these symptoms, seek urgent medical attention either an out-of-hours GP, urgent care centre or A&E. How can I tell Ive got the flu and not something else just a cold, or something more serious, like meningitis, for instance? Most adults do not get a temperature with a cold. With flu, we typically see a sudden high temperature of over 38C. With meningitis, patients may also experience bad headaches and a sensitivity to light. The advice is that if there are symptoms that dont fit the flu mould, seek medical advice. GP's jab may not save you Vaccinations that are trivalent (protecting against three strains of the flu virus) and quadrivalent (protecting against four strains, including Japanese B Yamagata strain) are recommended by Public Health England. But whether youll be able to get the quadrivalent vaccine from your NHS GP is less clear. It is the choice of local clinical commissioning groups who control GP budgets as to which vaccine they buy. NHS England were unable to say which GP practices have the more expensive vaccine. Reports suggest many have opted for the trivalent vaccine. Quadrivalent jabs are routinely given to children as the Japanese strain is more common in youngsters. Although incidences of this flu are rising, doctors advise that the symptoms are less severe than the common A strains which the trivalent vaccine protects you against. Superdrug, some local pharmacies and some Boots branches offer the quadrivalent vaccine, which costs up to 12.99. Advertisement What can I do to protect myself from getting flu, and others if I have it? The main method of prevention is the flu vaccine. But there are steps you can take to minimise the risk. Flu isnt just transmitted by sneezing or coughing. The virus can live on surfaces such as door handles and bus handrails. You touch these, then touch yourself and the flu gets into your body. Regular hand-washing and sanitising will help. Surgical masks popular in Japan and with celebrities will also work, as they prevent you from touching something with the virus, then putting your fingers in your mouth or nose. People are mostly infectious in the first five days, so if someone at home has flu, a face mask is a wise investment. Who gets it on the NHS, and who has to pay? All the risk groups outlined above can get the free vaccine on the NHS from their GP and high street pharmacies. Children up to eight get it free at school. Carers also get it free; everyone else has to pay. The NHS offers the flu vaccine until March. Ive already had the flu this year. Can I get it again? At any one time, we think three or four strains circulate. So you can get one type, and then another. Ive read some vaccines dont protect against this years most common strain, the Japanese flu. How do I get the right one? Each year vaccines are developed against the most commonly circulating strains of flu. This year, the three-strain jab does not protect against Japanese flu, but there is a four-strain one that does (see above). Is Your Job Making You Ill?, by Dr Ellie Cannon, is published by Piatkus at 14.99. With a merlot-swilling depressed heroine suffering alcohol-induced memory lapses, a grisly murder and a series of riveting plot twists, The Woman In The Window has already had ecstatic reviews comparing it to Girl On A Train or Gone Girl. For author Daniel Mallory, a 38-year-old former publishing executive with a love of Hitchcock, film noir and Agatha Christie, the acclaim surrounding his debut novel is welcome if a little intimidating. Being called this years Gone Girl is flattering beyond belief, the soft-spoken author says, sitting in a cosy bar not far from his home in New Yorks trendy Chelsea neighbourhood, but theres always a danger when a book gets so much advanced buzz going that it wont live up to the hype. Daniel Mallory's debut novel was inspired by his love of Hitchcock, film noir and Agatha Christie For Oxford-educated Mallory, a lifelong love of classic cinema and Hitchcockian suspense led to him unashamedly tapping into the genre that has taken the publishing world by storm over the past few years. When Gillian Flynn published Gone Girl in 2012 she inducted a mass readership into a genre that had been around for decades, all the way back to Patricia Highsmith and Ruth Rendell. Gone Girl proved there was a modern mass market for it. I knew I had a psychological thriller in me but I didnt want to cough one up simply for the sake of striking while the iron was hot. As a publisher I can tell when an author is phoning it in. Mallory, a senior editor at William Morrow, wrote his suspense-laden thriller under the nom de plume A J Finn. A well-known figure in the literary world, he was terrified everyone would hate it and Id end up with egg on my face. Instead, the reverse has happened, and he is predicted to be this years breakout star. Dan Mallory: People dont necessarily want to read about depression, but they do like thrillers..' His heroine, Dr Anna Fox, is an agoraphobic child psychologist living in Manhattan. She spends most of her days downing vast goblets of wine and handfuls of prescription pills while spying on her neighbours through the lens of her Nikon camera. The rest of the time she bemoans the loss of her husband and eight-year-old daughter and watches countless black-and-white movies: Gaslight, Rebecca, Strangers On A Train. Then she witnesses a murder. Or does she? Throw in a handsome tenant in the basement, a troubled teen who lives across the street and a plot that twists and turns at giddying speed and Mallory believes he has a recipe for global success. Handsome, witty and erudite, Mallory could pass for a hero of romantic fiction. He says his happiest years were spent at Oxford University, where he developed his passion for English history and literature. As a publishing executive he represented authors Karin Slaughter, Peter Robinson, Val McDermid and Nicci French, and his literary agent is Felicity Blunt, sister of Girl On The Train actress Emily Blunt. I have some celebrity friends, but Ive never wanted to be famous, he says. Mallory, the oldest son of Wall Street banker John and mother Pamela, wrote the 90,000-word novel in a year of long weekends and nights while holding down his day job Part of the publishers pitch for The Woman In The Window is that Mallory, like his heroine, battled crippling depression for years before it was finally diagnosed and treated. I struggled from the age of 21. I tried everything drugs, therapy. There were days I couldnt get out of bed. Nothing worked. Id been misdiagnosed. When I finally got the right doctor he diagnosed bipolar disorder and put me on the correct medication. Within six weeks I was restored and transformed. It was the summer of 2015 and thats when I started thinking about writing a book. Once I was diagnosed I felt a hell of a lot better and I wanted to give this a shot. One thing I love so much about suspense fiction is it can be enjoyed on the surface or, if you want, you can take it to a deeper level. The most important thing to me was that my book was well written, furiously paced and spring-loaded with whip-crack turns. It also gave me a chance to write about depression, which I know so much about. People dont necessarily want to read about depression, but they do like thrillers, and I hope I give a sense of what depression is like through my book. Theres a stigma surrounding depression, particularly for men. Hopefully this will help get the dialogue going. He says Princes William and Harry talking about the depression they felt over the death of their mother has improved the situation. Its a healthy thing. For years men have been conditioned not to talk about depression. Growing up I felt isolated and lonely so I threw myself into books. Mallory, the oldest son of Wall Street banker John and mother Pamela, wrote the 90,000-word novel in a year of long weekends and nights while holding down his day job. Last September, the book was put up for auction. I was flying from New York to LA. By the time I landed, offers were rolling in from all over the world. The publishing rights sold for in excess of a million dollars. The next phone call was from Mallorys agent. She said Fox Studios had an exploding offer, one I had to accept right then, or it would go away. I asked what it was. She replied: Its a million dollars. I said Yes please, and we hung up. Is he living proof of the American dream? If you work hard and have a great idea you can have all your dreams come true. Whodun 'em? The best new thrillers of 2018 Girl In Snow Danya Kukalka Picador, Jan 11 The murder of a high-school princess seen through the eyes of the boy who was obsessed with her, maybe to a dangerous degree... A cliched title belies a dark and elegant thriller set in smalltown America. The Confession Jo Spain Quercus, Jan 11 A banker is beaten to death in front of his wife. The killer confesses, but doesnt say why he did it. Spains blackly comic touch who hasnt wanted to kill a banker? pulls us through a brilliantly dark tale. Girl In Snow by Danya Kukalka; The Confession by Jo Spain The Chalk Man C J Tudor Michael Joseph, Jan 11 Spooky English murder mystery. Chalk men start appearing on the walls of a cathedral city and then people start dying. The ideas here are stronger than the prose this is one that may work better on screen. Fear Dirk Kurbjuweit Orion, Jan 25 Chilling German thriller based on its authors real experience of having his family stalked by the downstairs neighbour. Kurbjuweit takes you right into the heart of the darkness. In film terms, its an arthouse chiller, not a blockbuster. The Chalk Man by C J Tudor; Fear by Dirk Kurbjuweit; Need To Know by Karen Cleveland Need To Know Karen Cleveland Bantam, Jan 25 Ex-CIA analyst Cleveland has written her debut thriller about a CIA analyst who discovers her husband is a Russian spy. Impressively compelling if highly unlikely, this is probably the banker among the New Year crop thanks to its sheer page-turning readability. John Williams Advertisement He has yet to splurge on any major purchases but dreams of buying a home in London. Throughout my career Ive seen books acquired very expensively only for them to fizzle and sink. I am constitutionally cautious. Kate Winslet is reportedly vying for the lead role in the Fox film, to be produced by Scott Rudin, the man behind movies such as Clueless, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Queen, though Mallory says: I didnt write the character with anyone in mind. He chose the alias A J Finn after a favourite cousin, Alice Jane, and a French bulldog called Finn, owned by another cousin. Critics are already raving. The book has shot to the top of The New York Times bestseller chart, with Stephen King calling it un-put-down-able. Gillian Flynn, the author who started it all with Gone Girl, calls it astounding and thrilling. I feel charmed and lucky beyond description, says Mallory. Will it become a blockbuster? I certainly hope so! The Woman In The Window is published by HarperCollins on Jan 25, priced 12.99. Offer price 10.39 (20 per cent discount) until Feb 4. Order at mailshop.co.uk/books or call 0844 571 0640; p&p is free on orders over 15. Daniel Mallory will be appearing at Waterstones Piccadilly in London at 6.30pm on Jan 24 to discuss the psychological thriller with fellow authors Ruth Ware and Stephanie Merritt. For tickets click here How would you endure months on end in knee-high mud, assailed by mortar attacks and surrounded by ravenous rats and the terrible stench of death? For British actor Sam Claflin, star of the Hunger Games films, the unlikely answer is by playing a medley of Busted and McFly songs to the army of make-up girls who are beavering away on the shell-shocked actors in Pinewood Studio Wales, just a few miles outside of Cardiff. The actor is trying to keep his spirits up amid one of the toughest shoots of his career. Generally, its the way that I deal with intensity, he explains. No wonder: hes working on Journeys End, a new British movie of R C Sherriffs 1928 World War I play, one of the most devastating dramas ever written about life in the trenches. The film is looking to bring its terrors to a new generation. Asa Butterfield stars in Journeys End, a new British movie of R C Sherriffs 1928 World War I play, one of the most devastating dramas ever written about life in the trenches It follows the success of last years Dunkirk, with One Direction star Harry Styles helping the World War II movie towards box-office takings of 385 million. Now the Journeys End team are aiming for the same, casting heart-throb Claflin alongside the equally popular Asa Butterfield (Hugo, Enders Game) and Tom Sturridge (The Hollow Crown). I dont care if younger women go and see the film because they love Sam Claflin, says producer Guy de Beaujeu. Once theyre in and watching it, they will have an experience theyve not had before. I want them to leave being able to talk more about World War I, a topic that is really so far away from their level of interest. There hasnt been a good WWI story since the days of Blackadder Goes Forth in the late Eighties. The poignant last episode (clearly borrowed from Sherriffs play), when Rowan Atkinsons Captain Blackadder and his men go over the top, brought home the horrors of the trenches to millions. I dont feel like my generation has had that Blackadder moment, says Butterfield, 20, who plays the naive soldier Raleigh. We dont really appreciate the First World War as maybe we should, or remember it as we should. Stephen Graham and Tom Sturridge in a scene from the film. There hasnt been a good WWI story since the days of Blackadder Goes Forth in the late Eighties Asa Butterfield; Sam Claflin and Paul Bettany in another scene. With this years centenary of the end of WWI, Journeys End couldnt be released at a more apt time A trench scene. Set largely in the rain-and mud-sodden dugout belonging to the British Army C Company, nerves are frayed and the stench of death lingers in the air Paul Bettany, the British star of The Avengers, plays Lieut Osborne, a dependable father-figure to the younger characters With this years centenary of the end of WWI, Journeys End couldnt be released at a more apt time. A harrowing but humane tale of six British soldiers in the trenches in Aisne, France, it unfolds over a few days in the run-up to the 1918 Spring Offensive, the series of devastating German attacks along the Western Front. Set largely in the rain-and mud-sodden dugout belonging to the British Army C Company, nerves are frayed and the stench of death lingers in the air, with these men little more than sacrificial lambs, there to slow down the German charge. When Journeys End director Saul Dibb read it, he was immediately hooked. It was completely fresh to me, he says. I guess I was struck by how honest it felt, and truthful. I felt like I was there with those characters. For the actors, its been a difficult journey. I got progressively more tired and broken as the filming went on, says Claflin, whose character Captain Stanhope spirals towards an alcohol-infused nervous breakdown. Dibbs film aims to capture the psychological impact of war of those on the front line. First staged in 1928, Journeys End has been frequently revived in theatres, yet despite a cast including Toby Jones, Stephen Graham and Robert Glenister, de Beaujeu struggled to get this film off the ground. World War I is part of our national consciousness, he says, and yet there is a perception that it doesnt make for good cinema. Films such as Testament Of Youth and dramas Birdsong and Parades End underperformed, but de Beaujeu is on a mission. We are making Band Of Brothers for World War I. While Sherriffs play was all interiors, Dibb expands the story, taking viewers into the battlefield notably in a scene when C Company raids the German trenches to bring back a prisoner. The raid is to try and get more detailed information about the advance, explains Paul Bettany, the British star of The Avengers, who plays Lieut Osborne, a dependable father-figure looked up to by Grahams Private Trotter and Joness cook Mason. On the studio set, the dugout is cramped and gloomy, emphasising the terrible conditions WWI soldiers endured. Taller actors keep knocking their heads. Im up to five, groans Bettany. Two weeks were also spent near Ipswich, where exterior scenes were shot in pre-existing trenches used for re-enactments. Nobody had filmed there for a while, says Dibb. So a lot of it started to disintegrate. We embraced what was already there: the rot, the mildew, the half-collapsed trenches leaning over. It made it feel that much more real. Dibb points out that on previous WWI films, such as Stanley Kubricks 1957 classic Paths Of Glory, the trenches were linear, to allow lumbering cameras to run along on tracks. Before we started this film, we thought, Oh, trenches are straight. Theyre not straight. Theyve all got kinks in them. The reason being if a bomb hits, the whole trench wont collapse. But on Journeys End, using manoeuvrable lightweight cameras, these muddy channels could be more labyrinth-like. Certainly our ambition was to be completely authentic. Best of British: Next up in 2018 Early Man (January 26) Aardmans Nick Park does One Million Years BC in this stop-motion animation comedy about a caveman who discovers football. Eddie Redmayne is on vocal duty. Aardmans Nick Park does One Million Years BC in this stop-motion animation comedy about a caveman who discovers football On Chesil Beach (June 15) Saoirse Ronan and rising star Billy Howle take centre stage in Ian McEwans novel about a young couple in the Sixties whose relationship unravels on honeymoon. Robin Hood (September tbc) Kingsman star Taron Egerton gets to play Nottinghams favourite outlaw in this gritty geezer take on the classic myth. Jamie Dornan and Jamie Foxx co-star. This years major-league period drama, Saoirse Ronan (above) plays Mary Stuart amid her attempts to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (September tbc) It collapsed mid-shoot years ago, but now Terry Gilliams long-awaited spin on Cervantes classic novel is coming. Jonathan Pryce stars. Mary Queen Of Scots (November tbc) This years major-league period drama, Saoirse Ronan (above) plays Mary Stuart amid her attempts to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie). Advertisement During the run-up to the shoot, the cast did a military boot camp marching, weapons training, even history lessons though even that didnt prepare them for filming in muddy, sub-zero conditions. It allows you to try to understand what it had been like, says Butterfield. And we were able to come back home afterwards and have a shower and have a bed to sleep in. Theres nothing to complain about when you realise what these guys were actually going through. It makes you appreciate how tough they were. Combat Stress, the charity dedicated to war veterans mental health, introduced the actors to three soldiers who had all suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. One had lost a leg in Afghanistan, another had fought in every British Army conflict since the Falklands. Talking with the PTSD sufferers made me appreciate soldiers in a very different way, says Bettany. The moment you take away all of the politics of whatever ghastly war was being fought, there are human beings at the very sharp end of that stick who can be devastated by it. Claflin, whose shell-shocked character would today be classed as a PTSD sufferer, adds: Whats great about the people we met is theyre getting help. Certainly, the human toll that war takes is why modern audiences will relate to Journeys End, adds de Beaujeu. This film is utterly relevant to today. Were making a film about six guys living on the front line. Their relationships, their hopes, their fears, their mental instability that could be anywhere now. Dibb nods. Its also about understanding how lucky we are to have peace. That is not something that should be taken for granted. Journeys End opens on February 2 The Post Cert: 12A 1hr 56min Rating: Every year theres a big film that underperforms come awards time, and this year its beginning to look as if it might be The Post. Despite starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks and being directed by the great Steven Spielberg, it won no Golden Globes (it was nominated for six) and failed to secure a single nomination either for the Baftas or the Screen Actors Guild awards, which are handed out tonight. All, however, is not yet lost: the Oscar nominations are announced on Tuesday and in a normal year Streep has to do little more than cough to get herself on the list. Maybe The Post will be the film that comes with a late run maybe. Nevertheless, I braced myself for disappointment as I finally got to see it myself. And you can soon see the problem, particularly facing British audiences. This is a very American story involving American newspapers (The Washington Post, in particular), American politics and an American war (Vietnam), all of which came together almost five decades ago. The Posts finest hour the Watergate scandal may still have been to come but, nevertheless, this remains a serious, important and, for the most part, well executed film Given that its set during the troubled presidency of Richard Nixon, the obvious comparison is with All The Presidents Men, the film about that other great Nixon-era scandal, Watergate. But that picture, starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford as Washington Post reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, was released just two years after Nixon finally resigned. Superficially, The Post has nothing like the same immediacy. But only superficially, because what The Post undoubtedly has is context really powerful context. Forty-seven years after The Washington Post published the so-called Pentagon Papers, there is another paranoid bully in the White House, press freedom is under real threat and the US capital is awash with lies, slander and allegations of fake news. Nixon would have felt at home. Its this contemporary resonance that gives The Post its oomph. Despite starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks (above) and being directed by the great Steven Spielberg, it won no Golden Globes (it was nominated for six) So what were the Pentagon Papers? Essentially, they were made up of a hugely sensitive piece of political research which showed that the American White House, under a succession of presidents, had not only known that the Vietnam War was unwinnable but had actively and secretly expanded the scope of the war during that time. Given that there was scarcely a family in America that hadnt sent a father, son or brother to the war, tens of thousands of whom had been killed or injured and that the war was still being fought, this was incendiary stuff. No wonder the papers were stolen by an appalled whistleblower, no wonder Nixon wanted to keep them out of the newspapers, and no wonder the soon-to-be-legendary Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee was determined to publish them. IT'S A FACT Ben Bradlee's sister-in-law had an affair with JFK, revealed in her diary. In his memoir, Bradlee wrote that he conspired with the CIA to destroy the diary. Advertisement This is a film that will delight newspaper journalists. Like Spotlight, the Oscar-winning picture from 2015 about the The Boston Globes expose of a Catholic Church sex-abuse scandal, The Post captures not only the excitement of a paper on the trail of a big story My God, the fun, Bradlee enthuses but also evokes a bygone era of typewriters, hot metal and those strange vacuum tubes that used to whizz our carefully sub-edited copy down to the composing room. I can see that a civilian audience might be at least one star less excited, despite the undoubted quality of Hankss likeable performance as Bradlee. I warmed less to Streeps, as the well-connected owner and publisher of the Post, Katharine Graham. Its a characteristically mannered, nervy, twitchy Streep turn, portraying a woman short on confidence, long on indecision and constantly bullied by her male subordinates. Its a characteristically mannered, nervy, twitchy Streep turn, portraying a woman short on confidence, long on indecision and constantly bullied by her male subordinates Its no doubt accurate Graham admitted to such shortcomings in her autobiography but one of the reasons its being ignored so far by award juries may be that it feels like the wrong performance for these angry #MeToo times, a million miles away, for instance, from Frances McDormands feisty, kick-male-a** turn in Three Billboards Theres another problem too. In making the Pentagon Papers the focus rather than Graham (now theres a film that could have chimed with the times), an already complex and challenging screenplay has had to accommodate the fact that it was actually The New York Times that broke the story first. The Post only jumped in after Nixon had served the NYT with an injunction. Spielberg, despite occasionally directing with a slightly heavy hand, does a good job of disguising this inconvenient truth, helped undeniably by Streep as she builds to her big moment. The Posts finest hour the Watergate scandal may still have been to come but, nevertheless, this remains a serious, important and, for the most part, well executed film. But its the context of today that makes it. SECOND SCREEN Coco (PG) Rating: The Final Year (12A) Rating: The Commuter (15) Rating: In Coco, the latest offering from Pixar, our young Mexican hero Miguel has grown up in a family where music has been banned since his great-great-grandfather, legendary musician Ernesto de la Cruz, chose fame over family and ran off. Which is a shame for Miguel, as he is a born musician who loves the songs his forebear made famous and dreams of enjoying similar success himself. In Coco our young Mexican hero Miguel has grown up in a family where music has been banned since his great-great-grandfather chose fame over family and ran off So he secretly enters a music competition on the Day of the Dead, tries to borrow his great-great-grandfathers guitar from his elaborate tomb and ends up in the Land of the Dead himself. Which, of course, is where the great Ernesto can be found. Might he be able to help Miguel become a musician? Complicated? Yes, and a little slow, too. But the animation is as colourful as the story and emotions do eventually reach the desired level. So much has happened in the year since Donald Trump entered the White House that The Final Year , charting the last 12 months of the Obama administration, feels as if it has missed its time So much has happened in the year since Donald Trump entered the White House that The Final Year, charting the last 12 months of the Obama administration, feels as if it has missed its time. Neeson as an ex-cop in The Commuter Of the three key Obama aides that Greg Barker focuses his camera on, only John Kerry will be familiar to British audiences. But do look out for the agonising moment when Samantha Power, US Ambassador to the United Nations, invites 37 of the UNs female ambassadors to an election-night party where she expects them to share in the pleasure of watching Americas first female president being elected. Liam Neeson, left, reinvented himself as an action hero with Taken. Since then, the quality of his output has been variable, but one thing is certain: he will never make a worse movie than The Commuter. Neeson plays an ex-cop who is approached by a woman on a train. We know its going to be more complicated than that; what we dont know is how ridiculous the story is going to get. The Birthday Party Harold Pinter Theatre, London Until Apr 14 2hrs 10mins Rating: When the young Harold Pinter went to see his play without a ticket, an usherette stopped him. But Im the author, he protested. The woman, who knew a dying show when she saw it, replied: Oh, you poor chap. The house is presided over by a dim landlady called Meg, played nicely here by Zoe Wanamaker (above with Toby Jones), her hair crimped and her tea like gravy Sixty years ago this play was a resounding flop that lasted just one week in London. Now its regarded as a post-war classic, staged here in the theatre thats been renamed after the grumpy writer whose strange, pause-laden plays dont have the courtesy to tell us whats going on. We are definitely somewhere by the sea. Probably the sort of run-down resort, as Keith Waterhouse once said of Brighton, that looks as if its helping the police with their inquiries. The brown doors and bulging wallpaper resemble the gruesome digs that Pinter stayed in when he was a young actor in rep. He often played heavies in tatty old thrillers of the sort that this drama deliberately echoes. Mr Goldberg is played with an insincere smile by Stephen Mangan The house is presided over by a dim landlady called Meg, played nicely here by Zoe Wanamaker, her hair crimped and her tea like gravy. Megs idea of a slap-up breakfast is corn flakes and sour milk followed by a cremated slice of fried bread. Her husband is the benign Petey (the excellent Peter Wight), who stacks deckchairs on the seafront. Meg fusses over the resident Stanley, a seedy former piano player who could do with a wash. Hes played with squinting suspicion by Toby Jones in a pair of revoltingly stained trousers. In due course, two sinister gents in smart suits turn up, their mission to terrify Stanley and take him away in their car. But first they organise a deeply sinister birthday party for Stanley, whose possible betrayal of these gangsters or their syndicate is left unexplained. One, the Jewish Mr Goldberg, is played with an insincere smile by Stephen Mangan and is all charm until he turns sadistic. Tom Vaughan-Lawlor is his biddable Irish sidekick McCann, also very nasty. Pinter invests this B-movie plot with lots of bullying coercion beneath the non-sequiturs and the aggressive exchanges. A game of blind mans buff is memorably horrid; the party, no celebration, is clearly a prelude to a very sticky end for Stanley. The writing is like a sinister musical score and the plays airless intensity makes you want to take a stroll on the seafront, here vividly evoked by the sound of gulls and breaking waves. IT'S A FACT In the Fifties, Harold Pinter was an actor with the stage name David Baron who also worked as a waiter, postman, bouncer and snow-clearer. Advertisement Director Ian Rickson and his starry cast stage it all with great care and it gets laughs where it should. I loved the way Meg looks revolted by the use of succulent, as if its a dirty word. But I cant be alone in sitting through this cruel, rather godforsaken play with respect but precious little affection. Teddy Watermill Theatre, Bangor, Berkshire Until Feb 10 (then touring until May 6) 2hrs 15mins Rating: This new rock n roll musical is set among the bomb sites of south London. Its 1956 and young Teddy with frock coat and greased hair meets ice-cool blonde Josie. Both are broke and need a few bob to see Johnny Valentine, the Casanova of Cool (Dylan Wood, left), on tour in the UK. His four-piece band blasts out Dougal Irvines sound-a-like hits eg Shake, Rattle And Rail in the manner of Bill Haley, Elvis and Gene Vincent, the sort of music that drove teenagers like John Lennon wild. This new rock n roll musical is set among the bomb sites of south London. Its 1956 and young Teddy with frock coat and greased hair meets ice-cool blonde Josie George Parker and Molly Chesworth, as the two delinquents on the tiles, move like panthers to the music. Like the band, theyre on stage all the time. Tristan Bernayss clever rhyming script features lots of swearing and grievous bodily harm in an evening ponging of nightclub sweat and spilt beer. But its all atmosphere. Snappy though Eleanor Rhodes production is, theres nothing much to this story of two youths who start out, and remain, utterly opaque. Good moves and a cracking live band help cover up the cracks. snapdragonproductions.com Rita, Sue and Bob Too Royal Court, London Until Sat (touring till Feb 17) 1hr 20mins Rating: This play was written in 1982 by Andrea Dunbar when she was 19 and living on a sink estate in Bradford. Pregnant at the age of 15, the author had three babies by different fathers and died from her rough life at 29. This play was written in 1982 by Andrea Dunbar when she was 19 and living on a sink estate in Bradford. Pregnant at the age of 15, the author had three babies Her unvarnished, northern, working-class voice was one of the great theatrical finds of the Eighties. Even so, the Royal Court recently considered withdrawing this revival a co-production with the Out Of Joint theatre company and the Octagon Theatre Bolton after its director, Max Stafford-Clark, was accused of sexual misconduct. It was Stafford-Clark who had originally brought the play which features scenes of two underage girls having sex with a 27-year-old man in his car to the Royal Court. IT'S A FACT Andrea Dunbar disowned the 1987 film, starring three future Emmerdale actors. She later died in the very pub used in the movie, in beacon. Advertisement Actually a lot of female laughter and friendship fills this untamed, very sweary play, which pays no heed to todays new puritanism. It never even gets round to condemning the randy Bob (James Atherton), and the sex is treated as something that pals Rita and Sue (touchingly played by Taj Atwal and Gemma Dobson) look forward to. Its a shame that the uncertain direction of the recently instated Kate Wasserberg often feels cartoonishly grim oop North. Memorable, though, are Samantha Robinson as Bobs betrayed wife Michelle, David Walker as Sues drunken slob dad, and Sally Bankes as her mum a bulldozer in hair-curlers. The Here And This And Now Southwark Playhouse, London Until Feb 10 1hr 20mins Rating: Glenn Waldrons clever black comedy opens with a team of sales reps on an away-day. They work for a second-rate pharma company that makes a second-rate treatment for liver spots. Theyre honing the cheesy patter meant to schmooze them past receptionists and in to see the senior consultants who hold the purse strings. If they do well and stick it for a few years, they might make the promised land of head office in Woking. Glenn Waldrons clever black comedy opens with a team of sales reps on an away-day. They work for a second-rate pharma compan. Above: Andy Rush as Robbie Team leader Niall (Simon Darwen) drums into the reps the need to Captivate! Associate! Detonate! Kill! when delivering their spiel. Some are better at it than others, and its clear that the awkward Helen (Becci Gemmell) just hasnt got the right stuff. Meanwhile, in between practising their pitches, Robbie (Andy Rush) and Gemma (Tala Gouveia) flirt and are on the brink of a relationship. Flash-forward to a dystopian future in which a virus has wiped out huge swathes of the global population, probably because the pharmaceutical industry has been uninterested in researching an unprofitable area. Niall and nervy Helen meet again in very different and disturbing circumstances. Performed in the Playhouses small studio space, the play certainly in the first act might benefit from a less spartan set, and its a little too evident that the comedy is the spoonful of sugar that helps the message go down. Nevertheless, its funny and thought-provoking and, if not quite a panacea, could be just what the doctor ordered as an effective remedy for the mid-winter blues. Neil Armstrong Let's get one thing straight. Whisky is not, as I recently overheard at a reputable tasting, fighting fuel for idiots. Whisky is actually perfect for wine lovers. Burns Night this Thursday is a chance to revel in the splendour of whisky finished in port pipes, sherry butts, sauternes casks and more. Time to pick your dream dram for the slicing of the haggis, that Great chieftain o the puddin-race. On setting out from my grandparents home in Falkirk when I was just 18, the first distillery I ever visited was Glenmorangie on the shores of the Dornoch Firth. The copper stills as tall as giraffes and the sweet scent of maturing casks is still an inspiring memory for me. The Lasanta whisky Ive picked out, above, translates from Gaelic as warmth and passion exactly what every whisky fan feels about their favourite tipple selected from Scotlands exquisite regional diversity, from smoky, burly island bottlings to the elvish purity and grace of Speyside. Glengoyne has the rarity of being situated both in the Highlands (distillery) and Lowlands (warehouse) and I reckon has wide appeal try its 17-year-old for an absolute treat. I warmly recommend specialist stockists such as masterofmalt.com or thewhiskyexchange.com, which stocks Cragganmore 2004 Distillers Edition: it blew my mind with its gorgeous sweet port finish. Nab a handy sample 3cl bottle for 6.75 to see if you agree. Fighting fuel for idiots? No, it's great for wine fans For similar samples, whisky-me.com is a new online service from 7, with whisky delivered in 5cl pouches through the post. As for own labels, try M&S Highland 12-year-old Single Malt for 30, or Berrys Own Miltonduff Cask 701547 2009 Single Malt, for 45 at bbr.com for spicy splendour. And for big-name blends, Johnnie Walker Blue Label is highly sought-after only one in 10,000 casks makes the cut 134.74 from masterofmalt.com. But their Black Label is the best all-rounder, to reflect Burnss shunning of watery stuff Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware. Slainte! Star man: Engineering tycoon Elon Musk Can Elon Musk be human? He might sound like a dodgy brand of men's aftershave, but there is growing consensus the engineering tycoon might in fact be an artificial cyborg, created by science to save mankind. There seems no other way to explain the relentless work ethic behind this peculiar South African, 46, whose drive and ambition is simply beyond the reach of mere mortals. Musk is the pioneering architect of three separate billion-dollar companies, all attuned to his singular mission of dragging us into a braver, safer future. There is Tesla motors, which makes affordable, battery-operated cars that he says will help reduce global warming. There is energy firm Solar City, which he hopes will break our reliance on Middle Eastern oil. And there is Space X, an aerospace manufacturer which is redefining the space travel industry, making the rockets we blast into orbit cheaper and more efficient. Appearance-wise, the Musk autobot has benefited from extensive physical upgrades since his arrival on American soil, some 20-odd years after his creation in Pretoria. Once a roly-poly ball of cookie-dough, his exoskeleton boasts sharper, more defined lines. His hair, once a threadbare hotch-potch, is now bushier. His geeky uniform of plaid shirts and ill-fitting chinos has been replaced by snug T-shirts, designer jeans and pointy shoes. His creators, Maye, a leggy model, and Errol, an engineer, noted little Elon's ability to absorb information at an early age. When his father bought him his first computer, Elon mastered the coding within three days. He told a friend he wished he didn't have to waste time refuelling on food so he could work more. Early programming glitches meant he was not like the other school children. He would zone out and be uncommunicative. Bullies beat him mercilessly. Musk still does not understand why. Emotion remains an Achilles' heel. When his parents separated he went to live with Errol, whom he says was not a nice man. Musk will not elaborate. Talking about his father makes Musk sad. Green cred: Musk unveils the Tesla Roadster 2 in November 16,last year. The firm makes affordable, battery-operated cars that he says will help reduce global warming He has tried marriage on three occasions, without success. His met his first wife Justine, with whom he has triplets and twins, at Queen's University in Canada, where he enrolled after leaving South Africa aged 17. She compared his wooing technique to Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator he simply would not stop. Musk had lots of money by the time they divorced eight years later. Living in California he'd set up Zip2, an online Yellow Pages for the newspaper industry, which he sold his stake in for 15million. Then he set up X.com, an email payment firm which ended up merging with Paypal. Musk didn't mix well with the Paypal bunch who found him difficult and controlling (a common gripe) so removed him as chief executive. When it was sold to Ebay for 1billion, Musk made 120million but would rather have still had control of his company. He used the money to invest in his electric cars and space rockets. He wishes Tesla could be a private company like Space X. Tesla is the most shorted stock in the US. Musk worries it will be taken away from him, like Paypal. Armed with a 17billion fortune, he lives in a 12million home in Bel Air, California. Google founder Larry Page is his good buddy. But not Amazon mogul Jeff Bezos. Bezos lured vital Space X employees to work on his own intergalactic programme Blue Origin. He remarried in 2010 to British actress Talulah Riley, 32, who he met in London bar Whisky Mist, where they talked about spaceships. They divorced, remarried, then divorced again. Musk's eyes are really only on the stars. He wants to make rockets which take us from New York to London in 30 minutes and space pods in which we can all travel to Mars by 2024. Would you bet against him? Like The Terminator, Musk can't be bargained with. He can't be reasoned with. And he absolutely will not stop ever, until he succeeds. There is no room for complacency about the impact of the Carillion implosion on private sector involvement in government projects and the reputation of the City. Among those paying the heaviest price will be the 30,000 smaller firms and their employees who face ruin because of the catastrophic management of Carillion and bungling oversight in Whitehall. These firms are the bedrock of our free enterprise economy and it is their energy and resilience which enabled Britain to bounce back quickly from the financial crisis. Private Finance Initiative (PFI) projects have been far from ideal as a National Audit Office report indicated this week. Among those paying the heaviest price of the Carillion collapse will be the 30,000 smaller firms and their employees who face ruin because c the firm's catastrophic management But we should be careful about buying into the assertion of Royal Bank of Scotland chairman Sir Howard Davies that PFI has been a fraud on the people. It is a suggestion which could have come out of the mouth of Jeremy Corbyn. Has Davies forgotten that the bank he heads survives because of a 45billion direct bail-out from taxpayers and advocated that customers of its recovery arm should be allowed to hang themselves? Yes, PFI contracts may cost more than direct borrowing by the Government. But that is because the public sector is paying for the more efficient execution of business. The Corbyn condemnation of PFI as an outsourcing racket, justifying bringing the contracts back to government, must be resisted. The underlying problem is in Whitehall and at Westminster. It is only too easy for civil servants to sign off on the lowest tender and Carillion were experts at delivering this. A preferable approach would have been to choose a more realistic bid by a better contractor. Instead, civil servants stood back, waited for Carillion to go wrong and claim it wasnt me, guv. Some of the better infrastructure projects of recent times, including the Severn Crossing and the M6 toll road, have been delivered as a result of intelligent private partnership with government, along with many impressive new hospitals. If anyone needs insight into the hopelessness of Whitehall when it comes to delivery, I would suggest they take a look at Arcadia boss Sir Philip Greens 2010 report. Sir Philip may not be to everyones taste but his study highlights inconsistent commercial skills and lack of budgetary discipline across government departments. The idea that repatriating the 700 or so PFI contracts back to government will improve matters is piffle. Just look at far away Venezuela to know how disastrous that might be. Clearly a huge amount of blame for what happened at Carillion must be laid at the door of another Philip Green, the chairman, former chief executive Richard Howson, interim CEO Keith Cochrane and the rest of the board. It is shocking that a contractor and outsourcer of Carillions scale was down to its last pennies when it wrote a begging letter to the government on January 1 asking for a 150million bailout. Until that moment Whitehall seemed only dimly aware of problems even though hedge funds had read the runes long before. All of these issues at Carillion, including pension funds with a black hole of 2.6billion, need to be explored properly. The public can have no confidence in the inquiries so far announced. The Insolvency Service may have the powers to ban and punish rogue directors, but as the BHS investigation (still not finished) shows it struggles with complexity. Faith in the Financial Conduct Authoritys skill as an enforcer is badly shaken by its snail pace enforcement against HBOS executives, a lack of willpower in dealing with RBSs global restructuring unit and failure to clampdown on share price movements on the eve of profit warnings. As for the Financial Reporting Council, it failed miserably in punishing KPMG over the HBOS audit so no one can have any confidence in the probe into the same firms audit at Carillion. Rich company directors and auditors employ best magic circle law firms to plough the ground first, claim privilege and tie regulators in knots. That is why a full judicial inquiry which forces all those involved to testify in public and under oath is demanded. Kicking a huge scandal involving misuse of government and shareholders money into long grass is unacceptable. The public deserves answers speedily. Delay may be politically expedient but is a dereliction of duty. Vulture investors have made a 1.2billion bet against some of the best-known High Street retailers. Hedge funds are tipping the share prices of Debenhams, Sainsbury's and pet supplies chain Pets At Home to plummet as the High Street continues its struggle against online competition. They can make hundreds of millions or even billions of pounds by betting that the businesses' share prices will fall. So-called short-sellers walked away with more than 200million betting on the demise of construction giant Carillion. They did so by carefully analysing details in the firm's annual report and spotting warning signs that ministers seem to have missed. Now they have turned their attention to the High Street. So have they seen something others haven't and should you heed this warning? Russ Mould, of broker AJ Bell, says: 'You've always got to be aware of what they are saying, because they won't take that decision and risk lightly, but it doesn't mean they're always right.' Debenhams is Britain's most shorted stock, highlighting the troubles the 239-year-old department store chain is facing and rival Marks & Spencer is one of the top ten. At the start of January Debenhams issued a profit warning following poor Christmas sales. Analysts blamed poor product pricing, badly designed stores and a failure by the retailer's senior management to differentiate the business from its competitors. The news caused a sharp fall in the share price, which is down 70 per cent in the past five years. In a bid to reassure investors, Debenhams chief executive Sergio Bucher this month announced a 10million cost saving plan but experts say that's not enough. This month broker Liberum Capital reaffirmed its 'Sell' rating for Debenhams while Peel Hunt went from 'Hold' to 'Sell'. Ben Yearsley of adviser Shore Financial Planning says: 'I just can't see where Debenhams fits into today's market. If you've got shares in them it's possibly time to get out.' Hedge funds are shorting more than 10 per cent of Sainsbury's shares. Faced with threats on multiple fronts from discount supermarkets, a recovering Tesco and Amazon's entry into the grocery markets, the vultures smell blood. Debenhams is Britain's most shorted stock, highlighting the troubles the 239-year-old department store chain is facing and rival Marks & Spencer is one of the top ten Over the past year investors have had a bumpy ride with the supermarket's share price hitting a 12-month high of 281.7p before sliding as low as 224.8p. But it has recovered closing up 0.12 per cent, or 0.3p, at 258p a week after announcing decent Christmas trading figures which revealed a 1 per cent boost in clothing sales and 2.3 per cent rise for groceries. Sainsbury's, which serves more than 22m shoppers a week, has also ramped up its same-day grocery delivery service, which is available to 38 per cent of households. However, its general merchandise sales which includes Argos, the catalogue retailer, posted a disappointing 1.4 per cent drop in sales, prompting speculation it was dealing with the threat of Amazon less well than its parent. While the results were mixed, broker opinion suggests it's too early to make a call on Sainsbury's, with four rating the firm 'Neutral' and only one firm each urging investors to 'Strongly Sell' or 'Strongly Buy'. Investors in the pet supplies chain Pets At Home have taken a hammering over the past two and a half years, seeing the value of their investments fall by 43 per cent. However, the firm's share price is up 10 per cent on its low of 160p in November. Like many other names on the High Street, it faces intense competition from online rivals which are able to sell their products more cheaply. A recent round of price slashing on everything from dog leads to pet food has boosted sales but at the expense of profit. The firm's earnings were up 6 per cent to 468million, although profit slid more than 11 per cent to 41million. Despite the dip, two brokers who have published outlook notes on Pets At Home in the past six months have given it a 'Strong Buy' rating. Another said it was 'Neutral', while another issued a 'Strong Sell' rating. Mould added: 'Like many companies, it's facing stiff competition from online but it has taken steps in the short-term to address that by cutting its prices.' Britain's biggest travel agent has launched an overhaul of its business to herald a new era of package holidays. In a multi-million pound revamp Thomas Cook is to transform family holidays by allowing customers to tailor individual bits of their trip to their needs. Families will be able to choose types of rooms, meal options, views, or leg room on flights to make their holiday as swanky or as cheap as they like. So for example, customers will be able to buy a traditional off-the-peg package deal, but then decide not to have full-board if they like to eat out and have a room facing the sea or one that is particularly quiet. Multi-million pound revamp: Thomas Cook is to transform family holidays by allowing customers to tailor individual bits of their trip to their needs Thomas Cook is also investing millions in building hotels, and in offering boutique accommodation for a more luxury break. The overhaul marks a dramatic shift in the battle among Britain's biggest travel firms to fight for business. The industry is rebuilding after fending off the threat of online rival Expedia, but has also had to combat huge changes in consumer demand because of terror threats in North Africa that have even affected bookings in resorts in Turkey. Peter Fankhauser, Thomas Cook's chief executive, said it was part of efforts to 'reboot package holidays for the 21st century'. He added: 'The days of one-size-fits-all package holidays are long gone, and by offering more flexible options in a range of hotels that are carefully tailored to every type of customer we're attracting people who might not have thought a Thomas Cook holiday was for them.' Thomas Cook, which was founded in 1841 as a rail booking service, has already launched a service letting customers choose their hotel room at 50 locations, with plans to expand this to another 250 this summer. The service fronted with a campaign featuring TV presenter and property expert Amanda Lamb is the first of its kind offered by a UK travel agent. The packaged holiday was invented in the 1950s becoming hugely popular in the Seventies as a way for families to have one way of booking everything they needed for a trip. However, the internet has heralded an era in which many travellers want to book flights and hotels themselves. Despite an initial threat from online rivals, travel agents have survived but have acknowledged that they need to be more flexible to keep business. Fankhauser, 57, has sought to modernise the company since joining in 2014. Roots: Thomas Cook was founded in 1841 as a rail booking service The latest plans have emerged as travel operators are in the midst of their busiest month. Thomas Cook expects to take about 25 per cent of its annual bookings in January. Fankhauser has focused on promoting all-inclusive deals and sold thousands of the firm's franchised hotels to focus on quality. He has also launched stylish 'boutique' Casa Cook Hotels, which promote package holidays to a younger generation. Each Casa Cook is designed to be different, with the chain so far having sites on the Greek islands of Kos and Rhodes. The company is planning to build its own hotels for the first time as well. Until now, its own brands including Sunwing, Sentido and Casa Cook have been franchised or managed, with the hotels leased from landlords. But after investing in Swiss property group Aldiana, the partners have agreed to spend about 150million on at least another five hotels which they will own and directly manage. In a separate move, Thomas Cook has partnered with Expedia to let people snap up spare seats on flights or vacant rooms in hotels at a discount. Grim results sent shares in a number of FTSE 250 companies plummeting as much as 50 per cent. Investors nerves were shot as flooring specialist Carpetright and funeral services firm Dignity issued profit warnings. Budget fashion retailer Bonmarche also reported dismal Christmas sales. Shares in Carpetright crashed by 39 per cent, while Dignity plunged by 50 per cent. Bonmarche fell 17 per cent. The hit to Carpetrights share price has wiped more than 40million off the companys value. Analysts said the firms trading, which dropped 3.6 per cent in the 11 weeks to January 13, should be a stark wake-up call for the retailer which also dramatically slashed its profit guidance for the year. Carpetright said fewer customers on the High Street and volatile trading at its European operations had hit business. Dignity revealed full-year results were likely to be far lower than predicted. It has been battling for business from the likes of Co-op Funeralcare, which cut prices in September. Visits to Bonmarches High Street stores slumped by 9.7 per cent in the 13 weeks to December 30 the worst figures from a clothing retailer so far this year. Honor Strachan, a retail analyst at Global Data, said the firm had missed the mark on appealing to its older demographic, with these customers likely to have shopped with retailers like M&S instead. Rumours of a takeover sent Fevertree shares flying as traders speculated a consumer goods giant could make a bid for the business. A Buy rating from analysts at Jefferies started the chatter as the broker said the business was scalable and there was little threat to it from rival Schweppes. Jefferies said that, while there are around 70 copycat tonics on the market, Fevertree is six times the size of its nearest competitor and has the first-mover advantage of strong brand awareness. The premium drinks maker first listed in 2014 and became a fast favourite as sales in supermarkets and bars surged. Lapping it up: Jefferies said that, while there are around 70 copycat tonics on the market, Fevertree is six times the size of its nearest competitor Fevertree, which was valued at 154million at IPO and is worth more than 2.4billion, has tapped into a trend towards top-notch tipples and the so-called gin-naissance. Targeting discerning drinkers with its flavoured tonic waters, it has seen its share price increase 1344 per cent from its flotation price of 134p. But while the Aim-listed firm may well be ripe for a takeover, some commentators think Unilever (up 2.2 per cent, or 88p, to 4108p) which last year staved off a takeover bid from chocolate giant Kraft will not be the one to woo it. Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said: Its hard to see how Fevertrees tonic waters and ginger beers would sit alongside Marmite, Pot Noodle and Domestos at Unilever. There would be more logic in a bid from a leading drinks and spirits maker such as Diageo. STOCK WATCH - EASYJET Easyjet flew to the top of the FTSE 100 risers after Morgan Stanley raised its target price on the stock. Analysts said the airline would benefit from the collapse of industry rivals such as Monarch and Air Berlin, which has eased competition in the sector. A stronger euro could also boost its bottom line. The broker said EasyJet was among its preferred stocks for the year, along with budget competitor Ryanair. Shares climbed 4.7 per cent, or 71.5p, to 1584.5p. Diageo (up 0.1 per cent, or 2.5p, to 2621.5p) is certainly no stranger to expensive takeovers last year it bought tequila brand Casamigos, owned by George Clooney, in a deal worth up to 720million. But Mould added: You cant rule out a bid but the price tag may deter companies. Fevertrees market valuation is more than 50 times its forecast profits for 2018. None of the companies have issued a statement on the speculation as yet but the talk alone was enough to send shares soaring 9.7 per cent, or 212p, to 2384p. The FTSE 100 edged up 0.39 per cent, or 29.83 points, to 7730.79 but concerns about consumer spending held back several of the major retailers on the day. Economists had predicted retail sales would grow 3 per cent in 2017, but the actual growth came in at just 1.4 per cent. A major problem is that households are not spending on big-ticket items or home improvements and thats bad news for the likes of Carpetright, which saw its share price plunge 39.5 per cent, or 64.9p, to 99.6p. In whats being dubbed the massacre of the mid-caps, home furnishings retailer DFS dropped 4.3 per cent, or 8.8p, to 197.2p and sofa company ScS sunk 6.3 per cent, or 14p, to 209p. B&Q-owner Kingfisher was also caught up in the fallout, the greatest faller on the FTSE 100 for the day, its shares slipped 2.3 per cent, or 7.9p, to 336.1p. Investment giant BlackRock is the only company with a registered short position on Kingfisher it has a 50million bet against the business, which it placed in November, just days after a trading update from the firm revealed like-for-like sales had fallen 0.5 per cent. Pharma giant Astrazeneca edged up after its ovarian cancer treatment was approved for use in Japan. Lynparza, a tablet taken twice daily, aims to prolong the lives of women whose cancer has returned after chemotherapy. Shares advanced 1.3 per cent, or 62.5p, to 5043p. Shire finally revealed the start date for its new chief financial officer. It was announced back in November that Thomas Dittrich would take up the role, replacing Jeff Poulton who had been at the firm for 14 years. Shire yesterday confirmed Dittrich would assume his post on March 19. Shares gained 0.2 per cent, or 8.5p, to 3461p. Eurotunnel has praised Boris Johnson's idea for building a new English Channel crossing and wants to be involved if the plan goes ahead. The Foreign Secretary's plan for a bridge was branded 'very interesting' by Eurotunnel chiefs. Mr Johnson put forward proposals for a second Channel crossing in meetings at Sandhurst Military Academy with French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday. If built, the structure would become Europe's longest bridge at 22 miles in length. A train leaves the Eurotunnel bound for England, at Coquelles in France Mr Johnson is understood to have told aides: They are two of the worlds biggest economies and they are linked by a single railway. It is ridiculous. He had tweeted earlier in the day: So much important work in [the UK-France summit] outcomes, but Im especially pleased we are establishing a panel of experts to look at major projects together. Our economic success depends on good infrastructure and good connections. Should the Channel Tunnel be just a first step? Current Channel Tunnel traffic only runs at about 54 per cent of total capacity but the company has the rights to build any second crossing until 2086. Eurotunnel corporate affairs director John Keefe said it would be 'decades' before the extra capacity was needed, but fluctuating growth rates and changes in technology made it difficult to be more precise. He said: 'It's certainly right to be thinking about it and it's something we consider on a regular basis. Boris Johnson raised the prospect of building a bridge or road tunnel between Britain and France during yesterday's crunch summit with Emmanuel Macron 'We look at the forecasts and we look at where we see traffic growth going and when we have got a stable period ahead of us then we can plan and predict.' He added: 'It's a very interesting idea. We want to be involved if it gets developed, as it gets developed, but we think there is still a bit of growth to do first before it becomes necessary. 'If the economic, political and financial conditions were all favourable we would have first dibs on whether to do it or not. 'If the conditions are right, we want to be there.' A malfunction caused public warning sirens to sound a false alarm Friday near a North Carolina nuclear power plant, authorities said. North Carolina's Department of Public Safety said the sirens around 1pm near the Harris Nuclear Plant were a false alarm. 'There is NO emergency at the Harris Nuclear Plant,' public safety officials said in a tweet. Duke Energy issued a news release saying the sirens malfunctioned, and that the plant southwest of Raleigh was operating safely. A malfunction caused public warning sirens to sound a false alarm Friday near a North Carolina nuclear power plant, authorities said North Carolina's Department of Public Safety said the sirens around 1pm near the Harris Nuclear Plant were a false alarm Spokesman Brandon Thomas said it wasn't immediately clear how many sirens went off and for how long. The system of warning sirens is placed in a 10-mile radius around the plant The sirens were heard near the towns of Apex and Cary. The company said it was investigating the cause along with state and local government officials. Spokesman Brandon Thomas said it wasn't immediately clear how many sirens went off and for how long. The system of warning sirens is placed in a 10-mile radius around the plant. While a test sounding was conducted earlier in the month, no tests had been scheduled for Friday, according to a Duke Energy website. Several residents took to Twitter to voice a mixture of concern and bemusement about hearing the power plant alarms days after a missile warning false alarm in Hawaii. The mishap at the plant had Twitter users posting hilarious memes in response. Hawaii lawmakers were holding a hearing Friday to discuss a false alarm last weekend that warned of a ballistic missile headed for the island state. Hawaii officials apologized repeatedly and said the alert was sent when someone hit the wrong button during a shift change. They vowed to ensure it would never happen again. Japanese public broadcaster NHK issued a false alarm on Tuesday saying North Korea appeared to have launched a missile and urging people to take shelter, but it managed to correct the error within minutes. The North Carolina plant, also known as Shearon Harris for its namesake power executive, has a massive 523-foot cooling tower that can be seen from surrounding highways. The plant in New Hill began generating power in 1987. President Donald Trump on Friday said he signed into law a bill renewing the National Security Agency's warrantless internet surveillance program, sealing a defeat for digital privacy advocates. 'Just signed 702 Bill to reauthorize foreign intelligence collection,' Trump wrote on Twitter, referring to legislation passed by the U.S. Congress that extends Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The law renews for six years and with minimal changes the National Security Agency (NSA) program, which gathers information from foreigners overseas but incidentally collects an unknown amount of communications belonging to Americans. President Donald Trump on Friday signed into law a bill renewing the National Security Agency's warrantless internet surveillance program The measure easily passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week despite mixed signals posted on Twitter by Trump and narrowly avoided a filibuster in the Senate earlier this week that split party lines. The measure had drawn opposition from a coalition of privacy-minded Democrats and libertarian Republicans. In his tweet on Friday, Trump attempted to clarify why he signed the bill despite repeating an unsubstantiated claim that his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, ordered intelligence agencies to eavesdrop on Trump's 2016 Republican presidential campaign. 'This is NOT the same FISA law that was so wrongly abused during the election,' Trump wrote. 'I will always do the right thing for our country and put the safety of the American people first!' Last September, the U.S. Justice Department said in a court filing that it had no evidence to support Trump's claim about improper surveillance during the campaign. Trump appeared to trash the law shortly before a House vote, only to send out a contradictory tweet two hours later Without Trump's signature, Section 702 had been set to expire on Friday, though intelligence officials had said the surveillance program could continue to operate until April. Under the law, the NSA is allowed to eavesdrop on vast amounts of digital communications from foreigners living outside the United States via U.S. companies like Facebook Inc, Verizon Communications Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google. But the program also incidentally scoops up Americans' communications, including when they communicate with a foreign target living overseas, and can search those messages without a warrant. The White House, U.S. intelligence agencies and congressional Republican leaders have said the program is indispensable to national security, vital to protecting U.S. allies and needs little or no revision. Trump claimed another intelligence law was 'wrongly abused' to target his campaign President Donald Trump walks through the Colonnade of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018 Privacy advocates say it allows the NSA and other intelligence agencies to grab data belonging to Americans in a way that represents an affront to the U.S. Constitution. Trump tweeted just before the House vote on the bill last week: 'House votes on controversial FISA ACT today.' This is the act that may have been used, with the help of the discredited and phony Dossier, to so badly surveil and abuse the Trump Campaign by the previous administration and others.' The tweet appeared to undermine the bill, which GOP leaders and the Trump White House supported. Two hours later, Trump tweeted: 'With that being said, I have personally directed the fix to the unmasking process since taking office and today's vote is about foreign surveillance of foreign bad guys on foreign land. We need it! Get smart!' Trump's tweets about the bill raised questions about whether he understood what was being voted on. White House chief of staff John Kelly told Fox News on Thursday that he spoke with Trump between the two tweets. Trump also spoke to House Speaker Paul Ryan before his turnaround. GOP leaders were able to amass the votes needed to get the priority measure through the House. African youths have joined forces behind bars with a renowned prison posse to form a feared 'super gang'. Teenagers from emerging African street gang Menace to Society (MTS) are set to be influenced by the hardened criminals of Prisoners of War (POW) inside Victoria's Barwon and Port Phillip prisons. The collaboration has sparked major concerns among senior prison officials about what will happen when MTS members are released, Herald Sun reported. 'Younger African members will become indoctrinated in the hardcore methods of the POWs,' a prison insider told the publication. Teenagers from emerging African street gang Menace to Society have created a feared partnership with hardened criminals from Prisoners of War inside Victorian prisons. Pictured: MTS tags inside Ecoville Community Park in Tarneit The collaboration has sparked major concerns among senior prison officials about what will happen when MTS members are released. Pictured: MTS tags inside Ecoville Community Park in Tarneit An insider said MTS now have 'structure and goals' under the tutelage of members from POW, which is led by notorious murderer Matthew Johnson (pictured) 'The worry now is that members will stay connected when they are released. Youve got a worrying mix of frontline soldiers and criminal tacticians here.' The insider said MTS now have 'structure and goals' under the tutelage of members from POW, which is led by notorious murderer Matthew Johnson. Johnson has been holding the reigns to the gang from inside Barwon - where he bludgeoned underbelly figure Carl Williams to death with a metal bar from an exercise bike in 2011. A report by a Victorian Ombudsman the following year revealed POW members were 'responsible for a series of violent assaults on prisoners', including an assault on an inmate who was allegedly acting as a police informant. Johnson has been holding the reigns to the gang from inside Barwon Prison (pictured) Johnson bludgeoned underbelly figure Carl Williams (pictured) to death with a metal bar from an exercise bike in 2011 The group's creed - allegedly authored by Johnson and leaked to Facebook - says POW members fight a 'war' inside the prison where they 'bash, stab and slash'. Now discussions are taking place about implementing additional security measures to restrict POW's influence on MTS members. Although, one official said it may already be too late, according to the Herald Sun. 'A member of the new gang, from the MTS, was walking around Barwon telling officers "Youre wasting your time" and "Theres nothing you can do to stop us",' the official said. Discussions are taking place about implementing additional security measures to restrict POW's influence on MTS members. Pictured: POW leader Matthew Johnson The group's creed (pictured) - allegedly authored by Johnson and leaked to Facebook - says POW members fight a 'war' inside the prison where they 'bash, stab and slash' MTS first gained notoriety in December after they trashed the Ecoville Community Park in Tarneit by smashing windows, furniture and walls and spray painting their signature tag across the property. Regular patrols were set up in Tarneit while a mobile police station was created by Victoria Police in an attempt to curb the crime rates. An AirBnB house in Werribee, in Melbourne's west, was also trashed and tagged with 'MTS'. A 32-year-old former father who killed his three children said his 'crimes are unforgivable' in court Friday morning, where he testified in front of his wife and other family members. Robert Hodges, from Sacramento, California, sobbed as he apologized to his family for 'destroying the life we built together and taking the lives of our children,' in the September 2017 killing spree. Hodges pleaded guilty in December to murdering his three children - Kelvin, 11, Julie, 9, and Lucas, 7 months - and to attempting to kill his wife, Mai Sheng Hodges, in their apartment on September 13. 'I'll spend the rest of my life begging Kelvin, Julie, Lucas, Mai Sheng and God for forgiveness,' Hodges said during his testimony. His admission and apology came just hours before he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the Sacramento Bee reported. Robert Hodges, from Sacramento, California, sobbed as he apologized to his family for 'destroying the life we built together and taking the lives of our children,' in a shocking confession after the September 2017 killing spree (Hodges is pictured Friday in court) Hodges pleaded guilty in December to murdering his three children - Kelvin (second from the left), 11, Julie (second from the right), 9, and Lucas, 7 months - and to attempting to kill his wife, Mai Sheng Hodges (far right), in their apartment on September 13 'I'll spend the rest of my life begging Kelvin (left), Julie (right), Lucas (center), Mai Sheng and God for forgiveness,' Hodges said during his testimony 'God may forgive you, but this court does not,' Judge David Rosenberg said during the sentencing, referring to the man as a 'serial killer of his own children.' Rosenberg also said it was the 'darkest, most depraved case' he'd ever worked on. Investigators who responded to the scene said in a preliminary hearing testimony that Hodges admitted to suffocating his youngest child and told them he was in a deep financial crisis. The investigators also said he told them he surprised the two older children from behind and strangled each of them with a leather belt in the following hours. He said he planned on killing his wife and then committing suicide, according to the Bee. His admission and apology came just hours before he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the Sacramento Bee reported Investigators who responded to the scene said in a preliminary hearing testimony that Hodges admitted to suffocating his youngest child and told them he was in a deep financial crisis Hodges attempted to commit suicide by throwing himself into the water south of West Sacramento. When he failed to drown he swam back to shore and was met by police. Detective Eric Palmer said during the preliminary hearing in October that he met Hodges just after the failed suicide attempt when he was soaking wet and in the back of a police cruiser. Days after the vicious attacks, Mai Hodges wrote a Facebook post to say her husband was never physically abusive towards her, according to KCR He said that hours later during interrogation Hodges admitted to killing the children. Hodges also told Palmer that he waited for his wife to come home so he could kill her, too. When she got home and Hodges attempted to strangle her with the belt he said she fought back and begged for mercy, according to Palmer. Hodges also told Palmer during the interrogation that the International Revenue Service (IRS) was after the family for back taxes. He said their credit cards were maxed out and that he'd been thinking about killing himself and his family for a year, according to the Bee. The former father had no prior criminal record other than minor traffic violations, according to court records. Days after the vicious attacks, Mai Hodges wrote a Facebook post to say her husband was never physically abusive towards her, according to KCRA. 'He had always been a caring and loving person,' she wrote. 'But for whatever reason went his mind, heart do do this, I can never imagine why. I ask myself everyday, "why?"' The man accused of attacking Senator Rand Paul in his yard has been charged with the federal crime of assaulting a member of Congress as part of a federal plea agreement. Rene Boucher signed a plea agreement Friday for the November 3 attack on the Republican senator in Kentucky, according to J Minkler, US Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. And Boucher's lawyer confirmed what's long been suggested by neighbors: The attack stemmed from a dispute about yard maintenance. A date has not yet set for his guilty plea for the attack. Scroll down for video Rene Boucher signed a plea agreement Friday for the attack on the Republican senator in Kentucky, according to J Minkler, US Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana Boucher faces possible prison time, and his attorney says he is 'very regretful' about the attack and that it had to do with the upkeep of their yards. 'Assaulting a member of Congress is an offense we take very seriously,' Minkler said in a release. 'Those who choose to commit such an act will be held accountable.' Boucher faces possible prison time, and his attorney says he is 'very regretful' about the attack and that it had to do with the upkeep of their yards. Paul and Boucher are longtime neighbors in Bowling Green, Kentucky. 'This is over a matter that most people would regard as trivial,' Boucher's attorney, Matt Baker, said in a phone interview Friday. 'It has to do with yards and the maintenance of those.' Boucher is 'very meticulous' about how he maintains his yard, while Paul takes 'a much different approach' to the upkeep of his property, Baker said. 'It all goes to large piles of leaves and branches and yard clutter that were placed on the property line,' Baker said. Some residents of the gated neighborhood had speculated the attack was motivated by a dispute over yard debris- but Paul's office rejected that. Paul told the Fox News Channel in November that ultimately, the motive does not matter. Boucher is 'very meticulous' about how he maintains his yard, while Paul takes 'a much different approach' to the upkeep of his property, Baker said. Pictured is Boucher's home Some residents of the gated neighborhood had speculated the attack was motivated by a dispute over yard debris- but Paul's office rejected that. Paul's home in Bowling Green, where he was attacked, is pictured Boucher, a retired anesthesiologist in his late 50s, already faces a misdemeanor assault charge in state court in Kentucky. He has pleaded not guilty to that charge. Baker said Friday that he's hopeful the state charge will be dismissed now that Boucher has reached the plea agreement on the federal charge. Paul, a former presidential candidate, was attacked Nov. 3 while mowing his lawn at his home. A close friend of Paul's said the senator had gotten off his riding lawn mower to remove a limb when he was tackled from behind. Paul has said he never saw the attacker because he was facing downhill and wearing ear protection from the noise of his lawn mower. Paul suffered six broken ribs in the attack. He returned to Washington less than two weeks later but developed pneumonia when he returned to Kentucky. Paul has since said he's recovering well from the attack. Baker said Friday the attack was 'completely, 100 percent out of character' for Boucher. He said his client is looking forward to getting the case resolved. Boucher faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine in the federal case. 'He is facing the possibility of incarceration, but I'm hopeful that it won't be anything toward the top end,' Baker said. Minkler's office was assigned the case after a U.S. attorney in Kentucky recused himself. The case was investigated by the FBI's Louisville office. An elderly woman is in critical condition after being struck by a car on a major road in Brisbane's northern suburbs. The pedestrian, believed to be in her 60s, was seriously injured on Saturday morning about 7.18am by a sedan travelling northbound on Gympie Road in Kedron. Emergency crews have shut down northbound lanes as investigators examine the scene of the crash. An elderly woman was seriously injured on Saturday morning about 7.18am by a sedan travelling northbound on Gympie Road in Kedron, in Brisbane's north Emergency crews have shut down northbound lanes as investigators examine the scene of the crash Police could not go into detail about the woman's injuries but revealed she had not been transported to hospital. She was reportedly crossing the road, near the Homebush Road turnoff, when she was hit by the vehicle. Ambulance and Police were unable to comment on the status of the woman's condition. The woman was reportedly crossing the road, near the Homebush Road turnoff, when she was hit by the vehicle Union firebrands and Labour councillors are plotting a fresh campaign of intimidation against Esther McVey Union firebrands and Labour councillors are plotting a fresh campaign of intimidation against Esther McVey. Hard-Left activists behind a vile effort that drove the Cabinet minister out of her Merseyside seat are planning to target her again. The 50-year-old former television presenter was the most high-profile Tory casualty of the 2015 general election when she was ousted in Wirral West. The campaign included threats to lynch her. And it can also be revealed that a Labour member with links to Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has helped co-ordinate online abuse against Miss McVey. She started her ministerial career at the Department for Work and Pensions in 2012. During her three years, the department reformed the sanctions regime for people receiving benefits and changed the fitness to work tests for claimants. Miss McVey returned to the Cabinet last week as Work and Pensions Secretary after replacing George Osborne as the Tory MP for Tatton in Cheshire in last Junes general election. But within hours of her reshuffle promotion, Labour supporters restarted their nasty campaign against her online with a barrage of disgusting messages singling her out for abuse. In November 2014, Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell joked about lynching Miss McVey Now it has emerged that the organisers of the 2015 operation that flooded her constituency with trade unionists and hard-Left activists are looking to replicate their hateful tactics in her new seat. Three years ago, they held marches in her local community and released a protest song that included the lyrics: The wicked witch of the Wirrals had her day. In November 2014, after visiting the area, Mr McDonnell, who was then a backbencher, was recorded at a comedy night celebrating the level of vitriol against her. To applause, he said: I was up in Liverpool a fortnight ago. Alec McFadden, one of our [union] organisers, launched the Sack Esther McVey Day on her birthday. I spoke at a packed public meeting... there was a whole group in the audience that completely kicked off quite critical of the whole concept, because they were arguing Why sack her? Why arent we lynching the bastard? Mr McFadden, who is a close ally of Jeremy Corbyn and organised rallies in support of him during his 2015 leadership campaign when they shared a platform, has launched a new group calling itself: Sack Esther McVey Again. According to its Facebook page, titled Fester McVile Out, the movements steering committee also includes two Labour councillors from Salford, Kate Lewis and Barbara Bentham. Details posted on the website reveal: There are plans for protests in Tatton, a new song and loads of campaign materials. The campaign will begin with a demonstration in Miss McVeys Tatton constituency on April 1 with the theme April Fool Theresa May for appointing Esther McVey. The attacks on Miss McVey have begun already and the Labour member linked to Mr McDonnell has posted dozens of messages about her since her Cabinet return. On Monday evening, the Twitter troll, who uses the pseudonym Red Forever, helped organise a Twitter storm when hundreds of hard-Left activists wrote vile and disgusting tweets with the hashtag #SackEstherMcVey. Red Forever mocked up a picture of Miss McVey wearing a Nazi uniform, branding her evil and a murderess. Other Twitter users suggested that instead of being sacked the former GMTV star should be killed, as they spread smears about how she had caused the deaths of thousands when previously a minister at the DWP. Red Forever is followed on Twitter by Mr McDonnell, Margaret Greenwood (the Labour MP who defeated Miss McVey in Wirral West), and Mr Corbyns brother Piers. While his tweets are included in their Twitter feeds, it is not known whether they saw his specific messages about Miss McVey and there is no suggestion they condone them. Mr Corbyn faced criticism last weekend after he refused to condemn Mr McDonnell for previously calling Miss McVey a stain on humanity. The abuse of Miss McVey exposes Labours hypocrisy after Shadow Cabinet members criticised the appointment of journalist Toby Young to the new university regulator because of unpleasant things he had written online. Mr McFadden last night denied that he was seeking to intimidate Miss McVey. He said he disagreed with calls for her to be lynched. Tory MP Will Quince said: This nasty campaign is the antithesis of what politics should be about and it certainly doesnt chime with the kinder, gentler politics that Corbyn claims to support. Police opened fire after being ambushed by armed migrants trying to head from Belgium to Britain. The clash puts the spotlight on a potentially major new backdoor into the UK as security is tightened at Calais the most popular illegal route to the UK. It came after officers outside Brussels spotted five men trying to enter a lorry at 2am yesterday. The attack on the police officers happened at the Zeebrugge port in Belgium with fears it could become a backdoor for migrants into Britain The migrants fled, only for a gang of 15 to return armed with wooden poles to attack the six officers. As the situation escalated at Groot-Bijgaarden lorry park, police were surrounded by 40 migrants. One officer fired a warning shot after two others were hit with weapons. It is believed migrants based in Brussels target the lorry park 75 miles from the Zeebrugge port in the hope of finding UK-bound vehicles. A police source said: They want to go to their El Dorado and the UK is this place for them. It raises concerns about whether more attention needs to be paid to the crossing between Belgian and UK as Theresa May hands France an extra 45million to bolster security at the port of Calais. Belgian police are understood to be apprehending about 250 migrants trying to use Zeebrugge to get into the UK every month. In 2016, Europol earmarked the port as one of Europes main hotspots for illegal migration. Last year the ports chief executive called for Britain to bolster security suggesting UK officers could be dispatched to patrol. Belgian police are understood to be apprehending about 250 migrants trying to use Zeebrugge to get into the UK every month Belgian officials say that, while violent attacks on lorry drivers had previously been concentrated on Calais, there have been a series of recent incidents indicating that migrants are turning to reckless tactics, often overseen by smuggling gangs. Peter de Waele, of the Belgian Federal Police, said: The incident is more than worrying. They used to walk for the police, now they are attacking. It is clear that these people are very frustrated if their crossing to Great Britain fails or threatens to fail, especially if they have paid large sums of money to people smugglers. In the clash outside Brussels, police managed to arrest 16 migrants who said they were from Eritrea, Ethiopia and Sudan. Officials pointed to another incident in Lille, near Antwerp, two weeks ago when two officers stopped a van holding 30 migrants from Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, who then turned on the policemen. On Thursday, migrants pounced on a lorry driver in a motorway car park at Rotselaar, just outside Brussels. Belgian migration minister Theo Francken said action was needed to protect human rights of drivers, adding: We must continue to take action and send illegals back, otherwise there will be a real battle at our highway car parks. Interior minister Jan Jambon said a hard-line approach would be taken against illegal migration, warning that attacks on police would be severely dealt with. Pictured: Kane Gamble, aged 15, leaving the Old Bailey on Friday A schoolboy hacker impersonated a CIA director to gain access to top secret military reports, a court heard yesterday. Kane Gamble was just 15 when he posed as CIA chief John Brennan from his Leicestershire home, even taking control of his wifes iPad. The teenager gained access to passwords, personal information, security details, contacts lists and sensitive documents about operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Gamble, who founded the pro-Palestinian group Crackas With Attitude, taunted the security service on Twitter about his successes. During the attacks, which spanned from June 2015 to February 2016, he made hoax calls to Mr Brennans family home and took control of his wifes iPad. His other targets included former deputy director of the FBI Mark Giuliano, secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson and James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence under Obama. He used the phone numbers he obtained to call and taunt his victims and their families, and take control of their devices. Gamble, who is autistic, boasted about targeting Mr Clappers email account and said: Thats where the juicy s*** is. He also pretended to be Mr Clapper to phone communications company Verizon and set up call-forwarding to divert calls to the Free Palestine movement. Gamble used Clappers email to message other officials. Inconspicuous: The teenager launched the attack on military security experts from the bedroom of his family's modest home in Coalville, Leicestershire While speaking to an accomplice, he said: This email of Clappers is very useful to fool these r****d into thinking Im him. I cant wait lmao [sic]. He also boasted about carrying out the best breach ever after accessing an FBI database to get the names of 1,000 staff, including the officer responsible for the controversial shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. The information Gamble collected was later used to carry out a swatting attack on John Holdren, a science and technology adviser to President Barack Obama. Gamble made a hoax call to Massachusetts police, resulting in armed officers being sent to the aides family home. The information Gamble collected was later used to carry out a 'swatting' attack on John Holdren, a science and technology adviser to President Barack Obama In the days before his arrest Gamble accessed the Department of Justice network using compromised details he gained from a former employee. He gathered documents and information relating to offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon and details of more than 9,000 DHA officers and 20,000 FBI members of staff. These details were posted online with the messages This is Free Palestine and Long live Palestine. The Department of Homeland Security spent 40,000 dollars to resolve the problem and suffered substantial reputational damage, the court heard. Gamble was arrested in February 2016 at his council home in Coalville, near Leicester, at the request of the FBI after he hacked into the Department of Justice network. Last October, Gamble, of Linford Crescent, Coalville, pleaded guilty at Leicester Crown Court to eight charges of performing a function with intent to secure unauthorised access to computers and two charges of unauthorised modification of computer material. Prosecutor John Lloyd-Jones QC told a sentencing hearing at the Old Bailey: Kane Gamble gained access to the communications accounts of some very high-ranking US intelligence officials and government employees. The group incorrectly have been referred to as hackers. The group in fact used something known as social engineering, which involves socially manipulating people - call centres or help desks - into performing acts or divulging confidential information. The group frequently bragged on social media and subjected the victims to online harassment and abuse. The court heard Gamble felt particularly strongly about US backed Israeli violence on Palestinians, the shooting of black people by US police, racist violence by the KKK and the bombing of civilians in Iraq and Syria. Mr Justice Haddon-Cave described Gambles activity as torture in the general sense - he got these people in control and played with them to make their lives difficult. Gamble was allowed to sit next to his mother behind his barrister rather than the dock when he appeared at the Old Bailey dressed in a dark blue coat. Gamble also used an anonymous Twitter profile to talk to journalists. Mr Lloyd-Jones said: He told a journalist, It all started by me getting more and more annoyed at how corrupt and cold-blooded the US government are. So I decided to do something about it. He is due to be sentenced at the Old Bailey at a later date. For a moment, imagine a dodgy foreign country where lawmakers, whose epic venality had been exposed by the Press, decided to pass a law to stop newspapers investigating such behaviour in the future. Doubtless you would be comforted, when reading about this appalling action, by the knowledge that youre lucky enough to live in a centuries-old democracy which is impervious to such self-interested manipulation of the law. Well, think again. Last week, just over 200 unelected members of the House of Lords voted to introduce draconian new laws that make it significantly harder for British journalists to investigate corruption and other scandals. Lord Rennard was suspended by Lib Dems in 2013 accused of at least 30 counts of sexual harassment and nicknamed Lord Grope. The former party treasurer was allowed back after apologising to four women for encroaching on their personal space. Quit as party chief executive in 2009 over the expenses scandal Lord Clarke confessed hed fiddled expenses by claiming around 18,000 a year for overnight stays in London when he was lodging with friends for free or returning home to St Albans. Repaid 9,190 and made an apology More than a third of them had previously been involved in major scandals that were originally exposed by the media they are now seeking to muzzle. They include two convicted criminals, 52 who were caught exploiting the expenses system, 18 named in lobbying scandals, and 14 more who have been accused of sexual or financial sleaze. Several have been suspended from the Lords because of their misdemeanours, and more than ten have been required to repay money they wrongly took from the taxpayer. Eleven of them are profiled on these pages, including perhaps the most egregious figure in Westminsters recent history: the disgraced former Labour peer, Baroness Uddin. A former social worker and chum of Cherie Blair, appointed to the Lords in the late Nineties, her name has rightly become associated with corruption. The reason? An expenses scandal first exposed by the sort of dogged investigative journalism she has just voted to undermine. Lord Foulkes pleaded guilty when an MP in the Nineties to being drunk and disorderly and fined 1,050 following a party hosted by the Scotch Whisky Association. More recently, was revealed to have claimed 54,527 in Lords expenses while being paid as a member of the Scottish Parliament. In 2008, newspapers disclosed he was claiming 45,000 to stay in a London flat he inherited from his mother Baroness Uddin was caught fraudulently claiming 123,349 in expenses by saying she lived outside London when her family home was actually in Wapping. After being exposed by a Sunday newspaper, an anti-sleaze committee found her expenses claims were made wrongly and in bad faith. After a police investigation, the Blairite peer avoided prosecution but was suspended from the Lords for a record 18 months, and from the Labour Party It began in 2009, when Sunday newspaper journalists discovered that the property where Uddin officially claimed to be living was a tiny flat in Maidstone, Kent. The residence appeared to be empty and uninhabited, while her actual family home, where she spent almost every night, turned out to be in Londons Wapping. By falsely saying she lived outside the capital, Uddin had been able to claim about 30,000 a year in expenses. In total, it soon emerged that shed helped herself to 123,349 of public money. An anti-sleaze committee looked into the matter, finding that Uddin had acted in bad faith. Then the police investigated. Though she eventually avoided prosecution, the Baroness was suspended from the Lords for a record 18 months in 2010, and also from the Labour Party. In the real world, employees caught with fingers in the till are, quite rightly, sacked. But in British politics, things are different: corrupt parliamentarians are allowed to carry on shaping our laws. So it goes that, after repaying the money shed taken, Uddin was allowed to return to Parliament in 2012. Shes been there ever since, claiming 300 tax-free for each and every day she turns up. Last year, taxpayers gave her 36,300 in attendance allowances. Lord Mackenzie was filmed by undercover journalists offering to set up an influential all-party Parliamentary group in return for payment. Agreed to ask questions and approach ministers in order to bend their ears on behalf of a fictitious solar energy company. The former police chief and Labour peer was suspended for six months Lord Watson was jailed for 16 months for arson after setting fire to curtains during a drunken row at a luxury hotel. The former MSP returned to Parliament and began claiming 300-a-day allowance while still on parole. Clocked-up 30,000 in ten months despite speaking for less than 30 minutes It is, all told, a shameful state of affairs. Then, on Wednesday night, came a chance for Baroness Uddin to exact revenge. She and other members of the Lords voted to tack two anti-Press amendments onto a Data Protection Bill. One will make almost every newspaper pay all the legal costs in data protection court cases even those they win. The other would resurrect the Leveson inquiry, but crucially it would scrap any parts that put the police and politicians under the spotlight and, instead, focus exclusively on alleged misdeeds by the Press. Both measures would severely limit free speech, deal a devastating blow to investigative journalism, and be a boon to the wealthy, powerful, and corrupt, making it immeasurably harder for Fleet Street to hold them to account one of the bulwarks of a free country. No one could impute the motives of the proposers of these two amendments; Baroness Hollins, who has campaigned for tougher controls on the Press since being distressed by newspaper reporting after her daughter was left paralysed in a 2005 knife attack, and Earl Attlee, a Conservative-supporting hereditary peer, grandson of post-war Labour PM Clement Attlee. Twice forced to resign from the Cabinet in disgrace after the Press exposed his questionable financial dealings. Runs a lobbying firm called Global Counsel, which profits from a number of unpleasant foreign regimes, yet uses a loophole in Lords rules to keep its client list secret Lord Blencathra was forced to apologise for breaking Lords rules after The Independent revealed he was paid 12,000 a month to work for the Cayman Islands. He denied being paid to lobby but the paper obtained a copy of his contract, which cited lobbying Parliament as part of his job description No doubt many peers also voted on points of principle. However, given the track record of Uddin and some of the other peers who endorsed these new laws, one might speculate that, for them, such an outcome was exactly the point. They come from every party and political tradition. Take, for example, Lord Blencathra, one of just two Conservatives to support the Press crackdown. Previously known as David Maclean, the former Home Office minister was forced to issue an apology to the House three years ago after The Independent revealed hed signed a 12,000-a-month contract to lobby on behalf of the Government of the Cayman Islands. Then there is Baroness Tonge, ex-Lib Dem and a veteran pro-Palestine activist. She was kicked out of her party in disgrace and forced to sit as an independent after the Jewish Chronicle revealed shed hosted a meeting in Parliament at which a number of anti-Semitic comments were made by the audience. She resigned at the same time. Or consider Labours Lord Truscott, a former energy minister who, in 2009, became the first peer since the English Civil War to be suspended from the House. Hed been caught by undercover Sunday Times reporters offering to work behind the scenes in Parliament to amend Britains laws on behalf of a fictional foreign company in exchange for 72,000. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given their past histories, all three of these politicians whose misdeeds were, remember, exposed by the Press now want to muzzle journalists. Speaking of the cash for influence scandal that brought down Truscott, two fellow Labour peers, Lord Moonie and Lord Snape, were both caught in the same newspaper sting. Though neither was suspended (anti-sleaze watchdogs found in-sufficient evidence to prove guilt), each was ordered to apol-ogise for having taken an inappropriate attitude to the rules governing Parliament. At this stage, I should point out that the two anti-Press laws passed by narrow majorities of 17 and 29 respectively. Its therefore no exaggeration to say that they would not have passed without the support of Lords whose misbehaviour has been exposed by journalists. Baroness Tongue quit Lib Dems when paper revealed shed hosted a meeting in Parliament where it was claimed that Jews had antagonised Hitler, and the Holocaust was caused by Judea declaring war on Germany Former Labour minister Lord Truscott was filmed by undercover journalists offering to work behind the scenes to change the law in exchange for a 72,000 fee. He was suspended for six months. Last year, he claimed 57,000 in allowances and expenses, despite speaking only three times 19,000 for each speech Some of this number may feel they have old scores to settle. They include, for example, Lord (Paddy) Ashdown and Lord (John) Prescott, whose extra-marital affairs were exposed by Fleet Street, and Lord (Peter) Mandelson, who twice had to resign from the Cabinet after financial misdeeds were uncovered by the Press. Others have more recent gripes. In December, Lord Bassam, one of the 180 Labour peers to back last weeks Press crackdown, quit as his partys Chief Whip after being caught claiming 36,366 for overnight stays in London despite commuting from Brighton. Hed also been claiming 6,400 a year in train tickets and cab fares. He denied breaching rules but has agreed to repay more than 40,000. P erhaps inevitably, the most eye-catching opponents of Press freedom also include the notorious Lib Dem, Lord Rennard. His battles with newspapers stretch back to 2009, when he quit as chief executive of his party after it emerged that hed claimed 41,000 in expenses for running a second home despite owning a flat within two miles of Westminster. Rennard was cleared of breaking rules, only for Channel Four News to then reveal in 2013 that multiple female party activists had accused him of sexual harassment. Alleged to have preyed on at least 30 victims, several of whom courageously spoke to the Press, he was suspended from the Lib Dems. He denied wrongdoing, and was eventually readmitted, after apologising for possibly encroaching on the personal space of four of them. When this sexual harassment scandal broke, the Mail revealed a party worker who accused Rennard of wrongdoing had been phoned at home by Lord Stoneham, a senior Lib Dem peer. She claimed to have been aggressively told not to talk to reporters. Lord Bassam resigned as Labour chief whip before Christmas after being caught claiming 36,366 for overnight stays in London despite commuting from Brighton. Hed also been claiming 6,400 a year in rail and cab fares. Denied breaching rules but has agreed to repay more than 40,000 The same Lord Stoneham was one of the 73 Lib Dems (including Rennard) who backed both anti-Press laws last week. All told, around a dozen of the 52 anti-Press peers who were caught up in expenses scandals were ultimately forced to hand back money that had been wrongly claimed. Many are former MPs, including Lord Thurso (who repaid 548 hed over-claimed for council tax) and Baroness (Angela) Smith of Basildon, who over-claimed 1,033 for council tax and services on her flat in South-East London. Thurso has the added distinction of being one of 17 peers ex-posed before Christmas by the Daily Mirror for claiming a com-bined 400,000 in expenses during the previous year, despite having failed to speak in the Lords chamber, sit on a commit-tee, or table a single question. Two other members of this group Scottish ex-Labour MP Baroness Adams and Lord Haworth mustered sufficient energy to make it into the chamber last week in order to vote to muzzle the Press. A further six Peers who backed anti-newspaper amendments have been criticised for exploiting a loophole in Parliamentary rules known as the double bubble whereby married couples who both sit in Parliament are allowed to each claim 165 a night for staying in London, despite living together. They include Baroness Hollis and her partner Lord Howarth, shown to have two main homes next door to each other on the same Norwich street, plus a shared home in Westminster which is mortgage-free. Others with controversial expenses arrangements include Baroness Goudie, a wealthy Labour donor revealed in 2009 to be living in a 1.5 million London home with her husband while simultaneously claiming 230,000 in expenses, partly by claiming her main home was in Glasgow. Following a year-long investigation, the Clerk of the Parlia-ments, Michael Pownall, said he had doubts about the designation of the flat as a main residence, but no further action was taken after Baroness Goudie apologised and voluntarily repaid 5,130.50. A similar controversy enveloped Viscount Falkland, then a Lib Dem peer. He registered a two-bedroom oast house in Kent, owned by his wifes aunt, as his main home, despite not being on the electoral roll there. In reality, he was living in Clapham, South London, just three miles from Westminster. The arrangement allowed him to claim 125,000 in expenses. He, too, voted to muzzle the Press. Meanwhile, the 18 peers caught up in lobbying scandals were all exposed by newspapers or TV documentaries. They include Lord Mackenzie, a former police chief turned Labour peer suspended from the Lords for six months in 2013, and Lord (Jack) Cunningham, the former Blairite minister, who was filmed by undercover Sunday Times reporters appearing to offer a personal lobbying service for 12,000 to a fictitious South Korean energy firm. C unningham was later cleared by the anti-sleaze watchdog as there was insufficient evidence that rules had been broken, but made a profound and unreserved apology. Again, it must be stressed that while its impossible to be sure exactly what motivated these Peers anti-Press votes, not one example of their wrongdoing would ever have been exposed were it not for Fleet Street. All of which brings us to the question of what happens next. The (elected) Government has promised to stop the Lords draconian crackdown on the Press, with Culture Secretary Matthew Hancock calling its amendments a hammer blow that will undermine high quality journalism [and] fail to resolve challenges the media face. But to do that, theyll have to overturn the rules in the Commons. However, the Tories have no majority, and Labour and the Lib Dems have already shown their willingness to back anti-Press measures, however illiberal they may be. Talk about setting the stage alight! A Massachusetts middle school production of James and the Giant Peach was forced to improvise when the lights went out 10 minutes before the end of the show. Audience members at Miles River Middle School in Hamilton, Massachusetts, used their phones to help the students finish their play, last Friday. Kevin Berube, the play's technical director, told the Boston Globe that there were 10 minutes left in the second act when the power failed. 'There wasn't a whole lot more that needed to be done,' said the man responsible for lights, sound and stage directions. 'Everything was chugging along.' Audience members at Miles River Middle School in Hamilton, Massachusetts, used their phones to help the students finish their production of James and the Giant Peach, last Friday And all of a sudden, the lights went out and the room was engulfed in darkness. 'We just lost power completely,' he added. But instead of stopping their performance, the kids continued singing right along with the program. Kevin Berube, the play's technical director, told the Boston Globe that there were 10 minutes left in the second act when the lights went out, last Friday 'They kept going without missing a beat. They didn't stop or look or around or wonder what was happening,' Berube explained. 'And then the narrator, who kind of runs the whole show, just took her entrance and we realized they were not going to stop. They handled it so professionally and so well. It was a big surprise to everybody that they just kept going in the dark.' Soon, phone flashlights began shining on the young actors one by one. Eventually, more than 100 phones would be flashing on the stage. But instead of stopping, the students continued with their play The show's music director, Katie Simko, added that most of her musicians lost power as well, but 'the entire stage was lit'. The director - who rushed to a nearby grand piano to keep the music going - added: 'The audience was willing to get in on that and say, 'Ya, the show is going to go on.' That was really special. Soon, phone flashlights began shining on the young actors one by one. Eventually, more than 100 phones would be flashing on the stage. 'To see the kids continue like that inspired the adults. The kids were the ones who really drove the moment. I think the amazing thing was that all the adults were ready to throw in the towel.' Berube would post a video of the show's curtain call as audience members still shine their phones on the stage and cheer. Chrissy deLima, who directed the play and is a drama and public speaker at the school, said: 'I am so impressed by the professionalism of my students. And how coolly they handled what could have been a very scary and stressful situation.' The sight of all the phones, brought one student to tears, she told CBS Boston. 'It looked like stars,' Margo Tsouvalas said. 'I almost cried. I was holding in a lot of tears because I just thought it was so beautiful.' Brendt Christensen (pictured) is accused of torturing and killing of 26-year-old Yingying Zhang in June 2017 U.S. prosecutors told a judge Friday they will seek the death penalty for a 28-year-old man charged with the kidnapping and killing of a University of Illinois scholar from China. During the same proceedings, prosecutors took the opportunity to raise new allegations that the suspect choked and sexually assaulted someone five years ago. Federal prosecutors filed a notice Friday with the U.S. District Court in central Illinois. It cites, among other factors, that Brendt Christensen's alleged killing of 26-year-old Yingying Zhang involved torture. In a new revelation, the filing accuses Christensen of other serious acts of violence in the past, saying he 'choked and sexually assaulted' someone in central Illinois in 2013. The filing adds that he 'expressed (a) desire to be known as a killer.' Christensen is charged in the kidnapping and death of Zhang, who disappeared June 9 on her way to sign an apartment lease. Federal prosecutors claim that Zhang, who arrived on campus last April, had missed a bus when Christensen lured her into his car. Prosecutors also took the opportunity to raise new allegations that the suspect choked and sexually assaulted someone five years ago (Pictured: Christensen and Yingying Zhang) Christensen also allegedly tried to lure another student into his car on the day Zhang went missing Surveillance video showed her getting into the front seat of a black Saturn Astra the FBI alleges was cleaned in a way to conceal evidence. Zhang's body hasn't been found, but authorities say that have evidence she's dead. Christensen's trial is slated to begin Feb. 27. He has pleaded not guilty. Friday's five-page filing also cites as factors in seeking capital punishment the 'heinous, cruel, or depraved manner' of the crime and that it involved 'planning and premeditation,' as well as what the document says is Christensen's 'lack of remorse.' 'A message seeking comment from Christensen's attorney, Robert Tucker, wasn't immediately returned. In October, the Justice Department filed a new, superseding indictment against him saying the kidnapping directly resulted in her death. Earlier this week, lawyers revealed that Christensen's girlfriend wore a wire to record hours of their conversations in the weeks which followed Zhang's disappearance. Among the conversations was one in which Christensen allegedly confessed to the killing and described how Zhang fought back when he attacked her. Christensen's lawyers did not reveal how the FBI contacted his girlfriend. The suspect's lawyers pleaded with a judge not to allow the taped conversations, recorded over a two week period, into evidence at his trial, claiming the girlfriend was pressured into wearing the wire because she feared charges herself. On one occasion, she was apparently so nervous about wearing it in front of him that she fainted, his lawyers claimed. Christensen also allegedly tried to lure another student into his car on the day Zhang went missing. That student told investigators that he pretended he was a cop to try to get her into his vehicle. She identified him through photographs shown to her by police. In October, the Justice Department filed a new, superseding indictment against him saying the kidnapping directly resulted in her death. He is also charged with making false statements to the FBI, after he told them he had picked her up in his car and dropped her off. Zhang's family traveled to the US from her native China after she disappeared. Her grieving father was still in the country in November last year after authorities said she was presumed dead. He walked the route to her apartment from campus every day, he said, because it gave him comfort. At the time, her mother said: 'We don't know where she is, and I don't know how to spend the rest of my life without my daughter. 'I can't really sleep well at night. I often dream of my daughter, and she's right there with me. 'I want to ask the mother of the suspect, please talk to her son and ask him what he did to my daughter. Where is she now? I want to know the answer.' Diane Abbott, appointed Shadow Home Secretary by her former lover Jeremy Corbyn, has not always displayed the greatest of ease when discussing figures. She memorably declared during an LBC interview in last year's election campaign that a Labour government would hire an additional 10,000 officers for 300,000 meaning that each officer would be paid 30 a year. So it's intriguing to see the latest set of accounts for the Diane Abbott Foundation, the charity which 64-year-old Abbott incorporated four years ago. These show that the Foundation's 17,183.57 income for 2016 was swallowed almost whole by the cost of hosting a party for London Schools And The Black Child a non-charitable campaign organisation which Abbott set up in 1999 to raise the achievement level of black pupils. It's intriguing to see the latest set of accounts for the Diane Abbott Foundation, the charity which 64-year-old Abbott (pictured attending the Grenfell Silent Walk in west London last week) incorporated four years ago, writes Sebastian Shakespeare A breakdown of the charity's costs records, in turn, that 210 was spent on printing, 130.59 on plaques, 2,352 on design and production, and a sumptuous 13,447.52 on catering and room hire. This is an interesting contrast with the Foundation's stated purposes, as outlined on the Charity Commission website, which are listed as: 'Makes grants to organisations; provides services; provides advocacy/advice/information; sponsors or undertakes research.' The Foundation's expenditure for the previous year disclosed that catering costs were 3,149.55. A spokeswoman from Abbott's parliamentary office says that the massive increase in catering and room hire costs was caused by hiring a venue for the party, which the previous year was held in the grace-and-favour Westminster apartments of another of Abbott's old pals, House of Commons Speaker John Bercow. These show that the Foundation's 17,183.57 income for 2016 was swallowed almost whole by the cost of hosting a party for London Schools And The Black Child a non-charitable campaign organisation which Abbott set up in 1999 to raise the achievement level of black pupils The Foundation has given services to those it supports 'at a cost of zero', adds the spokeswoman. Eminent law firm Linklaters, which gave 10,000 to the Foundation, declines to comment on how its money was spent, but says that it is eager to enable 'a more diverse range of young people to explore opportunities within the legal profession'. The spokeswoman at Abbott's Westminster office adds that the Foundation did not host a party in 2017, which will have given plenty of scope for a grant, perhaps for 16,731 the cost of a year's fees at City of London School, the private school to which Abbott sent her son. Abbott stood down for a few days following her election gaffes, subsequently explaining that she has type-2 diabetes and her 'blood sugar was out of control'. Britain could end up back in the European Union in a generation, a senior Cabinet minister has hinted. Theresa May's de facto deputy prime minster David Lidington suggested it might be something for future parliaments to consider. The politician said it was impossible to predict what the EU might look like in '10 or 20 years' time'. Mr Lidington, who campaigned for Remain during the EU Referendum, said he had not changed his views on Brexit but as a democrat it was his job to implement the will of the people. Theresa May's de facto deputy prime minster David Lidington suggested it might be something for future parliaments to consider The former Europe minister chairs key Cabinet sub-committees on Brexit after taking over responsibilities from Damian Green who resigned in December. The bloc is likely to be configured differently and that 'is something that future parliaments, future generations, will have to consider', the Cabinet Office Minister said. Mr Lidington told The Daily Telegraph: 'I think that the EU itself is going to change, and I think it is almost inevitable that the dynamic of the single currency is going to drive at least some of the current members of the EU towards much closer economic and, to a degree, political integration in the future. I don't think the EU in 20 years' time is going to look the same as the EU of today 'And I can't see the UK wanting to go back into that sort of arrangement. 'But we may be looking in a generation's time at an EU that is also configured differently from what it is today, and the exact nature of the relationship between the UK and that future system - whatever it turns out to be - of European co-operation is something that future parliaments, future generations, will have to consider. 'I don't think the EU in 20 years' time is going to look the same as the EU of today.' Mr Lidington said there will be a need for a system of economic and political co-operation. He added: 'I think it's a red herring to be saying 'perhaps we'll change our minds about going back into the EU in something that looks at all like the thing we're leaving today. I don't see that as happening.' It comes after former Cabinet minister Justine Greening said a future generation of MPs will 'improve or undo' Brexit. 'When they take their place here they will seek to improve or undo what we've done and make it work for them,' she told the Commons. A deadly dog disease which has been described as 'insidious' in nature is rapidly spreading across Australia. The canine parovirus - which causes lethargy, vomiting, fever and bloody diarrhea - can kill puppies and young dogs if left untreated. Animal experts at the University of Queensland have warned pet owners to have their dog treated immediately if it exhibits symptoms as the virus expands through the state. Scroll down for video The canine parovirus - which causes lethargy, vomiting, fever and bloody diarrhoea - can kill puppies and young dogs if left untreated Animal experts at the University of Queensland have warned pet owners to have their dog treated immediately if it exhibits symptoms as the virus expands through the state (Stock image) 'Dog owners should vaccinate their pets against this insidious infection, and anyone who suspects their dogs might have the disease should have them treated or hospitalised without delay,' postdoctoral research fellow Dr Nicholas Clark said. The UQ VETS Small Animal Hospital reported a spike in cases of the virus (also known as canine parvo) in the local Gatton community. Treatment of parovirus is simple however the growing number of anti-vax campaigners who refuse to vaccinate their pets are are threatening to tip the strain into an epidemic. 'We need ongoing monitoring programs to detect new variants and make informed recommendations to develop reliable detection and vaccine methods,' Dr Clarke added. The UQ VETS Small Animal Hospital reported a spike in cases of the virus (also known as canine parvo) (pictured) in the local Gatton community Treatment of parovirus is simple however the growing number of anti-vax campaigners who refuse to vaccinate their pets are are threatening to tip the strain into an epidemic (Stock image) 'We could work harder at animal vaccination awareness just as we do for humans.' The parovirus was first detected in the 1970s and two new strains began circulating in the 1980s. Dogs who succumb to the deadly infection die 'horrific' deaths and contract the illness through feces, infected soil, or fomites that carry the virus. One Colorado new's anchor couldn't control her giggles when talking about Bison Hump Day. Denver ABC 7's Molly Hendrickson was all the laughs as she tried to explain the National Western Stock show's effort to raise awareness on bison. 'Something special at the National Western Stock show,' she said during the segment on Thursday. 'Today is Bison Hump Day.' Denver ABC 7's Molly Hendrickson was all the laughs as she tried to explain the National Western Stock show's effort to raise awareness on bison But soon Hendrickson wouldn't be able to stifle her laughs. 'Ranchers will meet ahead of the show to talk about ways to improve,' she attempted to explain before giggling. Out of camera focus, Mitch Jelniker appears to be saying something to make the anchor laugh uncontrollably. Hendrickson tries to add more, laughing in between remarks, and stated: 'Ways to improve the Bison population as some of the talk will be conservation. 'Something special at the National Western Stock show,' she said during the segment on Thursday. 'Today is Bison Hump Day' 'Some will talk new technology to manage the herd.' And nearing the end of her statement, Hendrickson closes with some facts on the large animal. 'This is all a part of the Rowing to Success campaign that aims to increase bison population from 400,000 to more than animals,' she said before cackling. 'I am done. I am done with the script.' Jelniker cracks one more joke to his co-anchor and adds 'You're having a hard time this morning!' But when posting the clip on her Instagram later that day, Hendrickson was still full of jokes over the whole ordeal. She said: 'And they thought I could hold it together??' A British Airways pilot has been hauled from a packed flight by armed police seconds from take-off after his cabin crew suspected he was drunk. Staff on the 300-passenger flight who thought they could smell alcohol on him and feared for the safety of those on board called 999. The first officer on the Boeing 777 flight 2063 to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, which takes 11 hours, was arrested and led away. A British Airways pilot has been hauled from a packed flight by armed police seconds from take-off after his cabin crew suspected he was drunk Cops rushed onto the plane and headed straight for the cockpit, an airline source told the Sun. The first officer was cuffed and led away. A number of passengers were open-mouthed. Its terrifying to think what mightve happened. The flight was due to leave Gatwick Airport at 8.20pm on Thursday but was delayed until 10.56pm when a replacement pilot was found. It landed in Mauritius at 2.07pm local time yesterday. A British Airways spokesman said the company was taking the matter extremely seriously and was helping police with their enquiries. We are sorry for the delay to our customers. The aircraft remained at the gate until an alternative third pilot joined the flight crew, they added. The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority. Sussex Police told the Sun they had been called at 8.25pm to the airports South Terminal Gate 17 and confirmed a 49-year-old man, from Harmondsworth, West London, remained in custody yesterday. Kelsee Flatland (pictured), 27, also plead guilty to one count of felony injury on a child in July A mother in Idaho who served time in jail after she was convicted of manslaughter following her daughter's drowning death has broken her silence about what happened. Kelsee Flatland, 27, also plead guilty to one count of felony injury on a child in July after her 13-month-old daughter, Zyra Flatland died while taking a bath in September 2016. Flatland had left the infant along with her two-year-old son inside the tub as she went downstairs to pay a cellphone bill. An affidavit shows that flatland 'had been using her phone for a period of at least 35 minutes and possibly more than 50 minutes from the time she left the bathroom and the time she returned,' according to EastIdahoNews.com. In an interview scheduled to air this Sunday on East Idaho Newsmakers, Flatland said the day started off with a fun breakfast in the morning. 'I tried to make apple puff pancakes but we didn't have apples so we did peaches,' Flatland recalls. 'It turned more into a peach cobbler so for breakfast we had peach cobbler with ice cream and bacon.' Flatland had left the infant along with her two-year-old son inside the tub as she went downstairs to pay a cellphone bill (Pictured: Zyra Flatland) Flatland says the meal 'got really messy' so she decided to give both her kids a bath. 'They were playing around and I thought this would be a good time to grab my cell phone, pay the bill and then I'll be right back up,' Flatland says. 'From there, it was cell phone epidemic. You get distracted, lose track of time and you don't realize how many minutes have passed. I just got distracted.' Paul Flatland, Kelsee's ex-husband, said that he was playing video games at the time of the incident and told authorities he did not know they were in the bathroom. Flatland said that after returning back to the bathroom, she found Zyra completely submerged under water. 'I pulled her out of the bathtub and hit her back,' Flatland says. 'I tried to clear her airways and started CPR. Paul came in and he took over and told me to call 911. I called 911 and I ended up re-taking over CPR while I was on the phone with the ambulance.' In an interview scheduled to air this Sunday on East Idaho Newsmakers, Flatland said the day started off with a fun breakfast in the morning The toddler was immediately rushed to Regional Medical Center where doctors discovered she had suffered extensive brain damage The toddler was immediately rushed to Regional Medical Center by emergency medical units where doctors discovered she had suffered extensive brain damage. 'They tried for 40 minutes to resuscitate her and decided they were going to try one last time. If they didn't get her heart beating, they would pronounce her dead,' Flatland says. 'That one last time her heart started beating.' The Flatlands decided to make an agonizing decision and take the 13-month-old baby girl off life support, donating her organs to others in need. Paul Flatland (pictured), Kelsee's ex-husband, said that he was playing video games at the time of the incident and told authorities he did not know they were in the bathroom According to KSL.com, a little boy received Zyra's heart, a young girl received her liver and a father of eight children received her kidney. Soon after burying her infant daughter, Flatland became pregnant again, giving birth to Serenity Flatland 14 weeks early at Primary Children's Hospital in July. Flatland would begin her sentence less than a week later. 'I had her on a Wednesday and I was sentenced the next Monday,' Flatland says. 'It was frustrating because I had this tiny baby in the hospital and I wanted to be there for her. It felt a little unfair but at the same time, I knew there had to be consequences for my actions.' Flatland completed her sentence just before Christmas and will be on probation for seven more years. Serenity remains in the ICU at Primary Children's and Flatland visits her every Wednesday and on weekends, according to East Idaho News. She is currently living with her mother and making ends meet working as a waitress at a local restaurant. Her ex-husband currently has custody of their young son. 'Don't take the little things for granted,' she says. 'I was on my cell phone a while back looking at videos and I heard Zyra's cry. Back then I thought, "Oh my gosh, I wish this baby would stop crying" but now it's "I wish I could hear that baby cry again." Don't take the little things for granted.' Births in China fell last year even though the world's most populous country has relaxed its infamous one-child policy. The country saw 17.23 million births in 2017, against 17.86 million the previous year. The fall was caused by the declining population of women of childbearing age and couples having children later in life, statisticians said. Births in China fell last year even though the world's most populous country has relaxed its infamous one-child policy (stock photo) The 1.39 billion-strong nation began to phase out its one-child policy in 2015 because of the economic impact of its ageing population and shrinking workforce. The policy dates from the 1970s and restricted most couples to one child, with violators facing fines and even forced abortions. Studies have predicted the loosening of the one-child policy would bring only a relatively small increase in population growth. The country saw 17.23 million births in 2017, against 17.86 million the previous year (stock photo) Experts have recommended the country increase its retirement age to address an expected labour shortage and declining economic vitality. The burden of looking after aging parents is one reason not to have a second child, said housewife Zeng Jialin, who was waiting to pick up her 6-year-old son outside a school in downtown Beijing on Friday. 'They helped us look after one child, but we would have to babysit the second one ourselves. Also, there would be so many things to take care of in terms of time management, economic conditions and pressure,' Zeng said. Wang Jianjun, the father of an 8-year-old boy, said he was undecided about having another child, but time and financial concerns weighed heavily. The fall was caused by the declining population of women of childbearing age and couples having children later in life, statisticians said (stock photo) 'Helping with schoolwork takes a lot of time. And until the young one is 2, mother won't be able to work which means a big loss of income that we're not prepared for,' Wang said. While last year marked a decline, an unnamed official from the National Health and Family Planning Commission said in a statement the number of births remained 'at a relatively high level'. 'Socioeconomic factors have more obviously influenced people's willingness to give birth and child-bearing behaviour,' it said, citing financial costs, lack of childcare services and women's career development pressure as three major reasons. While overall births fell, the proportion of newborns born to parents who already had a first child rose to 51 percent in 2017, five percentage points higher than 2016, commission said. After a number of prosecutions for sexual offences failed to reach a conclusion, Lord Judge (pictured) is concerned future juries might not convict people for fear they have not been given all the right evidence The collapse of a string of high-profile rape cases could put genuine victims at risk of not getting the justice they deserve, the ex-head of the judiciary has warned. After a number of prosecutions for sexual offences failed to reach a conclusion, Lord Judge is concerned future juries might not convict people for fear they have not been given all the right evidence. The former Lord Chief Justice, who was the most senior judge in England and Wales between 2008 and 2013, described the failings as 'alarming'. His comments come after sexual assault charges against Oxford University student Oliver Mears, 19, were dropped just days before his trial. A case against Greenwich University student Liam Allan, 22, was dropped in December, days before another prosecution against Isaac Itiary, 25, collapsed. More recently, Samson Makele, 28, was accused of raping a woman he met at Notting Hill Carnival in London, but the trial collapsed on Monday. Lord Judge told The Times: 'The recent examples in cases involving alleged sexual crime are alarming, both for all the individuals concerned and for public confidence in the administration of criminal justice generally. His comments come after sexual assault charges against Oxford University student Oliver Mears (pictured), 19, were dropped just days before his trial 'It is at least possible that from time to time juries, alarmed as everyone else by these cases, may wonder, even in an apparently strong case, whether they have been provided with all the admissible evidence. 'These events may reduce the prospects of conviction even when the allegation is genuine.' Surrey Police became the second force to announce a review all of its rape cases on Friday, after a judge criticised how allegations against Oxford student Mr Mears were handled. He had spent two years on bail after being accused of raping and assaulting a woman in July 2015. But the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropped the case after fresh evidence, including a diary that supported his case, was passed to them last week. Surrey Police admitted there were 'flaws in the investigation' after it failed to examine the woman's digital media, which was only handed to prosecutors on Monday, or follow 'a reasonable line of enquiry'. Scotland Yard also announced a review of its sex crime investigations after the collapse of two rape trials in a week in December. The trial of Liam Allan, 22, was halted at Croydon Crown Court in December, while days later another prosecution collapsed against Isaac Itiary at Inner London Crown Court. A third rape trial against Samson Makele collapsed at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Monday. A case against Greenwich University student Liam Allan (pictured), 22, was dropped in December The 28-year-old was accused of raping a woman he met after the Notting Hill Carnival in 2016, but was thrown out after more than a dozen pictures emerged of the pair apparently cuddling in bed. Prosecutor Sarah Lindop told Guildford Crown Court on Friday the case against Mr Mears was 'finely balanced' from the start and the new material 'tips the balance' in favour of the teenager. Judge Jonathan Black demanded that the head of the CPS Rape and Sexual Offences unit write to him within 28 days 'with a full explanation of what went wrong' before he decides whether any action is required 'at CPS or police level'. He said: 'It seems to me in a case which is as finely balanced as you say it was, there have been unnecessary delays in investigating... leading to what seems to be a completely unnecessary last-minute decision in this case. 'Both Oliver Mears and the complainant have had this matter hanging over their heads for two years in circumstances, had the investigation been carried out properly in the first instance, that would not have led to this position.' Surrey Police said the case was dropped for 'a number of reasons', only one of which related to the force. 'This is an investigative issue and not related to disclosure,' a statement said. 'We accept that there were flaws in the initial investigation. 'It was not expedient and the investigator did not examine the victim's digital media during the initial stages of the investigation or follow what we would consider to be a reasonable line of enquiry.' The force has launched a joint investigation with the CPS. Long-lost tapes reveal details of a foiled plan by the Jewish Avengers to kill six million Germans by poisoning the country's water supply in revenge for the Holocaust. Film maker Avi Merkado found ten tapes, buried in a museum in Israel, which detailed how a band of Jewish partisans formed after the Second World War. The recordings - which have never been heard in public - are at the heart of a new documentary entitled Holocaust: The Revenge Plot, due to air on January 27. A group shot of the Avengers probably taken in Vilnius, Lithuania, in the mid-1940s - with Abba Kovner centre-back Abba Kovner (pictured in his Avengers uniform in Vilnius in the 1940s) was the leader of the group Researchers from the documentary tracked down the son of Avengers Avi and Leopold Vassiman, known as Poldeck (pictured), now 93, who was responsible for financing the operation Recorded in 1985, when their leader Vilnius Ghetto survivor and Israeli poet Abba Kovner, was dying of cancer, they provide the most detailed account of the groups 1946 plans. The tapes describe how The Avengers, led by Kovner and Pasha Reichmann, funded their activities with 5 notes, forged by Jews in concentration camps and exchanged on the black market. They claim that the late Israeli Presidents, Chaim Weizmann and Ephraim Katzir, were instrumental in helping the Avengers acquire the poison they needed for their audacious plot. They describe how Avengers agents infiltrated the waterworks of four German cities - Hamburg, Nuremberg, Frankfurt and Munich but plans to poison the water supplies were foiled when Kovner was arrested at sea. The Channel 4 documentary Holocaust: The Revenge Plot, to be screened on January 27 The programme will include interviews six of the remaining Avengers, including Auschwitz survivor Yehuda Maimon and Simcha Rotem And they talk about their second mass murder attempt to poison the bread of 50,000 SS officers in Prisoner of War camps in Nuremberg and Munich, which was more successful, striking down up to 2,000 victims. Mr Merkado told MailOnline: The story of the tapes started a few years ago with Kovners grandson Nimrod. He was moving into his grandfathers old house and boxes of his possessions were taken to the Museum. After talking to Avi Avidov, who was Pasha Reichmanns son, who taught me my BA, I found a tape in a box of his old things. I thought there must be more, so I went to the Museum and went through his stuff and eventually found ten tapes. It was a Eureka moment. I was especially interested in the interview with Abba Kovner at the beginning when he explained how they did it and why they felt it necessary to make a response to the horrors. This still is from a drama reconstruction of the Avengers meeting in Vilnius during the war Survivor of the Vilnius ghetto Liebke Distel (depicted in drama reconstruction above) can be seen hiding from soldiers in a Nuremberg bakery The Channel 4 documentary Holocaust: The Revenge Plot, to be screened on January 27, interviews six of the remaining Avengers, including Auschwitz survivor Yehuda Maimon, Simcha Rotem - the last survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising - and Hasia Warshawski, a woman so traumatised by events that she has never spoken before in public. They have also tracked down Kovners son Michael, and the son of Avengers Avi and Leopold Vassiman, known as Poldeck, who is now 93 and was responsible for financing the operation. Avenger member Ideck also shared his experiences of being in the group for the programme Rachel Glicksman was a member of the controversial group and took part in the Channel 4 filming Poldeck (left) was filmed in Tel Aviv and Kazik (right) in Jerusalem for the fascinating documentary Hasia Warshawski (left) was so traumatised by events that she has never spoken before in public. Joseph Harmatz (right) was also a member of the Avengers The son of Abba Kovner (left) was tracked down for the Channel 4 documentary. Avenger Rachel Glicksman (right) is pictured in her student years He came up with the ingenious and ironic - source of cash, buying 5 notes, which had been forged in concentration camps, in Germany and selling them on the Italian black market. The difference we got between the buying and the selling rates paid for our living expenses, he revealed. Executive co-producer Dinah Lord said: This is an incredible story that very few people will know, told from the first-hand perspective of the last survivors directly involved and based on extensive research which has unearthed remarkable new evidence. Commissioning editor Rob Coldstream added: We are proud to have this remarkable film. Both intensely moving and deeply shocking it packs a real emotional punch - and by flipping the traditional Holocaust narrative on its head asks profound questions about the nature of justice. :: Holocaust: The Revenge Plot, is screened at 9pm on Holocaust Memorial Day, January 27, on Channel 4 Their chimes are the quintessential sound of village life, which has been under attack from disgruntled neighbours. But church bells are set to be protected under new planning rules that will stop people silencing them, ministers have confirmed. Even though their bells have chimed for centuries, churches across the country have been slapped with night-time noise abatement orders after complaints from just a handful of neighbours. Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Sajid Javid, promised new measures to protect church bells Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Sajid Javid, promised new measures to protect the historic landmarks. 'Churches have been part of British life in towns and villages for centuries,' he told the Daily Telegraph. 'Their bells should not be silenced by new housing going up which is why planning policy will be strengthened to ensure it will be up to developers building new properties nearby to identify and tackle noise problems.' It comes after the bells at St Peter's Church in Sandwich, Kent, were silenced between 11pm and 7am in November 2017 after a single neighbour complained. Even though more than 4,000 people signed a petition to keep the bells tolling, the council said it had a 'statutory duty to investigate noise complaints'. Bells have chimed at the Norman church, which was built in the 13th century, every 15 minutes since 1779. Local MP Craig Mackinlay started campaigning to keep the bells ringing on behalf of his constituents and welcomed the news. He told the Telegraph: 'The bell has tolled for local meddlers who want to silence the chimes and local councils who too frequently put common sense and centuries of tradition aside to come to decisions that are held in respect by local people.' This comes after the bells at St Peter's Church (pictured) in Sandwich, Kent, were silenced between 11pm and 7am in November 2017 after a single neighbour complained A Whitehall source also told the paper current planning rules state that requests cannot be unreasonable. They added that historic buildings should have precedence over newer businesses that complain about the noise. In recent years a handful of churches across England have been forced to silence their bells because of night-time noise abatement orders. In September a church in the Lake District was forced to silence its bells overnight when tourists staying in the local pub complained of the noise. St Andrew's Church in Coniston came under fire from guests at the Yewdale Inn, who said they couldn't sleep because of the regular tolls. While outraged neighbours claimed the bells were the sound of village life, the council fitted a timer to stop the bells chiming between 11pm and 7am. Pope Francis may be infallible but his Fiat 500 is not. The Bishop of Rome was delayed for a meeting with the president of Peru by a puncture on the way from Lima airport. After his motorcade came to a halt, the first South American Pope calmly exited the car while his security detail surveyed the damage. Without missing a beat, he got into a black, unmarked security car behind him and continued the ride to the presidential palace. Breakdown on the road the Lima: Pope Francis may be infallible but his Fiat 500 (pictured when it was forced to stop) is not The Bishop of Rome was delayed for a meeting with the president of Peru by a puncture on the way from Lima airport Francis (pictured on Friday) has shunned the bulletproof limousines used by his predecessors, opting for simple cars both in Rome and on his overseas travels Pope Francis, wearing gifts, leaves after a meeting with representatives of indigenous communities of the Amazon basin from Peru Francis has shunned the bulletproof limousines used by his predecessors, opting for simple cars both in Rome and on his overseas travels. Vatican spokesman Greg Burke confirmed the change of plans in a message to journalists. He said the tyre started losing air a few miles from the presidential palace, where Francis was due to meet with Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. The pope used the meeting and subsequent speech to Peruvian authorities to denounce corruption as a 'social virus' that infects all aspects of life and must be combatted. Earlier in the trip Francis warned that the Amazon and its population are under threat and that big businesses want to get their hands on their gold. He made the stark warning in a speech to thousands of tribe members on the edge of the rainforest in Peru during a visit on Friday. In the powerful communication, he said the Amazon and its peoples bore 'deep wounds' and had 'never been so threatened'. Pope Francis has warned that the Amazon and its population are under threat and that big businesses want to get their hands on their gold Pope Francis blesses a baby during a meeting with an indigenous group from the Amazon basin He made the stark warning in a speech to thousands of tribe members on the edge of the rainforest in Peru during a visit on Friday He also lamented 'the pressure being exerted by great business interests that want to lay hands on its petroleum, gas, lumber, gold and forms of agro-industrial monocultivation'. Amazonian indigenous leaders in Peru are urging Pope Francis to help them protect the world's largest rainforest from an onslaught of new threats that are dramatically changing the biome. One of the leaders, Hector Sueyo, told the Pope that native peoples are worried about the Amazon as trees disappear, fish die and rivers become contaminated. Sueyo said that 'the sky is angry and is crying because we are destroying the planet.' Indigenous leaders had hoped the Pope would deliver a forceful message encouraging the government to recognize their land rights and clean up rivers contaminated by illegal mining. Francis has previously spoken about the need to protect the Amazon, which he likens to one of the 'lungs of our planet.' Pope Francis waves to the crowds as he attends the mass meeting in the Peruvian city of Puerto Maldonado In a speech to thousands of tribe members on the edge of the rainforest in Peru, he said the Amazon and its peoples bore 'deep wounds' He also lamented 'the pressure being exerted by great business interests that want to lay hands on its petroleum, gas, lumber, gold and forms of agro-industrial monocultivation' And thousands of indigenous men, women and children traveled to meet the pontiff from throughout the Amazon basin region of Peru, Brazil and Bolivia Bare-chested tribesmen, their bodies painted and their heads crowned with colourful feathers, danced and sung for the pope when he arrived in the Peruvian city of Puerto Maldonado Supporters lined the streets to greet him before his meeting with the indigenous people. Tribesmen gathered in a coliseum to hear him speak And thousands of indigenous men, women and children traveled to meet the pontiff from throughout the Amazon basin region of Peru, Brazil and Bolivia. Bare-chested tribesmen, their bodies painted and their heads crowned with colourful feathers, danced and sung for the pope when he arrived in the Peruvian city of Puerto Maldonado. They then gathered in a coliseum to hear him speak. Supporters lined the streets to greet him before his meeting with the indigenous people. Some spectators ran up alongside his motorcade carrying Vatican-coloured yellow and white balloons, while others cheered and waved as he passed. Members of one of the tribes presented the pope with a bow and arrow in a symbolic gesture aimed at urging him to defend land rights they say they have been stripped of. Members of one of the tribes presented the pope with a bow and arrow in a symbolic gesture aimed at urging him to defend land rights they say they have been stripped of. He was also shown a beautiful painting by tribesmen (pictured) Some spectators ran up alongside his motorcade carrying Vatican-coloured yellow and white balloons, while others cheered and waved as he passed. During his warm welcome, the Pope blessed a child outside the Apostolic Nuncio in Lima (pictured) 'The native Amazonian peoples have probably never been so threatened on their own lands as they are at present,' said the pope, who appeared visibly moved by the reception. 'Amazonia is being disputed on various fronts. 'The problems strangle her peoples and provoke the migration of the young due to the lack of local alternatives. 'We have to break with the historical paradigm that views Amazonia as an inexhaustible source of supplies for other countries without concern for its inhabitants.' The Pope's warm welcome in Peru stands in stark contrast to his reception earlier this week in Chile, where he drew smaller crowds and his presence provoked protests. He accused victims of Chile's most notorious paedophile - Reverend Fernando Karadima - of slander after it was claimed Bishop Juan Barros had helped cover up his crimes. Francis branded the accusations 'all calumny', sparking outrage in the country. Amazonian indigenous leaders in Peru are urging Pope Francis to help them protect the world's largest rainforest from an onslaught of new threats that are dramatically changing the biome Andra Cobb, the sole survivor of a horrific helicopter crash in a remote part of New Mexico, was frantic and screaming as she described the scene to a 911 operator. Police in Raton released the audio recording on Friday, two days after five people were killed when their helicopter crashed and then erupted in flames. 'I'm watching my family burn in a fire,' Cobb yelled on the phone, hysterical. 'I don't know what to do. There's a big fire. I'm covered in gasoline.' Cobb, Zimbabwean opposition leader Roy Bennett and pilot Jamie Coleman Dodd survived the initial crash. Andra Cobb (pictured on the right with her boyfriend Charles Burnett III) is the sole survivor of a helicopter crash that killed five people. Cobb (pictured on right posing next to Burnett) watched in horror as her friends and family burned to death in the Wednesday night crash Dodd also called 911 telling the operator that he had broken his pelvis and was trying to move away from the flames. Dodd died before authorities could get to their location. Bennett, who was suffering from head wounds, also died as police searched for crash site. Wealthy businessman and action lover Charles Burnett III (pictured) was killed in a helicopter accident on Wednesday Cobb, 39, remains in the hospital with several broken bones. She's expected to survive. 'She's just very distraught,' her mother Martha Cobb told the Associated Press in a phone interview. 'I'm just glad my daughter is OK, but I hate that my husband of 41 years is gone.' Cobb remained on the phone with the 911 operator for about an hour before help arrived. At one point during the call she was heard telling Bennett to breathe. 'I'm very, very cold,' she told the operator. Police said the rugged terrain and lack of access slowed down their response time. Officials also said when the helicopter crashed it sparked a grass fire. An investigation has been launched to determine what caused the crash. Cobb said the helicopter was in the air only three to five minutes before it went down. The group of friends, which also included Cobb's longtime partner Charles Burnett III, her father and co-pilot Paul Cobb and Bennett's wife Heather, were traveling to New Mexico to spend their vacation at Burnett's ranch when their Huey UH-1 went down Wednesday night. Burnett's friends, pilot Jamie Coleman Dodd (pictured) of Colorado was also killed while ferrying the group over New Mexico An investigation has been launched to determine what caused the helicopter crash Paul Cobb, Burnett and Heather all died in the crash. A citizen of the United States, Canada and England, Burnett was an investor and businessman based out of Houston. He also headed the Notsew Orm Sands Foundation, funding a wide variety of causes, including medical research and education. Co-pilot Paul Cobb also perished in the crash. He was Andra Cobb's father Known for his love of everything fast, he achieved a variety of world records using catamarans and mono-hulls powered by diesel and petrol. He made the Guinness Book of World Records in 1999 for an offshore water speed record of 137mph. He later set another Guinness record by successfully breaking the land speed record for a steam powered vehicle which has stood for 100 years achieving a speed of 151mph in August 2009. The entrepreneurial Texan and CCS manager also set up Vulture Ventures, a UK-based offshore boat racing team, which soon became known as the world's most successful team in the sport. Dodd was a long-time helicopter pilot and aviation manager at Boyert Shooting Center. The former Marine corporal was flying over the mountains, about 15 miles east of the small city of Raton, near the Colorado state line, at around 6pm when the helicopter went down. Bennett, 60, treasurer-general of the Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change opposition party, won a devoted following of black Zimbabweans for passionately advocating political change. Senior Zimbabwean MDC opposition official Roy Bennett, left, and his wife Heather, relax at a friend's home in Mutare about 200 km east of Harare, Zimbabwe Oct. 16, 2009. They were both killed in the crash Bennett, a white man who spoke fluent Shona and drew the wrath of former President Robert Mugabe, survived a traumatic year in jail and death threats over his work. He was known as 'Pachedu,' meaning 'one of us' in Shona and was often called the sharpest thorn in Mugabe's side. Obert Gutu, spokesman for the MDC-T party, described Bennett's death as a 'huge and tragic loss'. The group was heading to the Emery Gap Ranch, a mountainous property on the Colorado-New Mexico border. Burnett bought it in February 2017, said Sam Middleton, a real estate broker in Lubbock, Texas, who helped with the purchase. A drunk driver unwittingly filmed her own car crash after speeding and using Snapchat behind the wheel. The woman, from Warrnambool, Victoria, was videoing her dangerous drive on the photo-sharing app when she veered off the road and crashed into a pole. The seconds-long footage shows the driver zooming down a dark road before she suddenly careered off to the side, luckily escaping without serious injury. Scroll down for video The woman, from Warrnambool, Victoria, was videoing her dangerous joyride on the photo-sharing app when she veered off the road and crashed into a pole Victoria Police shared the Snapchat footage from the woman's mobile phone, which had been smashed and left with a Mazda symbol imprint from the force of the airbag. 'Oh snap! This is footage of a driver's Snapchat video taken seconds before she ran off the road and crashed, thankfully without serious injury,' the caption read. 'The phone's screen bears the imprint of a Mazda logo which crash investigators believe was caused by the deployment of the airbag.' Police used the footage as damning evidence to charge the woman with a number of driving offences. Victoria Police shared the ill-fated Snapchat footage from the woman's mobile phone, which had been smashed and left with a Mazda symbol imprint from the force of the airbag The driver was was charged with speeding, careless driving, a blood alcohol reading of 0.164 and using a mobile phone while driving. The cautionary post attracted thousands of reactions from appalled social media users who slammed the woman for her actions. 'She's lucky she didn't end up with the Mazda logo indented in her skull,' one person said. 'If you don't care about your own life (obviously if you're stupid enough to do this) then find another way of endangering yourself without risking innocent people around you,' another wrote. Two fires ripping through the Royal National Park in Sydney have been downgraded. NSW Rural Fire Service confirmed the fires had been downgraded to Watch and Act status on Saturday afternoon. One fire is burning on Sir Bertram Stevens Drive and the other, south of Wattamolla Road. Scroll down for video Two bushfires are raging in the NSW Royal National Park, near Bundeena Authorities have said beaches may provide safety for people who are unable to leave Australia's south-east is currently sweltering through a summer heatwave with temperatures soaring past 40C in some parts of the country The fire was seen burning in the background at Nelune Foundation Raceday at Royal Randwick Racecourse on Saturday (pictured) The fires earlier forced the closure of the Royal National Park south of Bundeena. Private boat owners and surf lifesavers have joined efforts to rescue people stranded on beaches as bushfires swept Sydney's Royal National Park. An emergency warning for the two out of control fires south of Sydney was downgraded to a watch and act alert on Saturday evening. However a number of visitors stranded by fire had been rescued on beaches adjacent the national park, NSW Rural Fire Service said. 'There are a number of boats being utilised by surf lifesavers, NSW Police Force and some private citizens that are picking some people up from beaches in the area,' RFS spokesman James Morris said earlier in the evening. Mr Morris said those caught up in the drama had found the park's many beaches to be the best places to take cover. An out-of-control fire burning out of control Walumarra Fire Trail near Bundeena Visitors were urged to move to safety onto the beach away from the blazing fire 'They're providing the best protection given the fact a lot of the escape routes are through the middle of the bushland which isn't safe at the moment given the intensity of that fire.' More than 100 firefighters battled the blaze on Saturday evening, supported by water bombers and aircraft. While 200 people were escorted from popular tourist spot Wattamola Beach to Bundeena by RFS crews, Mr Morris said a large number were still being observed on walking tracks by circling planes. 'There is still a significant number of people in there,' he said. Given the limited mobile coverage in the Royal National Park, Mr Morris said many people in the bushland were 'unlikely' to have received emergency text warnings. Authorities have said beaches may provide safety for people who are unable to leave and the park is now closed to the public. The fires are causing significant amounts of smoke over the area which can be seen from the city. The park has been closed and authorities are urging people to avoid the area This map shows the size of the fire burning in the Royal National Park Those at Little Garie, Garie, North Era, South Era or Burning Palms have been urged to stay in place. Walking tracks are being patrolled to ensure no one is trapped. Elsewhere, rural properties in the area of Alders and Crees Road in Bannaby may soon come under threat by a blaze burning through grass in the area, the NSW Rural Fire Service says. The 90-hectare fire is at a watch act alert level with firefighters and an aircraft on the scene to try and slow the spread of the fire. Firefighters supported by waterbombing aircraft and heavy plant are working to slow the spread of the fire. Further south, firefighters from the ACT have been sent into NSW to protect houses threatened by another bushfire in the Southern Tablelands. Three heavy tankers, backed up by smaller crews, were deployed to the 274 hectare Braidwood blaze on Saturday morning after it burned through the night. 'Their objectives are to protect properties, attack and contain the main fire and contain spot fires,' the ACT Emergency Services Agency said. Meanwhile, firefighters continue to battle with a bushfire that's burnt about 20,000 hectares in the Pilliga Forest between Coonabarabran and Narrabri. The fire is at an advice level with no homes are under threat, but residents are being urged to monitor conditions. A third blaze is threatening homes across central Victoria and is travelling north (pictured) An emergency warning has been issued for Campbelltown, Strathlea, Cotswold, Glengower, Moolort, Smeaton and Ullin More than 30 fire trucks and seven water bombers are battling the huge grassfire (pictured) The grassfire began in Smeaton before 3pm Saturday where 'dry growth' caused the fire to spread quickly Locals affected by blaze were told by firefighters it was now too late to leave their homes Firefighters are currently conducting backburning operations in the area and the Newell Highway has been shut between Narrabri and Coonabarabran and is likely to remain closed on Saturday. The huge blaze threatening homes across central Victoria is travelling north towards Campbelltown and Strathlea. Cotswold, Glengower, Moolort, Smeaton and Ullina have been issued with emergency warnings as more than 30 fire trucks and seven water bombers battle the fire. The grassfire began in Smeaton before 3pm Saturday where 'dry growth' caused the fire to spread quickly, a CFA spokesman told Herald Sun. The horrific blaze can be seen from Sydney - pictured is the view from Barangaroo Waterbombing aircraft being used to help slow large fire burning in Royal National Park Three heavy tankers, backed up by smaller crews, were deployed to the 274 hectare Braidwood blaze on Saturday morning after it burned through the night The fire is at an advice level with no homes are under threat, but residents are being urged to monitor conditions Firefighters are currently conducting backburning operations in the area and the Newell Highway has been shut between Narrabri and Coonabarabran and is likely to remain closed on Saturday British holidaymakers in Jamaica were urged last night to remain in their resorts as the military launched a crackdown on armed gangs. The Foreign Office warned tourists of 'intensive law enforcement activities' after a state of emergency was declared on Thursday, following a string of killings. The Montego Bay area home to several popular luxury resorts has been hardest hit by gang-related violence, with 335 murders in 2017. British holidaymakers in Jamaica were urged last night to remain in their resorts as the military launched a crackdown on armed gangs in the Montego Bay area - home to several luxury resorts (stock photo) Around 200,000 Britons visit Jamaica each year, with many drawn to Montego Bay by its luxury resorts and white sandy beaches, however the surrounding parish has seen a surge in gang-related killing and violence, according to authorities. The FCO has said holidaymakers should limit their movements outside their resorts in the area, especially if travelling at night. Travellers arriving and departing were also urged to only use transport booked through their hotels. The Foreign Office has said holidaymakers should limit their movements outside their resorts in the area, especially if travelling at night (stock photo) Jamaica Constabulary Force Police Commissioner George Quallo told the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) that 335 murders were recorded in St James Parish in 2017, almost double other parishes, with 'numerous gangs' operating in the area. Major General Rocky Meade, Chief of Defence Staff of the Jamaican Defence Force, told the JIS: 'All citizens of Jamaica, including the violence producers, can feel safe in the hands of the military, as long as you are not threatening the troops. 'We are ensuring that we enforce the rule of law, that we disrupt gang activities, and the particular focus is on those that are responsible for murders, lotto scamming, trafficking of arms and guns, and extortion.' The Montego Bay area is home to several popular luxury resorts and has been hardest hit by gang-related violence, with 335 murders in 2017 (stock photo) Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said that the crackdown was being undertaken with the support of local tourism industry. 'Several stakeholders, including those in the tourism industry, have written to me to say that they would support the necessary actions to bring the parish of St James under control and restore public safety,' he said. Mr Holness said the government had been planning the operation 'for some time'. The Canadian government has also warned its citizens to stay in their resorts. The federal government shut down at the stroke of midnight Friday - halting all but the most essential operations and marring the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump's inauguration in a striking display of Washington dysfunction. Senate Republicans fell far short of passing a procedural motion that would have kept the federal government funded, causing the fourth government shutdown in a quarter century. The final vote was 50-49. Five Democrats who represent Trump-country red states crossed the aisle to vote with Republicans, but the GOP lost four of its own, erasing any doubts about the state of partisan bickering in the US Capitol. While the clerk held the vote open Republicans John McCain and Mitch McConnell refrained from voting so nothing could be finalized a bipartisan group of 15 senators huddled on the Senate floor to discuss a path forward. The recalcitrant Democrats included four who are up for re-election this year Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Claire McCaskill of Missouri along with Alabamian Doug Jones, who took his Senate seat just days ago in a bright red state. Despite hours of attempted negotiations, talks failed and the shutdown was finalized, and quickly the blame game began. Just after midnight on Saturday morning the White House released a statement, calling Democrats 'obstructionist losers' who 'put politics above our national security, military families, vulnerable children, and our country's ability to serve all Americans'. 'We will not negotiate the status of unlawful immigrants while Democrats hold our lawful citizens hostage over their reckless demands. This is the behavior of obstructionist losers, not legislators,' the statement reads, before promising that during the shutdown Trump will continue to work for the American people. Scroll down for video Senate Republicans fell far short of passing a procedural motion that could have kept the federal government funded past midnight on Friday, failing to attract the 60 votes they needed and hurtling the nation toward a partial government shutdown Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky sequestered themselves in a far-away corner, negotiating an endgame. The pair are pictured together Wednesday While the clerk held the vote open Republicans John McCain and Mitch McConnell refrained from voting so nothing could be finalized a bipartisan group of 15 senators huddled on the Senate floor to discuss a path forward. After dinner, President Donald Trump seemed resigned to presiding over the first shutdown since 2013 President Trump's latest tweet comes just hours after he attempted to stave off the shutdown when he met with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer Friday evening. After the meeting he said he was 'making progress' on a deal to prevent the shutdown Republicans pressed the vote anyway, positioning their foes as obstructionists in a classic battle over who would shoulder the blame, despite evidence showing the contrary. Pictured is Lindsey Graham speaking with reporters in Washington just before the vote Vice President Mike Pence also weighed in on his way to Israel - blasting Senate Democrats for the congressional failure to keep the government open. In a statement he said: 'Our administration will do everything within our power to support the brave men and women in uniform who stand on the frontlines of freedom. But as of tonight, due to a completely avoidable government shutdown, theyll stand their post without pay.' McConnell and Schumer each took the floor after the shutdown was finalized Friday night - with each lawmaker attempting to paint the opposition party as guilty. 'The decision by Senate Democrats to shove aside millions of Americans for the sake of irresponsible political gain was 100 percent avoidable,' McConnell said. He claimed that the Democrats held the opposition party 'hostage' 'over the completely unrelated issue of illegal immigration.' 'We're gonna keep on voting. The government may be headed into a shutdown, but the Senate is not shutting down. The American people expect better from us than this.' Schumer took the floor just after his opponent - immediately blaming McConnell for pushing through the vote when he knew he didn't have the numbers to back it up. The seasoned Democrat explained that he met with Trump earlier in the day, saying he'd put the border wall on the table for discussion in exchange for DACA protections. 'But even that wasn't enough,' he said. 'The American people know this party is not capable of governing. This will be called the Trump shutdown, because no one deserves blame for the position we find ourselves in other than President Trump.' But despite Trump's attempts to paint democrats as the guilty party - recent polls show Republicans and President Trump will bear most of the blame. A national ABC News/Washington Post poll released Friday found 48 percent of people surveyed say they will blame Trump and the GOP for a shutdown, while only 28 percent will blame Democrats. And another survey by Quinnipiac had similar results - with 32 percent saying they would blame Republicans, 21 percent blaming Trump, and 34 percent blaming Democrats. Since the shutdown began at the start of a weekend, many of the immediate effects will be muted for most Americans. But any damage could build quickly if the closure is prolonged. And it comes with no shortage of embarrassment for the president and political risk for both parties, as they wager that voters will punish the other at the ballot box in November. Even before the vote, President Donald Trump was pessimistic - seeming resigned to presiding over the first shutdown since 2013. 'Not looking good for our great Military or Safety & Security on the dangerous Southern Border,' Trump tweeted, referring to the hit the Homeland Security Department would take in the event the government's wheels grind to a halt. 'Dems want a Shutdown in order to help diminish the great success of the Tax Cuts, and what they are doing for our booming economy,' the president claimed. With the Friday's late-night voting failure, Congress will have failed to keep the lights on in Washington for just the fourth time in a quarter-century. The recalcitrant Democrats included four who are up for re-election this year Joe Manchin of West Virginia (pictured), Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Claire McCaskill of Missouri along with Alabamian Doug Jones, who took his Senate seat just days ago in a bright red state Democrats in the Senate had emerged from their mid-evening meeting largely united, and predicting that the funding measure a modest bill funding the government for only four weeks would go down to defeat. Schumer and Senator Tom Carper are pictured after the meeting The New Yorkers broke off talks without an agreement. But they said in separate statements that 'progress' had been made on a deal President Donald Trump suggested Friday morning that a government shutdown might be coming by day's end, and prepared to blame Democrats in the Senate who are threatening to block the latest stopgap funding bill White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee-Sanders was one of the first to use the hashtag Friday night, claiming that Democrats voted against the bill to undermine Trump's new tax law Marc Short, center, White House director for legislative affairs, grimaces as he answers reporters questions on Friday night. With the Friday's late-night voting failure, Congress will have failed to keep the lights on in Washington for just the fourth time in a quarter-century WHITE HOUSE'S FULL STATEMENT AFTER FRIDAY NIGHT'S SHUTDOWN Senate Democrats own the Shumer Shutdown. Tonight, they put politics above our national security, military families, vulnerable children, and our country's ability to serve all Americans. We will not negotiate the status of unlawful immigrants while Democrats hold our lawful citizens hostage over their reckless demands. This is the behavior of obstructionist losers, not legislators. When Democrats start paying our armed forces and first responders we will reopen negotiations on immigration reform. During this politically manufactured Schumer Shutdown, the President and his Administration will fight for and protect the American people. Advertisement The White House risks being blamed for the mess that will result as letter-carriers, military contractors and park rangers wonder whether to come to work and doubt they'll be paid. Democrats, too, risk being called obstructionists as the GOP branded the confrontation a 'Schumer shutdown' and carped that liberals were holding the entire government's budget hostage to a demand that 'illegal immigrants' receive special treatment. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee-Sanders was one of the first to use the hashtag Friday night, claiming that Democrats voted against the bill to undermine Trump's new tax law. 'Democrats can't shut down the booming Trump economy. Are they now so desperate they'll shut down the government instead? #SchumerShutdown,' she tweeted just before midnight. Democrats are insisting on a permanent recognition of legal status for hundreds of thousands of people brought to the US illegally as minors, a move that perplexed Republicans since there was no legislative language available that could accomplish it. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, an Obama-era relic, guarantees protection from deportation for so-called 'DREAMers.' Trump summoned Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer to the White House Friday afternoon in the hope of cutting a deal. But the two New Yorkers emerged without an agreement. 'We made some progress, but we still have a good number of disagreements,' Schumer said when he returned to Capitol Hill. The president called off a planned weekend in Florida where he was to attend a big-ticket gala commemorating his first year in office. The event at his private Mar-a-Lago resort club commanded as much as $250,000 per couple for Republican campaign coffers. His sons Donald Jr. and Eric are expected to attend in his place. But ultimately a broad range of federal operations would be curtailed, although food inspections, law enforcement, airport security and other vital services would continue, along with Social Security and military operations. House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland told reporters that 'if there's any good news, it's a weekend. If we act tomorrow as I think we could, and I think we should, and reach compromises, then we could pass something before the weekend ends and the impact would be minimal.' CONGRESS HAS SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT: NOW WHAT? The US government shutdown began at midnight Friday as Democrats and Republicans failed to resolve a standoff over immigration and spending. Here's a look at what the parties are fighting over and what it means to shut down the government. WHAT ARE LAWMAKERS FIGHTING ABOUT? Since the end of the fiscal year in September, the government has been operating on temporary funding measures. The current one expired at midnight. Republicans and Democrats have not been able to agree on spending levels for the rest of the year, so another short-term measure is the most likely solution. The House has passed a four-week bill Thursday that also extends funding for a children's health insurance program. But Democrats have been saying for weeks they want a funding measure to be tied to an immigration deal that protects the thousands of young immigrants facing deportation. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program is set to expire March 5, and members of both parties have been working on an extension that would also beef up border protection. That deal has not come together, and Democrats have decided to dig in. They blocked the House-passed bill. Both sides were still negotiating early Saturday. Shutdown: Police tape marks a secured area of the Capitol, Friday in Washington THEY'VE BLOWN THE DEADLINE. NOW WHAT? The government begins to shut down. But not all of the government. The air traffic control system, food inspection, Medicare, veterans' health care and many other essential government programs will run as usual. The Social Security Administration will not only send out benefits but will also continue to take applications though replacements for lost Social Security cards could have to wait. The Postal Service, which is self-funded, will keep delivering the mail. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will continue to respond to last year's spate of disasters. The Interior Department says national parks and other public lands will remain as accessible as possible. The stance is a change from previous shutdowns when most parks were closed and became high-profile symbols. Spokeswoman Heather Swifts says the American public especially veterans who come to the nation's capital should find war memorials and open-air parks open to visitors. Swift says many national parks and wildlife refuges nationwide will also be open with limited access when possible. The Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo will stay open through the weekend but close Monday. DO FEDERAL WORKERS GET PAID? While they can be kept on the job, federal workers can't get paid for days worked during a lapse in funding. In the past, however, they have been repaid retroactively even if they were ordered to stay home. Rush hour in downtown Washington, meanwhile, becomes a breeze. Tens of thousands of federal workers are off the roads. HOW OFTEN DID THIS HAPPEN IN THE PAST? Way back in the day, shutdowns usually weren't that big a deal. They happened every year when Jimmy Carter was president, averaging 11 days each. During Ronald Reagan's two terms, there were six shutdowns, typically just one or two days apiece. Deals got cut. Everybody moved on. The last one was a 16-day partial shuttering of the government in 2013, which came as tea party conservatives, cheered on by outside groups like Heritage Action, demanded that language to block implementation of President Barack Obama's health care law be added to a must-do funding bill. WHO WILL GET THE BLAME? In a 1995-96 political battle, President Bill Clinton bested House Speaker Newt Gingrich and his band of budget-slashing conservatives, who were determined to use a shutdown to force Clinton to sign onto a balanced budget agreement. Republicans were saddled with the blame, but most Americans suffered relatively minor inconveniences like closed parks and delays in processing passport applications. The fight bolstered Clinton's popularity and he sailed to re-election that November. In 2013, the tea party Republicans forced the shutdown over the better judgment of GOP leaders like then-Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. Republicans tried to fund the government piecemeal for example, by forcing through legislation to ensure military service members got paid. But a broader effort faltered, and Republicans eventually backed down and supported a round of budget talks led by Paul Ryan, R-Wis., then chairman of the House Budget Committee. Republicans are calling the current standoff the 'Schumer Shutdown,' arguing that there's nothing in the bill that Democrats oppose, while a short-term extension would give lawmakers time to work out differences on issues like protecting young immigrants and disaster assistance. Schumer says the GOP's unwillingness to compromise has brought Congress to this point. A Washington Post-ABC News poll conducted earlier this week found 48 percent view Trump and congressional Republicans as mainly responsible for the situation while 28 percent fault Democrats. If the shutdown drags on for long, it could give voters another reason to turn away from incumbents of both parties in a mid-term election. Advertisement Jesse 'Smiley' Rutland (Pictured) died at Kings County Hospital on December 10 after an assailant broke into his Brooklyn home on Glenwood Road One of the founding members of a dance crew credited with developing 'The Harlem Shake' phenomenon was found slain his New York home last month. Jesse 'Smiley' Rutland died at Kings County Hospital on December 10 after an assailant broke into his Brooklyn home on Glenwood Road near Brooklyn Ave. in East Flatbush and shot him to death, according to investigators. Police said that Kumar Reid, 29, was placed into custody on the same day of the incident and was being held at the Kings County Jail. Reid was later charged with second-degree murder in the case. His defense attorney, Jay Schwitzman, entered a not guilty plea on his behalf at his Supreme Court arraignment on Friday, according to The New York Daily News. Police said that Kumar Reid, 29, was placed into custody on the same day of the incident and was being held at the Kings County Jail The 'Harlem Shake' late found a second life as an Internet meme online, with searches producing countless videos and images for the term (Rutland pictured with his wife- name unknown) Rutland, 37, was a part of the Crazy Boyz Dance Crew, the group credited with kicking off the world wide dance phenomenon the 'Harlem Shake" that dominated hip-hop videos and armature YouTube clips during the early 2010s. Originally started in the 1980s, the dance involves mostly upper-body gyrations based on an Ethiopian dance called Eskista. The dance became mainstream in 2001 when featured the Harlem shake in his music video 'Let's Get It,' Rutland later died at Kings County Hospital (pictured) after sustaining a gun shot wound early on December 10 The 'Harlem Shake' late found a second life as an Internet meme online, with searches producing countless videos and images for the term. Maurice Strayhorn, founding member of the dance crew, posted a heartfelt message to the 'Original Harlem Shakers' Facebook page on December 16, lamenting the loss of his friend. 'My beloved brother and one of the Original Founding Members of the group Crazy Boyz (Go Crazy Boyz) creators of the dance craze The Harlem Shake ...Jesse "Smiley" Rutland has been senselessly murdered on in his home with his children nearby,' Strayhor wrote. 'He was shot at 7.35am. His 6 year old son attempted to revive him and ran out in the snow seeking help from a neighbor. Unfortunately my beloved beautiful brother passed away at 8.30am at Kings County Hospital Sunday Morning,' the post added. A cursory search for 'Harlem Shake' videos turn up clips and images that have garnered millions of views worldwide, a testament to the huge popularity of the dance sensation. Motive for the shooting still remains unknown. Rutland leaves behind a wife and young son. The search is on for two young brothers who disappeared from a medical centre three days ago. Nathan Marr, eight, and his brother Cody, six, were last seen at the facility on Main Road East, St Albans, in Melbourne's west, about 9.15am Wednesday. Police said they are concerned for the children's welfare due to their ages and the length of their disappearance. The search is on for Nathan Marr (left), eight, and his brother Cody (right), six, who have been missing since Wednesday The children are believed to have been travelling with their grandmother since leaving the medical centre. Police said they may frequent nearby suburbs Keilor Downs, Melton and Sydenham. An image of the children has been released by police in the hope they may be recognised by the public. Police have also urged anyone with information regarding their whereabouts to come forward. A legal feud over the will of infamous Sydney bikie identity, Ricky Ciano, has erupted between his widow and ex wife. Surfers Paradise former model, Rachel Elizabeth Ciano, and NSW Central Coast woman Bianca Barnier, have begun disputing what the former Rebels president intended to leave them, and his daughter, Imogen. Ms Ciano claimed the final will, which she said left everything to her besides $10,000 for his daughter, was lost in the clean-up of his unit, Gold Coast Bulletin reports. In the lead up to Ms Ciano applying for probate of the will, Ms Barnier informed the courts of her intention to challenge its validity. A legal feud over the will of infamous Sydney bikie identity, Ricky Ciano (left), has erupted between his widow Rachel Elizabeth Ciano (right) and ex wife, Bianca Barnier In the lead up to Ms Ciano applying for probate of the will, Bianca Barnier (pictured) informed the courts of her intention to challenge its validity Police are still investigating how the 35-year-old died, who killed him, and why She believes Mr Ciano would not have made a will leaving just $10,000 to Imogen. Ms Ciano accused her deceased partner's ex wife of being a 'scab' in text messages filed as part of the case in the Supreme Court in Brisbane. She slammed Ms Barnier, the mother of Mr Ciano's six-year-old daughter, saying she 'was calling people the day after (Ciano) was found dead about what payouts she could get.' The stay-at-home mother also accused Ms Barnier of taking a $7000 bed and other items from Mr Ciano's Sydney bolthole after he died. Mrs Ciano (left) claimed the final will, which she said left everything to her besides $10,000 for his daughter, was lost in the clean-up of his unit Ciano reportedly left the Rebels bikie gang in 2015 when he moved from Sydney to the Gold Coast for a lifestyle change Mrs Ciano (right) accused her deceased partner's ex wife of being a 'scab' in text messages filed as part of the case in the Supreme Court in Brisbane The stay-at-home mother (right) also accused Ms Barnier of taking a $7000 bed and other items from Mr Ciano's Sydney bolthole after he died She complained in text messages to a friend saying she had to purchase a new bed because Ms Barnier was too lazy to get a job and buy her own. 'Everyone just want to scab every little thing they can!' Ms Ciano wrote. Ms Barnier, who was married to Mr Ciano for seven years, told the court her ex husband had 'taken out a $1 million insurance policy' about a year before he died which was to be split between Imogen and Ms Ciano. She said Ms Ciano told her after Mr Ciano died that the policy had lapsed. She also accused Ms Ciano of not including expensive Rolex watches and other jewelery items in his list of assets. Ms Barnier (pictured) told the court her ex husband had 'taken out a $1 million insurance policy' about a year before he died which was to be split between Imogen and Ms Ciano Ms Ciano (right) accused her deceased partner's ex wife of being a 'scab' in text messages Mr Ciano's body was found partially decomposing in his $130,000 BMW sports car. It was believed he had been there for a couple of days before being found Mr Ciano's decomposing body was found in the back of his $130,000 BMW on February 14 last year near Oberon, in the NSW Central Tablelands, two days after his wife reported him missing. The 35-year-old and his wife, who married in 2015, were expecting a baby boy, after two years and ten rounds of IVF when he died. Police have still not revealed how Ciano died, however were treating his death as suspicious when they found his body. Ricky Ciano left behind four children and an unborn son to his pregnant wife, Rachel Ms Barnier also accused Ms Ciano of not including expensive Rolex watches and other jewelery items in his list of assets A 57-year-old man (pictured) turned himself into police on Friday night after he was caught on camera allegedly stealing donations for an autistic child from a Melbourne church A man has turned himself in to police after he was caught on camera allegedly stealing donations for an autistic child whose father had died. The 57-year-old is accused of taking envelopes containing an estimated $4,000 during a funeral procession at a church in Avondale Heights, in Melbourne's north-west, on January 12. He allegedly snatched the money while the casket of four-year-old Kai's father was being carried away. Kai's father Shane, 43, died after suffering a severe asthma attack on New Year's Eve, 9 News reported. Shane's family hoped to raise money for ongoing specialist care for Kai, who has high-range autism and is non-verbal. The accused thief turned himself in after he was captured on CCTV allegedly loitering in the church lobby and eyeing-off the money. He allegedly snatched the money while the casket of four-year-old Kai's father Shane, 43, (pictured) was being carried away Shane died after suffering a severe asthma attack on New Year's Eve He is accused of then taking the donation box from the church's sign-in table. Police charged him on Friday night with two counts of theft and one count of burglary. He has been bailed to appear in Werribee Magistrates' Court in June. Shane's brother Kevin said the funeral will be forever tainted by the 'despicable act', Herald Sun reported. Shane's family hoped to raise money for ongoing specialist care for Kai, who has high-range autism and is non-verbal The accused thief turned himself in after he was captured on CCTV allegedly loitering in the church lobby and eyeing-off the money 'I'm not sure if in years to come if I can ever remember this funeral for anything else,' he said. The alleged theft was also labelled as one of the worst crimes senior constable Joey Micallef had seen in eight years as a policeman. 'Its a completely despicable, spineless act I cant seem to get my head around it,' he told the publication. He added: 'Its absolutely imperative this person is held accountable for his actions.' An elderly woman, nicknamed 'serial stowaway' for repeatedly sneaking onto airplanes, was arrested at a Chicago airport after getting all the way to London - with no boarding pass or passport. Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said Marilyn Hartman was flown back to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on Thursday night and taken into custody once she arrived. She's charged with felony theft and a misdemeanor count of criminal trespassing. Marilyn Hartman, 66, was arrested on Thursday at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport for sneaking onto a plane and flying to London It's believed she spent nearly 24 hours at the airport before she boarded the flight with no ticket Hartman has been charged with felony theft and a misdemeanor count of criminal trespassing Guglielmi said the 66-year-old woman got through a federal Transportation Security Administration checkpoint at a domestic terminal without a ticket before taking a shuttle to the international terminal. Hartman was arrested in the past for similar incidents It's believed she spent nearly 24 hours inside the airport before boarding a British Airways flight to London. According to NBC5, police think Hartman was able to get on the plane by mixing in with a large group. Once on the plane, flight attendants realized she didn't have a ticket and alerted authorities. British Customs officials refused to let her enter London and made arrangements for her to fly back to Chicago. TSA said its investigating how she was able to get through security, the Chicago Tribune reports. During the initial investigation it was determined that the passenger was screened at the security checkpoint before boarding a flight, a statement read. Upon learning of the incident TSA, and its aviation partners took immediate action to review security practices throughout the airport. Hartman has been detained several times across the country for trying to board flights without a pass. In December 2015, she told NBC5 that she 'may have' boarded planes without a ticket eight times. She's expected to appear in court on Saturday. Advertisement A California couple opted to forego a traditional wedding to instead spread good will in Africa. Instead of throwing a lavish ceremony to celebrate their lifelong commitment to each other, Meylia and Neal engaged in fellowship with the Tanzanian locals for 10 days. The newlyweds brought along travel and wedding photographer B.A. Van Sise to capture the essence of their love, and the trip of a lifetime. Meylia and Neal brought along travel and wedding photographer BA Van Sise to capture the essence of their love, and the trip of a lifetime Instead of throwing a lavish ceremony to celebrate their lifelong commitment to each other, Meylia and Neal of California engaged in fellowship with Tanzanian locals for 10 days A California couple opted to forego a traditional wedding to instead spread good will in Africa The couple's non-traditional wedding party included a few close friends The couple's non-traditional wedding party included a few close friends. The group of about half a dozen joined them on the trek to Tanzania, where Meylia's parents are heavily involved in charitable works. The small group of loved ones embraced their opportunity to do as much good as possible with the pair's wedding budget, by visiting orphanages, a center for the deaf and differently abled, and Maasai schools. The Maasai are a semi-nomadic group of people that inhabit Tanzania and Kenya, and are well-known for living off the land, having an almost exclusively oral language and hunting lions. Meylia's parents are heavily involved in charitable works in the African nation The group of about half a dozen joined them on the trek to Tanzania The newlyweds brought along travel and wedding photographer BA Van Sise to capture the essence of their love, and the trip The small group of loved ones embraced their opportunity to do as much good as possible with the pair's wedding budget California's Meylia and Neal skipped a pricey wedding and instead engaged in fellowship surrounding their wedding in Africa The group spent their trip visiting orphanages, a center for the deaf and differently abled, and Maasai schools The Maasai are a semi-nomadic group of people that inhabit Tanzania and Kenya, and are well-known for living off the land, having an almost exclusively oral language and hunting lions The energy can be felt through Van Sise's images, where the faces of the wedding party and the locals radiate with joy. He captured the wedding of Meylia and Neal beautifully, blending the prolonged candid experience with the short-but-sweet marriage ceremony to tell their fairy tale. The highly engaging photo collection shows the vivid colors of the Tanzanian landscape and its rich culture. One image showcases the bride and groom embracing in a clearing, surrounded by zebras. Van Sise told The Modern Met he found the unique nuptial experience unforgettable. Van Sise told The Modern Met he found the unique nuptial experience unforgettable 'I shoot a lot of weddings, meet a lot of wonderful people, and I adore the pageantry of it and the joy of it, but there's something kinda neat about the idea of using it as an excuse to better people's lives,' Van Sise said 'We spend so much money on weddings, often with the primary motivation of showing off wealth; there's something great about the idea of saying, "Well, maybe this could be better utilized elsewhere,"' Van Sise said 'I shoot a lot of weddings, meet a lot of wonderful people, and I adore the pageantry of it and the joy of it, but there's something kinda neat about the idea of using it as an excuse to better people's lives,' he said. 'We spend so much money on weddings, often with the primary motivation of showing off wealth; there's something great about the idea of saying, "Well, maybe this could be better utilized elsewhere."' When it was all said and done, Meylia and Neal were married, and made memories worth a lot more than some fancy party. And Van Sise captured it all, on camera. The energy can be felt through Van Sise's images, where the faces of the wedding party and the locals radiate with joy Van Sise captured the wedding of Meylia and Neal beautifully, blending experience and ceremony to tell their fairy tale The highly engaging photo collection shows the vivid colors of the Tanzanian landscape and its rich culture Four men, including two Colombians, have been arrested for allegedly attempting to import 30kg of cocaine into Brisbane. Mark Dumenil, Hashanth Kulatunge and Columbian brothers Giovani and Wilmar Buitrago Aguilar are accused of trying to import the large amount of cocaine - which has a street value of $9million - by stashing it in the railing of a shipping container. Police swooped on the group, aged between 45 and 52, when two men tried to collect their cache after it was delivered on Friday. Four men, including two Colombians, will remain behind bars after their attempt to import 30kg of cocaine (pictured) into Brisbane was unravelled by in a police sting Australian Border Force officers detected the cocaine ten days earlier but allowed the container to be delivered to trap the alleged importers. 'The federal police actually substituted the cocaine for an inert substitute,' police prosecutor Trevor Perry said. ABF Queensland Commander Terry Price said the sizeable seizure was a significant blow to the illegal drugs trade. 'Even using unique concealments like this, importers are no match for our highly trained officers and cutting-edge x-ray technology,' he said. The four men made a brief appearance at Brisbane Magistrates Court on Saturday. They were charged with importing and possessing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, an offence that carries a maximum of life imprisonment. They did not apply for bail and are expected in court on February 4. An Oklahoma boy was trying to rescue his paralyzed father after their house went up in flames but neither one was able to make it out, police said. Love County Sheriff Marty Grisham said a fire broke out around 1am on Wednesday at a mobile home on Renick Road in Marietta. Two children, a 13-year-old boy and 16-year-old girl, were home at the time with their 60-year-old father. Thomas JayVance Cummins (left), 13, and his father James Cummins (right), 60, were killed in a house fire. Thomas was trying to save his father, who is paralyzed Police said the fire started around 1am on Wednesday at the Marietta home. Thomas and his 16-year-old sister were sleeping in the living room, where the fire started, when the house went up in flames Police said Thomas and James were overcome by smoke and by the time firefighters put the blaze out it was too late Police said the daughter and son were sleeping in the living room when the girl woke up and saw that the room was on fire, the Sun Herald reports. She ran across the street to a neighbor's house for help, while her brother tried to get their paralyzed father into a wheelchair but they were overcome by smoke. By the time firefighters managed to put the fire out, it was too late. 'Upon arrival the deputies found the house engulfed in flames,' Grisham said. '(They) attempted to enter the house, couldn't make it through the front due to the fire and couldn't make it to the back also due to fire and debris.' The father has been identified as James Cummins and the 13-year-old boy was Thomas JayVance Cummins. The daughter's identity has not revealed. Grisham said the father had been paralyzed in an accident that happened several years ago. According to KXII, the mother was at the store when the fire broke out. 'This family is just sleeping and the son is doing what he can to protect and save his dad,' Grisham said. 'It's a very sad story.' 'This family is just sleeping and the son is doing what he can to protect and save his dad. It's a very sad story,' Love County Sheriff Marty Grisham said Investigators said multiple space heaters were in the home to keep it warm and they believe that's what started the fire The fire has been ruled as an accident but an official cause is still being determined Investigators said multiple space heaters were in the home to keep it warm. An official cause of the fire is still being determined, but police believe the heaters contributed to the blaze. 'The blaze appeared to have originated in the living room area, however due to the amount of damage, I was unable to determine whether the cause was electrical or the space heaters,' Oklahoma Fire Marshall investigator Judah Shepard told the Daily Ardmorette. 'The on-scene investigation ruled the fire was accidental.' A GoFundMe account has been set up seeking $10,000 to help the family with funeral expenses and living arrangements. Police said the mother and daughter are currently staying with relatives. The teenager accused of shooting a former friend in west Sydney overnight has been identified as Youssef Elsamad. The 19-year-old has been charged with fatally shooting his former friend in front of a public housing complex in Merrylands on Friday. Mohamed Salihy who was shot dead at point-blank range, had been on the radar of counter-terrorism officers, according to the Daily Telegraph. Elsamad, who was found in a neighbour's backyard, has reportedly told police he was he's innocent and was hiding from an unidentified shooter, according to court documents. Youssef Elsamad (pictured) has been charged with fatally shooting his former friend Police were called to an apartment in Merrylands, Sydney's west on Friday night where it is alleged Elsamad (pictured) shot Mohamed Salihy In 2014, Mr Salihy came to the attention of police after a raid of the countrys biggest terrorism cells, but was never charged. Elsamad, an unemployed tiler who was on bail at the time of the alleged shooting, did not appear when his matter came before Parramatta Bail Court on Saturday. His lawyer told the court he would not apply for bail. In papers tendered to the court, police allege the victim had driven with a friend to the 19-year-old's residence to resolve a dispute. Elsamad (pictured) told police an 'unknown person' shot the victim and he had been running away When Mr Salihy and his friend arrived at Eddy Street about 10pm they were met by Elsamad who was waiting outside the garage of a villa, while a number of friends remained gathered inside. The 19-year-old allegedly approached the victim and his friend, saying 'I'm sick of this shit', before entering his home and re-emerging two minutes with a sawn-off shot gun. He then shot Mr Salihy point blank in the chest, leaving him face down on the floor bleeding profusely, police allege. Youssef Elsamad, 19, has been charged with fatally shooting his acquaintance Mohamed Salihy, 22, at a Merrylands complex Friday night but says he didn't do it Elsamad told police he was innocent and was hiding from an unidentified shooter, according to court documents A crime scene was established at the address with officers erecting police tape outside home The 22-year-old died at the scene while the accused fled, sparking a police search using a helicopter, which spotted him hiding in his neighbour's backyard, the document said. Elsamad told police an 'unknown person' shot the victim and he had been running away and hiding because he was being chased by the shooter, the court documents state. He told police a cut on his finger was the result of being shot, the documents said. The matter has been adjourned to January 31 in Parramatta District Court. In 2011 an innocent family narrowly avoided being sprayed with bullets after gunmen shot at a home that cousins of Kings Cross nightclub identity John Ibrahim previously lived in This is the moment a man trying to meet an underage girl for sex is snared by paedophile hunters. Former engineer Christopher Wise, 42, thought he was having illicit conversations on the internet with two girls aged 14 and 15 over social media site Scout last summer. But he had in fact been duped by groups Dark Justice and Guardians of the North who set up fake online profiles to track down adults looking for sex with children. Wise was confronted on July 3 last year when he arrived to meet the 15-year-old on Newcastle's quayside area. He had told the 14-year-old's profile, who asked to meet him on the same day, that they would have to 'postpone' their date. But the paedophile hunters were lying in wait. Footage shows them peering into Wise's car and ask: 'Do you know the consent laws in this country, sir?' 'Yes, I do,' he responds. 'What is it then?' they challenge him. 'Fourteen, fifteen,' he says, before warning another of the paedophile hunters to shut his car door because it's getting cold. This is the moment a man trying to meet an underage girl for sex is snared by paedophile hunters Former engineer Christopher Wise, 42, thought he was having illicit conversations on the internet with two girls aged 14 and 15 over social media site Scout last summer Conversing with what he thought were two underage girls, Wise wrote that he wanted to have sex with them. He told the 15-year-old, who claimed to be a virgin, horse riding schoolgirl, she was old enough to consent to sex and sent her a picture of his penis. The predator also told the 14-year-old she would experience 'enjoyment and ecstasy' if they met and had sex. Prosecutor Neil Pallister told Newcastle Crown Court that Wise had mentioned the existence of paedophile hunter groups while chatting and knew the risks he was taking. 'The defendant appears not to have been able to help himself,' said Mr Pallister. 'He actually said 'there are loads of people, I think, trying to catch people meeting up with underage lasses, people trying to catch people, younger lasses meeting older men.' But he had in fact been duped by groups Dark Justice and Guardians of the North who set up fake online profiles to track down adults looking for sex with children Mr Pallister added: 'The defendant, at the time, clearly believed he was talking to 14 and 15-year-old girls and clearly went to meet one of them.' Wise, of Brigham Avenue, Newcastle, admitted two charges of attempting to meet a child after sexual grooming. Judge Tim Gittins sentenced him to 14 months behind bars with ten years on the sex offenders register and a sexual harm prevention order. 'You began two separate series of conversations, grooming conversations, with girls you believed were 15 and 14,' the judge told him. 'Very early in the conversations it was made clear to you the age of the purported girl and nontheless you continued to engage with them, quickly descending into sexual discussions and centring on you wanting to meet them to have penetrative sexual intercourse, full sexual intercourse. 'In fact, it transpired, one of the profiles was being operated by a group self-styled as Dark Justice, and the other, self-styled group Guardians of the North, who created such profiles with the intention of ensnaring those who would wish to meet with real children under the age of consent. Wise, of Brigham Avenue, Newcastle, admitted two charges of attempting to meet a child after sexual grooming 'Ultimately, you attended the arranged location on July 3. 'It was clearly a surprise to you that you had not been corresponding, in fact, with children but with individuals from those organisations. 'You knew the risk you were taking, not just with the girls underage but the risk of being caught by organisations such as those that were involved with you.' Judge Gittins said Wise had displayed an 'unnatural urge to gain sexual gratification' by interacting with the underage girls. Adam Birkby, defending, said Wise has no history of sexual offending but has mental health and other problems. Mr Birkby urged the judge to allow Wise to keep his freedom and receive treatment. He added: 'It is better to give him the opportunity to change and show that he can.' Advertisement The Fast and Furious Live Show dazzled audiences at London's O2 Arena on Friday night as it began its world tour. Stars of the popular movie franchise walked the red carpet in style at the much-anticipated premier, which promised to provide the 'ultimate adrenaline rush' which comes from watching 'physics-defying stunts'. Featuring high octane stunts performed by a string of super cars, the unforgettable live action show didn't disappoint. Scroll down for video The Fast and Furious Live Show dazzled audiences at London's O2 Arena on Friday night as it began its much-anticipated world tour Stars of the popular movie franchise walked the red carpet in style at the much-anticipated premier, which promised to provide the 'ultimate adrenaline rush' which comes from watching 'physics-defying stunts' Featuring high octane stunts performed by a string of super cars, the unforgettable live action show didn't disappoint A flaming fuel tanker that bounces, a souped-up Dodge Charger and a bright orange Lamborghini are just a few over-the-top displays which wowed spectators at the launch. Audiences were also treated to a Honda Civic EJ1s chasing a jack-knifed lorry and a submarine crashing through ice as 11 stunt drivers got behind the wheel to impress in stunning replicas of the cars from the movies. And the ultimate treat for fans? Several original cars from the films also made an appearance. The two-hour show, featuring innovative special effects and 3D projection mapping, saw 18 real stunts from the films recreated on stage. Earlier in the evening, stars including Vin Diesel, Elysia Wren and Mark Ebulue walked the glamorous red carpet for the hotly-anticipated opening night. Vin Diesel, who stars as Dominic Toretto in the Fast And Furious films, was in jovial mood at the show's world premiere, beaming ear to ear British actor Elysia Wren, who plays the live show's alpha female despite being only a year out of drama school, dazzled in a revealing red dress at the opening night Mark Ebulue, who stars as federal agent Jimmy Dawson, looked suave in a sleek grey suit as he posed at the red carpet premier Love Island star Olivia Buckland attended the glamorous night, dressing down in a pair of high-waisted black jeans and off-the-shoulder white top, completing her look with a classy checked scarf Singer Nicola Roberts stepped out in a revealing black trouser suit embroidered with what looks like a tiger and its tamer X Factor star Amelia Lily put in an appearance at the hotly-anticipated premier, dressing down in a polka dot white dress topped with a retro leather jacket and heeled boots TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp wrapped up warm for the occasion, slipping into a beautiful knee-length black dress and elegant black coat, and completing her look with a stunning bronze scarf Actress Shireen Jathoonia (left) and model Kayla Cadorna cosied up on the red carpet in two very striking looks. Both opted for revealing cut-out frocks, with Shireen choosing a daring red slit dress and Kayla a more conservative little black dress TOWIE stars James Lock and Yazmin Oukhellou looked smouldering at the glamourous event. James dressed head to toe in black, while Yazmin's pastel jumpsuit and gold clutch bag added some colour to their ensemble Footballer Jamie O'Hara looked jubilant on the red carpet, giving photographers the thumbs up as he posed in a classic white shirt teamed with a subtle brown suit jacket Dancer Karen Clifton stepped out in a pair of over-the-knee black boots which showed off her toned pins and a summery black and red dress Magician Dynamo walked the red carpet in an all-black ensemble, layering up a black shirt, hoodie and leather jacket Mark Ebulue and Elysia Wren looked thrilled to be at the opening night of the enormously popular franchise's live show The show, which took five years to perfect, was developed by Chris Hughes and James Cooke-Priest - who along with writer/director Rowland French - were part of the time behind Top Gear Live. It will visit 22 more cities in a total of 14 European countries before hitting the US, central and south America in 2019-20, China and Asia in 2021, then return to Europe in 2022. Next in line are the Liverpool Arena, Belfast SSE Arena, Arena Birmingham, Glasgow SSE Hydro, Manchester Arena, Newcastle Metro Radio Arena and Sheffield FlyDSA Arena. The scale of the project was enormous, with 15 million spent on stunts and 10 million taking the show on tour, according to producers. During the tour, 36 trucks will transport 41 vehicles, 67 crew members and 70 tonnes of rigging. A flaming fuel tanker that bounces, a souped-up Dodge Charger and a bright orange Lamborghini are just a few over-the-top displays which wowed spectators at the launch Audiences were also treated to a Honda Civic EJ1s chasing a jack-knifed lorry and a submarine crashing through ice Eleven stunt drivers got behind the wheel to impress in stunning replicas of the cars from the movies. Several original cars from the films also made an appearance The show, which took five years to perfect, was developed by Chris Hughes and James Cooke-Priest - who along with writer/director Rowland French - were part of the time behind Top Gear Live It will visit 22 more cities in a total of 14 European countries before hitting the US, central and south America in 2019-20, China and Asia in 2021, then return to Europe in 2022 Next in line are the Liverpool Arena, Belfast SSE Arena, Arena Birmingham, Glasgow SSE Hydro, Manchester Arena, Newcastle Metro Radio Arena and Sheffield FlyDSA Arena The scale of the project was enormous, with 15 million spent on stunts and 10 million taking the show on tour, according to producers Elysia Wren (above) dazzled as the show's alpha female, languishing on the bonnets of incredible cars and keeping the audience entertained Vin Diesel (above), wearing a pair of his trademark dark sunglasses, took to the stage during the live show, giving spectators a thrill Two days before a retired teacher was allegedly murdered he told friends 'Hallelujah, I'm feeling a lot better'. Before his mysterious death Peter Farquhar, 69 was nursed by two former students Ben Field, 27 and Martyn Smith, 31 who were 'like sons to him'. The two men were arrested this week on suspicion of his murder as well as the murder of a second pensioner who lived three doors down the road in a Buckinghamshire village. Ben Field who was suspected of poisoning an elderly bachelor was one of the main beneficiaries of his will, it emerged on Thursday. Scroll down for video Author: Peter Farquhar with one of his novels He was given the right to live in 69-year-old Peter Farquhars 300,000 home in a Buckinghamshire village for as long as he wished. He was also handed cash, jewellery and a valuable book collection as well as being given responsibility for tending his friends grave. A friend of Mr Farquhar claimed that before his death he was suffering from a urinary tract infection and complained of restlessness and 'bad thoughts' at night. Mr Farquhar, an evangelical Christian, emailed his friends two days before his death saying that while he had been through a 'rough patch' during a spiritual battle he was feeling much better. Suspects: Church warden Ben Field, 27 (left), from Towcester, Northamptonshire, and magician Martyn Smith, 31 (right) from Redruth, Cornwall, were arrested on suspicion of two counts of murder, two counts of conspiracy to murder, two counts of suspicion of fraud by false representation, conspiracy to defraud and one count of burglary Details of the contents of the will emerged days after Mr Field and a second man were arrested on suspicion of murdering the pensioner and his 83-year-old neighbour, Ann Moore-Martin. It emerged last night that the second suspect, Martyn Smith - a 31-year-old part-time magician - had been living with a 100-year-old woman for several months after he and Mr Farquhar were introduced by Mr Field. A third man, aged 22, from Milton Keynes, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud, conspiring to commit fraud by false representation and fraud by false representation. The centenarian told The Daily Telegraph that she had met Mr Smith and Mr Field through her friendship with Mr Farquhar. Ben Field, 27 (pictured), was given the right to live in 69-year-old Peter Farquhars 300,000 home in a Buckinghamshire village for as long as he wished The pensioners lived only three doors from each other on a street in Maids Moreton, Buckinghamshire She said that Mr Field suggested that Mr Smith move in with her to help him concentrate for upcoming exams. Mr Field a charismatic church preacher who describes himself as a lecturer in Companies House records was appointed as one of three executors of Mr Farquhars will controlling his 500,000 estate weeks before his sudden death. He was also made literary executor and given powers over the retired English teachers collection of unpublished manuscripts. Cambridge-educated Mr Farquhar spent three decades teaching at 12,000-a-year Manchester Grammar School before moving to Stowe public school in Buckinghamshire and settling in the village of Maids Moreton. He also lectured in English literature at the University of Buckingham and published several novels including A Bitter Heart. He also lectured in English literature at the University of Buckingham and published several novels including A Bitter Heart. The will sets out how Mr Field the son of a Baptist minister should be allowed to remain in the three-bedroom detached property in Maids Moreton after Mr Farquhars death. The only condition was that he maintained it in good condition, paid the bills and ensured the contents were adequately insured. However, it appears that Mr Field, who spoke at Mr Farquhars funeral, gave up his lodgings within a year before paying cash for a 97,500 flat in Towcester, Northamptonshire. As a result, Mr Farquhars two young nephews appear to have benefited from the bulk of the sale of their uncles property. A new and unconnected family now occupy the house, which public records show they bought for 290,000 in December 2016. The will, signed at a local solicitors firm on September 11, 2015, gives a fascinating insight into Mr Farquhars lifestyle. Among its provisions, Mr Farquhar directed that Mr Field and others should share his extensive literary library, preferably over a meal paid for by my estate. He added: Any remaining books can be offered to Stowe school library or Buckingham University library. How writer handed out his estate The will also sets out how Mr Farquhar kept an extensive journal throughout his life which he gave to his brother and nephews. Pictured: Mr Farquhar signing one of his books Ben Field was to have the right to live at Peter Farquhars 300,000 home for as long as he wished. A piano, oak desks and glass bookcases were to be left in the home for Mr Field to enjoy. A silver wine bottle holder, a gold signet ring and a vintage edition of the complete works of Charles Dickens, worth up to 700, were also left to him. Antique furniture, including a William Morris dining table, a Chesterfield settee and Hepplewhite chairs, should be passed to relatives. Mr Field was given control of a 1,000 fund to tend Mr Farquhars grave, including ensuring the lettering remains legible and flowers are laid. Several original paintings, including one of Florence by a former colleague at Buckinghamshire public school Stowe, were to be retained by his family. Advertisement The will also sets out how Mr Farquhar kept an extensive journal throughout his life which he gave to his brother and nephews. The retired scholar insisted it should not be broken up and that Mr Field should be appointed literary agent should it be considered for publication. Mr Field was also bequeathed a silver wine bottle holder, gold signet ring and a vintage edition of the complete works of Charles Dickens, worth up to 700. Detectives from Thames Valley Police continued to question Mr Field and Mr Smith last night on suspicion of conspiracy to murder, fraud and burglary after being given another 36 hours to do so. They are at the centre of an investigation into the deaths of Mr Farquhar and Miss Moore-Martin. It has shocked the village, where both residents were described as pillars of the community. It is understood police were first alerted by friends at her church who suspected she was being groomed to change her will Mr Farquhar died unexpectedly on October 26, 2015, from acute alcohol intoxication, while Miss Moore-Martin, a retired headmistress, who lived three doors down from Mr Farquhar, died in May last year. Police launched a fraud inquiry as she became seriously ill. They have been unable to determine what led to her death. It is understood police were first alerted by friends at her church who suspected she was being groomed to change her will. Mr Field and Mr Smith lived with Mr Farquhar, and his neighbour, rent-free after meeting him at the University of Buckingham, where both were students. Solicitor Paula Myers, a partner at Irwin Mitchell, confirmed that Mr Farquhars will gave Mr Field a life interest in his property. But she said anyone convicted of killing an individual cannot benefit because it will be forfeited by the courts. The expert on wills and probate added: In that case, the gift will then pass to the other beneficiaries named in the will. Miss Moore-Martin, a devout Roman Catholic, made a new will just three months before her unexplained death. In it, she appointed her sister-in-law as executor of her 380,000 estate and asked for her body to be buried with her mother in Buckingham Cemetery. Both Mr Field and Mr Smith have been released on bail. Zoe Wanamaker joked she was p****d off no one tried it on with her when she was a young actress in the 1970s. The actress, 68, said sexual harassment was widespread at the BBC and ITV when she started out in television. But even though the My Family star claimed sex pests can be found in every industry, she branded the Me Too movement a witch hunt. Zoe Wanamaker joked she was p****d off no one tried it on with her when she was a young actress in the 1970s Ive got a girlfriend who was a script editor and she was constantly being touched up, she told the Daily Mirror. I was just p****d off that nobody ever tried it on with me. Miss Wanamaker added: This is in every business. I dont think its just showbusiness. But now Im upset because its a witch-hunt you can gain something out of it by just, after 50 years, coming out and saying, Oh, I was raped. You think, What took you so long? The actress, said the movement could be likened to the McCarthy witch hunts, when writers and actors in the US in the 1950s were blacklisted if they had any Soviet links. Miss Wanamaker started acting in the mid-1970s and was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company until 1984. The actress (pictured, in Sky Atlantic series Britannia), 68, said sexual harassment was widespread at the BBC and ITV when she started out in television The actress became a household name when she starred in My Family and won a legion of younger fans when she played Madame Hooch in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. Her comments come after Brigitte Bardot criticised hypocritical actresses for flirting with movie producers. The veteran French actress said that she had never been a victim of sexual harassment but rather found compliments about her appearance nice. When asked what she thought of actresses denouncing harassment in the film industry, the 83-year-old said: In the vast majority of cases they are being hypocritical, ridiculous, uninteresting. Wanamaker (left, alongside Robert Lindsay in My Family and right, claimed sex pests can be found in every industry, she branded the Me Too movement a witch hunt There are many actresses who flirt with producers in order to get a role. Then, in order to be talked about, they will say they have been harassed. In reality, rather than benefiting them, it harms them. Miss Bardot, a sex symbol of the Sixties, said she enjoyed the attention she got when she was younger and working in the film business. The actress told French magazine Paris Match: Me, I was never the victim of sexual harassment and I found it charming when I was told that I was beautiful or I had a nice little backside. This kind of compliment is nice. Schools in Germany are asking naughty and hyperactive children to wear heavy sand-filled vests to calm them down and keep them in their seats. The controversial sand vests, weighing between 2.7 and 13Ib, are used by 200 schools in the country - despite reservations of some parents and psychiatrists. Supporters of the vests, which cost between 124 and 150, say they are very effective at curbing children's restlessness in many cases. Controversial sand vests, weighing between 2.7 and 13Ib, are being used by 200 schools in Germany to calm down hyperactive children Increasingly more children are being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) each year in Germany, as elsewhere. Schools using the vests say they are a straightforward way of tackling the problem and a kinder and less complex form of therapy than drugs such as Ritalin. Gerhild de Wall, head of the inclusion unit at the Grumbrechtstrasse school in the Harburg district of Hamburg, says children love wearing the vests and they are never forced into putting them on. She first came across them while teaching in the United States, where they are referred to as 'compression vests' or 'squeeze jackets' and sometimes used for autistic children. Supporters of the vests, which cost between 124 and 150, say they are very effective at curbing children's restlessness in many cases. But critics say they are similar to straitjackets worn by violent patients in psychiatric hospitals and could stigmatise their wearers De Wall thinks the vests help children feel centred and concentrate better rather than acting as a constraint. But she says that even though the weight is evenly spread over the child's upper body, they should not be worn for more than 30 minutes at a time. Barbara Truller-Voigt, whose nine-year-old son Frederick has worn a 2kg sand vest at his Hamburg school for the past three years to treat his ADHD, said her son thinks it helps him and doesn't mind wearing it. 'He can concentrate better and is more able to take an active part in lessons because he's not spending the whole time trying to keep his arms and legs under control,' she said. One parent said she thought people had 'lost the plot' and the vests were being used as a 'punishment'. She said schools should avoid 'such torture methods' But critics say they are similar to straitjackets worn by violent patients in psychiatric hospitals and could stigmatise their wearers. One parent said she thought people had 'lost the plot', writing on Facebook: 'It would be best if we avoided such torture methods. 'How can you say to a child, 'You're sick, and as a punishment you have to wear this sand-filled jacket which is not only physical agony but will make you look like an idiot in front of the rest of the class.'' And many psychiatrists are sceptical about the vests, especially because the long-term effects of wearing them are unknown. Michael Schulte-Markwort, director at the Child and Youth Psychiatry University Clinic in Eppendorf, Hamburg, told German newspaper Die Tageszeitung they were 'ethically questionable'. He also said they could be seen as a one-size-fits-all remedy for attention deficiency disorders and schools should instead focus on the child's individual problems. The wife of Ukip leader Henry Bolton has slammed her estranged husband for 'wining and dining' his mistress while she raises their two young daughters. Mr Bolton walked out on wife Tatiana Smurova-Bolton, 42, and their children for topless model Jo Marney, 25, just days before Christmas. After leaving his wife, it emerged the politician called his time with his new beau his happiest in many years. Scroll down for video The wife of Ukip leader Henry Bolton,Tatiana Smurova-Bolton, 42, has slammed her estranged husband for 'wining and dining' his mistress while she raises their two young daughters Mr Bolton walked out on wife Mrs Smurova-Bolton, 42, and their children for topless model Jo Marney, 25, just days before Christmas But hurt by his words, the Russian born mother-of-two said he was happy because Mr Bolton had dropped his responsibilities in order to schmooze his new lover. 'You didnt have to provide for your family,' she said about him in an interview with The Telegraph. Adding that he didn't have to worry about paying off debts and keeping the young family afloat, she said: 'The maximum he had to worry about was where to wine and dine his mistress.' Discussing the former soldier's operations abroad, she said she felt betrayed after supporting him during his time in Afghanistan and when in his unsuccessful attempt to become police and crime commissioner. Adding: 'I was always there for him because I loved him. I was very proud of him. Now Im ashamed I am in this scandal that he dragged me into.' Mrs Smurova-Bolton's words come after Mr Bolton was forced to admit he had ended his relationship with his new girlfriend following her alleged racist remarks. After being spotted together enjoying drinks in Leicester Square with Ms Marney, many Ukip members are suspicious of Mr Bolton's insistence, despite this week, insisting he had ended their relationship to concentrate on politics But after being spotted together enjoying drinks in Leicester Square with Ms Marney, many Ukip members are suspicious of Mr Bolton's insistence, despite this week, insisting he had ended their relationship to concentrate on politics. A source told MailOnline: 'Party members are fuming after he told them the relationship was over. He promised he would stop seeing her. The relationship looks awful and it's dragging him and the party down. 'But now they feel misled because he saw her last night despite the damage it is doing to him and to the party. They think he's been foolish On Monday, Mr Bolton said he had ended his relationship with Miss Marney, which he said was 'obviously quite incompatible' with his leader role. But the pair were seen dining together at London's National Liberal Club last night, where members said they were holding hands. Ms Marney was suspended by Ukip after vile messages claiming Meghan Markle's 'seed' would taint the Royal Family. Discussing the former soldier's operations abroad, she said she felt betrayed after supporting him during his time in Afghanistan and when in his unsuccessful attempt to become police and crime commissioner She also said she would never have sex with a 'negro' because they were 'ugly'. In social media posts she branded Grenfell tower a 'nest of illegal immigrants' and also criticised the victims of Harvey Weinstein. In a statement earlier this week, Jo Marney said: 'I apologise unreservedly for the shocking language I used. 'The opinions I expressed were deliberately exaggerated in order to make a point and have, to an extent, been taken out of context. Yet I fully recognise the offence they have caused. 'No offence was intended and, again, I apologise unreservedly for any such offence or hurt that my messages have caused to members of the public, members of Ukip my friends, family and loved ones.' In an interview with ITV's Good Morning Britain, Mr Bolton said: 'I don't defend these comments whatsoever and indeed Jo has been suspended pending an investigation under the normal rules of the party for such things, and it is against the constitution for the party to be racist in any way.' Mr Bolton's estranged wife Tatiana Smurnova was reported to be pleased Bolton has dumped the controversial model. French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that Britain will not be able to 'cherry-pick' the parts of the EU it prefers following Brexit. Although the leader opened the door to a bespoke trade deal with the UK, he insisted full access to the single market without accepting its rules was 'not feasible'. In an interview with Andrew Marr he was asked whether a special trade agreement with Britain was possible. He explained that while it was on the cards Britain would have to first accept certain 'preconditions' in order to benefit from the single market. Scroll down for video French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that Britain will not be able to 'cherry-pick' the parts of the EU it prefers following Brexit. Although the leader opened the door to a bespoke trade deal with the UK, he insisted full access to the single market without accepting its rules first was 'not feasible' He said: 'Sure, but ... this special way should be consistent with the preservation of the single market and our collective interests. 'And you should understand that you cannot, by definition, have the full access to the single market if you don't tick the box.' Mr Macron's comments came during his first visit to the UK since becoming French president, where he held talks with Prime Minister Theresa May. In the interview, to be broadcast on Sunday, Mr Macron said that Britain would not be able to gain access to the single market without first agreeing to 'preconditions' - such as freedom of movement across the EU, the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice - Europe's top court - as well as budget contributions. Mr Macron's comments came during his first visit to the UK since becoming French president, where he held talks with Prime Minister Theresa May In an interview with Andrew Marr he was asked whether a bespoke trade agreement was possible and explained that while it was on the cards, Britain would have to accept certain 'preconditions' 'There should be no cherry-picking in the single market because that's a dismantling of the single market,' he said. 'As soon as you decide not to join the [EU] preconditions it's not a full access. What is important is to not make people believe that it is possible to [have your cake and eat it].' Before doubling down that access to the single market for the UK's financial services sector was 'not feasible' if the UK did not accept the obligations set out by the EU. But that he did not want to 'unplug' the City from the EU, explaining that it would be counter productive for both parties. In an interview to be broadcast on Sunday, Mr Macron said the Britain would not be able to gain access to the single market without first agreeing to 'preconditions' - such as freedom of movement across the EU, the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice - Europe's top court - and budget contributions Moving the discussion on to the 2016 referendum, Macron described the vote as a 'mistake' - adding that while he respected the vote, he does regret the offer of a 'yes' or 'no' outcome 'It doesn't make sense,' he told Marr. 'Because it's part of the whole financing of our European Union.' Moving the discussion on to the 2016 referendum, Macron described the vote as a 'mistake' - adding that while he respected the vote, he does regret the offer of a 'yes' or 'no' outcome. He said: 'I do respect this vote, I do regret this vote, and I would love to welcome you again,' he said. 'It's a mistake when you just ask 'yes' or 'no' when you don't ask people how to improve the situation and explain how to improve it.' Three separate bloodbaths at Russian schools recently are all linked by the alleged teenage attackers 'worshipping' the perpetrators of the Columbine massacre in the U.S. 18 years ago. In the latest outrage on Friday, axe-wielding masked suspect Anton Bichivin, 16, wore a T-shirt linked to German band KMFDM as did sinister Columbine shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. The shirt was visible as the blood-drenched Russian was detained in the snow by military police, and in an ambulance as he was rushed to hospital. Scroll down for video Columbine attacker Eric Harris (left) and Dylan Klebold (right) both wore KMFDM T-shirts Anton Bichivin at the time of his arrest by police officers - he too was allegedly wearing a T-shirt linked to German band KMFDM Both Anton Bichivin (left) and Lev Bidzhakov (right) carried out horrific attacks and both are believed to have been unduly interested in the Columbine massacre Lev Bidzhakov, 17, (left, in a social media and, right, being detained) allegedly praised the Columbine massacre on his social media account Lev Bidzhakov (pictured) is also believed to have had fascist sympathies Four months ago student Mikhail Pivnev, then 15, threw smoke bombs and struck a teacher with an axe at a school near Moscow - he too was an admirer of the Columbine shooters and had Nazi sympathies Columbine attackers Harris and Klebold (above) murdered 12 pupils and one teacher, injuring 24 more Teacher Irina Ramenskaya was hit in the head with an axe, but was able to give an account of the attack to journalists The axe allegedly used by Anton Bichivin to hack pupils as they fled their burning classroom was recovered by police Bichivin is under investigation for attempted murder for firebombing a Russian literature class, then cracking open the heads of two pupils and a teacher - and injuring five others - as they tried to flee a high school in the Siberian region of Buryatia. He and accomplice Alexander Rogalsky, 16, are believed to hold Nazi sympathies and gave themselves fascist names before staging the attack, law enforcement officers have revealed. In an earlier horrific attack on Monday this week, nine pupils and 'hero' teacher Natalia Shagulina suffered knife wounds when two teenagers went on the rampage in a classroom in the Urals city of Perm. Suspects Lev Bidzhakov and Alexander Buslidze - also 16 - intended a murder spree based on the Columbine High School massacre in in 1999, Russian law enforcement officers believe. It was reported that Bidzhakov had material on his social media accounts linked to the U.S. attack in which two senior students, Harris and Klebold, murdered 12 pupils and one teacher, injuring 24 more. Four months ago a student Mikhail Pivnev, then 15, threw smoke bombs and struck teacher Lyubov Kalmykova, 39, with an axe at a school near Moscow. He too was an admirer of the Columbine shooters and had Nazi sympathies, law enforcement officers say. Detectives are examining whether there are any firmer connections between the incidents amid fears of further classroom attacks, it was reported. Teacher Natalia Shagulia (pictured) was badly wounded as she fought off the knife attackers to defend her young students at the school The two children and their teacher are fighting for their lives and are in a 'grave condition' after the Friday attack. Classmates Alexandra Bortsova and Maya Bazhenova, both 13, had their skulls cracked open by the axe attack, reported the Russian media citing law enforcement sources said. In all, five pupils and two teachers were wounded in the carnage. Alexandra was reported to be in a coma and her relatives made a plea for blood to save her. She is due to undergo surgery on Saturday. A classmate called Liza said: 'We were in a literature lesson. 'Suddenly some boy came in and threw a burning substance against the wall. 'It caught fire. 'We ran out of the classroom, and the attackers started to chop up one of the girls, Maya Bazhenova.' One of Maya's fingers was severed by the axe-wielding student. Another finger was badly crushed and she suffered a shoulder injury when she was struck. Teacher Irina Ramenskaya, 41, is also being treated for an open head wound after being struck by the axe. Anton Bichivin was said to be a fan of violent video games and had images such as this one on his social media profiles She told journalists: 'I got a blow into my head, but I didn't even feel the impact. 'There was smoke and I started to take out the children. 'But when I went out by myself, I saw this figure just chopping the kids with an axe. 'I began to bring them back into the classroom, but everything was burning there.' Anton Kulikov, 13, was wounded in the neck and spine while his female classmate Konstantsia Yatsunenko, 13, received a blow to her shoulder blade. Boys Konstantsia Yatsunenko, 13, and Vladislav Danilov, 12, were both badly wounded in the school outrage. Another teacher Irina Zbritskaya, 44, is surviving from severe psychological trauma after the attack. The teenage ringleader of the attack then smashed windows in the room, stabbed himself in the chest and jumped from a second floor window. He was detained by armed military police after falling on the snow below. One pupil, called Kristina, said of the suspect and his friends: 'They did not take drugs. They were into Nazism.' Before the attack they renamed themselves on social media using names of obscure Russian fascists. Bichivin's stepbrother said: 'He is fond of computer games - GTA, Call of Duty, and Painkiller. 'When something goes not according to his wish he becomes nervous, shouts, freaks out.' Another witness said she saw a boy 'hit with an axe on the back of his neck. 'A girl was axed in the neck and then another student had one or two fingers severed'. She saw teacher Irina Zbritskaya give a wounded pupil her fur coat in the aftermath of the carnage as victims fled outside into the-24C cold. Moments later she collapsed. Two fishermen are feared dead after prawn trawler capsized on a Scottish loch. Captain Duncan MacDougall, 46, and Przemek Krawczyk, went missing after the Nancy Glen sunk while out on Loch Fyne, in Argyll. A major search and rescue operation was launched after the boat's crew made a distress call at around 6pm on Thursday. Trawlers on Loch Fyne, in Argyll, where two fishermen went missing after their boat capsized Duncan MacDougall, 46, and Przemek Krawczyk, went missing after the Nancy Glen sunk while out on Loch Fyne, in Argyll (pictured, an RNLI crew out on the loch) John Miller, 34, who was pulled from the water by a fishing vessel, told rescuers his two crewmates were still missing. But more than 24 hours later the search operation, focused on waters north of the village of Tarbert, was scaled back yesterday with no trace of the men found. A witness said crew from the CalMac ferry tied a cable to the stricken vessel in an effort to stop it capsizing, the Scottish Sun reported. But the sink severed and the boat plunged into the water and sunk. The witness said: 'It was a heroic attempt to save the boat. 'The only thing that could be seen of the Nancy Glen was the hull. Suddenly, the bow of the boat sank and only the stern could be seen.' It was later reported that a Royal Navy crane was on its way to steady the vessel but could not reach the trawler in time. Mr Miller was taken to hospital in Lochgilphead, Argyll, where staff described his condition as 'stable'. A major search operation was launched on Thursday, but it has since been scaled back Mr MacDougall's uncle, Thomas, who lives in Petts Wood, south London, said the family were 'distraught' by the 'terribly upsetting' news. The fishing port of Tarbert, which is home to all three men, has been left reeling by the tragedy. Free Church minister the Rev Robert Macleod, said: 'The community is clearly in shock, it's a very sombre place today, the families involved are waiting for confirmation. 'Both the Church of Scotland and ourselves, we have opened up our church for people who want to go in for quiet and reflection. 'There are people involved directly, there are still people involved in the search and rescue part of it and there are the families, those who are struggling. 'Something like this touches everybody, it's a very sad and solemn place.' Fishing boat operator John MacAlister, from Oban, Argyll, said Mr MacDougall comes from a well-known Tarbert fishing family who owned the Nancy Glen. He added: 'It is very sad. I have known the MacDougall family since I was a kid and Mr Krawczyk has lived in the village for a while.' Tarbert councillor Anne Horn, a neighbour of Polish-born Mr Krawczyk and his wife Gosia, said: 'They are a lovely family, they have lived here for some years. 'All the men involved are from nice families and are all experienced fishermen.' An RNLI crew heads out on the loch as the search for the missing men continues She said villagers were doing all they could to help those affected, adding: 'It's a very sad community and our love and prayers are for the families. There are young children involved and our hearts go out to them.' A number of Coastguard teams, police divers, RNLI lifeboats, a Coastguard helicopter and local boats were all involved in the search yesterday. A Coastguard spokesman said: 'Attempts were made last night with a remotely operated underwater vehicle to investigate the fishing vessel which has come to rest on the sea floor. 'However, poor visibility hampered those efforts.' RNLI spokesman Henry Weaver said four of its lifeboats had been involved in the search. He added: 'It has been a really good community effort search-wise, there have been a lot of local boats out helping.' A friend of Mr MacDougall, who did not wish to be named, said: 'As many boats as could go out went out.' Describing the former Tarbert Academy pupil as 'a nice, decent guy', they added: 'They were a nice family, you would always see Duncan and his wife Dawn together. 'He clearly adored his children and Dawn they had been going out together since they were young.' Investigations into the cause of the accident are now taking place. A Police Scotland spokesman said the search for the missing men was due to resume this morning. A luxurious day on the water has turned into a nightmare for one woman who is undergoing surgery after she got caught in a propeller. The woman in her late 40s received serious injuries to her legs and groin shortly after midday at the Gold Coast. The woman and her husband were at Wave Break Island, off the coast of popular theme park Sea World, when the boat reversed into a mooring, 9 News reported. A luxurious day on the water has turned into a nightmare for one woman who is undergoing surgery after she got caught in a propeller (paramedics at scene pictured) The woman in her late 40s received serious injuries to her legs and groin shortly after midday at the Gold Coast (pictured) The woman and her husband were at Wave Break Island, off the coast of popular theme park Sea World, when the boat (pictured) reversed into a mooring, 9 News reported The moving propeller cut the woman's legs, leaving her with 'extensive' cuts and fractures to both legs. Quick thinking bystanders helped the woman, who was standing in waist deep water, before Volunteer Marine Rescue took the woman to shore, Gold Coast Bulletin reported. Paramedics treated the woman at the boat ramp where she was given a blood transfusion. Queensland Ambulance Service inspector Pat Berry (pictured) told media the woman had 'serious lower leg injuries, deep lacerations' The woman was rushed to Gold Coast University Hospital where she remains in a critical condition with non-life threatening injuries after incident off Water Break Island (pictured) Six medical crews stabilised the woman whose injuries were described as 'horrendous' by VMR Martin Hood. Queensland Ambulance Service inspector Pat Berry told media the woman had 'serious lower leg injuries, deep lacerations'. The woman was rushed to Gold Coast University Hospital in a serious condition where she remains in a critical condition with non-life threatening injuries. Inspector Berry said the husband was treated for shock and also condemned the efforts of bystanders for what would have been 'quite confronting'. The couple's boat was ferried to shore by Water Police. Pope Francis has held a huge outdoor mass - attended by about 200,000 people - in a northern coastal region of Peru struggling to rebuild in the wake of devastating floods last year. The Pontiff consoled Peruvians who lost their homes and livelihoods in devastating floods last year, telling them that they can overcome all of life's 'storms' by coming together as a community and stamping out the violence that plagues their part of the country. Pope Francis travelled to an area of northern Peru that is frequently hit by 'El Nino' storms and was inundated in 2017 by flooding that killed more than 150 people and destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes. Some residents are still living in tents. Pope Francis wearing typical Peruvian cap - an Uchu - greets a boy in Plaza de Armas square in Buenos Aires neighborhood, southeast of Peruvian city Trujillo Thousands of people waited for the arrival of Pope Francis at Huanchaco beach, on the outskirts of the Peruvian city of Trujillo The Popemobile made its way through adoring crowds on the beach, ahead of the Pontiff celebrating a mass on the shores of the Pacific Ocean The Pontiff is in Peru for an official and apostolic three-day visit which in places has attracted huge crowds Thousands of excited people waited for the arrival of Pope Francis at Huanchaco beach The Pontiff is in the north of Peru to console people who lost their homes and livelihoods in devastating floods last year Pope Francis waves to the crowd from the Popemobile as he arrived to officiate at the open-air mass at the beach resort town of Huanchaco Pope Francis personally greeted and blessed people shortly after disembarking from his plane at the city of Trujillo earlier on Saturday The plane carrying Pope Francis is escorted shortly before landing at the beach resort town of Huanchaco - north-west of the city of Trujillo At a seaside Mass for some 200,000 faithful, Francis said he wanted to come to the area to pray with those who lost everything and who must also contend with the 'other storms that can hit these coasts, with devastating effects on the lives of the children of these lands.' His visit to Trujillo province, some 350 miles north of Lima, was a change of pace after a politically charged first day in the Latin American country where he condemned 'great business interests' for endangering the Amazon and its tribes. The Pontiff warned President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and other leaders of another more subtle form of degradation which he said was pervading society: corruption. Pope Francis hugs a boy at the Apostolic Nunciature in the Peruvian capital Lima on Friday Pope Francis (C) greets locals upon his arrival for a meeting with native peoples, in Puerto Maldonado, on Friday Pope Francis, wearing gifts, leaves after a meeting with representatives of indigenous communities of the Amazon basin from Peru, Brazil and Bolivia, in the Peruvian city of Puerto Maldonado, on Friday 'How much evil is done to our Latin American people and the democracies of this content by this social virus?' the pope asked. 'Everything being done to combat this social scourge deserves our utmost attention.' On Thursday Pope Francis created controversy in Chile, when he accused victims of the country's most notorious paedophile of slander. He made the astonishing claim at the end of a visit meant to help heal the wounds of a sex abuse scandal that has cost the Catholic Church its credibility in the country. Impromptu airline marriage questioned A day after Pope Francis hit the world's headlines by marrying two flight attendants while flying 36,000 feet over Chile, conservative Roman Catholics have queried the validity of the impromptu ceremony. They argued that such spontaneous ceremonies harm other people's marriage preparations. 'Do you know what's a `marriage' ripe for annulment?' tweeted the traditionalist blogger Rorate Caeli. 'One celebrated apparently on a whim in an airplane whose celebrant cannot even be sure if parties are validly baptized.' The Vatican however said the marriage of flight attendants Paula Podest and Carlos Ciuffardi was doctrinally and canonically legitimate. The happy couple were in fact married civilly in 2010, but that their plans for a church wedding fell through when an earthquake hit. As Ciuffardi explained, the Pope proposed that he marry the couple right there, in part to motivate other couples to contract a church wedding at a time when more and more couples are merely cohabitating in contravention of Roman Catholic teachings. Advertisement The Pope said that until he sees proof that Bishop Juan Barros was complicit in covering up sex crimes of the Reverend Fernando Karadima, accusations against Barros are 'all calumny.' Saturday's mass in Peru is taking place on a wide swathe of beach able to accommodate 500,000 people, in the historic town of Huanchaco. It is popular with surfers and known for its distinctive reed watercraft. Crowds began to assemble at the venue on Friday night ahead of the pontiff's appearance, despite persistent drizzle. Pope Francis will then go to the town's poor 'Buenos Aires' neighborhood which was especially hard hit by last April's flooding. More than 130 people were killed across Peru in heavy rains, floods and landslides fuelled by the El Nino weather phenomenon between January and April 2017, which also left at least 300,000 homeless. The pope is also due to preside over a ceremony in the town square before some 35,000 followers and meet members of the clergy. On Friday, he cautioned about the future of the rainforest and tribe members, saying they had 'never been so threatened.' Bare-chested tribesmen danced and sang for the pope when he arrived in the Peruvian city of Puerto Maldonado. Thousands of indigenous people had traveled to meet the Pontiff from throughout the Amazon basin region of Peru, Brazil and Bolivia. Pope Francis, 81, arrived Thursday afternoon in Peru, the second and last leg of a week-long South American visit. During the first part of his visit, in Chile, Francis highlighted the plight of vulnerable immigrants, offered an apology to victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests, prayed with survivors of Augusto Pinochet's brutal dictatorship, and called for protection of Chile's persecuted indigenous communities. Sinn Fein's deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald will succeed Gerry Adams as the leader of the party. The party's deputy leader was the only candidate to succeed Mr Adams when nominations closed this morning, Sky News reported. In Belfast, Mr Adams, the Sinn Fein party president for three decades, said: 'We need to have a party that's fit for purpose, we need to have a plan. Scroll down for video Sinn Fein's deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald will succeed Gerry Adams as the leader of the party. The party's deputy leader was the only candidate to succeed Mr Adams when nominations closed this morning ahead of the special party election come February 10, 2018 'We need a party that thinks and acts strategically...that builds alliances with other of like mind. 'Doing nothing is not an option.' Speaking at the meeting Ms McDonald said she believes her leadership will mark a defining chapter in the achievement of a United Ireland. 'I believe Irish unity is the best solution for all of our people, including our unionist brothers and sisters. I know we have a job to do to convince them of that, but I know we are more than fit for that task,' she said. Ms McDonald added: 'Some of you have said to me 'you have very big shoes to fill'. 'Well, the truth is that no one will ever fill Gerry Adams's shoes. The truth is, my friends, I won't fill Gerry's shoes. But the news is that I brought my own. So I will fill my shoes. 'I will walk in my shoes and we together over the coming years will walk a journey that is full of opportunities, full of challenges, but I believe which marks a defining chapter in our achievement of a United Ireland and the ending of partition. 'As Gerry has said, that's not a pipe dream, that is the road we are on.' Ms McDonald said that she grew up watching Gerry Adams on the television and had never expected that one day she would replace him as leader. Speaking at the meeting Ms McDonald said she believes her leadership will mark a defining chapter in the achievement of a United Ireland 'Little was I to know at that time that I would come to know and work so closely with Gerry and the entire leadership and to have him as such a close friend. 'But I certainly never would have guessed that come February 10 2018 that I would be the boss of him,' she said. Ms McDonald added that Sinn Fein is 'probably the most exemplary party when it comes to girl power at this stage in Irish politics'. Earlier Mr Adams told members that the party must devise strategies and win support for a referendum on Irish unity. 'And we need to campaign for this. We also need to win that referendum... Don't believe the naysayers and begrudgers... who claim that a United Ireland is a pipe dream. Ms McDonald said that she grew up watching Gerry Adams on the television and had never expected that one day she would replace him as leader 'It isn't. It's very real. It's very achievable. We can do it,' he added. Mr Adams announced in November that he was stepping down as Sinn Fein president after 34 years in the role. A special party conference to ratify Ms McDonald as leader will be held on February 10. Ms McDonald has been a TD for Dublin Central since 2011. Before getting elected to the Dail (parliament) she was an MEP representing the Dublin constituency - becoming Sinn Fein's first MEP in the Republic of Ireland in 2004. Before getting elected to the Dail (parliament) she was an MEP representing the Dublin constituency - becoming Sinn Fein's first MEP in the Republic of Ireland in 2004 Many party members have been tweeting their support for Ms McDonald. Fiachra McGuinness, son of the late Martin McGuinness, tweeted a video message on Friday announcing that he was 'proud and honoured' to endorse Ms McDonald. He said his father was a 'huge admirer of her ideas, dedication and commitment', and that she was the 'ideal candidate to lead Sinn Fein into the future'. Since 1983, Adams has gone before the Ard Fheis to seek re-election and he was duly anointed again by the party faithful. But upon announcing his decision to not stand for the role in November, he said: 'I want to thank everyone who has welcomed me into their homes and communities and have made me part of countless campaigns, countless elections and countless negotiations.' He received rapturous applause from the audience, adding: 'We are going to continue to go forward.' A top East London primary school has backed down just days after it banned girls under eight from wearing hijabs. St Stephen's primary school in Newham had said it was making the change to make pupils feel more integrated but now appears to have changed course. A note on the school's website on Friday said that the school now had a 'deeper understanding of the matter' and had 'decided to reverse our position with immediate effect', according to the Guardian. The chair of the school's governing body, Arif Qawi, also resigned after a backlash against the ban which he had championed. St Stephen's primary school in Newham had said it was banning hijabs for girls aged under eight but now appears to have changed course The school, rated 'outstanding', has since updated its website to say: 'The school's uniform policy is based on the health, safety and welfare of our children. 'The school has taken the decision to make changes to this policy with immediate effect and this follows on from conversations with our school community. 'We will work with our school community to continue to review this policy going forward in the best interests of our children.' The school's headteacher, Neena Lall (pictured), had supported the change in a bid to make pupils feel more integrated Mr Qawi resigned after a petition calling for his departure had said the hijab ban was 'dictating freedom of choice' and curbing freedom of religious expression. 'This is victimisation and with immediate effect we demand that Arif Qawi is removed from his position. The school's headteacher, Neena Lall, had supported the change in a move to make pupils more integrated. She said she had found that very few pupils felt they were British when she asked those who did to put their hands up. Mr Qawi had also called for a ban on fasting at school, saying pupils should observe the fast at holidays and weekends. A representative for the Muslim Council of Britain said that the decision 'did not appear to target adherents of other faiths'. However Amina Lone, a supporter of the ban, wrote on Twitter that it was a 'terribly sad day for a secular democracy'. Students were left dumbstruck after moving into the 'house from hell' where the property was so damp their shoes turned green and bedroom drawers were scattered with toenail clippings. Liverpool University student Hannah Sillett, 22, moved into her off-campus digs last summer - but when she arrived she claims the property was in a 'dire state'. Hannah and her three housemates were also horrified to later find the terraced house was riddled with persistent damp. A group of students at Liverpool University moved into the 'house from hell' where bedroom drawers were scattered with toenail clippings and the property was so damp their shoes turned green The final year dental student claims the girls have repeatedly complained about damp in the property - after first alerting their letting agency Top Property in October. Top Property claim they tried to establish access to the property at the end of October to fit air vents, but that the tenants failed to cooperate. However, Hannah said the letting agency never specified what they were requesting access for, and that air vents were not mentioned when Top Property asked for access. Top Property emailed the tenants stating work to address the damp problem in the house has been arranged to be carried out next week, provided access is permitted. Hannah and her three housemates were also horrified to later find the terraced house was riddled with persistent damp She claimed the damp conditions in the house are 'absolutely horrific', and that the tenants' clothing and possessions have been ruined by the problems. Stomach-churning photos taken inside the property show pairs of shoes and a Mulberry handbag coated in green mould, as well as huge patches of damp on the walls. Hannah said: 'The house smells - it's embarrassing. You can't smell your own clothes and when I went home for Christmas I opened my case and I was mortified. 'If I'm out and about smelling like that I'm mortified.' She added: 'I pulled out my bed the other day and it was just black - my duvet was there all just soaking.' Describing the property as a 'house from hell', Hannah also claimed the issue is affecting the girls' kitchen, after she placed a piece of dry pasta in a kitchen cupboard and returned two days later to find it turned had brown and was 'growing spores'. Despite repeatedly reporting the problem to Top Property, Hannah claims the agency blamed the damp on 'ventilation and lifestyle issues' and advised the tenants to open windows and dry their clothes outside. Top Property also advised the girls to 'go to environmental health' if they were unhappy with how the issues were being dealt with. The tenants said they complained about the 'dire state' of the property when they moved in. Hannah said: 'It hadn't been cleaned - there were toenails in the drawers.' Top Property claimed the cleanliness of the property when the girls moved in was down to a short turn-around time between the past tenants leaving and new tenants arriving. Hannah and her housemates pay 360 a month each for their rooms - but they have been left bitterly disappointed by the state of their uni digs. The girls' contract at the property ends in July, but Hannah said they are so frustrated by the ongoing issues they want to be allowed to move out. She said: 'We're in fifth year, it's our last semester of uni ever and we don't want to be dealing with this.' The tenants said they complained about the 'dire state' of the property when they moved in. Hannah said: 'It hadn't been cleaned - there were toenails in the drawers.' A Top Property spokesman said: 'We are aware of an issue at the property in question. We attended in late October 2017 when the issue was first reported. We identified it as condensation caused by lack of airflow which is a common problem in Victorian terraced property used for student accommodation. 'Liverpool Council's advice for dealing with mould issues caused by poor ventilation was given to the tenants. The claim that the property is dripping wet is incorrect. 'We recommended to the landlord that it would be a good idea to improve airflow by fitting additional ventilation to two bedrooms and the lounge. Hannah and her housemates pay 360 a month each for their rooms - but they have been left bitterly disappointed by the state of their uni digs. The girls' contract at the property ends in July, but Hannah said they are so frustrated by the ongoing issues they want to be allowed to move out We arranged for a contractor to attend at the end of October and access was requested in writing from all tenants. 'All four tenants failed to grant access despite numerous requests. This is an ongoing issue with the cooperation of the tenants as it has taken protracted discussions to gain access for any maintenance visits.' Adding: 'We are committed to the health and safety of our tenants and work with tenants and landlords to ensure issues are resolved as quickly as possible and trust that we can work with the current tenants to resolve the issues raised.' Paul Bocuse, one of the greatest French chefs of all time, has died aged 91, the country's interior minister said on Saturday. Dubbed the 'pope' of French cuisine, Bocuse helped shake up the food world in the 1970s with the Nouvelle Cuisine revolution and created the idea of the celebrity chef. 'Monsieur Paul was France. The pope of gourmets has left us,' tweeted Interior Minister Gerard Collomb, announcing the chef's death after a long battle with Parkinson's disease. 'He was one of the greatest figures of French gastronomy, the General Charles de Gaulle of cuisine,' said French food critic Francois Simon, comparing him to France's wartime saviour and dominant postwar leader. Paul Bocuse, one of the greatest French chefs of all time, has died aged 91, the country's interior minister said on Saturday (pictured in 1987) Bocuse died on Saturday at Collonges-au-Mont-d'or, the place where he was born and had his restaurant, French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement. A giant in a nation that prides itself as the beating heart of gastronomy, Bocuse was France's only chef to keep the Michelin food bible's coveted three-star rating through more than four decades. He slept in the same room where he was born, and managed to maintain a relationship with his wife Raymonde and at least two lovers. 'I love women and we live too long these days to spend one's entire life with just one,' Bocuse said in 2005. The heart of his empire, L'Auberge de Collonges au Mont D'Or, his father's village inn near Lyon in food-obsessed southeastern France, earned three stars in 1965, and never lost a single one. Dubbed the 'pope' of French cuisine, Bocuse helped shake up the food world in the 1970s with the Nouvelle Cuisine revolution and created the idea of the celebrity chef Bocuse (pictured in 1976) was France's only chef to keep the Michelin food bible's coveted three-star rating through more than four decades In a statement, President Macron underlined Bocuse's 'generosity, his respect for traditions as well as his inventiveness', and praised his 'fidelity' to his home town. Bocuse helped train French and foreign chefs up to his last few days, said Mr Macron, who was not yet born when Bocuse earned his three-star rating. The French president said: 'French gastronomy loses a mythical figure ... The chefs cry in their kitchens, at the Elysee and everywhere in France.' 'Monsieur Paul,' as he was known, was named 'chef of the century' by Michelin's rival guide, the Gault-Millau in 1989, and again by The Culinary Institute of America in 2011. Born in 1926 to a family of cooks since 1765, Bocuse began his apprenticeship at the age of 16 and came to epitomise a certain type of French epicurean - a lover of fine wine, food and women. Bocuse died on Saturday at Collonges-au-Mont-d'or (pictured), the place where he was born and had his restaurant, French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement Paul Bocuse is celebrated with the Legion d'Honneur by then-French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing (right) at a ceremony in 1975 Bocuse, born in 1926 to family who had been cooks since 1765, poses with a waxwork of himself at the Grevin museum in Paris While Bocuse's kitchens were meticulously in order, his personal life was on the unorthodox side. He acknowledged in a 2005 biography that he had been quietly sharing his life with three women - simultaneously - each with a pivotal role in his life. 'I think cuisine and sex have lots of common points,' Bocuse said in an interview before publication of 'Paul Bocuse: The Sacred Fire.' 'Even if it seems a bit macho, I love women.' 'The Sacred Fire' was written by Eve-Marie Zizza-Lalu - daughter of the most recent woman in his life, Patricia, whom he met in 1972. Yet it is his wife Raymonde, with whom Bocuse had a daughter, Francoise, who helps watch over his restaurant. In a book published in 2006 shortly after yet another heart operation, Bocuse was quoted as summing up: "I have three stars. I have had three bypasses. And I still have three women." A mural of Paul Bocuse outside his restaurant L'Auberge de Collonges au Mont D'Or which earned three Michelin stars in 1965 and has never lost them Bocuse became a driving force behind the Nouvelle Cuisine, sweeping away the rich and heavy sauces of yesteryear in favour of super-fresh ingredients and sleek aesthetics As a young man he worked at the famed La Mere Brazier in Lyon, then spent eight years with one of his culinary idols, Fernand Point, a forerunner of the Nouvelle Cuisine movement. A great upholder of tradition as well as an innovator, several of his trademark dishes at the Auberge remained unchanged for decades, such as the bass in a pastry crust or the black truffle soup he created for French president Valery Giscard d'Estaing in 1975, who named him a commander in the Legion of Honour. Together with the Gault-Millau guide, Bocuse became a driving force behind the Nouvelle Cuisine, sweeping away the rich and heavy sauces of yesteryear in favour of super-fresh ingredients and sleek aesthetics. In 1982, Bocuse opened a restaurant in the France Pavilion in Walt Disney World's Epcot Center in Orlando, Florida, headed by his son Jerome, also a chef, whom he had with his first mistress Raymone. In recent years, Bocuse even dabbled in fast food with two outlets in his home base of Lyon. His Bocuse d'Or, or gold award - an international competition for young chefs - has grown into a major culinary showcase since 1987. 'Monsieur Paul,' as he was known, was named 'chef of the century' by Michelin's rival guide, the Gault-Millau in 1989, and again by The Culinary Institute of America in 2011 A great upholder of tradition as well as an innovator, several of his trademark dishes at the Auberge remained unchanged for decades Bocuse claimed the term Nouvelle Cuisine was invented by Gault-Millau to describe food he helped prepare for the maiden flight of the Concorde airliner in 1969. Slashing cooking times, paring down menus and paying new attention to health, Nouvelle Cuisine was a craze that fizzled out but left a lasting legacy. 'It was a real revolution,' said Simon. 'They coined a concept that came at exactly the right moment - at a time when gastronomy was a bit dull and heavy, with thick sauces, not sexy at all.' In 2007, more than 80 top chefs flew to France from around the world to celebrate his 81st birthday and his legacy. Despite accolades from the world of gastronomy, Bocuse saw a restaurant's reservation book as the real measure of any chef's talent. 'If the restaurant works, if it's full of clients ... whatever the cuisine, he (the chef) is right,' he said. He is survived by his wife Raymonde, their daughter Francoise and a son, Jerome. President Macron praised Bocuse's 'fidelity' to his village of Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or, near Lyon, where he was born, created his world-famous restaurant (pictured) and died A painting depicting Paul Bocuse adorns the wall near the dining room in his three-star Michelin restaurant L'Auberge du Pont de Collonges The first year of Donald Trump's unorthodox presidency may have been a dizzying ride, but Belinda Miller has never regretted voting for him in 2016. 'My 401(k) and my 403 have soared and, if anybody doesn't realize that, they've been asleep for a year,' said Miller, a 50-year-old emergency room nurse from Audubon, Pennsylvania, referring to her retirement accounts' growth in a booming stock market. 'I look overall not at what he says but what he does. All that other stuff is just rhetoric, smoke and mirrors,' she added. The Philadelphia suburb where Miller lives in Montgomery County was key to Trump's surprising 2016 triumph. In a sign of its importance, his campaign dispatched his daughter Ivanka to the region late in the race to woo women there. In interviews with more than half a dozen Trump supporters in the region, mostly women, his backers remained largely committed to him, citing his immigration policies and a belief that tax reform will create jobs amid a growing economy. Many women in Pennsylvania remain committed to supporting Trump after voting for him, citing his immigration policies and a belief that tax reform will create jobs amid a growing economy (Pictured, supporters wait for Trump in Orlando, Florida, November 2016) Polls show support among Republicans has slipped only slightly over the year, dropping from 84 percent in his first month to 78 percent in the last month (Pictured, supporters wait for Trump in Miami, Florida, November 2016) Some Trump voters have grappled with how to evaluate his policy accomplishments, like the sweeping tax law Republicans passed in December, amid his inflammatory words (Pictured, supporters wait for Trump in Pensacola, Florida, December 2016) Many of them were unfazed by Trump's combative style and provocative language. Trump's strength among his base is reflected in Reuters/Ipsos polls of his approval ratings, which show support among Republicans has slipped only slightly over the year, dropping from 84 percent in his first month to 78 percent in the last month. Carol Markowicz, a 52-year-old Philadelphia resident, said she voted for former Democratic President Barack Obama in 2012 but cast her ballot for Trump, convinced his business background and anti-illegal immigration stance would secure more jobs for Pennsylvanians. 'I really think they need to build a wall,' she said of Trump's proposed Mexican border barrier. 'I think they need to send back all these people that aren't supposed to be here, because they're taking jobs from Americans.' Other Trump voters have grappled with how to evaluate the president's policy accomplishments, like the sweeping tax law Republicans passed in December, amid his inflammatory words. Some, like Miller and Loida Hopkins, a stay-at-home mother in Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania, said they focus on his actions, not his language. 'Let's set aside his personality. What about what he's actually doing that is benefiting us?' Hopkins said. Many of the women say they focus on his actions, not his language and that it's just 'rhetoric, smoke and mirrors' (Pictured, a supporter flashes a sign on election night in New York, November 2016) Many women have also revealed that they voted for Trump not because they liked him as a candidate but because they distrusted Hillary Clinton (Pictured, Trump holds a 'Women for Trump' sign in Bethpage, New York, April 2016) However, others say that Trump's behavior has dashed hopes that he would act more 'presidential' in office (Pictured, Trump supporters wait in line for a rally in Hershey, Pennsylvania, November 2016) On paper, Hopkins seems a likely Democratic target: daughter of two illegal immigrants, she collects food stamps, suffers from enormous debt and voted for Obama in 2012. But the devout Christian said she voted in part for Trump because of his opposition to abortion and believes that God put him in the White House for a reason. She also said she was working hard to better herself, unlike other welfare recipients, and did not object that wealthy people and corporations stood to benefit from the tax law. Her husband, she said, is receiving a bonus from his company as a result. Not all Trump voters are sticking with him. Kathleen Kuffel, 74, another Philadelphia suburban resident and a 'die-hard Republican', said she reluctantly voted for Trump due to her distrust of Democrat Hillary Clinton. But his behavior has dashed her hopes that he would act more 'presidential' in office. 'He has some good ideas. Our tax code needs to be revamped, and I agree with some of his policies on immigration,' she said. 'But he needs to learn diplomacy. He needs to learn he is not the only person in the world, and he needs to stop being selfish. He needs to consider that every time he tweets, it's having huge repercussions.' Polling data suggest the recent revelations of sexual abuse by powerful men has done little damage to Trump's standing among Republican women (Pictured, Supporters wave signs while Melania Trump holds an event in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, November 2016) Trump has vehemently denied all allegations and most of women who spoke with Reuters said they did not believe the allegations (Pictured, Trump supports gather outside the Republican National Committee Headquarters in Washington, October 2016) There is a debate that still rages on for many GOP voters: whether to focus on Trump's behavior or his policies (Pictured, a young Trump supporters holds a sign in Raleigh, North Carolina, November 2016) Polling data suggest the recent revelations of sexual abuse by powerful men has done little damage to Trump's standing among Republican women, despite allegations of misconduct from more than a dozen women. Trump has vehemently denied all allegations and most of women who spoke with Reuters said they did not believe the allegations. There is a debate that still rages on for many GOP voters: whether to focus on Trump's behavior or his policies. But that may not sway Trump voters like Belinda Miller and her husband, John, a contractor, especially given the low unemployment rate and the still-growing economy. 'Have you ever gotten a job from a poor person?' John Miller said. 'Poor people don't hire workers. The corporations just needed a break in taxes so they can operate properly.' Anti-vaxxers excluded from day care have come up with an initiative to avoid the new tough No Jab No Play laws - by opening their own centre. As of January 1, unvaccinated children in NSW are prevented from attending day care and directors face a fine of up to $5,500 for dodging the rules. One NSW woman however, who describes herself as a 'vegan mum to a toddler living off grid near Byron Bay', has reportedly called for parents to join 'an affordable day care co-op,' according to the Daily Telegraph. Anti-vaxxer Amy Moffat has come up with an initiative to avoid new No Jab No Play laws As of January 1 unvaccinated children are prevented from attending day care In a post publicly posted to an online community board, Amy Moffat wrote she has been considering sending a message to the government, opting to instead 'do it her own way'. She wrote the mission of 'The Kids Co-op' was 'to provide an affordable, community-run, self-funded childminding co-operative open to all, where no regulations or legalities are imposed by government or funding bodies, and all decisions and operations are decided upon democratically as a community.' Within just three weeks the co-op has garnered interest from 126 members. Ms Moffat declined to comment when she was contacted by Newscorp. The area is known for low vaccination rates with Mullumbimby's rate at just 50 per cent and Byron Bay at just 60 per cent among five year olds. NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said any unregulated child care service would face consequences. The NSW woman has reportedly called for 'an affordable day care co-op' 'Now I am aware of what amounts to a crazy insurrection, I will seek legal advice from the department and, if it is possible to prosecute this person, I'm inclined to do so,' Mr Hazzard said. Operating an educational centre for kids without approval invited penalties of up to $100,000, according to Minister for Early Childhood Education Sarah Mitchell, who said to do so would be illegal. 'Setting up a service to intentionally break the law is irresponsible and puts innocent children at risk, and I have absolutely no issue cracking down on any illegal operators.' Mr Hazzard said measures to ensure children in preschools and day care facilities are kept safe will be monitored. Migrants flocked around lorries at a depot in Calais after Emmanuel Macron demanded 45million for extra fencing and CCTV. The men were seen trying to yank open the back door of a HGV this morning, as they loitered around the trucks and tried to avoid French police patrols in the area. Pictures of the group emerge days after the French president called for Theresa May to pledge millions to beef up security in France's ports. Scroll down for video Men loiter around a lorry at a depot in Calais this morning, days after Emmanuel Macron demands Britain sends nearly 45million to beef up security measures One of the men appears to wedging the back door of the lorry open as his friends watch on The men, wearing hooded tops and dark jackets, wandered around in groups of four as they stared at the lorries coming to and from the port The men stare towards fences with rings of barbed wire guarding the truck depot in Calais The men, wearing hooded tops and dark jackets, wandered around in groups of four as they stared at the lorries coming to and from the port. Others were spotted near a small settlement of tents, among trees in a wooded area, near the truck depot. Men carried sleeping bags as they walked among the filthy camp, with litter strewn across the floor. The pictures come as Mrs May said the cash pledged to Calais was in Britain's 'national interests'. However, the move was met with fury by politicians who said enough had already been paid to the French. Mrs May was forced to defend the decision on Thursday, saying: This is in our national interests, it is also in the interests of France to ensure that we have as secure a border as possible at Calais and other ports. In groups of four the men sit on rocks along the roads in and out of the truck depot The men were seen loitering around the HGV trucks this morning, as they tried to avoid French police patrols in the area Other men were spotted near a small settlement of tents among trees in a wooded area near the truck depot She stressed that the deal with the French would enhance the security of our border and would in turn reduce the number of migrants coming to the UK. New plans agreed by the Prime Minister will also see adult migrants seeking to come to the UK via Calais have their applications processed within one month, rather six. Children will see their waiting time slashed from six months to just 25 days, it was announced yesterday. A Downing Street source insisted the plans would reduce the pull factor and by speeding up the process, cases would be thrown out quicker. This would mean there would be less migrants waiting in Calais to see if they can come to the UK and less of a problem at the border. Mr Macron outlined the deal at a joint press conference with Mrs May after an Anglo-Franco summit at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. French President Emmanuel Macron outlined the deal at a joint press conference with Mrs May after an Anglo-Franco summit at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst He said they had agreed upon a Sandhurst Treaty, shaking-up the process for dealing with asylum seekers and migrants camped at Channel ports. He said this was the first joint treaty to be signed on such issues in fifteen years. Mr Macron said the UK and France are making a new tapestry together, as he confirmed plans to loan the Bayeux Tapestry to the UK. The treaties signed today, for me, provide for the framework in which we shall be able in the coming months to bring about a concrete answer so that we no longer have migrants living in Calais, as we were seeing in the spring of 2016, said the President. He said the new treaty would allow him to fulfil his 2016 vow that after Brexit migrants will no longer be in Calais. He said: We can either manage the border together or it will be a disastrous situation. It is not a gift for France. It is some joint management. The French president, making his first visit to Britain since entering the Elysee Palace, was greeted at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, with a guard of honour from the Coldstream Guards. The leaders do not want to see a return of the notorious Jungle Camp, which attracted thousands of migrants from across parts of Africa and Asia. France also wants Britain to take in more migrants from Calais, especially unaccompanied children. Mrs May pointedly declined to give a number of migrants that Britain would take when asked at a joint press conference. Instead she stressed the need to clamp down on people smugglers and take other measures to stop migrants from getting to Calais. Mr Macron said the treaty would mean smarter and more efficient management of the border and a more efficient, humane processing system for migrants. Eleven people were killed and 44 were injured when a bus carrying a group of skiers heading to the slopes crashed into trees at the side of the road. Officials say the bus carrying mostly people going on a ski trip has crashed into trees in Eskisehir province in north-west Turkey, leaving nearly a dozen dead. Governor Ozdemir Cakacak of the province said the bus was travelling from the Turkish capital of Ankara to the western city of Bursa when it crashed on a road in his region early Saturday. Eleven people were killed and 44 were injured when a bus carrying a group of skiers heading to the slopes crashed into trees at the side of the road in the Eskisehir province in north-west Turkey Officials say the bus carrying mostly people going on a ski trip has crashed into trees in Eskisehir province in north-west Turkey, leaving nearly a dozen dead The cause of the crash, which occurred on the first day of a school holiday, was under investigation. Local media reported the bus driver told police that he veered toward the side of the road to avoid what he thought was a stray dog in the road. The injured are currently being treated at three different hospitals, he added. It is not known if there are any children among the victims. Cakacak told the media the injured were currently being treated at three different hospitals. 'I wish Allah's mercy on our citizens who have lost their lives and a speedy recovery to the injured,' he said. Governor Ozdemir Cakacak of the province said the bus was travelling from the Turkish capital of Ankara to the western city of Bursa when it crashed on a road in his region early Saturday Local media reported the bus driver told police that he veered toward the side of the road to avoid what he thought was a stray dog in the road 'The accident is currently under investigation,' he added. The driver and his assistant have been remanded in custody. Turkey has a poor track record in road safety, with more than a million accidents in 2016 and 7,300 deaths, according to official statistics, the AFP news agency reports. One year on, more than 1,000 police officers have admitted to seeking help in the aftermath the Bourke St tragedy in Melbourne. Alleged driver Dimitrious Gargasoulas faces six counts of murder and 38 of attempted murder, over the rampage which has seen an unprecedented influx of force officers seeking support. Victoria's frontline police, experienced detectives, traffic cops and crime scene investigators are believed to be among the personnel seeking assistance, the Herald Sun reported. One year after the Bourke Street tragedy a number of officers still seek support A thousand police officers have admitted to seeking assistance in the aftermath A team of 18 psychologists and a wider support network of more than 50 were assigned to help members in the weeks and months to follow, Victoria Police senior psychologist Alexandra West said. 'We certainly hadn't dealt with anything like that before. The scale and intensity was different to anything many members had ever had to deal with.' She believes there has been more than 1,000 contacts from members seeking assistance. Often the plea for support is communicated by members saying 'I was involved with Bourke St. I need to speak to somebody'. The rampage has seen an unprecedented influx of Victoria's police seeking help Dr West is confident the high amount of callers may be linked to a proactive approach to seeking support encouraged today. She says it is very possible to recover from trauma and emphasis is placed on treatment which supports struggles and encourages returning to work. There is no way to pinpoint how deeply someone may be hurting with often the anniversary of the event re-triggering negative emotions. 'Reactions and impacts are so highly individual, there is no good way to predict who will and who won't be most impacted. We just want the members to recognise the signs and know support is there.' Donations to a legal fund set up to challenge the release of serial rapist John Worboys have doubled in the 24 hours since the government said it would not contest the decision. Former black cab driver Worboys is due to be released from prison less than 10 years after he was jailed for drugging and sexually assaulting 12 women and raping one. Police have said they believe he could have attacked up to 102 victims while lawyers believe there were 105. There are thought to be up to 105 victims of John Worboys, who will be release after serving less that 10 years Justice Secretary David Gauke came under fire for ruling out the Government launching a case because legal advice said it would lose. The Centre for Women's Justice has been seeking donations to fund a legal challenge to the Parole Board's decision on behalf of two of his victims, who want to find out why he was released so they can challenge it. Yesterday afternoon, donations stood at around 18,000 but that has now reached 40,000 as anger mounts over the decision to free Worboys. Solicitors Birnberg Peirce sent a letter to the Parole Board threatening judicial review proceedings on two grounds. They sayParole Board rules which prevent the publication of decisions to free offenders are unlawful and in the Worboys case there is a is an over-riding public interest in understanding the decision. The decision to release the rapist 'in the light of all the known facts surrounding his offence and reports of his progression in prison appears to be wholly irrational', they also argue. Justice Minister has been criticised after deciding not to launch a case because legal advice said the Government would lose The Centre for Women's Justice has seen donations surge as anger mounts over the decision to free the rapist Harriet Wistrich, solicitor at Birnberg Pierce, and also Director of the Centre for Women's Justice said: 'This will be an unprecedented legal challenge. 'Where a decision appears to be so irrational, as it does in this case given all the known facts, there is an arguable basis to challenge the rules preventing publication of reasons. 'If we get access to the reasons then we can explore grounds for challenging a decision which is so insulting and horrific for all the victims concerned.' The two victims the case is being brought on behalf of are known as DSD and NBV. DSD was one of his earliest known victim and he drugged and sexually assaulted her in early 2003, while NBV was drugged and sexually assaulted by him in 2007, his 75th known victim. Former minister Nick Boles tore into the decision not to challenge the release of Worboys In a tweet he attacked the 'timidity and lack of ambition' of Theresa May's government Tory former minister Nick Boles tore into Theresa May's 'pathetic' decision not to order a judicial review into the release of 'vile creature' John Worboys. Mr Boles, who was business minister until July 2016, earlier said on Twitter: 'There is a timidity and lack of ambition about Mrs May's Government which means it constantly disappoints. 'Time to raise your game, Prime Minister. #worboys #HousingCrisis #NHSfunding #etcetc'. Mr Boles told Mail Online: 'I just felt the last straw was the decision not to judicially review the parole board's decision to release this vile creature Worboys. 'I just think it's a pathetic display. 'I don't care what the advice was about the chances of success of a judicial review, I want my Government to stand up for its conviction and to represent me and my constituents. 'Even if we are going to lose the case lets hire the best QC in the country to go into a court and argue on behalf of the government and the British people what we all believe. 'And at least that will reassure people that we know that the system is wrong and we are determined to change it, and that we are utterly appalled and ashamed that this decision has been made in the way it has.' An office worker was stunned to find one of the world's most deadly spiders in a bunch of Asda bananas. Neil Langley, 53, bought the fruit from a branch of the supermarket in Tipton, West Midlands, but didn't notice there was a Brazilian wandering spider hidden among the bunch, until back in his office the next day. The venomous creature can kill their prey within a hour of their bite, but are rarely found outside their natural forest habitats in South America. This Brazilian wandering spider was found in a bunch of bananas bought from a branch of Asda by Neil Langley Mr Langley, 53, bought the fruit from the supermarket, but didn't notice there was a Brazilian wandering spider hidden among the bunch, until back in his office the next day Mr Langley, who works at the Department of Work and Pensions, said that while it was a shock to find the venomous intruder lurking on his fruit, it has not put him off buying bananas. He said: 'I bought a bunch of four or five bananas at the ASDA and put them in a bag but I didn't notice the spider until I was at my desk the next day. 'It was in one of the clear bags you use for fruit and it must have just woken up. 'I was lucky it hadn't crawled out at home or in my work bag. Mr Langley boxed up the creature, which was identified by the RSPCA, and it was donated to Bristol Zoo 'I first saw something moving out of the corner of my eye and it wasn't a normal grey spider you get in this country, it was quite big. I put it in a plastic bag and had a big discussion with my colleagues about what to do with it. We even discussed flushing it down the toilet! 'Eventually a colleague who is an animal lover put it in a cereal box and gave it to the RSPCA, who took it away. It must have made a difference to the cats and dogs they usually get called out to.' Neil added: 'The RPSCA confirmed it was a Brazilian wandering spider in a phone call about an hour-and-a-half later. Some of the effects of its bite are quite horrific. It can be deadly, depending on your reaction.' Mr Langley said that despite his gruesome discovery, he would not stop buying bananas The administrative officer, from Bilston, doesn't feel Asda is to blame for the shock on Thursday - and hasn't been put off his lunchtime fruit. He said: 'I don't think you can put too much blame on ASDA. 'The bananas are imported on from places like Costa Rica and South America and the supermarkets buy them from wholesalers. I told the manager at the store and he promised to look into it. 'I'm going to keep on buying bananas for my lunch but I'll be a bit more circumspect when I get six or seven together.' Nobody was available for comment from Asda today. The supermarket chain has said in the past that such incidents are extremely rare. The retailer has said: 'We sell around one billion bananas every year and each and every one is washed, sprayed and manually checked for quality and stowaways before being transported to the UK. 'We'd like to reassure all our customers that the chance of finding a spider is incredibly low and it's even less likely that a tropical spider could survive outside of their warm climate.' A Texas judge allegedly interrupted a deliberating jury to claim that God told him the defendant is not guilty. Judge Jack Robison reportedly told jurors on Friday in a state district court in Comal County in Texas that Gloria Romero-Perez was not guilty of trafficking her 16-year-old niece for sex. According to the Herald-Zeitung, Judge Robison apologized to jurors for the interruption, but defended his actions by declaring: 'When God tells me I gotta do something, I gotta do it.' Judge Jack Robison (pictured before the incident) allegedly interrupted a deliberating jury state district court in Comal County in Texas to claim that God told him the defendant is not guilty The jury was debating over whether or not Gloria Romero-Perez (pictured) was guilty of trafficking her 16-year-old niece for sex Despite Robison's outburst, the jury found 32-year-old Romano-Perez guilty of continuous trafficking of a person and sentenced her to 25 years in prison. The Herald-Zeitung reported that Robison recused himself before the trials sentencing phase and was replaced by Judge Gary Steele. Defense attorney Sylvia Cavazos said Friday she would attempt to seek a retrial, but her request was denied. According to The Statesman, Judge Robison was disciplined by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct in 2011 for jailing a grandfather who called him a fool over his ruling in a child custody case. The commission decided that Judge Robison failed to give the man advance notice of his ruling and was unfair in how he had the man thrown in jail. However, the jury found Romano-Perez guilty of continuous trafficking of a person and sentenced her to 25 years in prison (Pictured, Comal County Courthouse) Controversy has been sparked by the across Texas with many calling for the judge to be kicked off the bench. Others are outraged that he chose to spoke up during the trial of a child sex trafficking suspect. It is not clear if Judge Robison, who was voted into his position, will be kicked off the bench for his instructions to the jury. Advertisement President Trump ignored the complaints against him and said this of the Women's Marches on Saturday President Trump has weighed in on the Women's March with a tweet that is certain to rile the tens of thousands of fired-up protesters marching against him across the country. As processions of pink, 'pussy' hats and illustrations asking for him to be impeached made their way through the nation's many cities, Trump ignored their complaints about him and said: 'Beautiful weather all over our great country, a perfect day for all Women to March. 'Get out there now to celebrate the historic milestones and unprecedented economic success and wealth creation that has taken place over the last 12 months. 'Lowest female unemployment in 18 years!' The mass protests commemorate a year since the historic Women's March on January 21, 2017, a day after Trump's inauguration. This year, the marches also take on the momentum of the Me Too and Time's Up movements against sexual misconduct which were sparked with allegations against Hollywood heavyweights. They also coincided with a government shutdown which went into place late on Friday night. Scroll down for video People participate in the Second Annual Women's March in Washington DC, on January 20, 2018. It coincides with the government shutdown Washington DC: There were calls for impeachment at the Lincoln Memorial where some protesters descended Philadelphia: Thousands were in the street in central Philadelphia on Saturday for the march, their pink signs visible for miles On Saturday, the marches were well underway by the time the president chimed in. His remarks angered many and sent others into despair. 'You just don't get it, do you?' was the reply of one exasperated critic. Many questioned whether the president himself actually wrote the tweet. 'One thing about this tweet is that it absolutely wasn't written by Trump (vocabulary and phrasing different) so someone else is using his account purely to troll,' said one critic. On Saturday, Trump was stuck in Washington DC, grounded by the overnight government shutdown, and unable to fly to Mar-a-Lago to attend a celebratory anniversary party to which tickets were sold at $100,000 each. Sources inside the White House said he was 'upset' he would likely miss the event which he was referring to as 'my party', according to The Daily Beast. Some 250 cities across the world were planning to play host to some form of Women's March on Saturday. Washington DC: Protesters at Lincoln Memorial on Saturday with signs denouncing the president as a 'narcissist' Washington DC: Among the protest signs were unflattering illustrations depicting Trump as Putin's baby Washington DC: The president ignored the thousands of signs such as these and encouraged his fans to 'get out' and 'celebrate' all the good he has done for the country Washington DC: In Washington DC, a women holds up her protest sign which poked fun at the president's hair Washington DC: One of the thousands of protest signs in Washington DC on Saturday afternoon Washington DC: A female protester takes a seat at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool with her sign Washington DC: Liberal young women were confronted with anti-abortionists at the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday Washington DC: A man in a 'pussy' hat takes a break and surveys the crowds while holding up an 'impeach' sign with the White House insignia on it Washington DC: Protesters praised special prosecutor Robert Mueller and repeated calls of the Times Up movement Washington DC: Protesters at the Lincoln Memorial stood behind plastic fencing with signs condemning the president New York City: Tens of thousands of protesters gathered near Central Park for the Manhattan march. The group's Facebook page suggested that as many as 80,000 planned to attend One of the largest protests was in Los Angeles where a gaggle of female starlets gathered to deliver thought-out remarks on sexual misconduct and gender inequality. Both Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman spoke with determination as they vowed to support the 'revolution' at foot. They made reference to their young daughters and told how they had decided to stop 'pandering' to men who suppress how they express 'desire'. In Park City, Utah, Jane Fonda led a snow-dusted march. A number of stars are in the winter resort for the annual Sundance Film Festival. Among them was lawyer Gloria Allred who delighted in joining the Hollywood crowd. She is the subject of a new Netflix documentary. In New York City, Whoopi Goldberg was joined by Padma Lakshmi and Yoko Ono who invoked her lake husband John Lennon's song on a sign which read: 'Imagine peace.' New York City: Protesters in Manhattan held up graphic illustrations including one which showed Trump being groped by the Statue of Liberty New York City: A group of protesters who called themselves Gays Against Guns took part in the march in Manhattan Los Angeles: Some of the many signs in the crowds in Los Angeles were focused on the looming midterms Boston: In Boston, Massachusetts, a small number of counter protesters turned out to support the president. One is pictured Washington DC: A child holds up an illustration depicting Trump's face and hair next to the word 'hate' New York City: A woman marches with a sign reading Mujer in New York City. She was also dressed up as a character from The Handmaid's Tale, the popular Elisabeth Moss show tells a story of female oppression In Los Angeles, actress Scarlett Johansson wore a Time's Up t-shirt to give her speech. Yoko Ono, the former wife of late Beatle John Lennon, invoked his anthemic song Imagine in her sign Pregnant Eva Longoria watched on with Constance Wu as Natalie Portman spoke at the Los Angeles event. Portman called for a world where women can express their 'desire' without feeling physically unsafe Portman breastfeed her young daughter backstage while taking a break from speaking. Her young son and husband were there to support her too Eva Longoria (left) and Scarlett Johansson (right) were happy to mingle among other protesters backstage Stars including Jane Fonda spoke at a rally in Park City, Utah, - where hordes of stars have gathered for the Sundance Film Festival - and Padma Lakshmi gave remarks in New York City. Gloria Allred, the celebrity attorney, was also there to promote the forthcoming documentary about her work Whoopi Goldberg spoke in New York City as did Padma Lakshmi (right) on Saturday afternoon at one of the larger protests Chicago: Actress Viola Davis delivered an impassioned speech in Chicago in front of the crowds there Los Angeles: There were large crowds in Los Angeles where packs of stars gathered to speak in front of crowds Smaller marches were seen in Chattanooga, Tennessee (left) and in St Louis, Missouri (right) Austin, Texas: Women descended on the Texas State Capitol with protest signs for the Women's March Austin, Texas: A group of women dressed up as characters from the series A Handmaid's Tale in a protest against female oppression Cincinnati, Ohio: A different group wore the same costumes and had children dress in them as well in Ohio Cincinnati, Ohio: A large group of protesters walks behind a police car with signs in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Saturday Austin, Texas: Trump supporter Jon Colgin was arrested in Austin after getting into a fight with another man over his Make America Great Again hat. It is not clear if the other man was arrested but Colgin was taken into custody then released In Chicago, Viola Davis gave a rousing speech and in Rome, Asia Argento led a group of marchers through the city. Argento was the first woman to go on the record to accuse the disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of rape in October. Countless women followed with claims against the 65-year-old. Many of the protests were directed towards Trump's immigration policies and his plans for DACA which shut down the government on Friday night when Democrats refused to move forward with talks. 'People were pretty damn mad last year and they're pretty damn mad this year,' said Tamika Mallory, co-president of the Women's March board. Like last year, thousands of marchers donned pink knit 'pussy hats', which were created last year after the president's infamous 'grab them by the p***y' hot mic remark was made public. They became a symbol for the disdain thousands of women carried and still harbor against the president. At Saturday's marches, celebrities acted as guest speakers, particularly in Park City, Utah, where many are attending the Sundance Film Festival. Jane Fonda spoke at the event and was joined by the rapper Common and a host of other stars. Newark, New Jersey: A smaller march took place on the sidewalks of Newark in New Jersey on Saturday New York City: A crowd of pink hats and signs near Central Park on Saturday morning as the march got underway New York City: Many of the signs and chants were geared towards the 2018 midterm elections when more female candidates are standing than ever before New York City: Some of the protesters poked fun at Trump and his comments with their signs New York City: A woman holds a sign reading 'I am 2018' as she marches with crowds in New York City on Saturday New York City: In Manhattan, glamorous protesters held signs calling for an Oprah Winfrey presidency in 2020 after the television legend's recent speech at the Golden Globes New York City: A woman in Manhattan holds a 'resisting b**** face' sign as she marches with fellow protesters New York City: Two NYPD officers watch over crowds as they proceed down Sixth Avenue in Manhattan on Saturday Among those in Saturday's crowds elsewhere in the country were thousands who attended last year's marches. Fourteen-year-old Tanaquil Eltson marched with her mother in Washington DC. She said: 'We went to the first women's march, but we feel like our work isn't done and that there's so much more that we need to fix. The number of participants is likely to fall well short of the estimated 5 million who marched on Jan. 21. 2017 and made that one of the largest mass protests in U.S. history. Despite the more modest expectations this year, organizers hope to build on the raw energy felt by Trump opponents immediately after his surprise election victory and channel it into gains for progressive candidates in November's midterm elections, using the theme 'Power to the Polls.' Specifically, organizers want to register a million new voters and get more strong advocates for women's rights into office. Activists say Trump's policies rolling back birth control and equal pay protections have propelled many women into activism for the first time. New York City: Women stood patiently behind barricades along Central Park West in the mid-morning New York City: Crowds descended on Central Park West in New York City for the march on Saturday morning. Mercifully, it was a warmer in the city than it has been for weeks New York City: Protesters arrive at Columbus Circle in midtown Manhattan to begin the march on Saturday New York City: People take part in the Women's March in Manhattan in New York City, New York, on January 20, 2018 A White House spokesman did not respond to a request for comment on the marches. Some critics said this year's march lacked a focus. Targeting an issue such as immigration would have greater impact, said Shikha Dalmia, a senior analyst at the Reason Foundation, a libertarian think tank. 'Beating the feminist drum just seems to me beside the point. Maybe they are trying to cast as wide a net as possible,' Dalmia said by telephone. The marches will be followed by more events on Sunday, including in Las Vegas, which was chosen by organizers to honor the city where the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history took place last August. Nevada is also a key battleground state in the 2018 midterm elections. The voter registration campaign will target swing states held by Republicans, such as Nevada, and in districts considered a toss-up ahead of November's midterm elections. Philadelphia: protesters held signs calling for the end of nuclear warfare and for Trump to be impeached Philadelphia: Oscar Janicki, six, holds a sign reading 'I'm With Her' as is carried through the crowds on an adult's shoulders Philadelphia: Women give out pink hats on January 20, 2018, the second women's march Advertisement This is the heartbreaking moment an 83-year-old man clutches his pet cat while weeping over the charred remains of his home. Ali Mese, from Ordu Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey, burned his house down after trying to light his wood stove with gasoline. As everything he loved perished in front of him, he took comfort in cuddling up to his adorable feline friend. These heartbreaking photos capture the moment an 83-year-old man clutches his pet cat while weeping over the charred remains of his home Ali Mese, from Ordu Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey, burned his house down after trying to light his wood stove with gasoline Neighbours alerted firefighters to Ali's home after noticing the flames. He had been trying to cook on a wood stove but the gasoline he poured on caused it to explode. Thankfully, Ali and his family - and one of his cats, called Sarikiz, translated as 'Blonde Girl' in English - were saved from the blaze and no one suffered serious injuries, local media reported. A team sent by the Bolu Governement is also preparing the new house for the pensioner. International well-wishers have also taken to a GoFundMe page and raised nearly $6000 (4000) for Mese and his family. Ali has always been very fond of cats and had a handful living with him at the time of the tragic accident - but only one managed to get out alive Ali has always been very fond of cats and had a handful living with him at the time of the tragic accident. But only one managed to get out alive. The pensioner also lost almost all of his hens in the blaze. '13 of the 14 hens in the basement died during the fire,' Mese said. Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kaln tweeted that he contacted the governor province where Mese lives and would help address the needs of the pensioner. Ali was taken to the hospital to treat his minor burns and emerged a day later with a heavily-bandaged right hand. But he was then reunited with his beloved cat The inseparable pair looked ecstatic to finally be back together after their horrific ordeal, cuddling up to each other in a blissful embrace Ali was taken to the hospital to treat his minor burns and emerged a day later with a heavily-bandaged right hand. But he was then reunited with his beloved cat. The inseparable pair looked ecstatic to finally be back together after their horrific ordeal. Flash drug dealer Gary Knox, from Bolton was filmed by undercover police as he cruised around town in his white Range Rover making heroin and cocaine deliveries A flash drug dealer was filmed by undercover police as he cruised around town in his white Range Rover making heroin and cocaine deliveries. Gary Knox, from Bolton, has been jailed for 11 years and three months following an investigation which saw more than 14,000, four-and-a-half kilos of heroin and bags of cocaine seized. While his accomplice Mohammed Zubair, 31, was jailed for nine for being found guilty of conspiracy to supply class A drugs. When they swooped on Knox's Evoque Range Rover - registration 'KN07 OXY' - they discovered bundles of cash totalling 14,500. Knox, 42, of Jessop Forge, Bolton, was the leader of drug ring supplying heroin and cocaine throughout Greater Manchester. He admitted supplying class A substances. Four other members of the gang were also sentenced. Mohammed Zubair, 31, of Castle Street, Bolton, was jailed for nine years after being found guilty of conspiracy to supply class A drugs. When they swooped on Knox's Evoque Range Rover - registration 'KN07 OXY' - they discovered bundles of cash totalling 14,500 The court heard how Knox and Zubair ran a drugs ring, supplying thousands of pounds work of heroin and cocaine to a ring of dealers across the region. A lengthy police investigation, involving overt and covert officers finally led to their arrests. Knox was seen driving his Range Rover around Bolton on a number of occasions and was seen meeting with two others: Nadeen Ashiq and Nelso Neish and dropping off carrier bags filled with drugs for them to sell. Knox, 42, of Jessop Forge, Bolton, was the leader of drug ring supplying heroin and cocaine throughout Greater Manchester. He admitted supplying class A substances. His accomplice Mohammed Zubair, 31, was jailed for nine year for conspiracy to supply class A drugs Zubair acted as a go-between for Knox, ensuring those buying drugs from him knew how and where to meet him. Female accomplice Gemma Grundy stored drugs at her home address for Knox's in an attempt to keep his illicit business under wraps. Detective superintendent Jon Chadwick from GMP's Serious and Organised Crime Group said: 'These jail terms come after a lengthy police investigation and mean we have successfully removed drugs, and some of the people who deal them, from our streets. 'Throughout the investigation officers confiscated a total of four-and-a-half kilos of heroin, agents that would be mixed with this drug, smaller quantities of cocaine and over 14,000 in cash from the group. 'These drugs destroy lives, they break up families and they terrorise communities. Those who supply drugs do so purely for their own greed. They have no thought for the people whose lives are affected. 'Knox and other members of this drug dealing ring will now spend years in prison where they can contemplate the lives they have ruined.' Ashiq, 39, of Rhodes Court, Rochdale, was sentenced to five years and seven months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs. The court heard how Knox and Zubair ran a drugs ring, supplying thousands of pounds work of heroin and cocaine to a ring of dealers across the region Neish, 25, of Westbury Road, Crumpsall, was sentenced to three years and five months behind bars after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs Grundy, 30, of Ashford Walk, Bolton, was handed a two year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to possession of class A drugs with intent to supply. Knox had previously been linked to a corrupt police officer in a case eight years ago. In 2010, Knox was sentenced to six years after he was found guilty of conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office at the end of a third trial. Disgraced PC, Phil Berry, who admitted the same charge, was jailed for four years. 'Throughout the investigation officers confiscated a total of four-and-a-half kilos of heroin, agents that would be mixed with this drug, smaller quantities of cocaine and over 14,000 in cash from the group' an investigative officer said Berry, who was in debt after having overtime cut by GMP for accessing 'inappropriate' websites at work, sold Knox an A to Z of drug dealers. But in return for the confidential list of dealers and informants he received a 20,000 BMW car, thousands of pounds and tickets to Premier League matches. At the 2010 trial, Knox was acquitted of conspiracy to supply class A and class B substances. But he is now back behind bars after undercover police filmed him making drugs drops in his home town. A New Jersey man who filmed himself confronting his wife when he busted her in bed with her boss and now faces jail time for unlawful surveillance has been deemed worthy of a medal by his lawyer. Howard Greenberg told a jury that his client, Sean Donis, 'deserves a medal' for 'the amount of restraint he showed,' when he stormed into the Rockland County home of Albert Lopez to find the homeowner in bed with his wife, Nancy, back in April 2016, the New York Post reports. Sordid details from the confrontation were revealed in court on Friday as Donis faces up to 15 years in prison for crimes relating to breaking into the man's home and then filming his naked wife and her beau and threatening to distribute the video. Sean Donis (left) found his wife Nancy (right) in bed with Albert Lopez at the latter's home in April 2016. Donis tracked the pair down by following Nancy's iPad location and proceeded to break into Lopez's home, film the naked pair and threaten to distribute video Pictured is Lopez's house, where the incident took place. Donis's lawyer said his client 'deserves a medal' for ''the amount of restraint he showed' during the incident Prosecutors said Donis, who found Nancy by tracking her location via her iPad, did send video of his naked wife to her relatives. 'All on video! Both of you motherf*****s are fired tomorrow,' Donis shouted in video of the altercation, which was shown to the jury. Lopez, per the Post, was the CEO of Gotham City Orthopedics and Nancy was one of Lopez's employees. The CEO ended up escorting Donis, a florist, out of his home. 'All on video! Both of you motherf*****s are fired tomorrow,' Donis shouted in video of the altercation. Prosecutors said Donis did send video of his naked wife to her relatives Later, Donis sent Lopez a threatening Facebook message that read in part: 'Bring it, bro.' The message also read: 'Slept with my wife. Good one fa***t.' Lopez said he 'couldn't go to sleep' for days after the encounter. Nancy had asked her then-husband to watch their 5-year-old son for the evening when she went to Lopez's home to engage in sexual intercourse, the New York Post previously reported. Lopez told the court that Nancy had told him she was separated from her husband. Nancy had apparently told him she was meeting up with friends for dinner in Elizabeth, New Jersey. But he then saw her iPad location as moving towards Lopez's Clifton home. He told the Post he had feared she was having an affair. Nancy filed for divorce from Donis after the encounter. The divorce was finalized earlier this year. Nicolas Cage (pictured, Friday) was once one of Hollywood's top earners with his movies fetching him a $150million fortune before he spent it all Nicolas Cage was once one of Hollywood's top earners, with movies such as 'National Treasure' and 'Leaving Las Vegas' making him an A-List star. Cage, 54, acquired a $150million fortune and soon became the most infamous Hollywood, quickly squandering his fortune. From an $8million castle to $25million homes, from dinosaur skulls to shrunken heads, he soon faced goreclosure on several properties and owing the IRS more than $14million. Now worth around $25million, the Academy Award-winning actor is taking roles left and right to help pay off his debts. Here is a look at some of Cage's craziest purchases: FIFTEEN HOUSES At one point, Cage owned 15 homes, including a $25million waterfront home in Newport Beach, California, a $15.7 million countryside estate in Newport, Rhode Island, and an $8.5 million abode in Las Vegas. Other properties included a chalet in Aspen, Colorado and homes in San Francisco, New York, and Venice Beach. At one point, Cage owned 15 homes, including a $25million waterfront home in Newport Beach, California, and an $8.5million abode in Las Vegas (Pictured, the master bedroom of the La Vegas home previously owned by Cage) He also acquired the infamous LaLaurie mansion (pictured) in New Orleans in 2006 for $3.45million, which allegedly belonged to a socialite serial killer He also acquired the infamous LaLaurie mansion in New Orleans in 2006 for $3.45million. According to legend, the haunted house belonged to a socialite serial killer named Madame LaLaurie, who would kill and torture slaves in the 1800s. PYRAMID TOMB Cage actually had a pyramid tomb constructed for him in New Orleans near his reportedly haunted mansion. This nine-foot tall pyramid tombstone is engraved with 'Omni Ab Uno', Latin for 'Everything From One.' The actor himself has chosen to remain silent about his reasoning for the flamboyant tomb. Some speculate it's an homage to the 'National Treasure' movie franchise. Cage had a nine-foot tall pyramid tomb constructed for him in New Orleans and it is engraved with 'Omni Ab Uno', Latin for 'Everything From One' EXOTIC ANIMALS Cage began collecting animals early in his career. In addition to owning two albino king cobras, which he purchased for $270,000 Cage also owned water-dwelling creatures. He reportedly spent $150,000 on a pet octopus as an 'acting aid'. Cage also owned a shark and a crocodile. Cage purchased a number of animals as pets including an octopus a shark and ntwo albino king cobras (pictured, file image), which he purchased for $270,000 THE SHAH OF IRAN'S LAMBORGHINI Cage purchased the 1971 Lamborghini Miura SVJ for $450,000 at an auction in 1997, hot off the successes of 'Con Ai'r and 'Face/Off'. The car only had one previous owner, the late Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and had fewer than 2,000 miles on it. The Lamborghini was built to Pahlavi's special order and secretly delivered to his St Moritz chalet for a ski vacation before Christmas 1971. Cage purchased the 1971 Lamborghini Miura SVJ (pictured, file image) that previously belonged to the late Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi for $450,000 at an auction in 1997 DINOSAUR SKULL A self-proclaimed history buff, Cage allegedly once outbid fellow actor Leonardo DiCaprio for a seven-million-year-old Tarbosaurus skull. The $276,000 artifact turned out to be stolen, however, and Cage had to return it to the Mongolian government. A self-proclaimed history buff, Cage allegedly once outbid fellow actor Leonardo DiCaprio for a seven-million-year-old Tarbosaurus skull (Pictured, skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus bataar dinosaur) PYGAMY HEADS According to unnamed visitors, Cage has a collection of pygmy shrunken heads on display for unknown purposes. The practice was initially utilized by head hunters so they could keep and show off their trophies. Shrinking the head of an enemy was believed to harness the spirit of that enemy and compel him to serve the shrinker. According to unnamed visitors, Cage has a collection of pygmy shrunken heads (pictured, file image) on display for unknown purposes. COMIC BOOKS Cage had a comic book collection worth more than $1.6million - including Action Comics #1, which marks the very first appearance of Superman. He allegedly spent $150,000 on the purchase. He also reportedly owned Detective Comics #38, which introduced Batman's sidekick, Robin. In 2011, the actor's was forced to sell Action Comics #1. The comic book was stolen from his house in 2000 and found in a storage locker in April 2011. It fetched $2,161,000. Several people have been killed and at least seven wounded after four gunmen stormed Kabul's Intercontinental Hotel wearing suicide vests. The incident unfolded at 9pm local time (4.30pm GMT) with sounds of gunfire, an explosion and reports of armed men 'shooting at guests'. Two of the attackers have been killed, with specialist forces still battling the others inside. Flames engulfed the fourth floor of the hotel, which sits on a hilltop and is heavily protected by security guards. Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi confirmed there have been multiple fatalities. Scroll down for video The Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan is under seige after four gunmen stormed the building Four gunmen believed to be wearing suicide vests attacked the Intercontinental Hotel in the Afghan capital of Kabul The incident unfolded at 9pm local time (4.30pm) with sounds of gunfire and an explosion Armed men are pictured outside the luxury resort as specialist forces take on the attackers inside. Two were shot dead An armed official is pictured by an ambulance outside the Intercontinental hotel complex A member of the Afghan security forces keeps watch of the siege in Kabul He said: 'Seven wounded people have been taken to hospital. 'Some other guests have been rescued. We will be able to release casualty figures once the operation ends.' There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, the latest of several in Kabul. Unverified reports say at least 15 people have been killed, but these have not been confirmed. There were foreign visitors among the hotel guests, but it is not clear whether they included any UK residents. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office told MailOnline all British embassy staff are accounted for and they are 'in touch with local authorities and are monitoring the situation closely'. There were foreign visitors among the hotel guests, but it is not clear whether they included any UK residents Two of the attackers have been shot dead, with specialist forces still battling the others inside Local media is reporting 'multiple' casualties and hotel staff and guests being taken hostage Pictured: The five-star Intercontinental Hotel in the Afghan capital of Kabul Firefighters battled to put out the blaze on the fourth floor, which has four restaurants and a swimming pool. Security forces cleared the first and second floors but still had to take on the remaining attackers in those above. UK TRAVEL ADVICE WARNS OF 'REGULAR HOTEL ATTACKS' The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office warns against the risk of staying in hotels in Kabul. It says: 'Hotels and guesthouses used by foreign nationals and the government of Afghanistan are subject to regular threats. 'The British Embassy doesn't allow official visitors to stay in hotels overnight and has placed restaurants and other venues off limits to staff.' Source: FCO travel advice Advertisement It is unclear how they managed to get past security guards, but are believed to have entered through the kitchen. A man who escaped the attack told Wall Street Journal reporter Ehsanullah Amiri he saw 'four dead bodies outside the hotel'. He also claimed the men were shouting 'Allah-u-Akbar' and 'throwing people from windows of upper floors'. A guest hiding in his room said he could hear gunfire. Electricity was cut out. He told AFP: 'I don't know if the attackers are inside the hotel but I can hear gunfire from somewhere near the first floor. 'We are hiding in our rooms. I beg the security forces to rescue us as soon as possible before they reach and kill us.' The hotel, one of two main luxury resorts in the city, was previously attacked by Taliban fighters in 2011, killing 21 people, including 10 civilians. The hotel (pictured), one of two main luxury resorts in the city, was previously attacked by Taliban fighters in 2011 It is often used for events including conferences attended by government officials. A conference on Afghan-Chinese relations was held at the hotel earlier today, attended by the Chinese embassy's political counsellor Zhang Zhixin. It is believed an IT conference of provincial officials was taking place at the time of the attack, before the men opened fire. On Thursday the US embassy in Kabul issued a warning to American citizens in the city that 'extremist groups may be planning an attack against hotels in Kabul'. Tonight an official at the National Directorate of Security (NDS) told ADP: 'Four attackers are inside the building. They are shooting at guests.' Another official said the attackers were armed with small weapons and rocket-propelled grenades when they entered the hotel, which often hosts weddings, conferences and political gatherings. 'They are now on the third and fourth floors fighting with our forces. We don't know the details of casualties yet but they set the kitchen on fire,' Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said. Mr Danish added: 'Our special forces are in the area. The operation will soon end and the attackers will be killed.' The hotel, one of two main luxury resorts in the city, was previously attacked (pictured) by Taliban fighters in 2011, killing 21 people, including 10 civilians. Pictured: The Intercontinental Hotel was last attacked by the Taliban in 2011 While it shares the same name, the Kabul Intercontinental is not part of the global Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) and is instead state-owned. The hotel issued a statement after the attacks in 2011 saying that 'the hotel Inter-continental in Kabul is not part of IHG and has not been since 1980'. Security in the Afghan capital has been tightened since May 31 last year when a massive truck bomb ripped through the diplomatic quarter, killing some 150 people and wounding around 400 others - mostly civilians. No group has yet claimed that attack. The Islamic State group has claimed most of the recent attacks in the Afghan capital, but authorities suspect that the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani Network has been involved in some of the assaults. The deadliest of the recent attacks happened at a Shiite cultural centre on December 29 when a suicide bomber blew himself up, killing more than 40 people. Volunteers are to be deployed as counter-terror officers in a controversial new scheme which has prompted accusations of policing on the cheap. Twenty Special Constables will work with Scotland Yards elite SO15 unit just one of dozens of examples uncovered by The Mail on Sunday of unpaid personnel being recruited. The counter-terror volunteers will help with major incident investigations and also on the highly sensitive Prevent scheme, which combats radicalisation. Other law-and-order projects most of which are funded by the Home Office involving members of the public include: Prostitutes being engaged as volunteers to provide safety advice to other sex workers; Criminals, bankrupts and those who have committed military misdemeanours being allowed to help out police forces; Children joining uniformed Mini Police teams to spot speeding motorists and look out for yobs; Dog walkers and cyclists gathering intelligence for police. Teenage cadets have gone out on anti-social behaviour patrols as one of a number of controversial projects to involve more citizens in policing (Pictured: Thetford Police Cadets) The revelations come after this newspaper revealed last month how a Dads Army of unpaid border guards will be used to monitor marinas, harbours and airfields. Critics say that the growing number of volunteers is simply an attempt to disguise huge cuts to police strength. The number of frontline officers is at its lowest level in 30 years, despite rising crime. 15,000 for prostitutes in 'community engagement' Prostitutes are being recruited to work with police in the North East to help keep other sex workers safe. Under the scheme, they will keep in touch with vulnerable women who would normally try to stay out of the way of officers. Northumbria Constabulary has been given 15,000 by the Home Office to develop the project, which is known as Walking In Their Shoes, with local charity Bright Futures. A document seen by The Mail on Sunday states: The pilot project will specifically trial a model of engaging sex workers as volunteers, to support improved community engagement and safeguarding. The pilot project will trial a small-scale case study of engagement of sex workers as volunteers. Recruitment will start next month, and 10,000 has been allocated to evaluate the scheme. Advertisement Official figures show there are currently about 38,000 volunteers in policing, including 11,000 teenage cadets and 16,000 Special Constables, who are unpaid and work part-time but have full policing powers. Chief constables have set up a national Citizens In Policing strategy to boost these numbers and increase the resources available to achieve social goals and help reduce demands on public services. As part of this plan, they have been given 545,000 from a Home Office innovation fund to deliver 19 pilot projects across England and Wales. This includes the first-ever scheme to place Special Constables in the counter-terrorism fields of policing, testing specifically roles in Prevent and major incident investigation. Documents seen by this newspaper show it will examine a previously unexplored area of specialism for Special Constables and potentially longer term for volunteers with powers. It admits it will test cultural acceptance in one of the most sensitive areas of policing. Initially, the Met will recruit 20 counter-terror specialists from the existing ranks of Specials, but will expand the team if it is deemed a success. Recruitment, vetting and training starts next month and the Specials will start work on major incident investigation and on Prevent working on stopping vulnerable people becoming radicalised from March. Chief constables will also consider giving Specials the power to carry Tasers this year. North Yorkshire Chief Constable Dave Jones (pictured) defended the project saying it is a 'fine example' of volunteers complementing work done by paid employees North Yorkshire Chief Constable Dave Jones insisted last night: The projects being trialled are fine examples of how volunteers can bring experience and insight from other walks of life to complement, rather than replace, the work done by paid employees. But Calum Macleod, new chairman of the Police Federation that represents rank-and-file officers, said: This is yet another step towards policing on the cheap, and a further indication that money is being put before safety and a properly resourced police service. Special Constables provide a valuable service but they should never replace experienced officers in these hare-brained schemes. Former Special Branch detective Chris Hobbs added: This is a long way from being ideal, but has been forced on the Met because of cuts they have a massive shortage of detectives. I would hope volunteers will be vetted properly. Other plans include sending out children to join uniformed Mini Police teams to spot speeding motorists and look out for yobs (Pictured: Durham Constabulary's Mini Police force) Children go on patrol to catch speeding drivers Children are being used to spot speeding motorists and go on night-time patrols. The Mini Police project for those aged nine to 11 was started by Durham Constabulary and is now being taken up across the country. It gives uniforms to pupils in economically deprived areas and invites them to special events. Dog walkers granted power to investigate Dog walkers and cyclists will wear uniforms and gather intelligence for police in Kent. The public are currently being recruited to become Policing Community Volunteers in the west of the county, and will be given some policing powers. They will have the power to request the name and address of someone committing anti-social behaviour; to enter premises to save life and/or prevent serious damage; and some minor traffic control powers, a spokesman for the force said. The idea is that they will help by providing additional visibility and an extra point of contact, while also improving the communication flow to the police and back to the community. Dog walkers will go out with their own pets, usually on their normal routes, while cyclists will ride their own bikes. Advertisement The idea, according to official documents, is that vulnerable children will be given a positive experience of policing and get involved in the local community. But they can also support subtle educational interventions to tackle Serious Organised Crime and gun and gang crime. Units of the Mini Police often go out on community speed watch duty, monitoring passing motorists on busy roads. Some are equipped with speed guns while others hold up digital boards alerting drivers that they are going too fast. The Home Office is contributing 8,000 to an academic assessment of Mini Police, described as the largest-scale primary school youth association delivery model ever led by UK policing. In Norfolk, where all 150 Police Community Support Officers are being axed to save money, police have been accused of putting teenagers at risk in a similar scheme. Acting Inspector Mick Andrew posted online a photo of ten youngsters in high-vis jackets, with the caption: Thetford Police Cadets heading out on [anti-social behaviour] patrols of the town centre. It prompted an incredulous response on Twitter, with solicitor Nicholas Diable warning: Even if theyre tagging along it strikes me that a situation could quickly get out of hand and then youve got a violent situation with PCs having to defend the kids theyre responsible for An exceptionally bad plan. A Norfolk Police spokesman said: All relevant risk assessments were carried out. Dog walkers and cyclists will wear uniforms and gather intelligence for police in Kent after becoming Policing Community Volunteers Deutsche Bank has evidence linking presidential advisor Jared Kushner to suspicious money transactions, and is ready to hand it over to special counsel Robert Mueller, according to a new report. The bank headquartered in Frankfurt has already given German regulators its evidence that Kushner or related companies could have directed suspicious money through Deutsche Bank, Manager Magazin reported on Friday. Kushner, 37, and his wife Ivanka Trump are worth at least $240million, with their holdings potentially exceeding $740million, according to financial disclosure forms. The president's son-in-law made much of his fortune as a real estate investor. Deutsche Bank's compliance officers were 'embarassed' by their investigation into Kushner's transactions, and handed over the information to Germany's Federal Financial Supervisory Authority, the new report said. 'Their finding: There are indications that Donald Trump's son-in-law or persons or companies close to him could have channeled suspicious monies through Deutsche Bank as part of their business dealings,' the report states in German translated to English. Jared Kushner is seen leaving his Washington DC house on Friday morning. Deutsche Bank has evidence linking Kushner to suspicious money transactions, a new report says Kushner, 37, and his wife Ivanka Trump are worth at least $240million, with their holdings potentially exceeding $740million, according to financial disclosure forms Deutsche Bank is said to be ready to hand over the information to Mueller in relation to the special counsel's Russian interference probe. The bank gave Kushner Companies a $285million loan last year, and has extended a line of credit valued at up to $25million to Kushner and his mother, the New York Times reported before Christmas. Deutsche has also loaned entities associated with the Trump Organization around $300 million, according to published reports. Deutsche Bank rejected demands in June by US House Democrats to provide details of Trump's finances, citing privacy laws. Earlier this month, former Trump advisor Steve Bannon's prediction that Mueller would target Kushner made headlines when it appeared in the bombshell book Fire and Fury. 'The Kushner s*** is greasy. They're going to go right through that,' Bannon told author Michael Wolff. Deutsche gave Kushner Companies a $285million loan last year, and has extended a line of credit valued at up to $25million to Kushner and his mother Mueller is thought to be zeroing in on money laundering offenses, and a new report suggests Deutsche Bank will hand over evidence of suspicious Kushner transactions to the prope 'It goes through Deutsche Bank and all the Kushner s***,' Bannon said, referencing reports that Mueller has subpoenaed bank records from the German bank. 'This is all about money laundering. Mueller chose [senior prosecutor Andrew] Weissmann first and he is a money-laundering guy. Their path to f***ing Trump goes right through Paul Manafort, Don Jr and Jared Kushner It's as plain as a hair on your face,' he said. So far, the Mueller investigation has charged Paul Manafort and Rick Gates on money laundering charges unrelated to the Trump campaign - they have pleaded not guilty. Two others, George Papadopoulous and Michael Flynn, have pleaded guilty to lying to investigators. Deutsche Bank declined to comment to Manager Magazin and DailyMail.com could not reach Kushner's representatives for comment Saturday. Children are being used to spot speeding motorists and go on night-time patrols. The Mini Police project for those aged nine to 11 was started by Durham Constabulary and is now being taken up across the country. It gives uniforms to pupils in economically deprived areas and invites them to special events. The idea, according to official documents, is that vulnerable children will be given a positive experience of policing and get involved in the local community. Children between nine and 11 are being used to spot speeding motorists and go on night-time patrols under plans for a 'Mini Police' force, started by Durham Constabulary But they can also support subtle educational interventions to tackle Serious Organised Crime and gun and gang crime. Units of the Mini Police often go out on community speed watch duty, monitoring passing motorists on busy roads. Some are equipped with speed guns while others hold up digital boards alerting drivers that they are going too fast. The Home Office is contributing 8,000 to an academic assessment of Mini Police, described as the largest-scale primary school youth association delivery model ever led by UK policing. Acting Inspector Mick Andrew posted this photo on social media with the caption: Thetford Police Cadets heading out on [anti-social behaviour] patrols of the town centre In Norfolk, where all 150 Police Community Support Officers are being axed to save money, police have been accused of putting teenagers at risk in a similar scheme. Acting Inspector Mick Andrew posted online a photo of ten youngsters in high-vis jackets, with the caption: Thetford Police Cadets heading out on [anti-social behaviour] patrols of the town centre. It prompted an incredulous response on Twitter, with solicitor Nicholas Diable warning: Even if theyre tagging along it strikes me that a situation could quickly get out of hand and then youve got a violent situation with PCs having to defend the kids theyre responsible for An exceptionally bad plan. A Norfolk Police spokesman said: All relevant risk assessments were carried out. China will take measures to protect its sovereignty The Chinese government has accused the United States of trespassing in its territorial waters after a US guided missile destroyer sailed near a disputed area in the South China Sea. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said China would take 'necessary measures' to protect its sovereignty after the USS Hopper sailed within 12 nautical miles of Scarborough Shoal on Wednesday evening without China's permission. Scarborough is a tiny, uninhabited reef that China seized from the Philippines in 2012. Known in Chinese as Huangyan Island, it lies about 200 kilometres (120 miles) west of the main Philippine island of Luzon, and about 600 kilometres (370 miles) southeast of China. Two U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity said the patrol took place in accordance with international law and was an 'innocent passage,' in which a warship effectively recognizes a territorial sea by crossing it quickly, without stopping. The Chinese government has accused the United States of trespassing in its territorial waters after a US guided missile destroyer sailed near a disputed area (pictured: Chinese Coast Guard ship in Scarborough Shoal in December 2016) Twelve nautical miles is the territorial limit recognized internationally. Defence Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said a Chinese missile frigate moved to identify and verify the US vessel and warned it to leave the area. 'We hope that the US respects China's sovereignty, respects the efforts by regional countries and do not make trouble out of nothing,' Mr Wu said in a statement on the ministry's website. The South China Sea has crucial shipping lanes, rich fishing grounds and potential oil, gas and other mineral deposits. China claims virtually the entire South China Sea and has carried out extensive land reclamation work on many of the islands and reefs it claims, equipping some with air strips and military installations. The United States does not claim territory in the South China Sea, but has declared it has a national interest in ensuring that the territorial disputes there are resolved peacefully in accordance with international law. The Navy regularly sails through the area to assert freedom of navigation. The USS Hopper, pictured in Alaska last April, sailed within 12 nautical miles of Scarborough Shoal on Wednesday evening Lieutenant Commander Nicole Schwegman, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet, said: 'The United States conducts routine and regular FONOPs [Freedom of Navigation Operations], as we have done in the past and will continue to do so in the future.' She added that such operations are 'not about any one country, nor are they about making political statements.' Instead they aim to 'demonstrate our commitment to uphold the rights, freedoms and lawful uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all nations under international law.' In a statement, the Pentagon did not directly comment on the patrol but said the United States routinely carries out 'freedom of navigation' operations, a summary of which would be released in an annual report. 'All operations are conducted in accordance with international law and demonstrate that the United States will fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows,' Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Logan said. The U.S. military put countering China and Russia at the center of a new national defense strategy unveiled on Friday. Advertisement Turkish jets bombed the Kurdish-controlled city of Afrin in northern Syria on Saturday, as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised to expand Turkey's military border operations against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG). The raids, which the Turks dubbed 'Operation Olive Branch', came after a week of threats by the Turkish government, promising to clear the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) from Afrin and its surrounding countryside. The Kurdish group has been the US's key Syrian ally in the war on the Islamic State group. The attacks could also complicate Turkey's push to improve ties with Russia. Turkish jets bombed the Kurdish-controlled city of Afrin in northern Syria on Saturday (pictured) as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised to expand Turkey's military border operations against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) From the Turkish border jets were seen bombing positions in the direction of Afrin, as a convoy of armed pick-up trucks and buses believed to be carrying Syrian opposition fighters travelled along the border The raids, which the Turks dubbed 'Operation Olive Branch', came after a week of threats by the Turkish government, promising to clear the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) from Afrin and its surrounding countryside Warplanes pounded parts of Afrin, while there were skirmishes with Turkish forces and their rebel allies at the edge of the city Moscow will demand in the United Nations that Turkey halt the military operation, RIA news reported, citing a member of the Russian parliament's security committee. From the Turkish border jets were seen bombing positions in the direction of Afrin, as a convoy of armed pick-up trucks and buses believed to be carrying Syrian opposition fighters travelled along the border. Turkey says the YPG - a group it considers a terrorist organization - is an extension of an outlawed Kurdish rebel group that it is fighting inside its own borders, and it has found common cause with Syrian opposition groups who view the YPG as a counter-revolutionary force in Syria's multi-sided civil war. 'We are carrying out this operation from land and air,' Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told broadcaster NTV. He said the attacks were being carried out to target the Syrian-Kurdish YPG militia and that no civilians had been hurt. A Turkey-backed rebel group in Syria, the Free Syrian Army, was also providing assistance to the Turkish military's operation in Afrin, a senior Turkish official said. Rojhat Roj, a YPG spokesman, confirmed the strikes, yet he said ten civilians were wounded, three seriously. He added the warplanes pounded parts of Afrin, while there were skirmishes with Turkish forces and their rebel allies at the edge of Afrin. A Turkey-backed rebel group in Syria, the Free Syrian Army (pictured), was also providing assistance to the Turkish military's operation in Afrin, a senior Turkish official said 'We are carrying out this operation from land and air,' Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told broadcaster NTV. He said the attacks were being carried out to target the Syrian-Kurdish YPG militia and that no civilians had been hurt The Turkish military said its operation in Afrin was to provide safety for Turkey's border and to 'eliminate terrorists' Hevi Mustafa, a top member of the civilian administration that governs Afrin, said people were holed up in shelters and several wounded people had arrived in hospitals. The air strikes were accompanied by waves of artillery strikes on the Afrin region. Turkish officials have said the operation is likely to continue toward Manbij. The YPG's growing strength across a swath of northern Syria alarmed Ankara, which fears the creation of an independent Kurdish state on its southern border. Syrian Kurdish leaders say they seek autonomy as part of Syria, not secession. The Turkish military said its operation in Afrin was to provide safety for Turkey's border and to 'eliminate terrorists... and save friends and brothers, the people of the region, from their cruelty.' 'We will destroy the terror corridor gradually as we did in Jarabulus and Al-Bab operations, starting from the west,' Turkey's Erdogan said, referring to previous operations in northern Syria designed to push out Islamic State and check the YPG's advance. Military vehicles are being transported to Syria's Azez district at Oncupinar border gate of Kilis, as part of the 'Operation Olive Branch' The air strikes were accompanied by waves of artillery strikes on the Afrin region. Turkish officials have said the operation is likely to continue toward Manbij Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan inspected a military honour guard before addressing his supporters in Usak, western Turkey. The President has promised to expand Turkey's military border operations against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) The Kurdish group has been the US's key Syrian ally in the war on the Islamic State group Turkey is potentially damaging ties with Russia and US Turkey's new front In Syria against the YPG could add further complications to their relationship with Russia. Tensions between Moscow and Ankara have grown in the last days as Russia seeks wide attendance at a peace conference on Syria at the end of the month. But Turkey insists it will not attend if the YPG is there. Yet executing the operation on the ground - especially against a well-populated urban centre such as Afrin - could still prove much harder. And crucial will be the attitude of Russia. 'Can Ankara dare to attack Afrin without getting a green light from Russia? It's a sure 'no' for me,' said Metin Gurcan, security analyst at Istanbul Policy Center . Turkish intervention may not find the warmest of receptions in Washington either, which has closely cooperated with the YPG as its main ally on the ground in the fight against the Islamic State extremist group. Yet Afrin - which lies to the west of the main Kurdish zone of influence in Syria - may not be a prime concern of Washington which is more interested in the Kurdish-controlled areas stretching east to the Iraqi border. Advertisement Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the strikes on Afrin marked the start of a campaign to 'eliminate the PYD and PKK and Daesh elements in Afrin'. Earlier on Saturday, the military said it hit shelters and hideouts used by the YPG and other Kurdish fighters, saying Kurdish militants had fired on Turkish positions inside Turkey. But the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces - which the YPG spearheads - accused Turkey of using cross-border shelling as a false pretext to launch an offensive in Syria. Differences over Syria policy have further complicated Turkey's already difficult relationship with NATO ally the United States. Washington has backed the YPG, seeing it as an effective partner in the fight against Islamic State. A US State Department official on Friday said military intervention by Turkey in Syria would undermine regional stability and would not help protect Turkey's border security. Instead, the United States has called on Turkey to focus on the fight against Islamic State. Turkey's capital Ankara accuses Washington of using one terrorist group to fight another in Syria. And turkish leaders were infuriated at an announcement made by the US military six days ago that it was going to create a 30,000-strong border force with the Kurdish fighters to secure northern Syria. Days later, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced that the US would maintain a military presence with the Kurds for the foreseeable future. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed the operation with Tillerson by phone on Sunday after the US diplomat requested a conversation, Turkish officials said. They did not provide further details. Any ground operation would entail considerable military and political risk for Ankara Differences over Syria policy have further complicated Turkey's already difficult relationship with NATO ally the United States. Washington has backed the YPG, seeing it as an effective partner in the fight against Islamic State Syrian fighters attend their graduation ceremony near Syria's northeastern city of Hasakeh on January 20, 2018, at the end of a US-led training programme aimed at forming a security force to patrol territory captured from the Islamic State group along the country's northern border Rojhat Roj, a YPG spokesman, confirmed the strikes, yet he said ten civilians were wounded, three seriously. Pictured: An injured PYD/PKK terrorist is seen at a hospital after Turkish jets destroyed observation posts Any ground operation would entail considerable military and political risk for Ankara. Russia was keeping military observers in Afrin and lately firmed up its ties with the YPG, while Syria's government in Damascus said it would shoot down any Turkish jets on raids in the country. The YPG is estimated to have between 8,000 and 10,000 fighters in Afrin. Turkey could also face blowback from the Kurdish insurgency within its own borders. A ground offensive or continued shelling would exacerbate the poor humanitarian situation in Afrin, which is now home to at least 800,000 civilians, including many who arrived fleeing the fighting in other parts of Syria. The Russian Defense Ministry said, meanwhile, that it was pulling back troops that had been deployed near Afrin, two days after Turkey's military and intelligence briefs travelled to Moscow to discuss the planned operation. It said the group of observers was being relocated to another area. It was not immediately clear how many troops were affected by the move. Henry Boltons campaign chief quit in disgust after the beleaguered Ukip leader allegedly boasted of seeing an Italian au pair half his age while his wife was pregnant. Neil Jones claimed that Mr Bolton, 54, was full of himself after he invited striking Chiara Colombo, 27, to campaign with him when he ran as Ukips candidate for Kent police and crime commissioner in January 2016. The allegations pile further pressure on Mr Bolton ahead of an emergency meeting of the partys National Executive Committee today. They come after he left his wife for 25-year-old glamour model Jo Marney on December 23, followed by this newspapers revelations of Ms Marneys racist text messages about Meghan Markle. Mr Bolton met Ms Colombo in Keppels bar at Folkestones Grand Hotel, ironically named after Alice Keppel, Edward VIIs mistress. Henry Bolton's campaign chief Neil Jones quit in disgust after he claims the Ukip leader boasted of seeing Chiara Colombo, pictured, an Italian au pair who is half his age According to Mr Jones, Mr Bolton told friends she later joined him upstairs in the flat he owns in the building. Mr Jones said: We went for Sunday lunch and Henry arrived looking really pleased with himself. He said he was seeing this Italian girl and showed us a picture of her in a yellow bikini. 'He said she was going to come out campaigning with him. I was absolutely disgusted and I let him know exactly what I thought. I resigned a few days later over this woman. Neil Jones claimed that Mr Bolton met Ms Colombo while his third wife Tatiana Smurova (pictured) was away working in Austria. She was five months pregnant at the time The events unfolded while Mr Boltons third wife Tatiana Smurova, 42, was away working in Austria. She was five months pregnant with their second daughter. Yesterday, she spoke of her fury that Mr Bolton did not have the courage to tell me directly, personally about Marney. Mr Jones, pictured, said: Henry didnt say they had slept together or anything but it was implied something was going on Mr Jones said of Bolton and Ms Colombo: Henry didnt say they had slept together or anything but it was implied something was going on. He was full of himself. Speaking from her home near Lake Como in Italy, Ms Colombo denied going to Mr Boltons flat and said although they met a second time for a coffee, there was no romance. He had to go to Maidstone for a radio interview, and he said If you want to come, you can come, she said. Since I know men, I said it is better if I dont go along. I know men can come to me and maybe they want something else. Mr Bolton last night denied Mr Joness claims. His spokesman said he met Ms Colombo twice in Folkestone but added: There was no affair. It was the inspirational story of a tramp who defeated property developers to remain in his ramshackle home in one of Britain's most exclusive neighbourhoods. Now the tale of Harry Hallowes immortalised in last year's film Hampstead, with Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson seems to have inspired another makeshift wooden shack in the same North London enclave. But this sequel is likely to have a less happy ending, as Jita Lukka has been ordered to tear down her eyesore property. Ms Lukka bought a plot adjoining Hampstead Heath through her property business, Polar Bren Ltd, in March last year for 700,000 The tale of Harry Hallowes immortalised in last year's film Hampstead (pictured), with Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson seems to have inspired another makeshift wooden shack in the same North London enclave 'I suppose this does have similarities with the Harry Hallowes story,' said neighbour Ellen Solomons. 'But at least he had the support of local residents this woman has upset everyone.' Ms Lukka bought a plot adjoining Hampstead Heath through her property business, Polar Bren Ltd, in March last year for 700,000. But the site close to where Rowan Atkinson and Sacha Baron Cohen have homes did not have planning permission, with Camden Council having turned down applications from previous owners. Nevertheless, Ms Lukka employed builders to construct the wooden home under a cover of tarpaulin. The property features a huge metal gate, double glazing, French windows and a wood store. Determined: Ms Lukka Neighbours say Ms Lukka, 55, introduced herself to them and boasted about how proud she was of her 'arty' new home. But while 'Hampstead hermit' Hallowes, who died in 2016 having been granted ownership of his 3.5million plot, won the support of celebrity neighbours including Monty Python star Terry Gilliam, Ms Lukka has prompted only complaints to the local authority. Now the council has given her four months to demolish the house, which they say 'represents inappropriate development' and 'causes harm to the appearance and character of the Hampstead conservation area'. Ms Solomons, from The Vale of Health Society, said: 'This woman has the cheek of the devil we felt we had to take a stand. We couldn't believe anyone would have the brass neck to do such a thing. 'I'm sure there are many people who would like to have a home in such a beautiful location but there are planning regulations. A house there would fetch 5million easily. 'There is a worry that she will appeal and drag out the process then apply for retrospective planning permission.' Ms Lukka, who declined to comment, has until the end of the month to appeal. Jita Lukka has built a wooden house on a site known as South Fairground, adjacent to the Heath, without permission She has been issued with an enforcement notice from Camden council to remove the structure with 4 months The Chinese government has accused the US of trespassing in its territorial waters after a US guided missile destroyer sailed near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. China vowed to take 'necessary measures' to protect its sovereignty after the USS Hopper sailed within 12 nautical miles of Scarborough Shoal on Wednesday evening without China's permission. The complaint came within days of US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' Friday assertion that the US military's top national security priorities are now countering China's rapidly expanding military and an increasingly aggressive Russia. Scarborough is a tiny, uninhabited reef that China seized from the Philippines in 2012 as part of Beijing's dramatic territorial grab and military buildup in the sea. Known in Chinese as Huangyan Island, it lies about 120 miles west of the main Philippine island of Luzon, and about 370 miles southeast of China. The USS Hopper is seen in a file photo from April preparing to moor in Homer, Alaska. The ship angered Beijing on Wednesday by sailing near disputed Scarborough Shoal The Hopper (seen in a file photo) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer currently on independent deployment in the US Navy's 7th Fleet area of operations China Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said a Chinese missile frigate moved to identify and verify the US vessel and warned it to leave the area. 'We hope that the US respects China's sovereignty, respects the efforts by regional countries and do not make trouble out of nothing,' Wu said in a statement on the ministry's website. The Hopper is a multi-mission ship with anti-air warfare, anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare capabilities. The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer entered the US Navy's 7th Fleet area of operations on January 4, where the ship is on an 'independent deployment,' the Navy said in a statement. 'This forward presence contributes to freedom of navigation and lawful use of the sea, as well as furthers operational training and enables an exchange of culture, skills, and tactical knowledge,' the Navy said. Scarborough Shoal is seen in a 2015 satellite photo. Beijing has yet to order military construction on the reef, but many analysts believe it is only a matter of time before they do This map shows the location of Scarborough Shoal and competing territorial claims in the sea The United States does not claim territory in the South China Sea but has declared it has a national interest in ensuring that the territorial disputes there are resolved peacefully in accordance with international law. The Navy regularly sails through the area to assert freedom of navigation. 'The United States conducts routine and regular FONOPs, as we have done in the past and will continue to do so in the future,' Lt. Cmdr. Nicole Schwegman, a spokeswoman for the US Navy's Pacific Fleet, said after China's claim. FONOP is the military's term for freedom of navigation operations. She said such operations are 'not about any one country, nor are they about making political statements.' Instead they aim to 'demonstrate our commitment to uphold the rights, freedoms and lawful uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all nations under international law.' A Filipino fisherman operates around Scarborough Shoal in defiance of a Chinese Coast Guard ship in December 2016. China's 2012 seizure of the territory sparked major tensions The South China Sea has crucial shipping lanes, rich fishing grounds and potential oil, gas and other mineral deposits. China claims virtually the entire South China Sea and has carried out extensive land reclamation work on many of the islands and reefs it claims, equipping some with air strips and military installations. Beijing has yet to order military construction on Scarborough Shoal, but many analysts believe it is only a matter of time before they do. Last year China took the first steps by announcing plans to build an environmental monitoring station on the reef. The reef is home to a major fishery, and China's 2012 seizure of the territory sparked major tensions with Filipino fishermen. The Permanent Court of Arbitration, based in The Hague, denied China's claim over the South China Sea in 2016 and said that China is infringing on the Philippines' traditional fishing rights. China has refused to accept the court ruling. Last night Jo Marney resigned from Ukip after being presented with more evidence from The Mail on Sunday about racist messages she has sent. In an exchange with a friend on social media last year, Ukip leader Henry Boltons former mistress described Muslims as all f****** idiots and said she wouldnt trust any of them with a potato gun. In one Facebook message, she said: If it were Christians who were the threat I would be the first f****** one to say so. It isnt. Its Islam. Glamour model Jo Marney (pictured with Henry Bolton) quit Ukip after racist messages emerged where she called Muslims 'f***ing idiots' and the 'cancer of this earth' Theyre the cancer of this earth. And we need to get rid of them from this country. Before more of us are murdered. Ms Marney then explains why she expresses such shocking views, saying: I will say what I think. 'I have no interest in watering down what I think like some kind of cowardly Tory. In an exchange with a different friend, she wrote: If you took a photo of some random streets in London and showed someone in America and said, where is this, they would probably guess at Turkey or something. Last night, Ms Marney said: I am devastated at the turmoil I have caused and offer my sincere apologies to members. Ms Marney said: I am devastated at the turmoil I have caused and offer my sincere apologies to members' Revealed: Ukip aide quit after leader's boasts about 'seeing' an Italian au pair half his age while wife was pregnant Henry Boltons campaign chief quit in disgust after the beleaguered Ukip leader allegedly boasted of seeing an Italian au pair half his age while his wife was pregnant. Neil Jones claimed that Mr Bolton, 54, was full of himself after he invited striking Chiara Colombo, 27, to campaign with him when he ran as Ukips candidate for Kent police and crime commissioner in January 2016. The allegations pile further pressure on Mr Bolton ahead of an emergency meeting of the partys National Executive Committee today. They come after he left his wife for 25-year-old glamour model Jo Marney on December 23, followed by this newspapers revelations of Ms Marneys racist text messages about Meghan Markle. Mr Bolton met Ms Colombo in Keppels bar at Folkestones Grand Hotel, ironically named after Alice Keppel, Edward VIIs mistress. Henry Bolton's campaign chief Neil Jones quit in disgust after he claims the Ukip leader boasted of seeing Chiara Colombo, pictured, an Italian au pair who is half his age According to Mr Jones, Mr Bolton told friends she later joined him upstairs in the flat he owns in the building. Mr Jones said: We went for Sunday lunch and Henry arrived looking really pleased with himself. He said he was seeing this Italian girl and showed us a picture of her in a yellow bikini. 'He said she was going to come out campaigning with him. I was absolutely disgusted and I let him know exactly what I thought. I resigned a few days later over this woman. Neil Jones claimed that Mr Bolton met Ms Colombo while his third wife Tatiana Smurova (pictured) was away working in Austria. She was five months pregnant at the time The events unfolded while Mr Boltons third wife Tatiana Smurova, 42, was away working in Austria. She was five months pregnant with their second daughter. Yesterday, she spoke of her fury that Mr Bolton did not have the courage to tell me directly, personally about Marney. Mr Jones said of Bolton and Ms Colombo: Henry didnt say they had slept together or anything but it was implied something was going on. He was full of himself. Speaking from her home near Lake Como in Italy, Ms Colombo denied going to Mr Boltons flat and said although they met a second time for a coffee, there was no romance. He had to go to Maidstone for a radio interview, and he said If you want to come, you can come, she said. Since I know men, I said it is better if I dont go along. I know men can come to me and maybe they want something else. Mr Bolton last night denied Mr Joness claims. His spokesman said he met Ms Colombo twice in Folkestone but added: There was no affair. Wealthy businessman and action lover Charles Burnett III (pictured) was killed in a helicopter accident on Wednesday He was the wealthy British eccentric best known for holding the world speed record for a steam-powered car. But The Mail on Sunday can also reveal that Charles Burnett III, killed last week in a horrific helicopter crash, was heir to family interests in Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason, and Primark. His death at the age of 61 brought to a close a life of fabulous excess featuring beautiful women, homes all over the world, a vast collection of tanks, planes, speedboats and fast cars and even a sex dungeon. His main home in Britain was a magnificent Georgian manor house, Newton Park, near Lymington, Hampshire. It boasted a private airstrip on the site of a Second World War RAF base and three hangars one for cars, one for planes and one for boats. Mr Burnett enraged his neighbours by throwing raucous parties, including a birthday celebration in 2007 when a two-seater Harvard plane swooped over the property and mock bombs exploded in the grounds as off-duty soldiers re-enacted battles from the Falklands War. Some of Mr Burnetts friends are questioning whether last Wednesdays fatal crash in New Mexico was accidental. Suspicions have been raised because Roy Bennett, a leading opponent of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, was also killed. The 60-year-old Zimbabwean was treasurer-general of Morgan Tsvangirais Movement for Democratic Change. He had previously received death threats. Charles Burnett III, 61, who broke the land speed record for a steam powered car in 2009 (pictured), was among five people killed in the crash in New Mexico Mr Burnetts girlfriend of 20 years, Andra Cobb (pictured together), was the only person to survive the incident People are highly suspicious about the circumstances of the crash, said a friend of Mr Burnett. The chopper went down on a clear night with two highly qualified pilots on board. There has been talk in private about Charles bankrolling Roys political ambitions. Was he planning to help Roy launch an opposition campaign in Zimbabwe? Mr Burnetts girlfriend of 20 years, Andra Cobb, was the only person to survive the crash. Mr Burnetts polo-playing uncle, Galen Weston, is a close friend of Prince Charles, and his mother Miriam Weston Burnett is said to have given him an allowance of 25 million a year. When she died in 2008 he inherited a fortune. Mr Burnetts home in Houston, Texas, was dubbed Casa del Diablo (House of the Devil) because a maid, horrified at discovering a sex dungeon in the basement, ran out of the property screaming, Diablo! Diablo! But Mr Burnett was best known to the public for driving a steam-powered car at an average of 139mph at Edwards Air Force Base in California in 2009, breaking a record that had stood for 103 years. His main home in Britain was a magnificent Georgian manor house, Newton Park, near Lymington, Hampshire - where he kept tanks (pictured) Those allegedly targeted were ex-Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, former Chief Whip Andrew Mitchell (pictured), and ex-Trade Secretary Peter Lilley. All three last night denied wrongdoing A political storm erupted last night over claims that three former Cabinet Ministers secretly tried to earn thousands of pounds in a 'cash for Brexit' scandal. The senior politicians were lured to a luxury Mayfair office where they were secretly filmed discussing being paid for telling Chinese tycoons how to make money out of Britain leaving the European Union. Those targeted were ex-Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, former Chief Whip Andrew Mitchell, and ex-Trade Secretary Peter Lilley. All three last night denied wrongdoing. Lord Lansley, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, said he had referred himself to the parliamentary anti-sleaze watchdog, and expected his name to be cleared. Mr Lilley said: 'It was a tawdry attempt at entrapment and I did nothing improper whatsoever. I thought it might be a sting from the beginning. Pictured: Former Health Secretary Lord Andrew Lansley (left) and ex-Trade Secretary Peter Lilley (right) 'They said they had a budget of 18,000 but I told them I was already on the advisory board of a Chinese company, that I was comfortably off and I did not pursue the matter.' Mr Mitchell claimed he was 'totally innocent' and had been the victim of 'attempted entrapment'. He revealed he launched his own investigation after suspecting the approach was bogus, fearing Parliament was being targeted by Chinese or Russian agents. Mr Mitchell said he was aided by the 'British authorities', but refused to confirm or deny whether he was referring to MI5. The latest Westminster sleaze claims follow a three-month investigation by Channel 4's Dispatches programme. Producers say their expose would show 'how former Cabinet Ministers are offering themselves to private companies as Brexit advisers'. The trio were lured to Mayfair where they were greeted by a Chinese woman. She gave her name as Fei Liu and claimed to represent Chinese millionaires. They were offered a 'highly attractive remuneration package' and an all-expenses-paid trip to Hong Kong in return for attending four London meetings a year. The money was to 'help navigate the shifting political, regulatory and legislative frameworks in the UK and across Europe after Brexit', they were told. For their 'sting', Channel 4 invited the politicians to an office in the exclusive area of St James's in October to meet Miss Liu, who claimed to be managing director of Tianfen Consulting but was in fact an undercover reporter. The senior politicians were lured to a luxury Mayfair office (pictured) where they were secretly filmed discussing being paid for telling Chinese tycoons how to make money out of Britain leaving the European Union She told each of the politicians their experience would make them an 'ideal candidate to join the international advisory board of Tianfen Consulting' allegedly a 'boutique strategic communications firm' which advised 'high net worth individuals' in Hong Kong and China. Mr Mitchell described how Miss Liu told him that she wanted to use his knowledge to make money out of Brexit. However, Channel 4 and Mr Mitchell disagree over what happened. Both agree he said he charged 6,000 a day to do non-political work; would consider doing 'five or six' days work a year for Tianfen, but would do no lobbying because it was against Commons rules. Mr Mitchell also said he would consult parliamentary chiefs before doing any work for Tianfen. Channel 4 say Mr Mitchell's response showed the 'willingness of MPs and ex-Ministers to enter into consultancy agreements with private clients to boost their incomes against the backdrop of Brexit' and claim that was 'in conflict with his public duties as an MP'. It is also claimed that Mr Mitchell said he would be available 'at any time' to Tianfen, including Christmas, but had failed to offer the same 'instant service' to a voter in his Sutton Coldfield constituency. They were offered a 'highly attractive remuneration package' and an all-expenses-paid trip to Hong Kong (pictured) in return for attending four London meetings a year They said the voter had been forced to wait three weeks for a ten-minute meeting over the business climate. However, the MP has offered a very different version of events. He said he realised within minutes of his meeting with Miss Liu that her approach was bogus. The MP told The Mail on Sunday that he feared it may have been an attempt by Chinese or Russian intelligence, or another 'sinister organisation', to target Parliament. Former banker Mr Mitchell, who has business experience in Hong Kong, got a friend in the former British colony to visit the address of Tianfen Consulting provided by Miss Liu. In writing: The letter inviting Andrew Mitchell to join Tianfen's advisory board He also sought the help of 'British authorities' believed to be MI5 who later told him they had confirmed he had been targeted by a bogus organisation. But since it was not a foreign power nor a threat to British security, they could not help him further. Two months after the initial approach, Mr Mitchell received another email from Miss Liu, informing him that the Tianfen offer had been dropped. He fired off an angry reply, accusing her of 'a flagrant and dishonest attempt to entrap an MP' and threatened to call police. He also made a formal protest to China's ambassador in London, Liu Xiaoming, who said he shared Mr Mitchell's concern about the 'ill intended move of Tianfen Consulting' and hoped it would not undermine Anglo-Chinese relations. A second vote on the EU? Nein, says May Theresa May has sought to kill off lingering hopes of a second EU referendum by declaring in German that Brexit is unstoppable. The Prime Minister used an interview with German newspaper Bild to insist: 'Wir verlassen die EU (We are leaving the EU).' She added in English: 'There will be no second referendum on Britain leaving the EU Parliament gave the British public the choice and they made their decision.' Her vow came after Cabinet colleague David Lidington hinted Britain could one day rejoin a reformed EU, while French President Emmanuel Macron, who visited the UK last week, said he would 'love to welcome' Britain back. Advertisement Mr Mitchell, who resigned from the Cabinet in 2012 over claims that he called a Downing Street policeman a 'pleb', said last night: 'I have done absolutely nothing wrong and behaved with total propriety. The allegations against me are a total distortion. MPs are allowed to have second jobs and my constituents always come first.' He was backed by Sutton Coldfield Conservative chairman Ewan Mackey, who said: 'We think it is a good thing that Andrew has had a foot in the business community when he has not been a Minister. He is a highly respected and effective MP.' Meanwhile, a friend of Lord Lansley's said that the peer had been undergoing chemotherapy for cancer at the time of the sting. His spokesman said: 'Lord Lansley made clear at all times that any work he carries out has to comply with the House of Lords Code of Conduct. 'He has always kept his outside interests separate from his parliamentary duties and at no time did he offer any privileged access, insider information, lobbying activity, parliamentary advice or services.' However, Sir Alistair Graham, former chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, told Channel 4 the investigation showed MPs were abusing rules which allow them to have second jobs. Most voters did 'not want their MPs taking on second jobs they want them to concentrate on the public interest,' said Sir Alistair. Mitchell: I smelled a rat... and MI5 agreed By ANDREW MITCHELL, FORMER CABINET MINISTER It was clear to me within minutes of arriving at the meeting in St James's in Mayfair on October 25 that I was the target of a 'sting'. A couple of weeks earlier, I received an email from a woman calling herself Fei Liu purporting to represent Chinese investors via a Hong Kong-based consultancy, seeking advice from those with experience of the financial services sector. Like many other politicians, in addition to my work as a backbench MP I have a few outside interests. I am paid for some, but not all. There are some who argue that MPs should do no outside work at all. I believe that would result in a Commons with less knowledge of the real world. As it happens, my local Conservative Association shares that view. On the face of it, the approach from Fei on behalf of Tianfen Consulting was plausible. I have business experience in Hong Kong. But something didn't ring true. Shortly after our meeting, I surmised that it was a stunt because, when I was asked how much I expected per day and I told them how much, I was told they would pay far more. My suspicions were confirmed: no business offers to pay more than someone asks for. That wasn't the only reason I smelled a rat. When I said I could not do more than five or six days work for them because of my constituency work, they pressed me to do more. When they asked me to lobby for them I said I would do no such thing or anything without consulting the Commons authorities. Fei claimed to represent a company run by her grandfather and suggested I met him when he visited London in December. I went along with it, but only to get to the bottom of what was going on. Of course, the grandfather never came, because, like the fake company, he didn't exist. With all the talk of state meddling in Britain by Russia and possibly China and others with ill intent, I resolved to launch my own investigation. I got a friend in Hong Kong to visit the address given to me for Tianfen Consulting. My friend's verdict was: 'Decidedly dodgy.' I contacted someone I know in what I will call 'the British authorities' and said I was worried I was the target of an attempted entrapment. They eventually came back to me and said I was right, but it was not a foreign power so they had no further interest. On December 5, I complained to the Chinese ambassador in London, Liu Xiaoming. He condemned the 'ill-intended Tianfen Consultancy'. By then, surprise, surprise, Fei had emailed me saying she did not wish to pursue the matter further. I told her a 'flagrant and dishonest' attempt had been made to entrap me and if it happened again I would inform police. Last week I learned for certain it was indeed a media stunt. The media is entitled to investigate MPs. But not mislead. In Fei's initial approach to me, there was a fleeting reference to Brexit. Now I see why. Channel 4 tell me they will not broadcast secret film of my meeting at St James's with Fei. With good reason: if they did it would be clear I acted properly throughout. Much better to use a few carefully chosen quotes from the meeting to smear me. With similar artfulness, I am accused of failing to respond to a constituent who sought my advice at Christmas. In fact, the individual contacted my office on Friday, December 22. I had given my staff the day off for Christmas shopping while I visited a local hospital, Post Office, police and fire station to thank them for all their hard work. I doubt that will be shown on TV. A new book has revealed that Margaret Thatcher (pictured) disliked men with moustaches because they looked like hairdressers and may have quit as Prime Minister because of husband Deniss heavy drinking Margaret Thatcher wanted to push Vietnamese boat people into the sea, loathed Germans, and believed South Africa should become a whites-only state. She disliked men with moustaches because they looked like hairdressers and may have quit as Prime Minister because of husband Deniss heavy drinking. That is the controversial portrait painted of her in a new book by Sir Patrick Wright, who was head of the Diplomatic Service at the end of Thatchers Downing Street years and at the start of John Majors term in office. His diaries give a vivid account of her bitter clashes with her Foreign Secretary Sir Geoffrey Howe she described him as that old bumbler behind his back. Wrights diaries reveal his shock at the former PMs views on apartheid. She wanted a return to pre-1910 South Africa, with a white mini-state partitioned from neighbouring black states. When I argued this would be an extension of apartheid, she barked, Do you have no concern for our strategic interests? He also claims that Thatcher was at her worst during 1989s Vietnamese boat people crisis. He says Howe told him she favoured a policy of pushing off refusing to allow them to land, oblivious of appalling implications with photographs of sinking boats and drowning children. Months before Thatcher was forced to resign in 1990, Wrights diaries note Whitehall gossip about Deniss heavy drinking and worries that this could be a reason for herto give up early. It hints she may have had a drink problem too. Mrs Thatcher & Me: The uproarious diaries of one of her top diplomats show NOBODY was safe from the Iron Lady's fire The book's writer Sir Patrick Wright, pictured, was the most senior civil servant in the Foreign Office for the turbulent final four years of Margaret Thatchers premiership BY SIR PATRICK WRIGHT, FORMER FOREIGN OFFICE PERMANENT UNDER SECRETARY Sir Patrick Wright was the most senior civil servant in the Foreign Office for the turbulent final four years of Margaret Thatchers premiership. The post gave him a front-row view of Mrs Thatchers many antipathies which included Germans, the Foreign Office and men with moustaches as exposed in his fascinating diaries. Here, the entries begin with her views on apartheid-era South Africa JUNE 20, 1986 One week before taking over as Permanent Under-Secretary from Sir Antony Acland, we were both invited to lunch with Mrs Thatcher. She opened the conversation by thrusting a newspaper cutting about Oliver Tambo [ANC president] in front of us, saying that it proved that we should not be talking to him She continued to express her views about a return to pre-1910 South Africa, with a white mini-state partitioned from their neighbouring black states. When I argued that this would be seen as an extension of apartheid, she barked: Do you have no concern for our strategic interests? JUNE 24 I paid my first call on Geoffrey Howe [Foreign Secretary]. No talk about the Prime Minister, though he was already having a very difficult time with her, particularly on South Africa, where their views were poles apart. JUNE 25 At lunch with Robert Armstrong [Cabinet Secretary], he described relations between the PM and the Foreign Office as worse than he could ever remember with any PM. When discussing her views about another Foreign Office official, Robert replied All right, until 11am, explaining that the PM had emerged from Cabinet to see this official talking to the Foreign Secretary. This was apparently enough to damn anyone. AUGUST 3 At a meeting in the PMs study in No 10 she again started talking about partition as a solution to South Africa. All her (and Deniss) instincts are in favour of the South African Whites. JULY 13, 1987 Lynda Chalker [Minister for Europe] told me this morning that the PM had been heard to refer publicly to Geoffrey Howe as that old bumbler. JULY 13, 1987 Lynda Chalker [Minister for Europe] told me this morning that the PM had been heard to refer publicly to Geoffrey Howe (pictured) as that old bumbler FEBRUARY 20, 1989 After conflicting statements out of Iran on whether Salman Rushdie was still condemned to death, EC foreign ministers met. The French proposed that all EC heads of mission should be withdrawn in protest at Ayatollah Khomenis latest outburst. The PM decided that all UK staff should be withdrawn. (She apparently told Geoffrey that if any of them was harmed, she would hold him personally responsible.) JUNE 22 Virginia [Wrights wife] lunched with Elspeth Howe, who told her that Margaret Thatcher was totally impossible. We should all stick together, and to our guns. She said that it was a pity that all this could not be leaked. 'IF SHE DOESN'T LIKE IT, SHE CAN BLOODY WELL DO IT HERSELF' OCTOBER 29, 1989 At the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Kuala Lumpur, John Major [who had replaced Howe as Foreign Secretary] was invited almost every day to have lunch or dinner with the Thatchers. John showed signs of independence. At one point, when I pointed out that the PM might object to something, he blurted out: If the PM doesnt like it, she can bloody well come and renegotiate it herself. APRIL 16, 1991 John Drew, the European Commissions representative in London, at a reception this evening, told me a good story about a meeting between Jacques Delors [EC president], John Major [still Foreign Secretary] and Mrs Thatcher. At one point, Thatcher had fixed Delors with her basilisk stare and said Mr Delors, I am watching you very carefully, to which Delors had replied: Dont watch me, Mrs Thatcher its this young Prime Minister of yours you need to watch! MEN WITH MOUSTACHES? THEY LOOK LIKE HAIRDRESSERS JUNE 25, 1986 Margaret Thatchers contemptuous opinions of the diplomatic service contrasted strongly with her complimentary views on almost every individual diplomat she met. After almost every foreign trip she made, she appeared to be impressed by the head of mission (particularly if he was tall and good-looking). One of her reservations was beards. When a bearded colleague of mine started a Foreign Office job, I warned him that it might be better, given Mrs Thatchers known prejudices, if he shaved it off. He shaved it off! Moustaches were also a problem. Of one moustached colleague, Margaret Thatcher is reported to have claimed: The trouble is, he looks like a hairdresser. SEPTEMBER 29 Margaret Thatcher, pictured, has been showing signs of her Germanophobia over the past few weeks she seems to be obsessed by a feeling that German-speakers are going to dominate the community NOVEMBER 14, 1990 Douglas Hurd [Foreign Secretary] told me of a talk he has had with the Prime Minister on personnel questions. Her description of a member of the service as twee apparently relates to a suit she once saw him wearing with crocodile-skin shoes. She also reverted to her prejudice for tall men by saying she did not think another member of the service was big enough for a certain post. HER DOUBTS ABOUT THE FRENCH REVOLUTION... ON FRENCH RADIO DECEMBER 1, 1987 Spent most of the morning and lunch with Jurgen Sudhoff, the German Permanent Under-Secretary. One problem is that Helmut Kohl [the German Chancellor] and Thatcher so dislike each other. Sudhoff told me that Kohl had telephoned her after the Brighton bomb, and felt hurt that she had never called him back. FEBRUARY 1, 1988 We seem, as usual, to have become isolated, and the Prime Ministers recent meeting with Mitterrand [French president] and Chirac [French prime minister] was very bad-tempered, with the PM at one point telling Chirac not to threaten her. FEBRUARY 28, 1989 My talks with my Austrian opposite number, Thomas Klestil, were mainly about Austrias application to join the European Community (on which Mrs Thatcher was already showing her dislike of the thought of another German joining the club). JULY 14 Bastille Day, and the economic summit in Paris, preceded by interviews with the PM on French radio, casting fairly offensive doubt on the value of the French Revolution, and claiming in effect that Magna Carta had thought of it first! Why does she always have to go to meetings facing, or provoking, a row? SEPTEMBER 29 Margaret Thatcher has been showing signs of her Germanophobia over the past few weeks she seems to be obsessed by a feeling that German-speakers are going to dominate the community. Any talk of German reunification is anathema to her. FEBRUARY 8, 1990 There was apparently a tempestuous Cabinet meeting today. Len Appleyard [a diplomat] gave us a vivid account, which led Douglas Hurd to remark: Cabinet now consists of three items: parliamentary affairs; home affairs; and xenophobia. FEBRUARY 13 The PM continues to bleat about reunification to all her visitors the Polish PM being the latest. She is also revelling in being the only politician to argue for the lifting of all sanctions against South Africa. APRIL 5 Peter Carrington [former Foreign Secretary] gossiped with me about things Mrs Thatcher had said to him about Germany. I told him of her remark about Munich, saying that she could never bring herself to visit that place, at which Peter commented that she had very little understanding of history: After all, it is not as though she fought in the war. JUNE 4 Peter Middleton [Treasury Permanent Secretary] told me of an extraordinary meeting between the PM and a Treasury team last week. Her loathing of the Germans and the European Commission is such that she apparently started to refer to the Commission as being in Bonn. When corrected, she said: No. I meant Bonn. After all, the Germans are going to take it all over. BLACK MOODS... AND FEARS OVER DENIS'S DRINKING HABITS DECEMBER 20, 1989 Percy Cradock [an adviser to Mrs Thatcher] spoke to me privately today about her health and mood; he suspects that she is taking pills or vitamins for her perpetual colds and combining this with occasional drinks. He is finding her much less lucid than usual. JANUARY 3, 1990 Nicky Gordon Lennox [our former ambassador to Spain] called on retirement from Madrid, and gossiped with me about the Prime Minister and Denis Thatcher. He had been struck by how heavily Denis was now drinking, and referred to worries among Margaret Thatchers close circle that this could become a reason for her to give up early. JANUARY 3, 1990 Nicky Gordon Lennox [our former ambassador to Spain] called on retirement from Madrid, and gossiped with me about the Prime Minister and Denis Thatcher. He had been struck by how heavily Denis (pictured) was now drinking IS THE IRON LADY EYEING UP THE TOP JOB IN HONG KONG? FEBRUARY 13, 1991 I asked Douglas Hurd if there is any background to press stories that Margaret Thatcher might go to Washington as ambassador. He totally rejected it, but said that John Major is worried about her, and thinks that someone should think of a role for her. APRIL 9 Mrs Thatcher is obviously steamed up about the governorship of Hong Kong. I wondered whether she had stimulated a letter in the Telegraph today, proposing her as governor? MAY 30 Stephen Wall [Majors foreign policy adviser] tells me that John Major has now twice called on Mrs Thatcher, but is increasingly irritated by her erratic behaviour. I had seen Major at a state banquet in April. He talked quite angrily about Mrs Thatcher, saying that most of the press attacks on his dithering came directly, or indirectly, from her; he really thought that she had become unbalanced. UNSEEMLY ROW OVER PRINCESS MARGARET'S CHINA TRIP JANUARY 18, 1987 I face a very embarrassing and difficult row with Buckingham Palace, having asked Roger Hervey [a diplomat] to raise with Princess Margarets private secretary Lord Napier the size and cost of her entourage when visiting China. Lord Napier was extremely resistant and thought that Princess Margaret at least would strongly object to being asked to contribute to the cost. JANUARY 20 I spoke to Bill Heseltine [private secretary to the Queen], who reacted robustly, describing the proposal that the Government should pay for Princess Margarets children as quite monstrous, and said he would talk to the Queen. Princess Margaret (right) is pictured with her daughter Sarah in China. The Government of the time faced a row regarding the size of her entourage and its funding A LOYAL ADDRESS FROM THE BUM FROM TUM JULY 16, 1987 At a Buckingham Palace dinner for King Hassan of Morocco, King Simeon of Bulgaria told us that he had been invited to the Palace for lunch, but had fainted as they were going in. The Queen had earlier asked him what his crest was, and he had said Saxe-Coburg ie the same as hers. He had come round lying on the floor, and opened his eyes to see the Saxe-Coburg crest on the ceiling. He thought he must have died and gone to heaven! OCTOBER 20, 1987 Alan Munro [former British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia] told an improbable story about a Nigerian chieftain called the Bum of Tum, who was invited to join a Durbar [reference to a Foreign Office building used for receptions] for the Queen, and to give a loyal address. Unable to attend, he sent a telegram saying: My Loyal Address is PO Box 1, Tum; signed BUM. TROUBLING NEWS ABOUT THE PMS KEY AIDE JANUARY 23, 1989 A worrying letter today from David Goodall about Peter Morrison [ex-deputy chairman of the Conservative Party and Thatchers Parliamentary Private Secretary], who got drunk in Davids residence and poured out offensive attacks against the FCO, saying that we were all useless wimps; hated throughout the Conservative Party; and despised by the PM. NO SYMPATHY FOR VIETNAMESE REFUGEES JUNE 8, 1989 The problem of Vietnamese boat people was discussed this afternoon. The PM was said to have been at her worst, simply failing to listen to any arguments she disagreed with. Geoffrey Howe told me that the PM is moving towards a policy of pushing off [refusing to allow them to land] apparently oblivious of the appalling implications, with photographs reminiscent of Palestinians and Jews in 1947 in sinking boats. A MUDDLE IN THE MIDDLE EAST APRIL 15, 1987 A meeting to brief Geoffrey Howe on my visits to Israel and Turkey. He was shocked by my account of Israeli impediments to Palestinian family reunification, and has asked for further details so he can brief the PM to steer her away from Finchley. After I had criticised several aspects of Israeli life, Geoffrey laughed and said: I see you have maintained your admirable objectivity about the Middle East. APRIL 21, 1988 This evening to the Albert Hall for the 40th anniversary gala of Israels independence, which I had accepted largely to correct The Mail on Sundays impression of anti-Zionists in the FCO. Some difficult moments (eg a reading which referred to the Jews returning to Empty Zion); but otherwise a rather jolly evening of songs and readings. JANUARY 16, 1989 William Waldegraves call on Arafat in Tunis, and his reference to Shamirs [Israeli prime minister] past as a terrorist, has led to a renewed storm in the press about FO twits and anti-Semitism. The PM was said to be furious (no doubt with her Finchley constituents in mind). ...BUT AT LEAST SOMEONE CAN REDUCE HER TO GIGGLES! JULY 7, 1988 To No 10 for Peter Carringtons farewell dinner, at which both the PM and Carrington made excellent speeches, with the PM telling the story of her meeting with the Chinese, at which the latter spoke non-stop for two hours, and Carrington passed her a note saying Margaret, you are talking too much an occasion which he described as the only time he had seen Margaret get the giggles. A teenage bellringer had to be rescued by firemen after being hoisted 40ft into the belfry when he became entangled in his rope. The 17-year-old injured his ankle and shoulder when the practice session went wrong and was lifted almost four storeys up among the mechanics of the bell tower. He became entwined in the knot of ropes high above the floor which was attached to one of the ten bells at the church which has a 1000-year long history. A teenage bellringer had to be rescued by firemen after being hoisted 40ft into the belfry when he became entangled in his rope Firefighters used a rope system because the church's spiral staircase was too steep for a stretcher needed to lower the teenager down Fire fighters and paramedics were called to St Helen's Church, in Abingdon, Oxfordshire to rescue to youngster as experienced bell ringers looked on in horror at 7pm on Friday evening. The learner was with experienced bell ringers for a practice session who immediately called the emergency services. Brian Read, the Tower Captain of St Helen's Church, said an enquiry will be held among the senior figures at the church to minimise another similar incident happening. Mr Read said: 'It is a very rare occurrence but it can happen. Like any activity it cannot be 100 per cent safe. 'There were people there at the time who knew what to do and it if very unfortunate that this young man suffered an injury.' A small amount of damage caused to the mechanics in the belfry that was repaired on Saturday so the bells will be able to ring this weekend. Fire fighters and paramedics were called to St Helen's Church (pictured), in Abingdon, Oxfordshire to rescue to youngster A spokesman for Oxfordshire County Council Fire and Rescue Service said: 'A 17year old male had suffered a number of injuries caused by becoming tangled within the bell ringing ropes. The casualty needed to be lowered over 40 foot to the floor of the church using a rope rescue system.' The Fire and Rescue Service Incident Commander, Station Manager Paul Webster said: 'Due to the steepness of the spiral staircase to the bell ringing room, there was not the option to carry the casualty out of the church on a stretcher. 'Once the casualty was lowered to the floor he was transported to hospital by South Central Ambulance Service. He added: 'This was an excellent example of partnership working with our colleagues in South Central Ambulance Service, this is an unusual incident for the Fire and Rescue Service but another scenario we have to train for, all crews worked well together to achieve a successful outcome as the incident required both specialist rescue knowledge and equipment and medical expertise.' The teenager was on Saturday recovering at home with an ankle and shoulder injury. Church of England bishops have blocked the introduction of a new prayer celebrating a transgender person's change of sex. The House of Bishops was strongly urged to draw up the 'baptism-style' services for sex-change Christians by the Church's 'Parliament', the General Synod, last summer. The Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, was among senior figures who implored Synod members to vote for a motion asking the bishops to consider new official liturgies designed to welcome a transgender person under their new name. Church of England bishops have blocked the introduction of a new prayer celebrating a transgender person's change of sex. Pictured: The Synod The Reverend Chris Newlands, who proposed the motion, said it was 'a wonderful opportunity to create a liturgy which speaks powerfully to the particularities of trans people, and make a significant contribution to their well-being and support'. But The Mail on Sunday has learned that the bishops rejected the move at a private meeting at Lambeth Palace last month. One senior member of the Synod said: 'I am surprised that they have decided that new liturgies weren't necessary given the force of the arguments and the feeling of Synod. You need to be able to respond to people's life events. 'We do with birth and marriage and death. When you claim a new identity, that seems to me to be as powerful.' The Reverend Christina Beardsley, a transgender woman and a Church of England chaplain who attended the Synod debate, said she was 'very disappointed'. Dr Beardsley, a member of the transgender group the Sibyls, said many Christians would be hurt by the decision, which showed that the bishops 'don't seem to be engaging with transgender people'. She said the Sibyls had produced prayers that can be used in transgender services, including a version of the Lord's Prayer that begins: 'Heavenly Father, heavenly Mother, Holy and blessed is your true name.' The House of Bishops was strongly urged to draw up the 'baptism-style' services for sex-change Christians by the Church's 'Parliament', the General Synod, last summer. Pictured: John Sentamu Dr Beardsley said she was also worried that conservative campaigners who say people should accept their God-given genders were holding a fringe event at the next General Synod next month. The Church's bishops are already walking a tightrope over the issue of sexuality after a report they produced last year resisting same-sex marriages in church was voted down by the Synod. They have set up a working party to produce a new 'teaching document' on the controversy, but this will not be ready before 2020 and critics say it is a ploy to kick the divisive debate into the long grass. Explaining the bishops' decision to block the transgender prayers, the Bishop of Norwich, Graham James, said that while the Church welcomed transgender people, clergy could adapt services used to affirm baptism or write unofficial versions. A kitten has been saved after she was left to drown in a river with a four-kilogram electric saw tied around her. The six-month-old cat was abandoned in Adelaide's River Torrens on Friday before she was discovered by Good Samaritan Megan Eastaughffe, 41. Ms Eastaughffe said she was feeding her horse at her Fulham home, in the city's west, when she heard a distressed meow, Adelaide Now reported. A six-month-old kitten (pictured) has been saved after she was left to drown in Adelaide's River Torrens on Friday Good Samaritan Megan Eastaughffe, 41, discovered the kitten abandoned in the river and called a friend Jessica Searle (pictured), 22, stepped into the one-metre-deep water to rescue the cat She then spotted the kitten in the water and tried to coax her to swim to the bank, but she wouldn't budge. 'Then I changed my angle ... and saw something was tied to her waist,' she told the publication. Ms Eastaughffe called her friend Jessica Searle, 22, who stepped into the one-metre-deep water to rescue the cat. She then found the cat was being weighed down by a circular saw that was tied around her waist. 'It was just horrendous, I was half sobbing, that was so overwhelming,' Ms Eastaughffe said. Ms Eastaughffe said the kitten immediately warmed to her rescuers, who named her Splash. She found the cat was being weighed down by a circular saw (pictured) that was tied around her waist Ms Eastaughffe said the kitten immediately warmed to her rescuers, who named her Splash Splash was found to still be in healthy condition, but without any identification or microchip, meaning the owner couldn't be tracked down The pair also noticed that Splash's coat, whiskers and eyelashes appeared to be recently clipped. 'If you dont want an animal, why harm a beautiful, innocent creature which only has love to give when you have other options?' Ms Eastaughffe said. Ms Searle took to Facebook after the rescue, saying: 'After what a human had done to her, she was still so loving and trusting which broke my heart even more.' Splash was taken to an emergency vet and was in the care of the RSPCA on Saturday. She was found to still be in healthy condition, but without any identification or microchip, meaning the owner couldn't be tracked down, Adelaide Now reported. RSPCA South Australia inspector Verity Otto confirmed the organisation is investigating the case of animal cruelty. She said the offender could face up to four years in jail or a $50,000 fine. Boris Johnson was involved in more diplomatic intrigue last night over claims that he had snubbed his French counterpart. Sources say the Foreign Secretary pulled out of a scheduled meeting in Paris with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian after Mr Le Drian called off lunch. The pair had been expected to meet in the run-up to Theresa Mays Sandhurst summit with President Emmanuel Macron and then break for lunch. But The Mail on Sunday has been told that on learning that Mr Le Drian was too busy to include lunch in the talks, Mr Johnson abandoned his trip to France altogether. Sources say the Foreign Secretary (right) pulled out of a scheduled meeting in Paris with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian (centre) after Mr Le Drian called off lunch. They are pictured at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in Camberley, on Thursday Mr Johnson and Mr Le Drian instead spoke to each other by phone ahead of the summit. They are pictured at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in Camberley, on Thursday Last night, sources close to Mr Johnson claimed his plans to meet earlier this month were changed due to both Ministers busy diaries . Mr Johnson and Mr Le Drian instead spoke to each other by phone ahead of the summit. Actor Craig McLachlan has broken his silence to deny sexual assault allegations, saying 'does being cheeky and naughty equate with being a bully?' Three women who performed alongside McLachlan on the Rocky Horror Show in 2014 alleged they were 'abused, harassed or assaulted' by the star. McLachlan, 52, has vehemently denied the allegations since the women spoke to media in early January. With his partner Vanessa Scammell by his side, McLachlan this week admitted his sense of humour could be 'naughty' but insisted he was innocent of the allegations. With his partner Vanessa Scammell by his side, McLachlan (pictured together) admitted his sense of humour could be 'naughty' but insisted he was innocent of the allegations 'Does being cheeky and naughty equate with being a bully? No, it does not. The truth will come out,' he told The Daily Telegraph. McLachlan claimed he was less 'filthy' than other members of the cast and crew and said the allegations shocked him. 'Backstage with crews and casts, it's a different, naughty dare I say it politically incorrect world,' he said. McLachlan said theatre was very different to any other workplace, and people did and said things onstage, that would otherwise be inappropriate. Three women who performed alongside McLachlan on the Rocky Horror Show in 2014 alleged they were 'abused, harassed or assaulted' by the star His partner of eight years, orchestra conductor Vanessa Scammell (together), said she would stand by McLachlan as he fought the claims of sexual assault His partner of eight years, orchestra conductor Vanessa Scammell, said she would stand by McLachlan as he fought the sexual harassment allegations. While she supported him, she said the allegations had upturned their lives. 'The havoc that has been wreaked has been devastating,' she said. Ms Scammell said she was shocked and horrified by the 'character assassination' of McLachlan. McLachlan has maintained his innocence since the allegations surfaced in early January. Despite his denial, he was withdrawn from the current production of the Rocky Horror Show. Despite his denial, McLachlan (centre) was withdrawn from the current production of the Rocky Horror Show Actress Erika Heynatz, who once hosted Australia's Next Top Model and had a recurring role on Home And Away, is one of the women who made allegations against McLachlan. According to the Herald, Heynatz alleged that she 'experienced unwanted sexual advances from the star.' Among other claims, the actress said on one occasion McLachlan straddled her on a lounge in a green room and kissed her without permission. Rocky Horror co-stars Christie Whelan Browne and Angela Scundi also made allegations. Christie Whelan Browne arrives ahead of Aladdin opening night at Her Majesty's Theatre on April 20 Two of the three women have taken their case to the Victorian police and all three have sought legal advice in pushing for an investigation. Whelan Browne alleges McLachlan 'indecently assaulted her during the show.' While on stage and only visible to the audience from the waist up, she accused McLachlan of once pulling up her underwear and kissing her buttocks while he was obscured by public view. He has refuted that the incident occurred. Angela Scundi, another woman who appeared in the musical, alleged McLachlan made inappropriate comments about her breasts and exposed himself to her. While Scundi made a 'lengthy statement to police', McLachlan denied the allegation. Angela Scundi (right), another woman who appeared in the musical, alleged McLachlan made inappropriate comments about her breasts and exposed himself to her (Erika Heynatz left) McLachlan played the lead role of transvestite scientist, Dr Frank N. Furter in the Rocky Horror Show production. One of Australia's most iconic actors, Craig McLachlan first appeared in a guest capacity on The Young Doctors, before playing Kylie Minogue's on-screen brother in Neighbours. He won the prestigious Gold Logie Award for Best Personality on Australian Television for his role on the popular soap. For two years in the early 1990s, he starred as Grant Mitchell in Home And Away, and has had recurring roles in beloved Australian dramas McLeod's Daughters and Packed To The Rafters. McLachlan played the lead role of transvestite scientist, Dr Frank N. Furter in the Rocky Horror Show production Craig McLachlan poses with the award for Best Actor in a Musical at the Capitol Theatre on August 18, 2014 in Sydney More recently, the actor appeared in The Wrong Girl and The Doctor Blake Mysteries. McLachlan was raised on the NSW Central Coast and met his first wife Karen Williams during a school theatre production. His second marriage was to Neighbours star Rachel Friend. They divorced after 18 months. He has a teenage son, who lives in the UK. A 2005 newspaper report claimed McLachlan 'regularly visits his son in London' despite living in Australia. British and Canadian tourists vacationing in Jamaica's Montego Bay resort area have been warned to stay in their resorts while the military carries out a crackdown on violent crime. The UK Foreign Office warned vacationers that 'intensive law enforcement activities' were expected in St James Parish after a state of emergency was declared there on Thursday. The Office, also known as the FCO, has said holidaymakers should limit their movements outside their resorts in the area, especially if traveling at night. Travelers arriving and departing were also urged to only use transport booked through their hotels. British and Canadian authorities have warned nationals vacationing in Montego Bay, Jamaica to not venture outside of their resorts. The Jamaican government has declared a state of emergency in St James Parish. Pictured is Sandals Montego Bay, a resort The parish has seen an increase in murderous gang-related activity and the national government has sent in soldiers as part of a crackdown on violent crime Travel Canada issued a similar warning that reads in part: 'If you are staying at a resort in the affected area, restrict your movements beyond resort security perimeters. If you do travel outside these perimeters, use transportation arranged or provided by the resort.' Around 200,000 Britons visit Jamaica each year, with many drawn to Montego Bay by its luxury resorts and white sandy beaches. However, the surrounding parish has seen a surge in gang-related killing and violence, according to authorities. Jamaica Constabulary Force Police Commissioner George Quallo told the Jamaica Information Service that 335 murders were recorded in St James Parish in 2017, almost double other parishes, with 'numerous gangs' operating in the area. The parish has a population of 185,000, per JIS. Major General Rocky Meade, Chief of Defense Staff of the Jamaican Defense Force, told the JIS: 'All citizens of Jamaica, including the violence producers, can feel safe in the hands of the military, as long as you are not threatening the troops. 'We are ensuring that we enforce the rule of law, that we disrupt gang activities, and the particular focus is on those that are responsible for murders, lotto scamming, trafficking of arms and guns, and extortion.' The U.S. has not issued such a warning. As of January 10, its authorities advised tourists to 'exercise increased caution' in areas of Kingston, Montego Bay and Spanish Town. Pictured is an aerial view of Montego Bay The year 2017 saw 335 murders in St James Parish, which has a population of 185,000 Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said that the crackdown was being undertaken with the support of local tourism industry. 'Several stakeholders, including those in the tourism industry, have written to me to say that they would support the necessary actions to bring the parish of St James under control and restore public safety,' he said. Per CNN, he added: 'The declaration of a State of Public Emergency does not mean the suspension of the rule of law. The security forces are expected and have been directed to treat citizens with respect and protect the dignity and safety of all.' Mr Holness said the government had been planning the operation 'for some time'. The United States has not issued an advisory about Jamaica, but its government shut down in the early hours of Saturday, which could have an adverse effect on the goings on of the State Department. As of January 10, Jamaica has a 'Level 2' rating on the U.S. travel advisory, meaning that travelers should 'exercise increased caution' in areas of Kingston, Montego Bay and Spanish Town. The Jamaican government has urged civilians to release any and all information pertaining to criminal activity in the area. Pressure was mounting on defence chiefs last night to improve mental healthcare for traumatised troops after former generals, ex-soldier MPs and the charity Help For Heroes backed a campaign launched by Lord Dannatt and The Mail on Sunday. Former heads of the British Army General Sir Mike Jackson and Field Marshal Lord Guthrie joined our demands for around-the-clock care for shell-shocked soldiers, including a 24/7 helpline which would cost the Ministry of Defence just 2 million. They were joined by former Army officers Johnny Mercer and Dan Jarvis, who now sit on opposite sides of the House of Commons as Conservative and Labour MPs, ex-SAS officer Colonel Tim Collins and former head of the Royal Navy, Admiral Lord West. The Mail on Sunday joined forces with Lord Dannatt following the suspected suicide earlier this month of Royal Engineer Nathan Hunt, 39, who fought alongside Prince Harry in Afghanistan. Pressure is mounting on defence chiefs to improve mental healthcare. Several have backed a Mail on Sunday campaign launched after the suspected suicide of Royal Engineer Nathan Hunt (pictured here crouching alongside Prince Harry) Last week we disclosed how two more members of Prince Harrys desert reconnaissance unit had come forward to say that they too had suffered mental health issues as a direct result of their harrowing experiences in the war zone. Lord Dannatt described the lack of care for traumatised troops as a dereliction of duty by the MoD towards those who defend our country. This week, The Mail on Sunday reveals the disturbing story of a suicidal paratrooper who was so traumatised by his frontline experiences that he volunteered to go back to Afghanistan in the hope he would die in combat. Corporal Rob Fisher, 46, also came close to killing himself in Britain. Last night, General Sir Mike Jackson said: It is self-evident that the current system of providing care is not working. In the sense that there is a problem and it is not being properly addressed, I can only agree and 2 million for a hotline does not sound like an awful lot of money in the general scheme of things. A lot of progress has been made since I was a young officer. Back then, PTSD was acknowledged but not taken as seriously as it should have been. But there is still a lot to do. Under the current system, mental healthcare for troops is offered only during office hours from Monday to Friday. In the evenings and at weekends, any Forces personnel suffering battlefield-induced trauma are expected to contact military charities or go to A&E. Former head of the British Army General Sir Mike Jackson (left), ex-commander of all UK Armed Forces Field Marshal Lord Guthrie (centre), and Admiral Lord West (right) backed the campaign for around-the-clock care for shell-shocked soldiers Ex-SAS officer Colonel Tim Collins and former Army officers Tory MP Johnny Mercer and Labour MP Dan Jarvis have all supported demands to get a 24/7 helpline that would cost just 2million Lord Dannatt approached Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood last year and suggested that a 24/7 helpline should be set up so servicemen and women suffering from PTSD and other conditions could speak directly to clinical experts. MAIL ON SUNDAY CAMPAIGN: Helpline for heroes The Mail on Sunday, backed by former Army chief Lord Dannatt, is demanding that defence chiefs set up a 24/7 helpline for traumatised troops manned by mental healthcare experts in a bid to stem the tide of soldiers committing suicide. Advertisement But, according to Lord Dannatt, Mr Ellwood declined his suggestion on the basis that it was not cost effective the MoD estimated that only 50 soldiers per year were likely to use the helpline and that recruiting an extra 40 mental healthcare experts to run it and a nationwide outreach programme would cost 2 million. Last night, Lord Guthrie told The Mail on Sunday that the helpline would save lives and should be introduced as soon as possible. He said: Living with PTSD isnt an office hours problem. Ministers need to back up their sentiments about soldiers welfare with the appropriate level of funding and in this case to find the money to trial the helpline. Colonel Collins added: Lord Dannatts campaign is crucial. Help For Heroes also backed the campaign. A spokesman said: The Government needs to outline what it plans to do to improve the provision for mental healthcare. An MoD spokesman said: Weve looked very carefully at these proposals and our clinical advice is that an MoD-staffed helpline would only extend the time taken for the individual to access the care that they need in a crisis. Policewoman Simina Muntean (pictured) lost her claim for racial discrimination after she was disciplined for her conduct An 'aggressive and rude' Romanian-born policewoman has lost her claim for racial discrimination after she was disciplined over her behaviour. An employment tribunal heard that PC Simina Muntean was placed on a 'development plan' by a senior officers after a string of complaints. Called to a dispute between a mother and her son, she is said to have called the boy a 'd***head'. On another occasion, she allegedly said she needed to get home for childcare reasons in front of a rape victim. And when she stopped at a car crash in which a passenger had been injured, PC Muntean 'failed to get out of her vehicle' and did not seize a number plate left at the scene, the tribunal heard. She twice failed a driving skills assessment but claimed the instructors were racist. Fellow officers had described her as rude, abrupt and opinionated and when she was finally brought in for a disciplinary hearing, she began screaming and angrily waving her hands in an 'aggressive outburst of emotion'. PC Muntean, a response officer in Wolverhampton who joined West Midlands Police in 2009, claimed there had been a conspiracy against her and that her 'confrontational and challenging personality' was 'inextricably interlinked to her race' that had 'marked her out as a troublemaker'. The tribunal rejected her race discrimination claim. She is still working for the force. Jeremy Corbyn faced a race row last night for making white people pay more than ethnic minorities to hear him deliver a speech. The dispute erupted over a decision by Labour chiefs to charge black and ethnic minority activists 10 less per ticket than white activists to attend a rally next month. Tory MPs last night accused Labour of racism and said it was further evidence that the party had abandoned the white working class. Labour officials defended the decision to make white party members pay 40 to attend the East Midlands Labour gathering in Loughborough on February 17. Tory MPs last night accused Labour of racism and said it was further evidence that the party had abandoned the white working class. Pictured: Jeremy Corbyn holding Labour Party rally in Swindon's New College theatre yesterday Labour officials defended the decision to make white party members pay 40 to attend the gathering. In contrast, the charge for black and minority ethnic (BAME) members is 30 In contrast, the charge for black and minority ethnic (BAME) members is 30. A Labour spokesman said: The basic price of a conference pass is the same for all members but, at the request of our East Midlands Regional Board, the party will subsidise part of the cost of this years conference pass for BAME members to encourage attendance and improve representation. Conservative vice-chairman James Cleverly said: Discriminating against people based on the colour of their skin is totally wrong and Mr Corbyn must end this practice now. Conservative vice-chairman James Cleverly said that 'discriminating against people based on the colour of their skin is totally wrong' Leicestershire Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen added: This is racism. In effect, Labour is levying a tax on the basis of the colour of a persons skin. It shows their contempt for the white working class. Mr Bridgen said the insanity of the idea meant that in theory, wealthy Leicester Labour MP Keith Vaz, whose family has Indian roots, would pay less to attend the event than a much less well-off Labour activist. In Corbyns Orwellian parallel universe we are all equal, but some are more equal than others, he added. She added: 'It was amazing. The roar was a rumble, a wave, a crescendo, an aria. There was a visual element to it as well' Ashley Judd delivered Nina Donavan's 'I Am a Nasty Woman' at the Woman's Day March in Washington D.C. last year (pictured) to a thunderous crowd A year after Ashley Judd delivered the controversial poem 'Nasty Women' at the Women's Day March, the actress has recalled feeling the 'personal, political, and spiritual' energy that was felt by everyone in attendance. To commemorate the anniversary of the Women's March, Glamour highlighted the 'stories, people and issues' surrounding the day when thousands descended unto Washington D.C. The 49-year-old actress recounted practicing 'I Am a Nasty Woman' by Nina Donovan, 19, and how she 'boomed out' the poem in the rental house she had gotten with friends. 'It electrified the entire house for all of us,' shared the Kiss the Girls star. 'We were crying, and we hadnt even left yet. That was the first whisper of the roar.' While backstage at the march, Judd recited the poem on two separate occasions: a few lines for director Callie Khouri - who she worked with on Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood - while waiting in line at a porta-potty and for a male technician after she looked out at the 'gorgeous sea of pink' crowd. Both times, the people cried while she recited the 19-year-old's poem. 'I knew the poem would be unifying from the moment Id heard Nina, a 19-year-old from Tennessee, recite it at a performance by youth poet laureates a month earlier,' explained Judd. 'I knew the poem would be unifying from the moment Id heard Nina, a 19-year-old from Tennessee, recite it at a performance,' she explained 'Her words seared into my brain that night. She slayed me. I bawled my way through Ninas time onstage as she said, I am not as nasty as racism, fraud, conflict of interest, homophobia, sexual assault, transphobia, white supremacy, misogyny...' 'I hadnt even been invited to speak, yet I knew I was going to bring this poem to the march. I knew Nasty Woman belonged to everyone.' The Double Jeopardy actress claimed there was a 'collecive gasp' when she first said 'I am a nasty woman.' She would add that the crowd got increasingly silent as she continued reciting the poem. The Double Jeopardy actress claimed there was a 'collecive gasp' when she first said 'I am a nasty woman' Judd stated: 'The more I let loose Ninas poem, the quieter it got. In that silence I could feel the parts of the poem that resonated in very specific ways: I am not as nasty as a swastika painted on a pride flag. 'And then later: I am not as nasty as electroconversion therapy, the new gas chambers shaming the gay out of America, turning rainbows into suicide notes. I heard grief in that silence.' At that moment, the star noticed a 'rumble from way, way back in the crowd' as she had to repeatedly pause to let the cheering run its course. She added: 'It was amazing. The roar was a rumble, a wave, a crescendo, an aria. There was a visual element to it as well' She asserted that when she got to the portion of the poem about tampons and pads being taxed while Rogaine and Viagra were not, the crowd really went wild. 'They couldnt believe that finally, in this huge public space, on all the television channels from C-SPAN to Fox, we could talk about menstruation,' said Judd. 'Of course, I was wearing white because thats the color of the suffrage movement. And I did that thing we do when we turn around to see if weve seeped through our clothes. She added: 'It was amazing. The roar was a rumble, a wave, a crescendo, an aria. There was a visual element to it as well. 'I could see the crowd react physically just as I could feel myself throwing my body into the performance. That roar was personal, political, and spiritual. It was special.' Judd would continue to briefly mention the harassment she received for reciting the poem, specifically being called mentally ill on Twitter. 'But it was worth it. Far more of us, I know from experience, believe in equality, social justice, collaboration, and peace,' she asserts. 'I heard this with my own ears. I saw it with my own eyes from that stage.' For the star, hearing the young woman's poem that first time brought back all the 'shattering grief' she had felt on election day. The United Nations Goodwill Ambassador said: 'She was so lucidly naming what was going on, and her youth gave me such fierce hope. 'The roar was my signal that the poem had felt that way for others too. A very young woman came up to me at the airline counter after the march and said, Nasty Woman changed my life. It changed mine too. I cherish my memory of the roar.' Last year, Judd's detailed accounts of three times when Harvey Weinstein harassed her helped launch a slue of allegations against the mogul Since the election, Judd states that she feels a 'deepening in my sense of belonging, and in my safety and security in society.' 'I feel more deeply known in my soul. Ive shared my most intimate self with incredible numbers of peopleemotionally, intellectually, and spirituallyand it feels extraordinary,' she added. 'Even as girls and women remain at risk for sexual and gender violence, its clear that our society is changing at a breathless pace. This phenomenon is very dear to me, and I feel exponentially empowered by it. Let the world hear us all.' Last year, Judd's detailed accounts of three times when Harvey Weinstein harassed her helped launch a slue of allegations against the mogul. At a discussion with the University of Kentucky in December, she shared that the fight against sexual misconduct is about 'ending impunity.' Just a few hours before, Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Pulvertaft, of the Royal Army Medical Corps, had been engaging in small talk at drinks party in Cairo. But now the 46-year-old was 1,300 miles away near Tunis, having been hauled out of the party by an irascible brigadier, dispatched on a bumpy flight across North Africa, and escorted at gunpoint by two menacing US troops to a large white villa in Carthage. He was whisked into a small bedroom on the ground floor, where he saw an elderly and decidedly portly man lying in bed. He looked desperately ill, the pathologist recalled. I thought he was dying. Pulvertaft had brought along what he called his travelling laboratory of equipment, including a microscope and lamp. He proceeded to take a drop of blood from the mans ear in order to perform a test. The patient seemed impressed by how deftly Pulvertaft obtained the sample. That sir, he said, was competently done. In a way, the period can be seen as dark a time for Churchill (pictured right) as the events of May 1940 depicted in the new movie Darkest Hour, starring Gary Oldman (pictured left) For a vastly experienced pathologist such as Pulvertaft, taking blood samples was routine. But what was anything but routine was the 69-year-old patient himself, the man who both Pulvertaft and the other medical men in attendance strongly suspected was lying on his death bed. The man was Winston Churchill, and he was gravely ill. Whats more, the Prime Minister knew it. The previous night, with his temperature at about 101F, Churchill had confided his fears to his protection officer. I am tired out in body, soul and spirit, he admitted. In what better place could I die than here in the ruins of Carthage? Of course, Churchill would live for another two decades, yet the extraordinary events of the time when he came close to death have never been fully disclosed until now. Thanks to exclusive access to a private memoir written by Pulvertaft, the complete story of how Churchill survived an illness that would have killed most men can be told. It reveals that the credit for his recovery should not just rest with Churchills personal doctor, Lord Moran, but also with the brilliant and eccentric Pulvertaft. In a way, the period can be seen as dark a time for Churchill as the events of May 1940 depicted in the new movie Darkest Hour, starring Gary Oldman. In the film Churchill has to decide between suing for peace with Hitler or fighting on. In fact, Churchills illness in 1943 came at an equally crucial time during the war, with his involvement with strategic planning at the very highest level. At the Tehran Conference towards the end of November, he had met Stalin and Roosevelt to discuss the invasion of northern Europe, and at the Cairo Conference a few days before, Churchill and the American President had met Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek, where they pondered how to beat Japan. It was no time for Churchill to be at deaths door, although by no means the first time he had been seriously unwell. I did not feel so ill in this attack as I had the previous February, he claimed. The February episode Churchill was referring to was a bout of pneumonia that had seen his temperature rise to an alarming 102F. However, according to expert medical opinion, the pneumonia that he was to suffer in December 1943 was far more likely to have killed him. The credit for Churchill's recovery should not just rest with his personal doctor, Lord Moran, but also with the brilliant and eccentric James Pulvertaft (pictured) There was no doubt that he was very seriously ill, says Professor Allister Vale, a clinical pharmacologist at City Hospital, Birmingham, who has made detailed studies of Churchills illnesses. The mortality rate from pneumonia in the early 1940s for a man of Churchills age [he was 69] was 40 per cent, and with treatment it was 20 per cent. For those age 70 and over, the mortality rate was 40 per cent, even with treatment. The truth was that Churchill was overworked and overtired. The crunch came on Saturday December 12, 1943, when he was flying from Cairo to Tunis after attending the gruelling Tehran and Cairo conferences, he had reported feeling unwell. His plan was to spend a night at the villa of General Eisenhower, and then fly to Italy to see Generals Alexander and Montgomery. However, while waiting at an airfield, it was obvious Churchill was ill. Lord Moran noted he had a grey look on his face that I did not like, while protection officer Walter Thompson thought his boss looked ghastly. Even the normally indefatigable Churchill knew that he was seriously unwell, and informed Eisenhower as soon as he arrived. Churchill spent much of the day resting and sleeping, but in the early hours of Sunday morning, he woke Lord Moran, complaining of a pain in his throat and a temperature, which was found to be at 101F. Moran privately noted that Churchill was in a poor shape to face an infection. If he is going to be ill we have nothing here in this God-forsaken spot, he wrote. No nurses, no milk, not even a chemist. Moran knew that he needed help. THE man Moran summoned was Pulvertaft. There was no better pathologist in the whole of North Africa and southern Europe, and deciding to call on him undoubtedly saved Churchills life. There was only one problem: Pulvertaft needed to be flown the 1,300 miles from Cairo to Tunis, the modern city closest to the site of ancient Carthage. A veteran of the First World War, during which he had been in a dogfight against the squadron of none other than Hermann Goering, Pulvertaft was both brave as well as brilliant. A graduate of Cambridge University and St Thomass Hospital in London, he was appointed director of laboratories at Westminster Hospital at the startlingly young age of 34. When war broke out, Pulvertaft who was affectionately known as Bulgy because of his somewhat bulging eyes took command of the Central Laboratory housed in the 15th (Scottish) General Hospital in Cairo. Churchill is pictured right wearing his famous siren suit and a colourful dressing gown while conferring with General Dwight D Eisenhower It was there that he undertook a remarkable series of trials on wounded soldiers with his own form of crude penicillin that he prepared in broths. As penicillin was in short supply, Pulvertafts ingenuity in making a home brewed equivalent saved numerous lives. After Pulvertaft had flown to Churchills bedside and examined the Prime Minister, the pathologist and Moran agreed that the PM was suffering from pneumonia. I spoke with Moran and told him something of the resources of British medicine in North Africa and its deficiencies, Pulvertaft recorded in his hitherto private memoir. The British Army had no portable X-ray apparatus, or electro-cardiograph and no modern up-to-date drugs and I had finished all my penicillin. Pulvertaft decided to head into Carthage to find what he needed. Commandeering a car, he headed to an American hospital, where he encountered a monosyllabic commanding officer. I guess this is breaking security, but Im here doctoring Churchill, Pulvertaft declared. Yes, the officer replied. Have you any sulpha-diazine? Pulvertaft asked, referring to an antibiotic drug. Yes, came the terse reply. Have you a portable X-ray? Yes Have you a portable electro- cardiograph? No. Can you get one? Try anyway. The commanding officer made some calls, and Pulvertaft soon returned to the villa with everything he required. But Pulvertafts contribution did not stop at finding medicine and diagnostic tools. Despite all the care, by Tuesday, Churchills condition was growing worse. The Prime Minister is pictured He was also responsible for summoning two more renowned medics pharmacologist Gladwin Buttle, and Evan Bedford, a top heart specialist, both of whom would help. Despite all the care, by Tuesday, Churchills condition was growing worse. Pulvertaft would record an exchange with the Prime Minister that reveals that he really did fear he was nearing his very darkest hour. Im dying, am I not? Churchill asked him. No sir, you are not. I thought you were, but you are on the way up, Pulvertaft replied. I dont believe you. Pneumonia, Ive got. Osler said it was the old mans friend, said Churchill referring to the august Canadian physician who had coined the phrase. Osler had not got sulpha-diazine, Pulvertaft responded. Its a better friend. Carthage, the Prime Minister then said in a failing voice. Not a bad place for Churchill to die. Dido... burning... Dido... Churchills fatalistic mood was not dampened the following day when he reported to Lord Moran that his heart is doing something funny it feels to be bumping all over the place. The Prime Minister was now suffering from atrial fibrillation, an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate that is commonly associated with pneumonia. A man feels pretty rotten, I imagine, when he fibrillates during pneumonia, but the PM was very good about it, Lord Moran noted in his diary. Although Pulvertaft had been assured that there were no splinters, the following morning at breakfast, Churchill said something very rude indeed, which left those assembled in no doubt that using the commode had been an extremely prickly experience While the condition would be treated with digitalis by Evan Bedford, at Churchills insistence Pulvertaft continued to take blood samples from his ears. You cant have a count every day, Pulvertaft told Churchill. In fact you cant have any more. Never in the history of haematology has such a mess been made of a Prime Ministers ears. Churchill suggested that there were alternative places from which to take blood. Sir, Churchill replied, I have, and readily admit it, but two ears. But sir, let me tell you, I have ten fingers, and, furthermore sir, I have ten toes. And, finally, I have an infinite expanse of arse. It was Pulvertaft who also secured something upon which the prime ministerial posterior could be parked during the night if he needed the lavatory a primitive wooden commode. It was far from impressive, made from packing cases stencilled Dried Milk, he recalled. Although Pulvertaft had been assured that there were no splinters, the following morning at breakfast, Churchill said something very rude indeed, which left those assembled in no doubt that using the commode had been an extremely prickly experience. As the days passed, the effects of the medicines secured by Pulvertaft, Bedford and Buttle took effect, and by December 20, Churchill was beginning to convalesce. On Christmas Day, he was well enough to celebrate while wearing a flamboyant silk Chinese dressing-gown emblazoned with dragons. Speaking of Churchill, pictured, Pulvertaft said: Not long before he died, I saw him again as a patient. He did not recognise me and he had outlived himself' After two weeks at the villa, Pulvertaft returned to Cairo, his job well done. It was a bewildering experience and what I saw was of course greatly distorted by the ominous likelihood of disaster and death, he wrote. What impressed me most about Churchill was his capacity for instant and apparently exclusive concentration on the interest of the moment. After the war, Pulvertaft became the first professor of clinical pathology in London. His own lectures were as popular as they were unorthodox, and heavily laced with laughter, it was observed after his death in 1990. One man would perhaps admire him more than any other Churchill himself. After the war he invited me to dine, Pulvertaft reveals in his memoirs. I excused myself; the anterooms of the great, I felt, were not for me. But the doctor would see Churchill once more. Not long before he died, I saw him again as a patient. He did not recognise me and he had outlived himself, he noted. The moment may have been poignant, but it was thanks to Pulvertaft that his patient had not died in the ruins of Carthage. Finally, this remarkably modest mans contribution to the course of history can now be fully recognised. Last weekends panic-inducing false alarm that warned Hawaiian residents of an incoming ballistic missile has brought to light the catastrophic events that could take place under a real nuclear attack. According to a new report from DefenseOne, a warhead launched by North Korea would likely be far bigger than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The blast alone would cause well over 150,000 deaths if dropped over the capital city Honolulu and, given the landscape and prevalence of wood-frame buildings, experts say an even more devastating firestorm would soon follow. Scroll down for video The hypothetical fireball would have a radius of roughly .5 kilometers (.3 miles). According to Nukemap , the radiation radius would stretch 2.02 kilometers (1.2 miles), while the thermal radiation, which can cause third degree burns, would extend as far as 6.25 km (3.9 miles) WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF A NUCLEAR BOMB? The impact of a single nuclear bomb depends on many factors like the weather, weapon design, geographical layout of where the bomb hits and if it explodes in the air or on the ground. About 35 per cent of the bomb's energy would be released in heat. Flash blindness, from the explosion's blast, could affect people up to 13 miles away on a clear day and 50 miles away on a clear night, they said, if the bomb is 1 megaton. Those closer by would experience burns, with third degree burns affecting those within a 5 mile radius. Most of the bomb's energy is felt in the blast, in a sudden change of air pressure that can crush buildings, which would likely kill anyone when they fell. Winds up to 158 mph would affect people up to 3.7 miles away, causing dangerous objects to fly around. Provided by AsapSCIENCE. Advertisement The false alarm mistakenly issued on Jan 13 highlighted the need for more thorough efforts to educate the public and help them prepare for such an attack, according to DefenseOne. Based on North Koreas demonstration of a roughly 200 kiloton weapon last year, which could reach Honolulu, the Nukemap tool shows a blast at roughly 2,000 feet above the surface could cause over 150,000 deaths. And, there would be over 173,000 injuries. The fireball would have a radius of roughly .5 kilometers (.3 miles) and the effects of radiation would be far more extensive. According to Nukemap, the radiation radius would stretch 2.02 kilometers (1.2 miles), while the thermal radiation, which can cause third degree burns, would extend as far as 6.25 km (3.9 miles). Depending on a number of other factors, the outlook for fatalities could be even worse. Experts say the worst effects may not even come from the blast itself. Last weekends panic-inducing false alarm that warned Hawaiian residents of an incoming ballistic missile has brought to light the catastrophic events that could take place under a real nuclear attack. The mountains will reflect the blast back onto the target, Jeffrey Lewis, a professor at Middlebury Institute of International Studies, told DefenseOne. Most homes in Honolulu are wood-frame construction, so there is a significant chance of a firestorm following the blast which was what really devastated Hiroshima, much more so than the blast.' The fallout would also carry cancer-causing radioisotopes, which would linger for weeks. Based on North Koreas demonstration of a roughly 200 kiloton weapon last year, which could reach Honolulu, the Nukemap tool shows a blast at roughly 2,000 feet above the surface could cause over 150,000 deaths. And, there would be over 173,000 injuries HOW TO SURVIVE A NUCLEAR BOMB Toronto-based YouTubers Gregory Brown and Mitchell Moffit have detailed a number of tips to prepare for a nuclear bomb. Pack an emergency supply kit containing water and non-perishable food items. When a nuclear bomb goes off, it sends out radiation that can ruin your mobile phone and laptop, so preparing battery-powered radios for communication is wise. For the blast, it is important to get as much concrete between you and the blast as possible. For the fall-out it's important to have thick walls and a thick roof, he says, and in a house it is a good idea to blockade all the windows. But if you are outside and know the blast is coming, you might have time to get to a better shelter. First you should get on the ground with your hands behind your head and brace yourself for the blast. Never look at the blast, because it can cause you to go blind temporarily. The, after the blast, you have 30 minutes to get to the best place. Once you get inside remove your clothes and clean yourself straight away and blow your nose, to stop the radioactive materials from spreading, and do not use conditioner. If you cannot have a shower, wipe yourself with a wet cloth. Advertisement According to a new report from DefenseOne, a warhead launched by North Korea would likely be far bigger than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima (shown) and Nagasaki And, it would contaminate the local food and water supply, according to DefenseOne. As nuclear tensions grew this year, experts have increasingly shared tips to help the public prepare for the event of an attack, including ensuring you have an emergency supply kit ready to go. Last year, YouTubers Gregory Brown and Mitchell Moffit explained that the best shelters are those which place as much concrete as possible between you and the blast. For a house, this could be the basement, while those who live in apartments would be advised to go toward the middle, to get away from windows. The American Meteor Society says it received hundreds of reports of a fireball on the night of Tuesday January 16 over Michigan, including many in the Detroit area. Footage of a meteorite falling from the sky was captured by a number of residents throughout Michigan and further afield that evening. A bright light, understood to be the soaring fireball exploding above Michigan, was seen as far away as Chicago and even across the border in Canada. The United States Geological Survey said the equivalent of a 2.0-magnitude earthquake struck the area at the same time.. This would suggest it came crashing down to earth, but there has been no official confirmation of this yet. By the end of the week, meteorite hunters who flocked to Detroit from across the U.S. after a meteor exploded had begun to find the fragments. The 6-foot-wide meteor broke apart Tuesday about 20 miles over Earth, NASA scientists said. Most of the fragments landed in Hamburg Township. Advertisement There's something special about visiting the place where your favourite movie was set. That's how I feel on arriving in the Catskills, a bucolic region of undulating forest 90 minutes north of New York. It's where Patrick Swayze swept Jennifer Grey off her feet in the 1987 movie Dirty Dancing. I'm with my husband Marc and three children twins Nathalie and Gabriel, 14, and Hannah, 12 and the Catskills are the first of three stops on our week-long, action-packed itinerary. Picturesque: Lake Placid offers stunning views of forest and mountains in the distance - just hours from New York City There's no dancing, but we hike, zip-line and visit the Bethel Woods Museum, where the Woodstock festival was held in 1969. The Delaware River runs through the Catskills and acts as a state boundary. Renting kayaks from Lisa at Landers River Trips she tells us that the left bank is New York, the right is Pennsylvania. 'Which is nicer?' I ask. 'New York's classier,' she says. The children relish paddling on a state line and after negotiating some white-water rapids they kayak from bank to bank (the river's only 30ft wide), yelling 'I'm in New York.' Then: 'Now I'm in Pennsylvania.' Deer and woodchucks roam the water's edge. Eagles soar overhead. I have a thought. The river's calm and shallow: the backdrop's very Dirty Dancing. 'Remember the scene where Swayze lifts Grey above his head in the water shall we try it?' I ask Marc. You can imagine his response. The next morning we pack up the car and head 130 miles north-west leaving Swayze fantasies behind. We're heading for Thousand Islands, which even many New Yorkers haven't heard of. I only recognise it because of the salad dressing which hails from here. LOCAL KNOWLEDGE The worlds largest kaleidoscope is in The Catskill Park. At 60ft tall, you can walk through the former grain silo for a show that changes seasonally. Advertisement It takes four hours (mostly on small roads) to reach our destination. There are actually 1,864 islands. They straddle the American/Canadian border in the Saint Lawrence River and we're immediately struck by their remoteness. During a speedboat ride from mainland's Antique Boat Museum, we spot one island with just a cottage on it; another only a tree and a third with a tiny post office. 'There are more deer here than people,' says our captain. We hear a love story that rivals the one in Dirty Dancing. Hotel magnate George Boldt, owner of Manhattan's original Waldorf Astoria, built a fairytale castle on one of the islands for his wife. Heartbreakingly, she died before she could live in it, and a cruise with Uncle Sam Boat Tours allows us to disembark and explore the fortress and grounds. Great outdoors: There are many family-friendly activities in upstate New York, as Jo Kessel discovered with her kids (pictured) Fairytale castle: Thousand Islands, New York, is home to Boldt Castle, built by the original owner of the Waldorf Astoria Dinner that night feels romantic, too, at a restaurant called The Boathouse, overlooking the harbour. A rare, local fish called walleye (similar to perch) is on the menu. It's light, tasty and cooked to perfection. We'd happily stay longer, but one more New York address waits: Lake Placid. The town's famous the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics were hosted here. It's two hours east, a vast, mountainous landscape of lake after shimmering lake. Our hotel overlooks Mirror Lake which has a bijou beach where we relax on our first afternoon before getting stuck in. First we kayak our guide gossips that the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers and Guggenheims all own houses here. Breathtaking views: Whiteface Mountain, one of the Adirondack's tallest peaks, offers a gorgeous panorama of Lake Placid Next, we climb the top portion of Whiteface Mountain, one of the Adirondack's tallest peaks. It's a 20 minute thigh-busting clamber to the summit which has 360- degree views over what looks like Middle-earth an endless panorama of rock-faces and lakes glistening a mile below. TRAVEL FACTS America As You Like It (americaasyoulikeit.com, 020 8742 8299) offers a ten-night New York State Adventure from 1,880 pp, based on two sharing. Includes return Norwegian Air flights to New York, two nights at the William Vale hotel in Brooklyn, three nights at the Villa Roma in the Catskills, two nights at the Hampton Inn, Watertown, Thousand Islands and three nights at the Lake Placid Summit Hotel, plus car hire. For more information, see iloveny.com and visittheusa.co.uk. Advertisement It's not just the terrain which is super-sized. The cuisine is, too. Twice we leave restaurants with doggy bags whose contents prove equally enjoyable for breakfast. By far our most original activity is bobsleighing. Professionals steer our wheeled-sled down a section of the actual Olympic course. We whiz so fast that G-force (not to mention the sled) rattles our bones as we take hairpin bends at 55 mph. The children love every second and fight over who should take first place on the podium at the end. Norwegian Air believes that New York state is such a draw that it's introduced low-fare direct flights from the UK to Stewart International Airport (60 miles north of Manhattan) so British holidaymakers can bypass the Big Apple altogether if they wish. Indeed, we think that New York state is every bit as exhilarating as its most famous city. Advertisement It took two years and 30 filming expeditions for the BBC to capture the amazing images seen in the stunning new series Big Cats. Some wild animals are easier to find than others you'll have a hard time spotting such fantastic beasts as Pallas's cats, Siberian tigers and Amur leopards. But there are places where lions, tigers, leopards and other felines tolerate our presence at least and how awesome they all are. The cost of these trips mostly includes flights, transfers, full board, guides, game drives and activities, but check the small print. King of the jungle: Feeling inspired by BBC's Big Cats series? Try these safaris for (nearly) guaranteed lion spotting BEST FOR LIONS 1. GET UP CLOSE TO THE GIRAFFE KILLERS See the giraffe-killer lions from episode one of Big Cats in Ruaha National Park, Tanzania. Prides are used to vehicles. Expert Africa's six-day Lesser Kudu Fly-in Safari includes five nights at Mwagusi Camp. From 3,345pp, expertafrica.com, 020 3405 6666. 2. ...OR THOSE WITH MORE OF A TASTE FOR BUFFALO Alternatively, visit the famously beefy, buffalo-eating Duba lions as featured in Planet Earth II in Botswana's magnificent Okavango Delta. Aardvark Safaris offers a six-night trip, with three nights at Duba Expedition Camp. From 5,290pp, aardvarksafaris.com, 01980 849160. 3. A PRIVATE VIEWING OF STAR CLAWS Madikwe Game Reserve in South Africa is malaria-free and private, so no sharing your lions with dozens of other vehicles. There are black-footed cats, leopards and cheetahs too. Aardvark Safaris has a six-night family safari staying at Morukuru River House, with your own chef. From 3,375pp (four sharing), aardvarksafaris.com. 4. BE CERTAIN OF SEEING THE MANE EVENT Sightings of lions at the 160,000-acre Sabi Sands, one of South Africa's most famous private reserves, are pretty much guaranteed. Abercrombie & Kent's 15-night Classic South Africa trip includes three nights in a riverside luxury lodge, with everything from fine dining to massages. From 6,780pp, abercrombiekent.co.uk, 01242 386 500. Big game: Look for leopards - from a safe distance, of course - during an 11-day walking safari in Zambia's premier wildlife park BEST FOR LEOPARDS 5. STALK YOUR PREY THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY Nothing beats tracking big game on foot, at a safe distance, of course. Mountain Kingdoms offers 11-day walking safaris in Luangwa, Zambia's premier wildlife park renowned for its beautiful leopards. From 5,625pp, www.mountainkingdoms.com, 01453 844400. 6. WELL SPOTTED! A GREAT WAY TO FIND YOUR QUARRY Sri Lanka's Yala National Park reputedly has one of the highest leopard densities in the world, so you've a good chance of seeing one. Luxurious: Sri Lanka's Yala National Park has one of the highest leopard densities in the world. Pictured: Chena Huts, which borders the park itself Modern amenities: Despite being tucked away in the wilderness, Chena Huts offer plenty of creature comforts Red Savannah offers a trip with four nights at Chena Huts, which borders the park, and three at Uga Bay, with flights and B&B. From 2,921pp, redsavannah.com, 01242 787800. 7. IN THE DEAD OF THE NIGHT, THE KILLERS' DARK SIDE Lengthy, after-dark safaris in the north-east of Borneo give you a chance to see rare leopard cats and clouded leopards. Naturetrek's 13-day trip departs April 2 and encompasses Sepilok, the Kinabatangan River, the Gomantong Caves and Tabin Wildlife Resort. From 4,495pp, naturetrek.co.uk, 01962 733051. 8. CHILL OUT... WITH THE SNOW LEOPARDS What wouldn't you give to see a fantastic snow leopard? Head for the remote Ulley Valley in Ladakh, northern India, for a chance to photograph one, escorted by experts and photographer Nick Garbutt, on Wildlife Worldwide's 16-night Snow Leopard In Focus trip. From 6,495pp, wildlifeworldwide.com, 01962 302086. Majestic: One of the best places to spot tigers is in Rajasthan, though Kanha and Pench are also popular among visitors BEST FOR TIGERS 9. ALL THIS ROAR POWER - AND THE TAJ MAHAL TOO The place where I saw most tigers, mostly effortlessly, was Ranthambore in wonderful Rajasthan. Transindus's ten-day Essential India private tour for first-time visitors includes a two-night stop at a wildlife reserve with game drives, as well as visits to the Taj Mahal and Jaipur. From 2,495pp, transindus.com, 020 8566 3739. 10. DRAMA FROM THE PAGES OF THE JUNGLE BOOK Alternative Indian Bengal tiger-spotting hotspots include Kanha and Pench, which reputedly provided inspiration for Kipling's The Jungle Book. Titan's new 12-day Wild India tour encompasses ten safaris in both parks and Tadoba Andhari Reserve. Other excursions include a trip to Mumbai. From 2,699pp, titantravel.co.uk, 0800 988 5873. River cruise: In Brazil, safari goers may opt for a boat tour to see jaguars from the river - they claim an 89% success rate BEST FOR JAGUARS 11. FIVE JAGS... AND A 4x4 The brilliant Projeto Oncafari in Brazil's Pantanal aims to accustomise jaguars to 4WDs, so tourists are likely to spot one I saw five. Last Frontiers' trip includes four nights at the Caiman Ecological Refuge with jaguar-spotting excursions and an introduction to the project, plus one night in Sao Paulo. From 3,510pp, lastfrontiers.com, 01296 653000. 12. GOING WITH THE BIG CAT FLOW Tucan Travel's tailormade 18-day Wildlife Brazil tour includes three nights on a houseboat in the Pantanal and boat trips to see jaguars from the river they claim an 89 per cent success rate. There's an Amazon cruise, too, plus tours to Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls. From 4,029pp, tucantravel.com, 020 8896 1600. High speed: From Namibia to Kenya, several different tour companies offer safaris tailormade for spotting cheetahs BEST FOR CHEETAHS 13. ADMIRE SURVIVORS WHO CHEATED DEATH Namibia is home to Okonjima, a massive private nature reserve with rescued cheetahs you can easily see. It's also home to the AfriCat Foundation big cat charity. Discover The World's 12-day Essential Namibia self-drive itinerary can include a stay here and Etosha National Park for wild cheetah. From 2,208pp, discover-the-world.co.uk, 01737 214291. 14. GAZE AT THE GREAT HUNTERS FROM ON HIGH Alternatively see them in Kenya on a special private charter safari by air. Scenic Air Safaris' nine-day Endangered Species Safari features an unforgettable flight over the Masai Mara, a renowned cheetah and lion habitat. From 7,100pp (ten guests travelling together), scenicairsafaris.com, 020 7978 4534. 15. GET THE REAL STORY WITH A RESEARCHER Treat yourselves to National Geographic Expeditions' and G Adventures' seven-day Explore Kruger National Park trip, which includes going out with a cheetah researcher from the Carnivore Conservation Programme, part of National Geographic's Big Cats Initiative. From 2,074pp (departing April 10), national geographicexpeditions.co.uk, 0800 440 2551. Rare: Spotting an Iberian lynx is not an easy task, but Spain's Sierra Morena offers your best chance for success BEST FOR LYNXES 16. ON THE TRAIL OF A COMPACT KILLER The Iberian lynx is extremely rare but Naturetrek reckons eight out of ten groups taking its special six-day wildlife tour in Spain sees one in Coto Donana National Park on a 4WD drive or from a distance in the Sierra Morena. From 1,995pp, naturetrek.co.uk, 01962 733051. BEST FOR OTHER RARE CATS 17. EYES PEELED FOR THE BIG-EARED BEAUTIES Captivating, big-eared servals like the open grassland of the Serengeti and Masai Mara. But, says Rob Slater of Safari Consultants, they also like Botswana, especially in the northern Kwando and Selina areas. From 5,195pp for seven nights, safari-consultants.com, 01787 888590. 18. SPOT AN OCELOT ON YOUR DAWN PATROL For a slight chance of seeing ocelot and margay, try Costa Rica. Veloso Tours' 14-night Colombus Tour includes three nights in Corcovado National Park, where these not-too-big cats are sometimes spotted at dawn. Keep your eyes peeled during those rainforest hikes. From 3,538pp, veloso.com, 020 8762 0616. Elusive: A South American margay is difficult to spot, but an early-morning safari in Costa Rica's Corcovado National Park may prove just the ticket 19. WANDER IN THE WORLD OF THE PUMA Pumas can be spotted at Torres del Paine in Chile in the company of the right guide, though it is usually secondary to the hiking. Veloso Tours' 14-night Yamana Landmark Tour in Chile and Argentina also takes in Patagonia, plus Peninsula Valdes, Buenos Aires and Santiago. From 4,117pp, veloso.com, 020 8762 0616. 20. RUSTY TV STAR IS ONLY FOR THE LUCKY You may never see the adorable, very elusive rusty spotted cat, star of Big Cats, in the fur, but for a tiny chance try Pettitts' tailor-made 15-day Wild Sri Lanka tour. It takes in some of the national parks where they live, including Udawalawe, which has fishing cats and leopards too. From 2,985pp, pettitts.co.uk, 01892 250 925. They've been going strong for over a year and have been inseparable throughout their idyllic relationship. Yet rapper Stormzy, 24, was reportedly happy to be separated from his girlfriend Maya Jama, 23, for 45 minutes on Thursday when he was said to have refused to join her at the Cadbury's Creme Egg Camp in London, instead waiting in a car outside. Despite having previous attended other star-studded parties, most recently at Idris Elba's Christmas shindig in early December, The Sun report that the 'grumpy' musician stayed in the car while desperate staff tried to lure him inside. Scroll down for video All alone? Yet rapper Stormzy, 24, was reportedly happy to be separated from Maya Jama, 23, for 45 minutes on Thursday when he was said to have refused to join her at the Cadbury's Creme Egg Camp in London , instead waiting in a car outside (Maya, pictured at the event) The publication reports that despite lavish pleas from event staff - which included tempting treats such as food, champagne and the infamous white Creme Egg - the Blinded By Your Grace hitmaker did not budge from his seat. Seemingly spotting the star outside the bash, one partygoer told The Sun: 'Stormzy seemed grumpy and was happier in the back of his car playing on his phone than at the party with free-flowing champagne and chocolate. When Cadbury released its white Creme Eggs, chocolate fans went wild. As they're disguised in normal wrappers, shoppers have been unwrapping the treats in store to find one as they could be worth up to 2,000, yet Stormzy appeared unsold. Making the star's reasons apparent, the source went on: 'He didn't want to be mobbed by fans or have to pose for picture so stayed out of sight... Not impressed: Despite having previously attended other star-studded parties, he was reportedly hesitant to appear at the chocolate themed bash Fishy frolic: While girlfriend Maya had fun inside the sweet treat bash, Stormzy refused to budge, despite lavish pleas from event staff, the Blinded By Your Grace hit-maker did not budge from his seat Eyes on the prize: When Cadbury released its white Creme Eggs, chocolate fans went wild for them. As they're disguised in normal wrappers, shoppers have been unwrapping the treats in store to find one as they could be worth up to 2,000, yet Stormzy appeared unsold 'Everyone was really disappointed as it would have been a real coup to have one of the hottest celebrity couples snapped together at the party.' MailOnline has contacted representatives for Maya and Stormzy for comment. Radio personality Maya instead entered the sweet treat party solo, looking super funky in an oversized logo-clad hoodie, which she teamed with a black skirt. She kept it super comfortable in casual shoes as she posed up a storm and tamed her glossy raven tresses in place with a New York Yankees hat, which complemented her large gold earrings. Maya has been dating the award-winning musician for over a year - with the pair first choosing to keep their relationship private, before going public as an item in 2016. Cosy: Maya instead entered the sweet treat party solo, looking super funky in an oversized logo-clad hoodie, which she teamed with a billowing black skirt Inseparable: Maya has been dating the award-winning musician for over a year - with the pair first choosing to keep their relationship private, before going public as an item in 2016 Fans will have seen Maya in some of Stormzy's music videos, as she makes an appearance in the video for his hit track Big For Your Boots. And the besotted Shut Up rapper even admitted he was keen to marry the model in the future. He told the Sunday Mirror in December: Im still so young but I want to propose, its going to happen and I will do it right. She is so sick, she is the best. She's obviously known for her leggy presence on the catwalk. But on Friday Karlie Kloss cut a far more demure figure, as the model participated in a shoot involving a vintage car. The 25-year-old Victoria's Secret darling rocked a deep burgundy suit, which appeared to be made from velvet. Scroll down for video Gorgeous: Karlie Kloss cut a far more demure figure on Friday, as the model participated in a shoot involving a vintage car The 6ft2in stunner also opted to add even a few more inches to her tall frame with a pair of sky-high silver heels. Her blonde tresses were parted in the middle and fell straight down past her shoulders, while subtle blush and deep crimson lipstick complemented the outfit's unique hue. Accessories appeared limited to some very small hoop-style gold earrings. New style: The 25-year-old Victoria's Secret darling rocked a deep burgundy suit, which appeared to be made from velvet Drink up! Karlie carried a green drink in one hand as she walked through the set of the ritzy BMW commercial Makeup: She made sure to keep a bright red hue swatched across her lips Retro! Her deep burgundy, double breasted suit was perfectly tailored to fit her model frame Skyscraper! The 6ft2in stunner also opted to add even a few more inches to her tall frame with a pair of sky-high silver heels The tall beauty seemed to enjoy the shoot, and tried several poses, including operating a vintage camera, and even getting behind the wheel of the handsome motor. Karlie had to honor of posing with a BMW E9 coupe, which was one of the most beautiful cars manufactured during the 1960s and 1970s. Later, for the same shoot, the blonde bombshell donned a different suit and proceeded to take several selfies. Smile! Later, for the same shoot, the blonde bombshell donned a different suit and proceeded to take several selfies Earth tones: That ensemble was a brown affair, which was layered over a light tan turtleneck Shiny! A somewhat large, jewel-encrusted diamond pendant necklace added a bit of bling That ensemble was a brown affair, which was layered over a light tan turtleneck. A somewhat large, jewel-encrusted diamond pendant necklace added a bit of bling. Meanwhile, the Chicago native participated in a shoot of a very different nature on Thursday. Shutterbug! The tall beauty seemed to enjoy the shoot, and tried several poses, including operating a vintage camera Beep beep! She even got behind the wheel of the handsome motor Dualing beauties! Karlie had to honor of posing with a BMW E9 coupe, which was one of the most beautiful cars manufactured during the 1960s and 1970s The lithe model took some time out of her day to take a few snaps with some members of the United States military. One image, which she posted to Instagram, showed her standing behind a large cargo plane flanked by several servicemen. 'Today I had the privilege of thanking these incredible men for their service,' she said in her caption. She actually looks small! The lithe model took some time out of her day to take a few snaps with some members of the United States military It's been two-and-a-half weeks since she welcomed son Hayes Warren on New Year's Eve. And on Friday, Jessica Alba treated herself to a much-deserved spa day, which she documented on Instagram. The Honest co-founder was her own best advert, as products from her own skincare line were used on her face. Scroll down for video 'Postpartum facial': On Friday, Jessica Alba treated herself to a much-deserved spa day, which she documented on Instagram In the clip, the Dear Eleanor star was seen resting on a massage bed, her glowing skin on full display. 'Guys, I'm gonna get a facial. Postpartum facial. I'm so excited. Getting pampered,' she told her followers. Jessica also received a foot massage as well. 'Skin getting werked': In the clip, the Dear Eleanor star was seen resting on a massage bed, her glowing skin on full display 'Hooking me up': Jessica gave shout-outs to her pamper professionals - Nina (L) the foot massager and Shani Darden (R), her esthetician since 2008 On New Year's Day, the Pomona, California native announced that she welcomed son Hayes on social media. In the photo, the star's little one was seen sleeping soundly. 'Hayes Alba Warren 12/31/17 Best gift to ring in the New Year!! Cash and I feel so blessed. Haven and Honor are already obsessed with their new baby bro. #familyof5, she wrote. Her first son: On New Year's Day, the Pomona, California native announced that she welcomed son Hayes on social media Jessica is mom to daughters Honor, nine, and Haven, six. The actress shares her three children with film producer husband, Cash Warren, 39. In May of this year, the two will celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary. She recently returned from a European vacation with her new boyfriend. But Katharine McPhee looked ready to relax after finding the perfect hammock above the grass in Hawaii on Friday afternoon. The 33-year-old songstress looked sensational in a red-and-pink striped swimsuit as she chatted on her phone without her new beau David Foster, 68. Scroll down for video Unwind: Katharine McPhee looked ready to relax after finding the perfect hammock above the grass in Hawaii on Friday afternoon Katharine's gym-honed body was on full display in the flashy one-piece with black-and-white checkerboard print running along the top. One darling strap swept across her shoulder, with a clear plastic ring holding the suit up above her chest. The American Idol alumna tied her long chocolate brown hair into a high top bun and kept wisps away with a vibrant headband. Cheeky: The 33-year-old songstress looked sensational in a red-and-pink striped swimsuit as she chatted on her phone without her new beau David Foster, 68 Sweet: Katharine's gym-honed body was on full display in the flashy one-piece with black-and-white checkerboard print running along the top Cute: One darling strap swept across her shoulder, with a clear plastic ring holding the suit up above her chest Large golden hoop earrings dangled from her ears as she sported a matching gold choker around her neck. The Scorpion actress swiped a maroon shade of lipstick across her lips with a touch of rosy blush on her cheeks. In between chatting with a few friends on her iPhone, Katharine scrolled through her phone as she relaxed on the hammock. Stylish: The Scorpion actress swiped a maroon shade of lipstick across her lips with a touch of rosy blush on her cheeks Can you hear me now? McPhee searched for the perfect place to make a few phone calls Laugh it up! She seemed to be enjoying a spirited conversation on her cellphone Relax: In between chatting with a few friends on her iPhone, Katharine scrolled through her phone as she relaxed on the hammock Katharine's new boyfriend David Foster was nowhere to be seen, but the couple recently enjoyed vacationing in Paris and Switzerland. David is the ex-husband of Yolanda Hadid and former stepfather to supermodel sisters Gigi and Bella Hadid. After months of speculation, Katharine and David finally confirmed their relationship when they put on a public display of affection during dinner at E Baldi in Beverly Hills at the start of December. The musically-inclined couple has been romantically linked since May after being seen together at Malibu's Nobu restaurant. Sky's the limit: The American Idol alumna tied her long chocolate brown hair into a high top bun and kept wisps away with a vibrant headband She's currently starring on her new body transformation reality show Beach Body SOS after overhauling her own fitness and nutrition routine. And former Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison moved away from the issues of others to tackle her own body issues in a revealing Instagram post on Friday. In the social media essay, the 30 year-old reality star thrusts her own body insecurities into the spotlight, posting a photo of her at her largest to her lightest and her current form which she insists is her happiest. Scroll down for video 'I became obsessed!': Former Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison, 30, reflected on her dramatic weight loss and how counting calories as a size 6 became 'detrimental to my health' Writing to her 3.8m followers on the photo sharing site, The Ex On The Beach starlet urged her fans to 'eat cake once in a while'. Her weight-focused collage featured three bikini moments, with her infamous 2013 outing in Marbella, where the star was pictured at a size 16. The second, a noticeably slimmed down Vicky sauntered in a curve hugging yellow bandage dress, while the third showed the present day star leaping out of the pool in a tiny pink bikini. In her long-form message, Vicky detailed her size 16 days, describing herself as 'unfit, unhealthy and most importantly - regardless of my grin - I was unhappy'. 'Unhappy':Writing to her 3.8m followers on the photo sharing site, The Ex On The Beach starlet urged her fans to 'eat cake once in a while' Having trained hard on her fitness DVD in 2013, Vicky dropped down to a size six, but despite her impressive weight loss, it came at a price. She explained: 'I was a size six with no boobs and pretty much no life. I became obsessed, too focused and this in turn was also detrimental to my health.' Her ongoing calorie distraction meant she 'wasn't enjoying the amazing gift of life' after spending more time worrying about 'the content of a blueberry'. Happier in her size 10 physique, the noticeably slender star said she had 'zero apology' about her current weight. Skin-tight: Having trained hard on her fitness DVD in 2013, Vicky dropped down to a size 6, but despite her impressive weight loss, it came at a price 'I train hard, I eat right about 80% of the time but my life doesnt revolve around what the scales say. I listen to my body- and when it says it wants a gin and tonic... I GIVE IT ONE!!!' The TV personality endorsed a life of balance, seeing exercise as a 'celebration of what your body can do not a punishment for what you've ate.' 'Use food as fuel not a means to curb boredom and most importantly: eat the cake once in a while... because life is for living and cake is great.' Her impassioned note read in full: 'Sooooo, I wanted to post this to show a bit of perspective guys!! Here are three wildly different images of my body and they tell a story! In the first pic I was around a size 16, unfit, unhealthy and most importantly- regardless of my grin- I was unhappy. Sun-kissed: Happier in her size 10 physique, the noticeably slender star said she had 'zero apology' about her current weight 'In the second image Id slimmed down with the help of my fitness dvd- I was a size 6 with no boobs and pretty much no life. I became obsessed, too focused and this in turn was also detrimental to my health. 'I wasnt enjoying the amazing gift of life as I was too worried about the calorie content of a blueberry! In the third pic, I am around a size 10, all boobs, bum and zero apology! 'I train hard, I eat right about 80% of the time but my life doesnt revolve around what the scales say! I listen to my body- and when it says it wants a gin and tonic... 'I GIVE IT ONE!!! I am a strong, healthy, realistic woman with a good balance of work and home life. I am in short, HAPPY. And thats what I wanted you to know... Happy now: Staying highly focused on positive healthy energy, the former I'm a Celeb contestant is also heading up the latest MTV reality show - Beach Body SOS - which takes 16 contestants on a dramatic body transformation with the help of seven personal trainers Let them eat cake! The TV personality endorsed a life of balance, seeing exercise as a 'celebration of what your body can do not a punishment for what you've ate' 'Dont allow your happiness to completely hinge on what the scales say! Be happy because youre alive, see exercise as a celebration of what your body can do not a punishment for what youve ate, use food as fuel not a means to curb boredom... 'Most importantly: eat the cake once in a while... because life is for living and cake is great. Love yourselves and have a great weekend'. Staying highly focused on positive healthy energy, the former I'm a Celeb contestant is also heading up the latest MTV reality show - Beach Body SOS - which takes 16 contestants on a dramatic body transformation with the help of seven personal trainers. Each participant will overhaul their fitness, nutrition and confidence levels across a twelve week stint, before they unveil the results of their makeovers in Spain during the grand finale. The domestic battery charge against her was dropped last Friday. And by this Friday, Naya Rivera looked relaxed when she was snapped heading across a parking lot in Los Angeles. The 31-year-old, who filed for divorce from Ryan Dorsey a second time after her arrest for allegedly assaulting him, wore a simple black ensemble and a cross. Scroll down for video On the move: By this Friday, Naya Rivera had a smile on her face when she was snapped heading across a parking lot in Los Angeles Naya kept warm in a flowing sweater, teaming it with a pair of skintight jeans and matching sneakers and slinging on a backpack. The Glee actress shielded her face from the California rays with massive shades, and also accessorized with a round pendant necklace from 21HM. Naya had married actor Ryan in 2014, first filed for divorce in November of 2016. By October of last year, they were giving the relationship another try. Thanksgiving weekend, however, was where the marriage went south again. Weight off her shoulders: The domestic battery charge against her was dropped last Friday After an alleged altercation with Ryan, she was arrested for misdemeanor domestic battery but got out on a bond of $1,000 - and according to US Weekly, it was her father-in-law who collected her from court. The incident took place in Kanawha County, West Virginia, whose local Sherriff's office has said to the magazine that alcohol was involved in the conflict - the subject of which was Ryan and Naya's two-year-old son Josey. On Friday this week, websites including TMZ ran Ryan's police photos after the alleged assault, showing minimal to no actual physical damage to him. Looking snappy: The 31-year-old, who filed for divorce from Ryan Dorsey a second time after her arrest for allegedly assaulting him, wore a simple black ensemble and a cross On December 5, TMZ revealed Naya had filed for divorce again, and that she was being represented by the formidable celeb divorce lawyer Laura Wasser. The Blast have published court documents revealing that Naya and Ryan have temporarily decided on joint custody of their little one. Citing the Kanawha County Magistrate Court's office, TMZ reported this week that the charge against her had been dropped. Apparently, Ryan had opted against pressing charges. EastEnders was impressively moving, surprisingly so in some ways. The life support machine that was switched off belonged to Abi Branning for one thing - never a character you could exactly describe as popular, despite having spent twelve long, long-suffering, years in Albert Square. Even Abi complained (with increasing regularity) that she was mostly an adjunct to her more troubled, better-looking, sister (Lauren) or merely a witness to the disintegration of her family and the marriage of her parents (Tanya and Sex-Mad Max). Scroll down for video Tragic: The life support machine that was switched off belonged to Abi Branning for one thing - never a character you could exactly describe as popular, despite having spent twelve long, long-suffering, years in Albert Square Abi had her problems consequently (she lived in Walford after all) but was never considered important enough to be given a seriously big issue as a result to be made an alcoholic (like Lauren) or a murderer (like another traumatised youngster Bobby Beale). Yes, eventually Abis storylines included faking a pregnancy to keep her relationship with Ben alive and having a fling (and a baby) with her sisters fiancee. But even she found these unconvincing. Her relationship with Steven was so half-hearted it didnt warrant being categorised as an affair (more a con, or two cons as Steven was conning her) and even Ben would have realised Abi wasnt pregnant in the end. Incongruously, the more juicy developments Abi was permitted were the low-points of her life in EastEnders. Gutted: Fridays episode opened with Lauren having become the one opposing switching Abis life support machine off. Maybe we could wait a day or two more, she pleaded She was one of the soaps few boring, ordinary, sensible, characters better suited to looking after a gerbil than as evil Aunt Babes sidekick or helping Steven lie about having a brain tumour by supplying him with packets marked canine anti-inflammatory pills. She was smart enough to go to college/vet school and signed up for a sea turtle conservation scheme in Costa Rica probably the nicest thing anyone from Walford has ever done. This was one of the things that made her demise more affecting. It was also unusually straightforward for EastEnders. There were none of the standard soap melodramatics. Ordeal: Its the dignified thing to do, Max reaffirmed, although dignity wasnt really his forte She hadnt died immediately when she fell off the roof of the Queen Vic on Christmas Day, or regained consciousness intermittently giving Max and us false hope. She had just been lying there, waiting waiting for her turn in the spotlight. Waiting for all the tedious antics from Karen Taylor, Masood, and young Tiffany to die down. We knew Friday night was finally going to be her time. Her doctor at Walford General had given it away when he told Max at the end of the previous show. Max had a complicated week trying to raise 2million to send Abi to America (for treatment not a holiday), showing off his DIY skills by assembling the cot Abi had ordered (before she was brain-dead), and putting most men to shame by doing it when he was drunk, before finally giving up on both projects. Whats wrong with Uncle Max? asked one of Jack Brannings kids as Max sobbed into his hoodie. How long have you got Tear-jerking: Will it hurt? trembled Lauren, seemingly not quite grasping that nothing could hurt Abi anymore Fridays episode opened with Lauren having become the one opposing switching Abis life support machine off. Maybe we could wait a day or two more, she pleaded. Its the dignified thing to do, Max reaffirmed, although dignity wasnt really his forte. The only surprise was he hadnt copped off with any of the medical team looking after Abi, like the nurse who talked him out of it when he barricaded himself in Abis room. Still, give it time How does it happen? Max asked the doctor. Now Im not an expert but just unplug it surely? Will it hurt? trembled Lauren, seemingly not quite grasping that NOTHING could hurt Abi anymore. (That was the whole point.) Touching: Given the option of choosing when the procedure happened, Max showed unexpected attention to detail and need for order by picking 8.32pm the time that Abi was born' Given the option of choosing when the procedure happened, Max showed unexpected attention to detail and need for order by picking 8.32pm the time that Abi was born. With only a few minutes to go, the only problem was the whereabouts of Abis muvver Tanya. She had been mysteriously absent from Abis bedside/the hospital/the programme ever since the fateful accident on Christmas Day, even though her daughter was fighting for her life and had just given birth to a baby girl (prematurely and whilst in a coma). The poor mite still hasnt got a name by the way. Personally Im hoping they call her Maxine. I cant get hold of your mum, Max muttered to Lauren without saying whether he had checked that she hadnt gone back to Waterloo Road. I keep thinking I would give anything to have just one last fight with Abi, Lauren sobbed to her father. One last argument about her nicking my top or something. Or your fiancee Farewell: In the end, Max n Tan, Lauren, Uncle Jack, Dot, and Cora gathered round Abis bed, along with Tanyas sister Raine (with a healing crystal) In the end, Max n Tan, Lauren, Uncle Jack, Dot, and Cora gathered round Abis bed, along with Tanyas sister Raine (with a healing crystal). Raines return served as an unfortunate reminder of the series halcyon days when she and Phil spent weeks drinking vodka and having sex. Or trying to, before they threw up and passed out again. Great times The way Tanya had relented and let Max be present - despite everything he had done was fiercely touching. What were you doing up there on that roof? she had cried not long before when hed found her in the hospital chapel. Taking the cowards way out. And now your own daughter has to die because of you ! You did this. You killed her ! Of course he knew that. It was written all over his face and in his eyes. They had been almost perpetually red all week - from the pain and the crying. The finale was surprisingly powerful. Viewers could have been forgiven for thinking the soap had lost the capacity to affect them any more after such farcical storylines as the recent robbery or James Willmott-Browns pantomime villain plotting. Devastating: The finale was surprisingly powerful. As 8.32pm arrived, Linda rang the bell and the Queen Vic fell silent. In the hospital, Max nodded and the doctor removed the oxygen The show reminded us and perhaps itself how good it can be when it keeps things simple. As 8.32pm arrived, Linda rang the bell and the Queen Vic fell silent. In the hospital, Max nodded and the doctor removed the oxygen. Lauren sobbed, Tanya sobbed, we all sobbed as Abi croaked and was accorded the ultimate EastEnders honour: exiting to a black screen and with no theme music playing over the credits. Rightly so. One thing was for certain when it was over. After enduring such a moving, upsetting, experience we needed a drink as badly as Lauren. She broke up with her Just Tattoo of Us co-star Stephen Bear for the last time in December after splitting up a number of times following 'cheating' claims. And now Geordie Shore star Charlotte Crosby, 27, appeared to be over the mushy Valentine's gestures as she completely destroyed a parade of sweet treats in her latest Instagram video posted to her 6.1m followers on Friday. In the rather violent clip, Charlotte took out her lovelorn anger on a chocolate cake, punching the dessert full throttle with her clenched fists while styling a tiny red mini-dress before turning her attentions to a chocolate fountain. Lovelorn: Charlotte Crosby, 27, destroyed sweet treats in frustrated video following Stephan Bear love woes, with scenes including smearing melted chocolate all over her body Charlotte captioned the video: 'This is how I feel about Valentines Day...', before displaying her true emotions with the help of the plethora of sweet treats. The brunette beauty was seen to throw around the crumbling cake until the floor was covered, before stamping her feet into sloshing mixture. Kicking the crumbs over the barren studio floor, Charlotte dropped the entire cake board onto the messy floor, hiking up her minuscule skirt and dropping her bare bottom into the mixture - in truly vile scenes. A beaming Charlotte turned towards the camera with her brunette tresses lying messily over the face as she appeared to revel in the shock scenes. Making a mess: Charlotte appeared to be over the mushy Valentines gestures as she completely destroyed a parade of sweet treats in her latest Instagram video posted to her 6.1m followers on Friday A big clean-up: Kicking the crumbs over the barren studio floor, Charlotte drops the entire cake board onto the messy floor, hiking up her minuscule skirt and dropping her bare bum into the mixture Over it: A beaming Charlotte turned towards the camera with her brunette tresses lying messily over the face Happy days: She broke up with her Just Tattoo of Us co-star Stephen Bear for the last time in December after splitting up a number of times following 'cheating' claims The Sunderland native didn't stop her battle with the Valentines confectionery, next taking aim at a chocolate fountain. Plunging her arms into the flowing sugary mix, she writhed around in the display, drenching her legs in the gooey chocolate. She slathered on the calorific treat over her face before sweeping away her long tresses and beating her chest. Calorific: The Sunderland native didn't stop her battle with the Valentines confectionery, next taking aim at a chocolate fountain Slather it on: Plunging her arms into the flowing sugary mix, she writhed around in the display, drenching her legs in the gooey chocolate Gooey goodness: The chipper bombshell turned her attention to dancing, throwing some serious shapes while surrounded by a wall of marshmellows and strawberries The chipper bombshell turned her attention to dancing, throwing some serious shapes while surrounded by a wall of marshmellows and strawberries. Before diving in to the high calorie adventure, Charlotte unveiled the results of her early weight loss, telling fans she had already lost five pounds in 12 days. Charlotte's followers rushed to compliment the star on her incredible new look, after she posted a snap of her new figure in the very tight red minidress on Friday. She left little to the imagination in the racy number, which the star wore for the Valentine's Day-themed photoshoot. Sweetest thing: Charlotte busted a move while covered head to toe in chocolate Strike a pose: An excited Charlotte got down and dirty with the photo shoot set, basting herself with chocolate Jaw-dropping: Charlotte unveiled the incredible results of her five pound weight loss on Friday, posting a snap in a skintight red dress on Instagram - she claims it took her 12 days Charlotte captioned the post: 'Shooting a very exciting valentines campaign with @inthestyle But being single ive decided to give you girls an early galentines gift from me!!' The gorgeous star teamed her look with a matching statement red lip, along with a dramatic smoky eye and brows look, with her chocolate brown tresses poker straight. Fans could not hold back their compliments for the stunning Geordie Shore star, with one saying she looked 'better than ever' in her new darker tresses. Another wrote: 'Well looking beautiful' while a third commented: 'Red hot beauty.' Gushing: Fans rushed to comment on Charlotte's snap on how amazing she looks, with one saying she looked 'better than ever' The Heartbreak Diet: Charlotte previously revealed she had lost five pounds in twelve days, posting a snap in skintight gym wear Charlotte unveiled the first results of her weight loss on Thursday, posting a snap in skintight gymwear. She captioned the post: 'day12 of #30DayBlitz smashed 5 pounds down.' The brunette star recently admitted she wanted to 'shape up' following her split from Bear, speaking on This Morning about her plans for the future. She said: 'You have to turn it into a positive, to look the best you can look to get back at them, so they are looking at you going "How did I let them go?'" Moving forward: Charlotte recently revealed she was on a mission to 'shape up' following her split from Stephen Charlotte and Bear enjoyed an 11-month romance before they were plagued by a number of splits - resulting in their acrimonious breakup in December. The couple first hit a crisis after the former scaffold worker was pictured heading home from a Halloween party, with a mystery brunette in tow. Their roller-coaster romance then appeared to come to a screeching halt in October, with the couple being plagued by 'cheating' claims and Charlotte feuding with Bear's family on Twitter. Stephen has been putting his love woes behind him and cosying up to a number of beauties in Bali, since his appeal for a reconciliation with ex Charlotte Crosby was rejected. In December, the Celebrity Big Brother alumni admitted he had 'really messed up' and declared he wanted to 'spend the rest of my life' with Charlotte, in a heartfelt Instagram appeal. She has one of the best bodies out there. And Halle Berry, 51, has decided to share the secrets behind her fabulous form with her fans. The Oscar-winning actress is aiming to connect with her followers through a weekly fitness Q&A, ahead of the relaunch of her website, Hallewood. Scroll down for video Getting ready: Halle Berry, 51, is aiming to connect with her followers through a weekly fitness Q&A, ahead of the relaunch of her website, Hallewood. She shared this photo on Friday 'It's fitness Friday. You asked how to get started? It's simple... you just decide to start!,' began the star, in a message to her fans. 'You decide today that you are worth it!,' she continued. 'Trust me, I know its hard to focus up and dedicate time to working out each day, but with 24 hours in a day you can surely take ONE and dedicate it to YOU! 'You dont need a fancy gym to get started - all you need is a living room, a patio, a kitchen floor, a driveway or a backyard, and a water bottle.' The mother-of-two then encouraged her fans to take just one hour a day for themselves, and introduced her fans to a 'plank pull.' Getting help: The star told informed her fan that she, and fitness trainer Peter Lee Thomas (pictured), would answer one question each week, until Hallewood's relaunch Halle shared a photo of herself in the workout positions, which drew attention to her toned arms. 'This simple exercise is called a plank pull. This starts to strengthen your core, and a strong core has been key to my workouts.' The star told informed her fan that she, and fitness trainer Peter Lee Thomas, would answer one question each week, until Hallewood's relaunch. 'Each week until the launch of hallewood I'm going to pick a question that you ask and Peter and I will do our best to answer. First, we were asked: if you have weight to lose, is it better to lose weight before you start working out? Peter says it's best do them simultaneously.' Pals: She is seen with trainer Peter last week, which was the first week of her fitness Friday inspirational posts 'You can start by walking each day or doing jumping jacks for cardio, while using very light weights, or again holding water bottles in each hand if you don't have weights. And you can also start the plank pulls. Here's to getting started!,' she said. In 2000, Halle launched her fansite, Hallewood, in hopes of getting closer with her fans. She then closed the site when it proved too much for her to handle, most likely due to her packed schedule. But since social media has now become prominent, as a star who's life is constantly in the spotlight, she wants to control the narrative. The beginning: In 2000, Halle launched her fansite, Hallewood, in hopes of getting closer with her fans. She then closed the site when it proved too much for her to handle. She is seen earlier this month January in Beverly Hills 'Social media is empowering in many ways, but the part that is concerning for me, especially with my personal brand, is that that power can be misused, she began, in a previous interview with The Hollywood Reporter. 'It can be a brand killer.' 'If I am having dinner with a friend, and a man comes up and asks to take a picture, most times I will always say, "Of course!" But then that person posts the picture on the social media as if I am dating that person, and suddenly I am dating, like, 100 people.' 'People actually have the power to affect your brand in this day and age, and I have little control over it. And that's the frustrating part.' WARNING: Explicit details A woman claims rapper Too Short sexually assaulted her numerous times while they were working together in 2016, in a lawsuit she filed in Los Angeles on Friday. The 51-year-old rapper's accuser said in court docs that the veteran entertainer forced oral sex, vaginal and anal sex against her will in a suit accusing him of sexual battery, sexual harassment, gender violence, gender discrimination and false imprisonment, TMZ reports. DailyMail.com has reached out to Too Short's representative for comment. Scroll below for video Troubled: Rapper Too Short, 51, has been accused of multiple instances of sexual abuse and harassment, in a lawsuit filed by a woman in LA. The rapper was snapped in LA last June The alleged incidents happened between June of 2016 thru October of that year, the woman's accuser told the court. Too Short's accuser said she first crossed paths with the Gettin' It rapper, whose full name is Todd Anthony Shaw, in December of 2015, paving the path to a working relationship that commenced with the production of an album in April of 2016, according to the outlet. Too Short's accuser said that the rapper started making unwanted advances toward her at that time. Too Short's accuser said that in June of 2016, he forced her onto a bed, ripped the clothing off her body and forced oral sex on her in a downtown Los Angeles hotel room. More assaults followed in hotel rooms or the recording studio, the rapper's accuser said, citing one instance in which she said the rapper pinned her body down and had vaginal intercourse with her, leading her to bleed. The rapper's accuser said Too Short 'brutally sodomized' her after that, TMZ reported. Difficult: The performer, snapped last year in Atlanta, worked with the woman who's accusing him of the multiple offenses, she said in court docs Out and about: Too Short was snapped at The Grove in LA last September In another instance, the rapper's accuser said Too Short tried to cajole her for sex, saying he was 'just going to put the tip [of his penis] in,' and continued despite her protests. It's not the first time accusations have been leveled at Too Short. The rapper was accused of sexual assault last year, by a woman who said she was a virgin, before he allegedly forced sex on her in an incident that took place November 1, 2016 at a Los Angeles residence. The Blow The Whistle rapper told TMZ he 'would never' do such a thing, and that the woman's claims were in retaliation to him cutting her from his label. She keeps her figure in top shape as a former model. But Jamie King took a cheat day as she was spotted leaving a bakery with a bag of snacks in West Hollywood on Friday. The Hart Of Dixie star, 38, cut a sophisticated figure in a monogrammed Burberry poncho leaving hot spot La Conversation. Cheat day: Jamie King, 38, took a cheat day as she was spotted leaving a bakery with a bag of snacks in West Hollywood on Friday Daring to impress, the mother-of-two looked simply stunning in the brown and red wrap that belied her enviable figure. Her gorgeous gams were put on center stage as she slipped into a pair of form-fitting black leggings. As she carried a white paper bag full of baguettes, the natural beauty commanded attention in the tony neighborhood of Los Angeles. She kept her trademark sandy blonde tresses long and loose as they cascaded over her petite shoulders. Chic look: The Hart Of Dixie star cut a sophisticated figure in a monogrammed Burberry poncho leaving hot spot La Conversation Natural beauty: Daring to impress, the mother-of-two looked simply stunning in the brown and red wrap that belied her enviable figure The actress recently weighed in on the Hollywood sexual harassment row, claiming Bob Weinstein - the brother of disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein - called her a 'loser' for refusing to participate in a men's magazine shoot. Speaking in October, the Sin City: A Dame to Kill For star tweeted in reference to the Weinstein scandal: 'Bob you called me at home & called me a looser [sic] w/ no career threatening me b/c I refused to do Maxim cover for you. 'And I truly hope that the properties revert to their rightful owners as you/Weinstein board were fully aware & abusive to actors/filmmakers.' Leggy lady: Her gorgeous gams were put on center stage as she slipped into a pair of form-fitting black leggings All eyes on her: As she carried a white paper bag full of baguettes, the natural beauty commanded attention in the tony neighborhood of Los Angeles The Pearl Harbor star recently celebrated her 10-year wedding anniversary with her husband Kyle Newman. The couple met on the set of Fanboys in 2005 and were married at Greystone Park in Beverly Hills on November 23, 2007. The couple have two children together, James Knight, four, and Leo Thames, two. Hair today: She kept her trademark sandy blonde tresses long and loose as they cascaded over her petite shoulders Taylor Swift is the godmother to their youngest son, Leo. Jaime may be busy at home with her two children, but her career has yet to slow down. The mom-of-two starred in the new film B*tch about a housewife that assumes the psyche of a dog as her husband cheats on her and her kids run rampant. The project premiered on November 10, and Jaime has three more films hitting screens in 2018. IMG Model Ashley Graham indulged in a bag of Frito-Lay's Classic potato chips during a late-night pamper session at a Manhattan hair salon on Friday. The 30-year-old body activist praised President Donald Trump's favorite snack for having only three listed ingredients - potatoes, vegetable oil, and salt. According to the nutritional facts, a single serving (about 15 chips) amounts to 10 grams of fat and 160 calories. Scroll down for video Nom nom nom: IMG Model Ashley Graham indulged in a bag of Frito-Lay's Classic potato chips during a late-night pamper session at a Manhattan hair salon on Friday Mmmm: The 30-year-old body activist praised President Donald Trump's favorite snack for having only three listed ingredients - potatoes, vegetable oil, and salt Proving she's no diva, the hungry Cosmopolitan Russia cover girl bought the chips herself at a nearby market while make-up free with foils in her hair. Ashley - who boasts 8.7M social media followers - covered up her size 14, 5ft9in curvaceous figure beneath a black baggy salon smock. Graham's self confidence is aided by regular exercise sessions at New York's The Dogpound as well as her daily affirmation: 'I am bold, I am brilliant, and I am beautiful.' The Nebraska-born, Brooklyn-based brunette was joined Friday by her America's Next Top Model hairstylist, David Lopez. Keeping track: According to the nutritional facts, a single serving (about 15 chips) amounts to 10 grams of fat and 160 calories Snack time: Proving she's no diva, the hungry Cosmopolitan Russia cover girl bought the chips herself at a nearby market while make-up free with foils in her hair Natural beauty: Ashley - who boasts 8.7M social media followers - covered up her size 14, 5ft9in curvaceous figure beneath a black baggy salon smock Graham's self confidence is aided by regular exercise sessions at New York's The Dogpound as well as her daily affirmation: 'I am bold, I am brilliant, and I am beautiful' The Revenge Body guest star co-judges cycle 24 of Tyra Banks' modeling competition - airing Tuesdays on VH1 - alongside image architect Law Roach and Paper creative director Drew Elliot. Ashley described herself as a 'tough judge' on Wednesday's episode of Steve Harvey's daytime talk show. 'I have gotten to where I am in my career because of the people who told me no, because of the people who said you're never going to have it,' Graham told the 61-year-old host. 'So I know what that feels like to have it hurt and sting, but I also know what it feels like to have constructive criticism to get to the top. You have to let them know, if you want to get to the top, it takes a lot of work.' 'Little preview of some upcoming hair looks!' The Nebraska-born, Brooklyn-based brunette was joined Friday by her America's Next Top Model hairstylist, David Lopez (R) Airing Tuesdays on VH1! The Revenge Body guest star co-judges cycle 24 of Tyra Banks' (R) modeling competition alongside Law Roach (L) and Drew Elliot (2-R) The A New Model author has been married to LA-based cinematographer Justin Ervin for nearly eight years after meeting in church back in 2009. 'We are going to totally have kids,' the groundbreaking 2016 SI cover girl told ET back in 2016. 'We are probably going to do it in the next few years. Just another part of my brand building!' 'If you want to get to the top, it takes a lot of work': Ashley described herself as a 'tough judge' on Wednesday's episode of Steve Harvey's daytime talk show She's the Melbourne stunner who shot to fame after appearing on the 2016 season of Married At First Sight. And almost two years on, Clare Verrall is still remembered as one of the franchise's most fiery contestants. On Saturday, however, the blonde babe appeared to be in a softer mood than usual, sharing a nostalgic throwback snap from her days as a curly-haired preschooler. Guess who! An outspoken reality star shared a photo of herself as a cherubic child to Instagram on Saturday... but do YOU know who she is? 'UBER THROWBACK! Rocking my ringlets & making what Im sure was a stunning work of art,' the outspoken star captioned the post which she shared with her 31,500 followers. She added the hashtags '#ChildhoodPhotos' and 'looklikeshirleytemple'. Despite finding fame nearly two years ago, the curly-haired stunner still maintains a strong public presence online. Doomed union: Clare's on-screen marriage to tradie Jono Pittman came to an explosive end The Victorian vixen has kept a following of fans eager to know whether she will ever find Mr Right, after her on-screen marriage to tradie Jono Pittman came to an explosive end. Clare has also gained a legion of admirers for her fearless nature and speaking her mind. After her appearance on Married At First Sight she slammed the franchise 'for using manipulative psychological tactics during filming'. Living her truth! Clare has also gained a legion of admirers for her fearless nature and speaking her mind The star has also bravely gone public about her battle with post-traumatic stress disorder after she was randomly assaulted. In April 2015, she was walking her dog Dutchy near her home in Prahran, Melbourne, when a man jumped out and attacked her. Clare was left with a black eye, a broken nose and a broken toe, but was able to knee her attacker in the groin and kick him before she fled. Her perseverance and upbeat nature has led to her being a beloved personality, with one fan recently writing: 'Great smile lovely lady'. Celebs including Emmy Rossum and Olivia Munn descended on the Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood Saturday evening for a VIP dinner. Stuart Weitzmann creative director Giovanni Morelli and InStyle editor-in-chief Laura Brown - each of whom achieved their present eminences in 2016 - threw the fete. Shameless star Emmy, 31, was a showstopper in a white Michael Kors Collection ensemble made up of an asymmetric hemmed dress, teamed with a sleek blazer in the same color. Scroll down for video Star-studded: Celebs including Emmy Rossum (left) and Olivia Munn (right) descended on the Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood Saturday evening for a VIP dinner The Phantom Of The Opera actress, who married her Mr. Robot creator second husband Sam Esmail last year, balanced on silver-toned ankle-strap heels. A belt emphasized her trim frame, and she had slung an off-white purse from her right shoulder, clashing the outfit against a dark purple slick of lipstick. Meanwhile, Olivia, who last week compered the Critics' Choice Awards, wore a full-sleeved dress flecked with a colorful bird and flower motif. Coordinated: Shameless star Emmy, 31, was a showstopper in a white Michael Kors Collection ensemble made up of an asymmetric hemmed dress, teamed with a sleek blazer in the same color Shimmering: Meanwhile, Olivia, who last week compered the Critics' Choice Awards, wore a full-sleeved dress flecked with a colorful bird and flower motif With a neat collar and cinched-in cuffs, the 37-year-old The Newsroom actress' getup was hemmed high enough to show off her open-toed stilettos. Allison Janney - who this year snagged a Golden Globe for her role in I, Tonya as the title character's mother LaVona Harding - had slid into a black cocktail dress. An elaborate gold and bronze pattern dominated her turtleneck, and she accessorized with a clutch, beaming as she was photographed. Classic elegance: Allison Janney - who this year snagged a Golden Globe for her role in I, Tonya as the title character's mother LaVona Harding - had slid into a black cocktail dress TV stars unite: The 58-year-old - who like Olivia has acted in an Aaron Sorkin series, in Allison's case The West Wing - posed flanked by Olivia and Emmy Scion of Sly: Sistine Stallone, 19, wore an off-the-shoulder beige crop top with a pair of glinting black trousers and a raven-hued pair of open-toed ankle-strap heels The 58-year-old - who like Olivia has starred in an Aaron Sorkin series, in Allison's case The West Wing - posed flanked by Olivia and Emmy. Sistine Stallone, 19, wore an off-the-shoulder beige crop top with a pair of glinting black trousers and a raven-hued pair of open-toed ankle-strap heels. She is the daughter of Sylvester Stallone and that third and current wife of his Jennifer Flavin, by whom Sly also sired Sophia, 21, and Scarlet, 15. Ana De Armas, 29, dressed in all black - frilly mini-skirt, flats, V-neck top and faintly rumpled jacket - along with a glinting necklace. Touch of glitz: Ana De Armas dressed in all black - frilly mini-skirt, flats, V-neck top and faintly rumpled jacket - along with a glinting necklace Match game: One Jordan Duffy stuck to black as well, matching a gleaming top with a pair of high-waisted trousers, a clutch and some open-toed shoes Fringed with lace: Joining the brigade of guests wearing all-black was Madeline Brewer, buttoning herself up into a blazer dress and carrying a clutch of her own One Jordan Duffy stuck to black as well, matching a gleaming top with a pair of high-waisted trousers, a clutch and some open-toed shoes. Joining the brigade of guests wearing all-black was Madeline Brewer, 25, buttoning herself up into a blazer dress and carrying a clutch of her own. Kristin Chenoweth let her wavy blonde hair fall free over her long-sleeved mini-dress, which had streaks of silver floral patterning over a pale pink field. Ana, Kristen, Madeline, Emmy, Allison and Olivia all stood for a group photograph. Broadway baby: Kristin Chenoweth let her wavy blonde hair fall free over her long-sleeved mini-dress, which had streaks of silver floral patterning over a pale pink field On Friday, Catherine Zeta-Jones came to the defense of her husband of 17 years, Michael Douglas, after he was accused of sexual misconduct by a former employee 30 years ago. It was the same day Susan Braudy appeared on TODAY to claim the 73-year-old movie star once 'masturbated in front of her' during her three years working at his company Stonebridge Productions. The two-time Oscar winner had pre-emptively denied Braudy's Me Too Movement offering in a January 9 Deadline article calling it 'a complete lie, fabrication, no truth to it whatsoever.' Scroll down for video Denial: On Friday, Catherine Zeta-Jones came to the defense of her husband of 17 years, Michael Douglas, after he was accused of sexual misconduct by a former employee 30 years ago Me too: It was the same day Susan Braudy appeared on TODAY to claim the 73-year-old movie star once 'masturbated in front of her' during her three years working at his company Stonebridge Productions '[Michael] had to come out pre-emptively because of what he believes in,' the 48-year-old Oscar winner explained on Friday's The View. 'He was articulate, said it from the heart. He was honest, open, and transparent. He now has to take the next step for where he goes from here. It's a question for him. It happened 30 years ago, it was B.C. - before Catherine.' The Traffic co-stars - who have a 25-year age difference - first met in 1996 at the Deauville Film Festival, and they've remained together despite a six-month split in 2013. Regarding sexual harassment, Catherine worries for her 14-year-old daughter Carys, but she didn't express the same sentiment about her 17-year-old son Dylan with Douglas. 'It's what he believes in': The two-time Oscar winner (L) had pre-emptively denied Braudy's Me Too Movement offering in a January 9 Deadline article calling it 'a complete lie, fabrication, no truth to it whatsoever' The 48-year-old Oscar winner explained on Friday's The View: 'He was articulate, said it from the heart. He was honest, open, and transparent. He now has to take the next step for where he goes from here...It happened 30 years ago, it was B.C. - before Catherine' Family: Regarding sexual harassment, Catherine worries for her 14-year-old daughter Carys (L), but she didn't express the same sentiment about her 17-year-old son Dylan (R) with Douglas Zeta-Jones explained: 'I have a daughter. As we battle through now, I hope that this is something she won't even have to think about when she gets into the workplace' She continued: 'Look, I support this movement, Time's Up and #MeToo, 110 percent. Always have since the moment it really opened up to the public because we all know it's been going on for years and not just in our industry. It's been happening across the board everywhere' As for her own experiences with powerful men in Hollywood, the glamorous Welshwoman admitted: 'I hold my heart and thank the Lord, no, no [I was never victimized or attacked]' 'I have a daughter. As we battle through now, I hope that this is something she won't even have to think about when she gets into the workplace,' Zeta-Jones explained. 'Look, I support this movement, Time's Up and #MeToo, 110 percent. Always have since the moment it really opened up to the public because we all know it's been going on for years and not just in our industry. It's been happening across the board everywhere.' As for her own experiences with powerful men in Hollywood, the glamorous Welshwoman admitted: 'I hold my heart and thank the Lord, no, no [I was never victimized or attacked].' The Feud actress will next play real-life Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco in Guillermo Navarro's made-for-TV movie Cocaine Godmother premiering this Saturday on Lifetime. Chloe Sevigny is the latest person to express consternation about having worked with Woody Allen. The 43-year-old actress, who featured in his 2004 film Melinda And Melinda, told Variety: 'I have my own turmoil that Im grappling with over that decision. Would I work with him again? Probably not.' Woody has been accused of sexually assaulting his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow when she was seven years old - an allegation he has denied, but that has resurfaced in the midst of the #MeToo movement. Holding forth: Chloe Sevigny has consternation about having worked with Woody Allen, saying so at the Sundance Film Festival, where she is pictured Dylan, who is now 32, wrote a 2014 open letter in the New York Times leveling the accusation against Woody, iterating it on this Thursday's CBS This Morning. As Variety pointed out, Rebecca Hall and Timothee Chalamet - who acted in Woody's upcoming A Rainy Day In New York - have distanced themselves from him. Both have given the money they made on the film to Time's Up. 'Would I work with him again? Probably not': Chloe, who acted in his 2004 film Melinda And Melinda, told Variety : 'I have my own turmoil that Im grappling with over that decision' Colin Firth, the star of Woody's 2014 movie Magic In The Moonlight, told the Guardian: 'I wouldnt work with him again.' The molestation claim first arose in 1993, the year after the scandalous breakup between Woody and Dylan's adoptive mother Mia Farrow - which resulted from Woody's relationship with Mia's daughter Soon-Yi Previn, now his wife. Back then, after investigation, Woody did not face charges. Sundance Beautys: Chloe Sevigny and Aubrey Plaza Celebrate "Lizzie" at 'Cafe Artois' Stella Artois hosted a cast party of Lizzie, with Chloe Sevigny and Aubrey Plaza 'Cafe Artois' with key cast members Jeff Perry and Dennis OHare and Director, Craig William at Cafe Artois. Festival work: Posing up a storm in front of a backdrop of Stella Artois at the festival Though Connecticut prosecutor Frank Maco claimed 'probable cause' to go forward, he decided not to, citing his and Mia's concern for Dylan's welfare and his aversion to the idea of the little girl's appearing in court, according to the New York Times. Mia's adopted son Moses Farrow - whom, like Dylan, Woody legally co-adopted during his relationship with their mother - has accused Mia of physical abuse in the new book Start to Finish: Woody Allen And The Art Of Moviemaking By Eric Lax. Moses also claimed in the book that, as Woody alleged back in the 1990s, Dylan accused Woody of sex abuse after Mia had trained her to do so. Promotional: Chloe spoke her piece about Woody to Variety at the Sundance Film Festival, where her Lizzie Borden biopic Lizzie held its premiere Friday night Chloe spoke her piece about Woody to Variety at the Sundance Film Festival, where her Lizzie Borden biopic Lizzie held its premiere Friday night. Posing up a storm in front of a backdrop at the festival, she modeled a frilly jacket with a swirling pink and brown pattern, teaming it with jeans and a simple black top. She had a bun at each side of her head, and she kept that do while posing on the black carpet at the Sundance premiere. By the time of the premiere, she was wearing a black dress that featured mesh and gleaming florals, balancing on high-heeled boots. Eye-catching: She had a bun at each side of her head, and she kept that do while posing on the black carpet at the Sundance premiere At times, she wrapped herself in a massive black plush jacket, shooting an unsmiling stare at the camera. Chloe, also a producer on Lizzie, posed in a group photo with the movie's director Craig MacNeill and her fellow actors Jamey Sheridan, Jeff Perry and Denis O'Hare. Kristen Stewart co-stars in Lizzie as the Borden family's Irish maid Bridget - and as Chloe discussed with Variety, the film contains Bridget-Lizzie love scenes. 'There was a little bit of steam. I wish there was more,' Chloe told the magazine. A bit chilly?: At times, she wrapped herself in a massive black plush jacket, shooting an unsmiling stare at the camera In August 1892, Abby and Andrew Borden were butchered with a hatchet in their Falls River, Massachusetts home. Lizzie, then 32 years old, was charged with the crime and went to trial the following June in what became a nationwide media frenzy. Bridget, whom the family purportedly used to call 'Maggie,' was one of the witnesses called, and her testimony is often credited with helping secure Lizzie's acquittal. Though Lizzie was legally off the hook, nobody else has subsequently been charged with the murders, and the case remains cold to this day. Adding to the ensemble: She accessorized with a purse and drop earrings She's known for her glamorous displays, both when gracing London's finest red carpets, and strolling along the streets of England. So it's no wonder Lucy Mecklenburgh put on a sensational display in a dazzling maroon top and a fierce feline coat as she enjoyed a night out in London on Friday. The 26-year-old entrepreneur was no doubt glad of a night out as she has been keeping herself busy with the launch of her revived fitness and nutrition website, Results With Lucy. Scroll down for video Style savvy: Lucy Mecklenburgh, 26, put on a sensational display in a dazzling maroon top and a fierce feline coat as she enjoyed a night out in London on Friday Looking incredibly trendy, the former The Only Way Is Essex star beamed with a radiant glow as she strutted the streets of England's capital. She paired her sparkling semi-sheer top with fitted straight leg jeans while the star bundled up in a statement leopard-print jacket. The Havering native enhanced her natural beauty with minimal makeup - flashy silver eyeshadow, a slash of peach lipstick and lashings of mascara. Accentuating her height with metallic sandal heels, Lucy's ombre locks were curled to perfection as her glossy tresses grazed her shoulders. Feline chic: Opting for a trendy appearance, the former The Only Way Is Essex star beamed with a radiant glow as she strutted the streets of England's capital Sensational: She paired her sparkling semi-sheer top with fitted straight leg jeans while the star bundled up in a statement leopard-print jacket Off shes goes! Accentuating her height with metallic sandal heels, Lucy's ombre locks were curled to perfection as her glossy tresses grazed her shoulders The brunette beauty recently rebooted her online personal training and nutrition website, Results With Lucy as well as her latest food guide. Lucy's career has been going from strength to strength since leaving the cast of TOWIE in 2013. Along with her fitness business, which has subscribers in the six figures, the savvy businesswoman also has her own clothing range with Pretty Little Thing and her own shop, Lucy's Boutique. Keeping herself busy: The brunette beauty recently rebooted her online personal training and nutrition website, Results with Lucy, as well as her latest food guide, The Power Of Plant Based She is currently dating Coronation Street star Ryan Thomas, who she met on Bear Grylls' Celebrity Island, where they were in the midst of water shortages, extreme hunger and tropical storms. After developing a strong bond on the survival show, the pair continued their romance on home turf. The couple got tongues wagging after they were seen posting holiday photographs from the same location on Instagram at the beginning of the summer, despite denying claims they were dating. They were then pictured kissing at London City Airport and marked their first public outing as a couple at the Wimbledon men's semi-finals earlier in July last year. Loved-up: Meanwhile, Lucy has been dating soap star Ryan Thomas after they met on Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls She's a relative unknown who is about to be launched into US network television stardom. Gold Coast native Jessica Green will soon be hitting the small screen, after the 24-year-old nabbed the lead role in new Syfy fantasy series, The Outpost. Speaking to The Gold Coast Bulletin on Sunday, the striking actress admitted she was 'so excited,' to share the news of her big break in Hollywood. The next Margot Robbie? Former Gold Coast actress Jessica Green, 24, has landed her first big American television gig, starring as Talon on the new Syfy series, The Outpost 'Just goes to show never give up on your dreams,' the actress and model said. Jessica added: 'All those years of auditioning, I finally got a "yes".' Jessica will play a character called 'Talon' in the series produced by Dean Devlin, whose film credits also include Independence Day. In the series, Talon is the lone survivor of a race called the Blackbloods, who sets off to the edge of civilisation to track her family's killers. 'All those years of auditioning': The striking 24-year-old will play 'Talon' on Syfy series, The Outpost, which will be her first big gig on US network television While on her journey she discovers she has supernatural powers which she must learn to harness in order to achieve her goals. Jessica also told the publication she was grateful for the opportunity to showcase her acting skills in the 10-episode series, adding that she was looking forward to working with her new colleagues. 'I've been in Utah doing pre-production for the last few weeks but filming begins today (Jan 16),' she said. Big break: The Australian actress starred in the film Red Billabong and first graced screens as Kiki in the tween program, Lightning Point Despite having an uncredited role in last year's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, this will be Jessica's first major plunge into US television. It is also her first time in a lead role - a feat many Australian actors who make the move to Hollywood can only dream of. The raven-haired beauty first graced the Australian small screen on tween program Lightning Point in 2012, before going on to star in her first feature film, Red Billabong in 2016. 'So much fun getting into character': The actress has said she's appreciative to be given the opportunity to work on the 10-episode series Despite her success, the humble actress has kept her down-to-earth attitude, having relocated to America after filming Red Billabong. Speaking to the Gold Coast Bulletin following filming of Pirates of the Caribbean, the actress again showed humility and appreciation. 'I was very fortunate to land two days working on set of Pirates of the Caribbean,' she spilled to the publication in 2015. 'Which was an amazing experience and so much fun getting into character.' Actress and model: The 24-year-old actress doesn't mind flaunting her incredible bikini body to her nearly 300,000 followers on Instagram She's the TV host who bravely battled a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer, which saw her undergo a double mastectomy. But now Sally Obermeder has turned her fight to a different battle, with the 44-year-old vowing to re-discover fun and work on her relationship with husband Marcus. The charming The Daily Edition anchor taking to her Instagram on Saturday to share a candid and personal message to her 85,000 followers. 'Relationships are easy in the beginning': Charming The Daily Show host Sally Obermeder, 44, has taken to Instagram to share a heartfelt post about wanting to work on her relationship husband, Marcus In a post which a number of her followers instantly related to, the stunning brunette referred to the importance of focusing on her marriage, and remaining joyful in her relationships. 'Relationships are easy in the beginning,' she started. 'You have two people with all the time in the world to just focus on each other and have fun,' she continued, before adding, 'Then along the way things get serious.' 'I can finally breathe properly again': The Daily Edition host fought a very public battle with a rare and aggressive form on breast cancer, having been diagnosed just one day after giving birth to her first daughter Showing a great deal of wisdom, the mother-of-two continued to talk in a decidedly philosophical tone about life and relationships. The sensitive post penned under a smiling photograph of herself and husband Marcus, after the couple had gone swimming, with both of them looking very animated. 'Then along the way things get serious. Life throws you some curve balls and if you're not careful you forget to have fun,' she continued. Happy and healthy! The newly blonde Sally is fit and healthy again, taking to Instagram on Saturday to say after a tumultuous few years she's making a commitment to re-discovering fun and joy, here Sally is pictured with her sister Maha Koraiem 'I really noticed last year, that was me. Getting sick, having kids, focusing on work, starting a business all of it meant life became serious and along the way I lost the sense of fun that I had.' The brunette beauty adding finishes her post resolute, 'My aim this year is to get it back.' The post comes after a tumultuous time for the Channel Seven star, who was spoke openly about her 'sigh of relief,' at passing the five-year cancer free milestone in 2016, after facing a difficult uphill battle. 'My gosh, the relief!' The mum-of-told admitted she was ecstatic to receive the 'all-clear' on her five-year cancer scan, when she spoke to Body & Soul last year Her eldest daughter Annabelle, five, was born just one day after her cancer diagnosis and youngest daughter Elyssa was born via surrogacy due to possible health complications. Last year, speaking to Body & Soul, the mother-of-two was ecstatic about being given a clean bill of health. 'I feel like I've been holding my breath for five years and I can finally breathe properly again,' she divulged. 'There's always a low-level anxiety you live with will it come back? Is this going to be it? especially before a scan. I know the routine well but the inner dialogue and emotion is so full on, I was nervous going to that scan and when it came back clear... My gosh, the relief!' Sam Frost has suffered a tumultuous 12 months, with a break-up, job loss and public criticism after nabbing a new gig on Home And Away among her personal woes. But after enlisting the help of a psychologist, the former Bachelorette star admits she's turning her life around. In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph this week, the 28-year-old revealed she had become more positive and resilient than ever. 'In the last 12 months, I've really rediscovered myself': Sam Frost spills on how working with psychologist helped her become more resilent after suffering a horror year 'Certainly in the last 12 months, I've really rediscovered myself,' Sam explained to the publication. 'Working with a psychologist, figuring out all the different parts of my personality that sometimes you might not want to admit you have; or you might bury a lot of emotions.' Sam said that once she learned to let go and accept that criticism or tough times will come her way, it was easier to embrace it, evolve and learn to love herself. The budding actress is even pragmatic about the inevitable negativity that will come with haters denouncing her attempts to shine in her new soap gig. 'I feel now like I've got two choices: I can be consumed by all that negativity and never grow and be stunted as a performer; instead, I'm choosing to accept the fact there will be criticism and not get absorbed by it,' she said. Keep very still Sam! In Home And Away's dramatic finale last year, Sam debuted as new character Jasmine Delaney In Home And Away's dramatic finale last year, Sam debuted as Jasmine Delaney who was involved in a car accident that killed show favourite Kat Chapman (Pia Miller). And while audiences have only had a small glimpse of Sam in Summer Bay, more of the troubled character's past and personality will come to light this year. Sam explained that her character has a 'troubled background' and can at times feel 'anxious and on edge' - emotions that the reality TV personality can relate to after facing relentless public scrutiny. The blonde beauty said she's hoping to channel that experience into portraying the character convincingly. Fired! Sam and on-air partner Rove McManus lost their radio jobs when their show Rove & Sam was axed last year New love! After calling it quits with Sasha Mielczarek, Sam struck up a romance with long-time friend Dave Bashford (left) Over the past 12 months, Sam has suffered a number of ups and downs in her personal life - all while in the spotlight. Sam and Rove McManus publicly lost their radio jobs when their show Rove & Sam was axed. And after meeting on The Bachelorette, Sam and Sasha Mielczarek called time on their relationship after 18 months together. Sam later struck up a romance with long-time friend Dave Bashford who she is currently dating. The high-profile star has also attracted trolls on her social media accounts and has been blasted for her fluctuating weight. It's the hottest reality show on television, with a new season set to light up the screen later this month. But despite Channel Nine's Married at First Sight being popular with viewers, its strike rate at matching up couples is actually pretty dismal. Talking to The Sunday Telegraph this week, executive producers of the show admitted as much, saying the 'social experiment,' doesn't always go to plan. 'The success rate is not as high as we'd like': Married At First Sight producer Tara McWilliams has said the show hasn't ended in happily ever after for singles on the show, with only two couples finding love 'The success rate is not as high as we'd like,' executive producer of the show, Tara McWilliams told the publication. She added: 'However our objective is still as high as ever, which is to find relationships for these singles.' While the strike rate has been low, applications to the show have been high - with 5000 people love seekers attempting to sign up this season. In the past, the show has had some memorable flops, with pairings going significantly haywire. On the money! The greatest success the show has had was with season one couple, Zoe Hendrix and Alex Garner, which the lovebirds welcoming a child, Harper Rose, together On season four, Andrew 'Jonesy' Jones was paired with first wife Lauren who ran away on their wedding night. Meanwhile, the chemistry with second TV 'wife', bikini model Cheryl Maitland also ended in disaster. Even when producers seemingly get their love matches right, a huge issue appears to be distance, which is what happened with fan favourites Perth-based Susan Rawling and Queensland farmer Sean Hollands. Giving it a try! The only other couple who appear to be together is season two pairing Erin Bateman and Bryce Mohr, who have reportedly rekindled their love However, out of the 24 couples to enter the show, only Zoe Hendrix and Alex Garner from season one have seemingly found long-lasting love. The couple welcomed their first child Harper Rose last year. Season two couple Erin Bateman and Bryce Mohr have also reportedly rekindled their love. The new season will start on January 29, with the latest teaser showing season four singleton John Robertson back on the show - after being hilariously mismatched with Deborah Brosnan. He explained despite his 'marriage' to Deborah not working out, he decided to return to the televised romantic experiment because it was 'a good experience'. Second time's a charm: John Robertson has confirmed he is returning for Married At First Sight's new season, after his disastrous pairing with Deborah Brosnan The mature reality star revealed his main hope for the new season is to have 'chemistry' with his matched bride. 'I don't have a type. They can be blonde, brunette, whatever, they've gotta be shorter than me,' he offered. 'I like a nice easy, fun-filled life, so someone laid-back, I don't want someone who is bossy or nagging,' he continued. 'I don't have a type. They can be blonde, brunette, whatever, they've gotta be shorter than me,' he offered She shot to fame after appearing on The Bachelor, only to then enter into a same-sex relationship with fellow contestant Tiffany Scanlon. And while it appears she's moved on with another reality star, handsome Jake Ellis, it hasn't stopped a bikini-clad Megan Marx from showing singletons everywhere what they're missing out on. The blonde starlet took to Instagram on Saturday to post a sizzling snap of herself in high-cut bikini bottoms and a knotted T-shirt, flaunting her taut tummy and slender legs. 'When the light shines out your a**': Bachelor beauty Megan Marx shares racy tropical-themed snap... showing a lot of cheek with her risque caption In the racy snap, the former reality star can be seen standing in tropical surrounds, hanging off a vine-covered pole, presumably after she had been swimming. The photograph was geo-tagged to the Cadlao Resort & Restaurant in the Philippines. The former reality show star showed off her sense of humour, captioning the image: 'When the light shines out your a**.' Did Jake Ellis take this? Megan Marx poses for very raunchy bikini snap while getting out of the pool amid rumours the pair are dating after their Bachelor In Paradise stint It comes after speculation has swirled around Megan and Jake, who previously put on an amorous display in Fiji on the set of Bachelor In Paradise. Former girlfriend Tiffany Scanlon has weighed in on the rumoured romance, giving her blessing to the union. It's been a big week of bikini-related Instagram snaps for the reality TV star, who posted an image of herself on Friday sashaying out of a hotel pool. New beginnings! Even Megan's ex-girlfriend Tiffany Scanlon has given the pair her blessing She appeared to be asking for accommodation advice as she heads on a trip to the Maldives, but very few people in the comments appeared to be answering her query. Instead all eyes were on her stunning body which was glistening as she took a relaxing summer dip. It comes as the reality stars posted individual photos of themselves at the same beach. Is that you Jake? A photo shared to Instagram on Wednesday sees Megan perched on the wooden ledge of a balcony, with a Gold Coast beach in the background. Beaming for the camera, Megan draws attention to her stylish sunglasses, that appears to show the reflection of a shirtless male A snap shared to Instagram on Wednesday shows Megan perched on the wooden ledge of a balcony, with a Gold Coast beach in the background. Revealing her cleavage, slender waist and lean legs in a khaki bikini top and blue patterned skirt, the model has her blonde locks swept into an effortless topknot. Beaming for the camera, Megan drew attention to her stylish sunglasses which showed the reflection of a shirtless male. Meanwhile Jake also posted a photo to Instagram at the same time, which also saw him relaxing on a Gold Coast beach. Perched upright on a towel, the hunk wore a pair of abstract board shorts and a round-rimmed hat. Looking directly at the camera and resting his arms on his knees, Jake captioned the image, appearing to pay tribute to his late mother Robyn who recently passed away from cancer: 'Cherish memories, enjoy every moment and hold on to the things that make you truly happy,' alongside the hash-tag #goldcoast. Same time, same location: Meanwhile Jake also posted a photo to Instagram at the same time, that saw him relaxing on a Gold Coast beach. Perched upright on a towel, the hunk dons a pair of abstract board shorts and a round-rimmed hat She's the Big Brother reject best known for posting selfies on Instagram. So it was no surprise to see Lisa Clark kicking back at the beach and taking bikini photos for the popular social media platform this week. The 33-year-old showcased her bronzed curves in a couple of sizzling images for her 100,000 followers. Golden: It was no surprise to see Lisa Clark kicking back at the beach and taking bikini photos for her Instagram page this week Her revealing display comes just weeks after she opened up about what she really does for a living. The social media model announced that she's now working as a 'food curator' for her very own social media agency. The busy blonde's job involves taking photos of food for companies to post on their Instagram pages. Flaunt it! The 33-year-old showcased her bronzed curves in a couple of sizzling images for her 100,000 followers Taking to her Instagram page, the busty blonde wrote: 'A lot of you ask me what I do for a living, so here it is!' 'Apart from writing for the Australian Commerce of Buisness [sic], I also own a social media company which focuses mainly on restaurants and bars.' Lisa's humble Western Sydney beginnings are a far cry from her current glamorous life as an Eastern Suburbs socialite and Instagram influencer. Working girl: The reality TV reject recently announced that she's now working as a 'food curator' taking photos for Instagram pages Discussing the culture shock she experienced when first moving from Penrith to Bondi, Lisa previously told the Daily Telegraph: 'The girls at the office used to tease me as I spoke with a westie drawl and I ate McDonald's most days for lunch.' 'I decided that I wanted to be more like them so I began to read magazines and teach myself how to dress and speak properly.' In 2015, Lisa made headlines at the Sydney Film Festival, where she posed on the red carpet with one of her breasts partially on display. She recently revealed she is planning more romantic holidays with her beau Jeremy Parisi. And Kelly Brook has lived up to her word as she was enjoying a scenic getaway in Iceland with her boyfriend on Friday. Taking great delight in the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, the stunning brunette posted an array of envy-inducing snaps of her breathtakingly beautiful holiday, which featured a busty image of the star taking a steamy dip in a grand pool. Scroll down for video Busty: Kelly Brook, 39, has lived up to her word to travel more as she is currently enjoying a scenic getaway in Iceland with her boyfriend as shared to Instagram on Friday Pictured with her luscious locks in a slick bun, Kelly commanded attention with her garment's plunging necklace, which could be seen floating on the clear blue water. She opted for a fresh-faced appearance as she captioned the image: 'Washing all our Sins Away (sic).' The Kent native went on to post a gushing snap with her partner, as the pair bundled up against Iceland's extremely chilly climes. The model partially covered her glossy locks under a light pink beanie, while keeping warm in a black puffer coat. Cosy: The Kent native went on to post a gushing snap with her partner, as the pair bundled up against Iceland's extremely chilly climes Still chic! The model partially covered her glossy locks under a light pink beanie, while keeping warm in a black puffer coat Kelly - who has a fashion collection with her SimplyBe - also took to Instagram to share some cosy pictures of the pair relishing in mud masks. The couple have been blissfully happy together since sparks flew when they first started dating in April 2015, and in November, the beauty divulged she would love to get married at the Savoy - despite the pair not being engaged. When asked on Loose Women if she is now betrothed, Kelly responded: 'I'm not engaged, no. But I would love to marry my boyfriend. I'm waiting for him to ask me.' As well as jetting off to France, the pair often spend time together at Kelly's 1million country pile in Kent which boasts of a 600-year-old apple farm where she grows her own vegetables. Animated display: Kelly - who has a fashion collection with her SimplyBe - also took to Instagram to share some cosy pictures of the pair relishing in mud masks Loved-up: The couple have been blissfully happy together since sparks flew when they first started dating in April 2015, and in November, the beauty divulged she would love to get married at the Savoy - despite the pair not being engaged Earlier this week, Kelly showcased her curves in a simple black swimsuit for a social media snap, where she looked delighted while cuddling up to her hunky Italian beau as she revealed they were planning more romantic getaways for the following year. 'Sitting here planning Trips with my Bestie!! Cant wait to explore the world with you in 2018 @jeremyparisi,' a besotted Kelly captioned the snap. The striking brunette couldn't have looked more happier in the loved-up image as she showcased her trim pins while leaning forward to nab a hug from Jeremy. Her boyfriend looked every inch the hunk in a pair of dangerously short swim-shorts as he smiled the camera with his lady love in his arms. Jaclyn Smith is a business woman now thanks to her clothing, accessories and household lines at Kmart. But in the Seventies the brunette bombshell, 72, was one of the biggest pinups in Hollywood. And the Charlie's Angels star reminded her Instagram followers of that as she shared three rare throwback images where she was modeling for Max Factor. Hot stuff: Jaclyn Smith is a business woman now thanks to her Kmart deals. But in the Seventies the brunette bombshell, 72, was one of the biggest pinups in Hollywood Stunning: And the Charlie's Angels star reminded her Instagram followers of that as she shared three rare throwback images where she was modeling for Max Factor Smith's caption read: 'Max Factor shoot from the 70s with my favorite photographer @charlesbushphoto #TBT.' In one image the cover girl wears a red bikini as she is embraced by a handsome man. In another they are in towels as he cuddles her from behind. And in the third shot Jaclyn smiles with delight while in the shower. A babe: Smith's caption read, 'Max Factor shoot from the 70s with my favorite photographer @charlesbushphoto #TBT' The looker is very active on social media, and during the holidays shared a number of intimate photos. The TV actress shared a photo toInstagram where she was wrinkle free and looking half her age. The cover girl wore a plaid shirt and jeans as she held up her dog by a large Christmas tree at home. Youthful: Smith doesn't seem to age. The designer shared a photo to Instagram in December where she was wrinkle free and looking half her age The family: Here she is seen with her husband, far right, and daughter Spencer, who is holding her child she had with her husband, far left The star's caption read: 'My family and I wish you all a holiday filled with loved ones and friends and the memories of those who bring a smile to our face even though they are no longer here. Merry Christmas with much love ' Earlier Smith shared an image of her pup with a sweater on. Her caption read: 'Elizabeth took this shot to remind you not to forget to take a selfie in your favorite ugly sweater to benefit St. Jude patients and families. Just tag @stjude, @kmart & #UglySweaterforBetter, and Kmart will donate $1 for every post up to $50K. Please get out those sweaters and cameras and lets make a difference.' Unforgettable: Smith was on Charlie's Angels for the full five years the show was on the air from 1976 until 1981. Her costars were Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson, Ladd and David Doyle, among others And before that she posed in a Christmas sweater as she took a selfie with friends. That caption read: 'There are lots of holiday get togethers coming up, make sure you take photos in your ugly sweater and upload them here on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook with @kmart, @stjude and #uglysweaterforbetter included in your posts. Each post counts as a donation!Lets help give to St. Jude!!' Last week Jaclyn shared a touching photo with her daughter Spencer, 32, and her grandchild. The pinup wrote: 'Can you tell I love being a grandma?' Chained up: The famous Angels In Chains episode with Jaclyn, Farrah and Kate Smith was on Charlie's Angels for the full five years the show was on the air from 1976 until 1981. Her costars were Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson, Cheryl Ladd, Shelley Hack and David Doyle, among others. In September Deadline reported that Kristen Stewart may want to do a remake. Wonderful in winter white: Smith at the Women's Guild Annual Spring Luncheon, Los Angeles, in 2016 It was claimed that the Twilight star would play 'one of the members of the female private detective agency' and that Sony was also interested in 'several other big names, including Oscar-winner Lupita Nyongo.' Elizabeth Banks is directing the 2019 film. After Angels, Smith became very rich with her successful clothing, accessories and bedding line for Kmart. The star offers chic work and casual wear for women while staying in budget. Tyga counts models Kylie Jenner, Blac Chyna and Demi Rose Mawby among his ex-girlfriends. And on Saturday, sources claimed to Mirror that the American rapper has been secretly dating British beauty Carla Howe since October. However, insiders claim the Playboy model has allegedly grown tired of Tyga's 'controlling ways' after he requested she delete racy Instagram photos while not being prepared to commit to her. Scroll down for video New flame? According to a new report, Tyga has been secretly dating Playboy model Carla Howe since October The Mirror quote a source close to Carla as saying that Tyga has become 'jealous' and 'possessive' since they first started dating last year. The source said: 'She wasn't sure about him at first because he doesn't have the best reputation, but they talked for a few months and he seemed nice... 'So she met up with him while she was over there in July for a first date, and they started properly dating in October.' The couple saw each other last week, according to the publication, but Carla doesn't believe the father-of-one will commit to her. Rumour mill: The Mirror quote a source close to Carla as saying that Tyga has become 'jealous' and 'possessive' since they first started dating last year Enough is enough: A source claims Carla has grown tired of the American rapper's 'controlling' ways Famous face: The British beauty, who has previously dated Wiz Khalifa, was pictured with Usher last month The dark-haired beauty, who previously dated fellow rapper Wiz Khalifa, has apparently accused Tyga of having double standards. The source said: 'He's quite needy and would message her every day but then she'd see articles about him going out with other girls so she doesn't feel like she can get any more serious with him.' Tyga's most serious relationship to date was with the mother of his child, Blac Chyna, to whom he was engaged for over a year before they split in 2014. End of the road? The source speculated that Tyga's latest relationship may not last if he doesn't change his ways Fatherhood: Tyga's most serious relationship to date was with the mother of his child, Blac Chyna, to whom he was engaged for over a year before they split in 2014 The 28-year-old also had a high profile romance with Kylie Jenner, dating the reality star for three years before they split in April last year. And The Mirror's source speculated that Tyga's latest relationship may not last if he doesn't change his ways. The source said: 'He doesnt want the girl hes seeing to talk to anyone else but he cant be loyal himself, he doesnt understand that he has to be the same.' MailOnline has contacted Tyga's and Carla's representatives for comment. Jersey Shore hasn't been on air since 2012. But cast members from the hit series are back together again for the new spin off series, Jersey Shore Family Vacation. Jennifer 'JWoww' Farley was so overcome with emotion, she began to tear up during a lunch with her castmates Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi, Vinny Guadagnino, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Deena Cortese and Paul 'Pauly D' DelVecchio at Oceans Ten restaurant in Miami on Saturday. Emotional: JWoww began to tear up during a lunch with her Jersey Shore Family Reunion castmates at Oceans Ten restaurant in Miami on Saturday Leading the way: Jennifer 'JWoww' Farley and Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi were spotted filming with their co-stars Vinny Guadagnino, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Deena Cortese and Paul 'Pauly D' DelVecchio in Miami She was seen nursing a jumbo-sized drink before breaking down. JWoww blotted her tears and dried her nose with a tissue as she spoke to her castmates Ronnie and Vinnie besides her. Afterwards, she touched up her makeup with a fluffy powder brush and compact mirror. Shore co-star Mike 'the Situation' Sorrentino, 35, was notably missing from the cast's lunch and drinks filming session during their outdoor meal in the Florida city. No more tears: JWoww blotted her tears and dried her nose with a tissue as she spoke to her castmates Ronnie and Vinnie besides her Sip it up: She was seen nursing a jumbo-sized drink before breaking down Camera ready: Afterwards, she touched up her makeup with a fluffy powder brush and compact mirror The Situation pled guilty to tax fraud; he faces five years jail time and up to $250,000 in fines, according to TMZ. Meanwhile, after the group filmed scenes for the reboot at the restaurant, they were seen heading out. JWoww flaunted her long, sculpted legs in black leggings, adding a cropped T-shirt that read 'Hello lover' with a knotted accent. Having a blast: Cast members from the hit series are back together again for the new spin off series, Jersey Shore Family Vacation; pictured from (l to r) Pauly D, Ronnie and Vinny The mother of two carried a geometric patterned purse while hitting the pavement in pink slides. JWoww pulled her dark locks back into a ponytail with retro sunglasses and pink lipstick. Meanwhile, Snooki, 30, donned a colorful floral printed cover up, featuring red, blue, green and white tones. Looking good: JWoww, 31, flaunted her long, sculpted legs in black leggings, adding a cropped T-shirt that read 'Hello lover' with a knotted accent Looking good: JWoww pulled her dark locks back into a ponytail with retro sunglasses to finish off her casual ensemble Colorful: Meanwhile, Snooki, 30, donned a colorful floral printed cover up, featuring red, blue, green and white tones The star, who is also a mother of two, wore a striped bikini top, polka dot bottoms and textured heels to round out her bold look; she added a Louis Vuitton cross-body handbag. Snooki styled her ombre tresses loose with large sunglasses with a square frame shielding her eyes. Ronnie, Vinny and Pauly D all sported shorts with T-shirts for the filming; they were seen heading inside the restaurant together. Heading out: Snooki styled her ombre tresses loose with large sunglasses with a square frame shielding her eyes; seen with Deena Bright: Snooki added a textured choker to round out her statement making summer look In conversation: The star, who is also a mother of two, wore a striped bikini top, polka dot bottoms and textured heels to round out her bold look; she added a Louis Vuitton cross-body handbag; seen with Ronnie Staying close: Deena donned a leopard printed dress with sky high heels Snooki was seen bursting out into laughter during the afternoon shoot while surrounded by her co-stars on the restaurant's patio for filming. MTV announced the reboot, called Jersey Shore Family Vacation, in late November. The show, which ended six years ago, will debut sometime this year, according to the Huffington Post. Good times: Snooki was seen bursting out into laughter during the afternoon shoot while surrounded by her co-stars on the restaurant's patio for filming Relaxing: Snooki was seen enjoying a large ice beverage What are they looking at? The group was seen focusing on something on the beach Casual: Vinny (l) and Ronnie (r) were seen heading inside the eatery together Trendy: Pauly D followed suit, rocking camouflage patterned shorts with a black tank top She's the model appearing in Bras N Things' latest lingerie campaign. And Brooke Hogan is in good company too - joining the likes of Robyn Lawley and Elyse Knowles in promoting the Australian brand. Speaking to The Sunday Telegraph, the 26-year-old said it is a dream come true. Scroll down for video 'It's surreal': Brooke Hogan (pictured) told The Sunday Telegraph it is a dream come true to model for Australian lingerie brand Bras N Things 'I used to look at the girls in the window and admire them,' Brooke said. 'Never did I think something like that would happen to me. It's surreal.' To keep her physique in top condition, Brooke does a mixture of HIIT (high-intensity interval training) training, Pilates and 5km runs during the week. Brooke told the publication she had recently asked her friend Elyse for advice - but it wasn't regarding her modelling career. Renovation tips: Brooke also said she had recently asked her friend Elyse Knowles (pictured) for advice - but it wasn't regarding her modelling career The multi-talented model has plans for renovations with her boyfriend Myles Pitt. Elyse recently won Channel Nine's The Block with her partner Josh Barker, taking home more than half a million dollars in prize money. 'Elyse Knowles is a great friend of mine so I'll be asking her for advice,' she said. New project: Brooke has plans for renovations with her boyfriend Myles Pitt (left) and will seek tips from The Block winner Elyse Meanwhile, it's unlikely she'll be following in Elyse's footsteps into reality television any time soon. Despite Brooke finding fame on Australia's Next Top Model in 2013, she said: 'Right now, I don't know how I feel about having living my whole life in front of TV cameras.' She continued: 'I like to keep some parts of my life private.' She's set to make her debut on The Project next Sunday night. And ahead of Lisa Wilkinson's first appearance on the program, co-host Tommy Little has downplayed rumoured tensions regarding her anticipated arrival. 'Everyone is just excited', the 32-year-old comedian told The Sun-Herald in an interview published on Sunday. No drama! Ahead of Lisa Wilkinson's first appearance on The Project, co-host Tommy Little (left, pictured with Carrie Bickmore) has downplayed any rumoured on-set tensions '(Lisa is) one of the biggest stars in the country and now she is ours and that's great,' Tommy said, adding that 'it's such a friendly team on The Project'. It comes after The Daily Telegraph reported last October that longstanding The Project host Carrie Bickmore was unhappy with Lisa's hefty salary. '(She is) p**sed off at Wilkinson being shipped in to sit alongside her,' insiders allegedly told the publication at the time. New hire! Lisa is set to make her highly-anticipated debut on The Project next Sunday night - however previous reports have suggested her hefty salary has caused tensions The Telegraph observed that Carrie's pay packet of a rumoured $500,000 is almost four times less than what Lisa is said to be earning on The Project. And while he has denied any drama about Lisa's arrival, Tommy told The Sun-Herald he is somewhat intimidated to be sitting next to the veteran journalist. 'She is far warmer and far funnier than me - I fear she may show me up for the idiot that I am,' he joked. A new member is soon to arrive! Pictured: Tommy with fellow panellists on The Project Meanwhile, it appears Lisa is already getting acquainted with another of The Project's panellists, Peter Helliar. On Friday, the pair were seen meeting up while on separate holidays in Hawaii. Prior to her signing with Network Ten, Lisa was a long-serving host on Channel Nine's Today show. Voters and community groups in marginal electorates are collecting tens of millions of dollars more than those in safe seats, according to an analysis of pork barrelling by successive Labor and Coalition governments. Number crunching by Fairfax Media reveals almost 20 per cent worth of $624 million in community grants dished out by the coalition since 2013 have gone to just five marginal seats, which hold just 0.2 per cent of the population. The pattern was the same under Labor, which awarded 40 per cent of $568 million in grants to marginal seats which it held before losing the 2013 election, meaning the electorates raked in six times as much as safer seats. Former Liberal leader John Hewson accused both parties of engaging in a race to the bottom. "The public suspicion of the political process has just been heightened by all these snouts in the trough," he said, calling for the establishment of an independent panel to oversee the grants. Two men who allegedly hid in bushland in far west NSW in an attempt to evade police have been charged with a string of offences. Police engaged in an off-road pursuit after spotting the men driving a stolen car on Thursday afternoon near Dareton but the male driver and his passenger fled on foot into thick scrub sparking an extensive search, police say. The males then allegedly flagged down another car on Friday morning, asking the driver to give them a lift to Dareton. The driver was allegedly assaulted by one of the males when he attempted to slow the car down when he saw police. The males fled back into bushland but one of the men surrendered himself to police due to the extreme heat and the second man gave himself up shortly after. The 28-year-old and 17-year-old were charged with a string of offences including police pursuit - not stop - drive recklessly, malicious damage and assault police in execution of duty. The 28-year-old is due to front Broken Hill Court on Saturday and the teenager is expected to face a local children's court. US Open finalist Madison Keys has sent a message that her 2017 season-end form was no fluke, running roughshod over Romanian Ana Bogdan at the Australian Open. The 20-year-old Keys, the highest-seeded American remaining in the women's draw, didn't drop a single service game against the 102-ranked Bogdan in the 6-3 6-4 demolition on Saturday. Returning to Melbourne Park after wrist surgery sidelined her from last year's Open, the 17th seed blasted her way into the fourth round with 29 winners and six aces on Margaret Court Arena. The Queensland government needs to better manage the state's health system with up to two-thirds of patients not being seen within recommended times at Logan Hospital, the opposition says. Opposition leader Deb Frecklington used recently released statistics about hospital waiting times to attack the government on Saturday, saying the health budget had increased by 8.5 per cent while the level of patients rose by five per cent. "Our hard-working doctors, nurses, they need support and our patients, the critically ill people who are fronting up to hospitals need help," she said. Lauren Davis lost a toenail, three match points and an all-time classic to world No.1 Simona Halep on Saturday, but won the admiration of Melbourne Park. Davis was defeated but not deflated after her 4-6 6-4 15-13 loss to Halep, pushing the top seed all the way at the Australian Open. "I left all that I had out there on the court, and I did all that I could do," the world No.76 said. She also almost left a toenail on Rod Laver Arena. At the height of a dramatic 142-minute third set, Davis required a medical time-out to treat her troubled foot, wincing in pain during the courtside treatment. She needed another time-out at 13-12, before crumpling to lose three straight games - and the match after three hours and 44 minutes. It was a brutal a loss as they come, especially given she was desperately close to reaching her first fourth-round showing at a major with Halep staring down three consecutive match points serving at 11-10 and 0-40 in the deciding set. Still, the 24-year-old remained positive. "I'm very tired. But there is a lot to take away from that match. I played really, really well," Davis said. "I have never played a match like that before where it went so long in the third set. "We were both fighting our hearts out and every point was just super long. "There's a ton of positives ... after this I'm just gonna really focus on all that I did well and just how well I handled myself at this tournament." The rogue toenail crossed a pain threshold on her first match point. "It was very difficult," she said. "I couldn't really put any pressure on them. It also took me by surprise because it came on so suddenly." Given the biggest win of her career was so close, and her chances cruelled by the injury, Davis had every right to be crestfallen. She was not. "Throughout my career I have always struggled with being so critical and being hard on myself," she said. "So I made a commitment to myself before this tournament that I'm going to be my own best friend and just my greatest supporter, and accept all that God has to give me. "I showed myself what I'm capable of ... I'm excited for what the future holds for sure." Victoria's racing industry has honoured 14-year-old Amy "Dolly" Everett, who took her own life to escape online bullying. Race 4 at Flemington on Saturday was renamed Dolly's Dream Handicap. "All the boys came out here today to represent such an amazing girl (gone) too soon," winning apprentice Chris Caserta said afterwards. "It's such a shame that no one really put something in place for this cyber bullying because it's happening all over the world and it's such a terrible thing that's happened," he said. The jockeys wore blue, Dolly's favourite colour, to raise awareness for Dolly's Dream, a foundation established by her family to help prevent bullying and youth suicide. The troubled teen, who as a happy youngster had been the face of an advertising campaign for Akubra hats, had a passion for all animals and a strong connection with horses. The Everett family is closely linked to the racing industry, with Dolly's aunt, Lacey Morrison, a former champion apprentice and trainer in Queensland. Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. The Stars have held their nerve to defeat the Renegades in their Melbourne derby via a super-over countback in a drama-filled WBBL thriller at the MCG. Scores were tied at 6-118 apiece after 20 overs and still locked at 10 runs each after Saturday's nailbiting super-over extension before the Stars claimed the deadlock due to hitting more boundaries (9-8). The epic derby had a little of everything to keep spectators on the edge of their seats. There was the four-wicket super over (including three wickets in three balls) while the Renegades were batting; Amy Satterthwaite's six off Georgia Elwiss' last ball of the 20th over to tie the scores; and a scampered two by Stars opener Lizelle Lee for the second tie of the match. There was also some controversy when Renegades captain Satterthwaite was sent packing and then recalled after the third umpire intervened in a reversed run-out verdict in the 13th over. Satterthwaite appeared to be well short of her ground after a mix-up and duly retreated to the bench, where she removed her helmet and gloves. But when television replays revealed Stars keeper Nicole Faltum had dislodged the bails with her gloves and the ball never made contact with the woodwork, Satterthwaite returned to continue her innings. The Renegades were in the box seat before teenage sensation Annabel Sutherland drastically slowed the scoring rate against her old side, capturing 2-11 off four overs, swinging the momentum back the Stars' way before Satterthwaite's last-ball heave. Earlier, hard-hitting opener Lee smoked two sixes in her belligerent 31 before the Stars' innings stalled. Player-of-the-match Alana King (22) and Anna Lanning (21no) provided some sparks late to give the Stars' some much-needed impetus and, ultimately, deliver a blow to the fifth-placed Renegades' finals aspirations. The Sydney Thunder have jetted to the top of the WBBL ladder after a convincing 37-run win over the Adelaide Strikers at Robertson Oval in Wagga Wagga. After Thunder wicketkeeper Rachel Priest's aggressive half century underpinned the home side's 4-148, the Strikers were never in the hunt, bundled out for 111. With top of the table the prize for the winner of the match, several Strikers batters made good starts but none could go in with the job or prevent the required rate from escalating. Adelaide's top order was skittled by Sam Bates (3-20) and West Indian Stafanie Taylor (2-20) while Nicola Carey (2-14) took care of the tail. Bridget Patterson's breezy 30 was the best for the Strikers but no-one came close to matching Thunder star Priest's 51 off 27 deliveries, which included three sixes. The New Zealander was on track for a big one before she fell in the ninth over. But the Thunder continued on their merry way, with Naomi Stalenberg (41) and Taylor (33 not out) lifting them to what proved a match-winning total. Shunted from Rod Laver Arena, Ashleigh Barty has let slip a huge opportunity to become the first home-grown Australian Open women's quarter-finalist in more than a decade. Barty crashed out of the Open on Saturday after falling victim to some last-minute court reshuffling and the awesome firepower of Japanese prodigy Naomi Osaka. Unseeded Osaka crunched 12 aces and 24 clean winners to remove Australia's last hope in the draw with a crushing 6-4 6-2 third-round defeat on Margaret Court Arena. Osaka's reward is a shot at wounded world No.1 Simona Halep for a place in a grand slam quarter-final for the first time. "I feel really happy but I'm also kind of sorry because I know you guys wanted her to win," the 20-year-old told the local Australian crowd on Melbourne Park's third-biggest show court. "So thank you very much because I've never played in an atmosphere like this before. "I've always wanted to play against an Australian player because on TV it always seems really cool." The marquee match had been slated to start on Rod Laver Arena not before 3.30pm. But with Halep needing almost three-and-a-quarter-hours to subdue American Lauren Davis 4-6 6-4 15-13, and then the men's showdown between Alexander Zverev and Hyeong Chung going five sets, Open officials shifted Barty and Osaka. That was no problem for Osaka. "I just think there would have been a lot more people cheering for her," said the free-swinging world No.70. "So I think it was good for me." Whether or not it was good for Barty will never be known. Inspired by the raucous home crowd, the 21-year-old thrived on Rod Laver Arena in back-to-back comeback wins from a set down in her opening two matches. But officials opted to move Australia's big hope from centre court on Saturday, possibly to avoid a repeat of the drama of exactly decade ago when Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis ended up playing until 4.34 on the Sunday morning. "Some tough battles continuing on #RLA mean matches are going much longer than anticipated," Open tournament director Craig Tiley tweeted. "In the interest of fairness to all players #Barty v #Osaka has been moved to #MCA as it's the earliest available slot." Moving the Barty-Osaka match allowed the night session featuring former world No.1s Maria Sharapova against Angelique Kerber and men's defending champion Roger Federer and Richard Gasquet to start as planned at 7pm. Speaking after the match, Barty insisted the last-minute change didn't have an impact on her performance. "For me, I played on Margaret Court in years before. Knew the court. So no, that had nothing to do with it," she said. "I had phenomenal support in Margaret Court Arena, as well. It's probably a little bit of a late change for everyone to know, but it was still a very full crowd. "I enjoyed playing out there. I would have loved to have come off as a winner, but it wasn't meant to be tonight." Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has called for a nationwide-push to stamp out bullying in schools. Following the death of bullied NT teen Amy "Dolly" Everett, who had been attending a Queensland boarding school, Ms Palaszczuk promised her government would push to put the search for answers to bullying on the national agenda. "We need to raise awareness around this issue and we must have a national conversation and action about how we tackle it as we have done on family and domestic violence," she said. US Vice President Mike Peace's trip to the Middle East was delayed last month because of protests over plans to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem US Vice President Mike Pence set off for the Middle East on Friday for a trip overshadowed by controversy over plans to move the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Pence had been due to travel in December last year, but Arab anger over President Donald Trump's decision to declare Jerusalem Israel's capital saw many planned meetings cancelled. The deadly protests that erupted at the time have subsided, but Pence may still face a cold welcome in some capitals and concern over the fate of the UN aid agency for Palestinians (UNRWA). Washington has delayed a $65 million funding package for the cash-strapped body, putting at risk operations to feed, teach and heal thousands of Palestinian refugees. The Palestinian leadership, already stunned and furious over the Jerusalem decision, has denounced the US administration and had already refused to meet Pence during his planned December trip. But Pence's press secretary, Alyssa Farah, said the vice president would still meet the leaders of Egypt, Jordan and Israel on the high-stakes four-day tour. Pence will arrive in Cairo on Saturday for a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, heading the following day to Amman for a one-on-one with King Abdullah II. Both these leaders, whose countries have peace deals and diplomatic ties with Israel, would be key players if US mediators ever manage to get a revived Israeli-Palestinian peace process off the ground, as Trump wants. They are also key intelligence-sharing and security partners in America's various covert and overt battles against Islamist extremism in the region and Egypt is a major recipient of aid to help it buy advanced US military hardware. On Monday, he will begin a two-day visit to Israel, where he will meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin and deliver a speech to the Knesset. He can expect a warm welcome from local politicians after Trump's decision on Jerusalem, which Israelis and Palestinians alike interpreted as Washington taking Israel's side in the dispute over the city. - Embassy move - The State Department has begun to plan the sensitive move of the US embassy to the city, a process that US diplomats say may take years to complete -- unless they adopt an interim solution and re-badge an existing American property in the city. This week reports surfaced that Washington may temporarily designate the US consulate general in Jerusalem as the embassy while the search for a secure and practical site for a long-term mission continues. This could prove just as controversial as building a new embassy, however, as the building currently serves as the US mission to the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. And the facility sits astride the "Green Line" that divides the disputed city. A senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters that -- contrary to reports -- Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has yet to make a decision on either a permanent or interim location for the mission. "That is a process that takes, anywhere in the world, time. Time for appropriate design, time for execution. It is a matter of years and not weeks or months," he said. "So what you have been seeing, reading, talking about is speculation on decisions still pending, but there was never -- and I want to be very clear on this point -- there was never any policy intent to slow-roll the issue of an embassy move." Pence -- himself a devout Christian -- will visit the Western Wall, one of the holiest sites of Judaism in Jerusalem's Old City, and pay his respects at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial. The US state of Illinois, where Chinese scholar Zhang Yingying was believed to be killed, does not have the death penalty but the federal government can request capital punishment for certain crimes US prosecutors announced Friday they will seek the death penalty for a man accused of kidnapping and torture in the death of a visiting scholar from China, after President Donald Trump's administration called for using capital punishment in more cases. Zhang Yingying, 26, was kidnapped on June 9, 2017, after allegedly getting into a car driven by Brendt Christensen in Urbana, Illinois, where she was conducting research at the University of Illinois. Her body remains missing but authorities believe she is dead. Court documents said Christensen, 28, who faces a charge of kidnapping resulting in a death, carried out the crime "in an especially heinous, cruel or depraved manner, in that it involved torture or serious physical abuse to the victim," and that it occurred after "substantial planning and premeditation." In the United States, homicides are usually tried by the states in which they occur, and Illinois does not have the death penalty. But the federal government can request the death penalty for certain crimes with aggravating circumstances. US Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently instructed federal prosecutors to push for the death penalty in more cases. Trump recently called for a death sentence for Sayfullo Saipov, an immigrant from Uzbekistan who drove a rented truck down a busy bike and pedestrian path in New York in October, killing eight people and injuring 12. Abdelmoneim Abu Idris Ali, who has worked for AFP in Khartoum for nearly a decade, was covering protests in Sudan when he was detained with two other reporters The United States condemned Sudan's arbitrary detention of journalists Friday after an AFP reporter and two colleagues were arrested covering a street protest. Abdelmoneim Abu Idris Ali of Agence France-Presse and at least two more journalists were taken away by authorities on Wednesday as they reported on a demonstration against rising food prices. They have not been allowed contact with their families or employers and authorities say they are being held "for investigation" by Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS). "We are aware of the detentions and are closely following the reports," US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told AFP. "We condemn the harassment, arbitrary detention and attacks on journalists in Sudan who are doing their jobs and exercising their fundamental right to freedom of expression." The United States has had difficult relations with Sudan, on which it once imposed several economic sanctions regimes over its alleged support for terrorism and brutality against the people of Darfur. But last year US officials removed the last of the sanctions as part of a deliberate diplomatic engagement process. Concerns remain, however, about the regime of Omar al-Bashir, who is under indictment by the International Criminal Court accused of ordering mass killings, rape and torture in the Darfur region. "We remain deeply concerned about freedom of expression, including for members of the media, the closing of political space for all Sudanese, and Sudan's poor overall human rights record," Nauert said. "We continue to press Sudan to improve its performance in these areas, and to ensure that those detained are treated humanely and fairly... and that they are allowed access to legal counsel and their families." Idris Ali, a 51-year-old who has worked for AFP for nearly a decade, was covering protests Wednesday in the city of Omdurman, where riot police fired tear gas at some 200 protesters. He was unreachable after the protest and authorities informed AFP the next day that he had been arrested along with two other journalists. Authorities initially said Idris Ali would be released within hours but as of late Friday, more than 48 hours after he was detained, he was still being held. "AFP management strongly condemns the arrest of Mr. Idris Ali and asks Sudanese authorities for his immediate release," the agency said. - Food shortages - Several protesters were also reported to have been detained at the demonstration. Sporadic protests have erupted across Sudan after prices of food, notably bread, surged following a jump in the cost of flour due to a shortage of wheat. Wednesday's rally was called by the main opposition Umma Party, a day after a similar demonstration organized by the Communist Party in Khartoum was broken up by police. Authorities cracked down on similar protests in 2016, and rights groups say dozens were killed by security forces in 2013 protests. Critics have long accused Khartoum of persecuting the media, with watchdog Reporters Without Borders ranking the country 174th out of 180 countries in its 2017 World Press Freedom Index. burs-dc/acb US President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday. He has said he is against 'global special interests' A compelling clash of cultures will unfold in the vertiginous Swiss Alps this week as Donald Trump, just over 12 months into his high-wire presidency, confronts the cheerleaders of globalisation in Davos. Having whipped up working-class resentment of the global elite to devastating effect en route to the White House, the US president's "America First" vision will run headlong into the haughty ambition of the World Economic Forum (WEF) to map out "a shared future in a fractured world". The 2017 gathering ended on the same day as Trump was inaugurated, and many of the discussions during the week dwelt anxiously on what his presidency would portend. China's President Xi Jinping, the star turn in Davos last year, exploited such misgivings to stake out an alternative vision for the international economy with China playing a lead role in both trade and fighting climate change. A year on, Trump will be closing the conference with a speech next Friday. He faced a budget mess at home, where the US government officially shut down on Saturday after lawmakers failed to agree a stop-gap spending deal. The president is relishing his role as apostate-in-chief bent on demolishing the pieties held dear by the WEF, which is drawing some 70 other leaders along with thousands of delegates from the worlds of industry, finance and show business, plus protesters opposed to the US president. The property mogul's final election campaign advertisement of November 2016 made the distinction brutally clear, casting himself as the defender of hard-working Americans against "global special interests", over images of Davos perennials such as financier George Soros and Goldman Sachs chief Lloyd Blankfein. Both are Jewish, and the ad was assailed as anti-semitic by critics. - Best behaviour? - Trump will adress the World Economic Forum in Davos, though he is no cheerleader for globalisation So why consort in the Swiss Alps with people who are hate figures to his political base? In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump said part of his motivation in becoming the first US president to attend Davos since Bill Clinton in 2000 was to be an unabashed "cheerleader for the country". Trump also pointed to quickening US economic growth and a roaring stock market as reasons to cheer when he and a large part of his cabinet join leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazilian President Michel Temer in Switzerland. On Monday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will present in Davos an updated overview of the global economy, which is indeed expanding at a broad and healthy clip. But ahead of the meetings, a WEF survey of nearly 1,000 experts and decision-makers underlined growing anxiety about the risks of environmental disaster and armed conflict -- not least involving North Korea and the United States, after months of bellicose rhetoric from Trump. Douglas Rediker, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington who was appointed by Trump's predecessor Barack Obama to the IMF's executive board, said there was no way to reconcile the WEF's globalist outlook and the Trump dogma. "It will be a jarring visit even if the president is on his best diplomatic behaviour. And that's a big if," Rediker said. - Davos Woman - Trump will be running up against internationalist foils in Davos this week such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Macron, who has subverted one of the US president's signature lines with his own motto of "Make our planet great again". The White House said he plans to meet Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May, days after he cancelled a planned trip to London that had cast further doubt on the strength of the vaunted trans-Atlantic "special relationship". Eye to eye?: German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President will also be in Davos The organisers, mindful of the globe-trotting but all-male caricature of "Davos Man", are also keen to extol their efforts to promote representation by women, as sexual harassment and the gender pay gap move up the political agenda worldwide. "Davos Women" will account for 21 percent of the total number of delegates this year, the highest ever proportion, if still relatively meagre. They include IMF chief Christine Lagarde, IBM head Ginni Rometty and screen star Cate Blanchett. Cue another clash of visions given the presence of Trump, whose election campaign in 2016 was nearly upended late on by a leaked recording in which he boasted of groping women. And there will be no shortage of movers and shakers from Africa in attendance, should the president wish to explain his recent reported dismissal of countries across Africa as "shitholes". The politicians will join the chiefs of some 1,900 companies to debate a panoply of issues such as the future of work in an age of automation and artificial intelligence, tackling "the next pandemic", and leveraging the potential of virtual currencies. Yet there is no escaping the long shadow cast over the event by Trump, as the convention-shredding president bids to make good on his Davos-baiting promises. WEF founder Klaus Schwab is not giving up hope. "No country alone, no stakeholder alone, no individual alone, can solve the issues on the global agenda. No issue can be solved in an isolated way," he said. Chinese tourists used to come to shop, but now they're getting more interested in European culture Chinese tourists are big spenders and with the numbers visiting Europe set to soar by nearly 70 percent over the next five years, the countries of the Old Continent are rolling out the red carpet to make the guests feel welcome. A total 12.4 million Chinese, mostly in guided tour groups, came to Europe in 2017, according to the European Travel Comission. And the Chinese Tourism Academy (CTA) is expecting the number to reach 20.8 million by 2022. "A few years ago, the Chinese came to Europe solely to do some shopping. Now, they're increasingly keen to get know the culture and the countryside," CTA president Dai Bin told AFP, speaking in Venice, at the launch of the year of tourism between the EU and China. Festivals, cooking courses... "they want to have personal experiences and visit areas where they don't see any other Chinese," said ETC's executive director, Eduardo Santander. Italy is the third most desirable place to visit for Chinese tourists, after France and Germany "They like the cuisine, the music, the blue skies... most of them come from the coast, where pollution is extremely high," Santander said. And some were surprised that they can "breathe without coughing," he added. China is the world's biggest market for foreign tourism -- with 129 million Chinese holidaymakers travelling abroad, they account for one fifth of the total number of tourists globally. And they spend more than twice the amount that, say, US tourists do -- $261 billion in 2016 compared with $123 billion. - Hot water and credit cards - Small gestures can go a long way towards making Chinese tourists feel more at ease in Europe, said Jacopo Sertoli, head of Welcome Chinese, a body that awards certificates to tourism companies catering for Chinese customers. "You can make them very happy by offering them a glass of hot water," he said, noting most Chinese families drink water at that temperature rather than cold. Chinese language television stations and good wifi in hotel rooms are a good idea while payment methods favoured by the Chinese, such as UnionPay, the only credit card issuer in China, WeChatPay or Alipay are a must. CTA chief Dai Bin said Europe should reduce the red tape for its Chinese visitors. "We hope Europe will make is easier for Chinese to get a visa," he said. Clean air and blue skies are a new experience for many Chinese visitors "In a number of eastern European countries, for example, it's easy. But it's very difficult in others. And when Chinese tourists visit Europe, they want to visit several countries, not just one," Dai Bin said. By reciprocation, China would become "more flexible when granting visas and Europeans can stay in Beijing or Shanghai for 144 hours -- or six days -- without a visa," he promised. According to ETC data, France is the number one desired destination in Europe for Chinese tourists, with 61 percent of visitors hoping to go there, followed by Germany with 37 percent and Italy with 28 percent. Nevertheless, that picture has started to change in recent years, and travel to eastern Europe is booming, not least because of the easier allocation of visas and the increased availability of cheap flights. The string of terrorist attacks in France and Germany in recent years is also a factor. In 2016, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Serbia, for example, rose by 173 percent, and numbers were up by nearly 90 percent in Montenegro. But while "the Chinese are very alert to questions of security, they tend to forget more easily than other tourists," Santander said. Popular for perceivedly having deep pockets -- a result of the Chinese tradition of giving presents -- Chinese visitors haven't always enjoyed a reputation for their savoir-vivre. But that's an image which China is itself keen to remedy, with "some tourist agencies offering lessons to customers before they go to Europe," said CTA president Dai Bin. At 17, Dawa Yangzum Sherpa was already guiding tourists on trekking routes When Dawa Yangzum Sherpa first set her sights on being a mountain guide, she was told it was no job for a girl. Now she has proved her doubters wrong, becoming Nepal's first woman to earn a prestigious international qualification. Last month, the 27-year-old completed a rigorous course run by the Swiss-based International Federation of Mountain Guides, often described as a PhD in mountaineering. The prestigious qualification has been awarded to around 6,000 people worldwide and just 50 men in Nepal, despite climbing being a major revenue earner for the impoverished country. Sherpa belongs to the Himalayan ethnic group that has become synonymous with mountain guiding thanks to their reputation for being strong climbers with a natural tolerance for the lack of oxygen at high altitudes. In Nepal, home to eight of the world's highest mountains, climbing remains a man's job But in Nepal -- home to eight of the world's highest mountains -- climbing remains a man's job. "This is a challenging field, even more so if you are a girl. There were people who said this is not a girl's job, that I won't get work or (asked) what will I do if I have kids," Sherpa said. Mountaineering is the lifeblood of Sherpa's home village in Rolwaling valley, which neighbours Mount Everest, and scores of its residents have summited the 8,848-metre (29,029-foot) peak. "I knew what I wanted to do. My passion was to be outdoors, to climb. And my family did not discourage me," Sherpa told AFP. At 17, Sherpa was already guiding tourists on trekking routes, and soon after that scaled her first mountain, Nepal's 5,500-metre Yala Peak. Sherpa belongs to the Himalayan ethnic group that has become synonymous with mountain guiding American climber David Gottlieb, who works with US-based expedition operator Alpine Ascents International, remembers Sherpa showing great promise when he roped her in for an ice-climbing trip in the Rolwaling Valley. "It is something else to see that great a promise of ability in a craft that not everybody is good at. And she displayed that immediately," Gottlieb said. - 'Like an addiction' - After racking up a number of summits of smaller mountains, in 2012 Sherpa was selected to join an expedition organised by National Geographic to the world's highest peak. "Everest used to be my aim. I used to think that once I scale Everest it will be enough. But climbing is like an addiction. The more I climbed, the more I wanted to climb," she said. It was after returning from that successful summit that she signed up to become a certified mountain guide. Last year, Sherpa attempted to climb the world's third highest peak, Kangchenjunga on the Nepal-India border In 2014, she was part of the first Nepali women's team to scale Pakistan's K2, considered one of the world's toughest climbs. Last year, she attempted to climb the world's third highest peak, Kangchenjunga on the Nepal-India border, but bad weather forced her to turn back before the summit. "She was already moving forward to become one of the top women mountaineers not just in Nepal but in the world, but this certificate will open many new opportunities for her," said Sunar Bahadur Gurung, President of the Nepal National Mountain Guides Association. "Dawa is very capable but is also extremely determined." Sherpa hopes that she is just the first of many women from Nepal who will look to the fabled peaks of the Himalayas for a career Sherpa is planning to guide a team to North America's highest peak Denali with Alpine Ascents International this June, and will then return home to Nepal where she also works as an instructor at two climbing schools. She hopes that she is just the first of many women from Nepal who will look to the fabled peaks of the Himalayas for a career. "I didn't have anyone to look up to and sometimes doubted if I could do it," she said. "But hopefully my small success will inspire other girls to follow their dreams." A spotted hyena has been sighted in a Gabon national park for the first time in 20 years, conservationists said Friday, the latest large predator to have returned to a region where many had gone locally extinct. The Bateke Plateau National Park lies close to Gabon's border with the Republic of Congo. Its forests and grasslands once teemed with wildlife, including many large mammal predators, but the ecosystem was decimated by decades of poaching. A spotted hyena has been sighted in a Gabon national park for the first time in 20 years, conservationists said Friday, the latest large predator to have returned to a region where many had gone locally extinct Officials said a spotted hyena had been caught on camera traps in the park for the first time in two decades giving hope that more large mammals might return after years of conservation efforts. The sighting comes two years after a lone male lion was photographed by camera traps after returning. 'The return of these large carnivores is a great demonstration that the efforts of our rangers and partners are having a positive effect on Bateke wildlife,' professor Lee White, director of Gabon's National Parks Agency said in a press release. The spotted hyena was so unknown in recent memories that when researchers showed local park rangers the photographs from the camera traps they did not know the species. But village elders in communities north of the park instantly recognised the hyena, researchers said. The sightings are a far cry from when researchers first set up their camera traps in 2001. AS THE SPOTTED HYENA RETURNS TO GABON: WHAT IS IT, AND IS IT IN DANGER? Spotted hyenas are native to Sub-Saharan Africa. File photo The spotted hyena can be found throughout sub-Sahararn Africa. The species, also known as the laughing hyena, is listed as being of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature but, poaching and habitat loss have begun to bring on dramatic population decline. Spotted hyenas are said to be the most common large carnivore in Africa, though it's thought they may have originated in Asia and even ranged through Europe until the Late Pleistocene. In Gabon's Bateke Plateau National Park, where spotted hyenas and other wildlife were once common, decades of poaching have since rendered them locally extinct. Now, one of the creatures has been spotted for the first time in 20 years. Advertisement That year all they photographed in Bateke was a lone antelope and multiple poachers crossing into the park from the Republic of Congo. The lion first spotted in 2015 has since made the park his home. But he has yet to be joined by any others. 'This lion... has been continuously photographed during his three-year reign of the park, but remains alone, calling for a mate,' the researchers said. Members of the press speak with Mick Mulvaney, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, outside the White House The US government officially shut down on Saturday, the first anniversary of President Donald Trump's inauguration, after lawmakers failed to agree a stop-gap spending deal. Senators were still negotiating on the Senate floor as the clock turned midnight, but Trump's office issued a statement blaming opposition Democrats for the crisis. Spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said the Democrats' insistence that the interim measure include protection for undocumented immigrants who arrived as children killed the deal. "Senate Democrats own the Schumer Shutdown," she declared, referring to the minority leader, New York Senator Chuck Schumer, who met with Trump earlier Friday. "Tonight, they put politics above our national security, military families, vulnerable children, and our country's ability to serve all Americans. "We will not negotiate the status of unlawful immigrants while Democrats hold our lawful citizens hostage over their reckless demands," she warned. US federal services and military operations deemed essential will continue, but thousands of government workers will be sent home without pay until the crisis is resolved. Natural disaster, illness and political unrest came together at the turn of the year to take a tragic toll in Kinshasa, at great expense to grieving families In Kinshasa, perhaps just one thing beats the cost of living -- and that's the cost of being dead. Since the start of the year, funerals have become a common sight in the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital, the tragic outcome of floods, cholera and political violence. But for many bereaved, the loss of a loved-one also comes with the dread of the astronomical bill -- as much as a year's wages -- for saying farewell to them. The morgue, the wake, the burial, catering for mourners and receiving far-flung relatives... put this lot together, and the bill typically tots up to around $2,500 dollars (2,000 euros). By way of comparison, a supermarket employee in Kinshasa earns between $100 and $150 a month, while the average civil service wage is about $200 a month. The grieving family of Jose Fataki, the humble driver of a motorcycle taxi, has been faced with a heavy burden after he was killed on the sidelines of a protest march on December 31. The dead man's nephew, lawyer Eric Fataki, said relatives raised the equivalent of $620 to pay for the body to be prepared and laid out for mourners in a canvas marquee next to a public hall. In an adjoining area, Martine Mujinga watched over the body of her deceased sister Julie, whose life was claimed by illness. "The hall cost us $520," Mujinga said. "The state takes a share of $20 for every wake" in a public hall, the manager of a venue in the poor Matete district of Kinshasa told AFP. As hundreds of wakes are held every day in the city of some 10 million people, there are rich rewards for venues that are transformed into temporary funeral parlours. "In Kinshasa, there are more than 800 registered halls," according to the provincial minister of finance, Guy Matondo. Such premises also frequently serve for more cheerful activities, such as weddings, concerts and conferences. - Vicious circle of costs - The bill to pay due respect to the dead starts at the morgue. Benoit Kulube, a retired government worker, said he had to pay more than $100 to preserve the body of his 17-year-old son, a victim of the cholera outbreak in Kinshasa, made worse by flooding in unsanitary districts. For the poorest families, a nightmarish vicious circle begins -- they need to pay to keep the body in the morgue while trying to raise enough money for the funeral. As the clock ticks, many turn in desperation to relatives who live and work in the European diaspora, if there are any. To have his son embalmed, currently a trendy practice in Kinshasa, Kulube paid a further $50. Then there was his expenditure for new clothes for the body. Next comes the choice of coffin. The cheapest models sell for about $250, while a luxury casket can cost more than $1,000. The weight of tradition can cost dearly for families who feel compelled to give lavish funerals beyond their means Jose Fataki's family bought a coffin worth $700. "This was thanks to assistance from Kinshasa civic authorities, the church and contributions from family members," Eric explained. But the bill continues to rise. Transporting the body from the morgue to the funeral parlour and then on to the cemetery can cost anything between $100 and $500. Retired civil servant Kulube chose to rent an ordinary vehicle for $22, rather than pay for a hearse, which was "beyond the reach" of his budget. At funerals that draw a large number of mourners, families also rent buses to transport members of the clan and friends from the funeral parlour to the cemetery. During the wake and the days leading up to the burial, sometimes later, the family of the deceased is expected to feed all the guests. "This is the custom," Kulube said. "They (the guests) also chip in financially." - Funerals before medical care? - But there are unwelcome intruders who read the funeral announcements of the day and then show up to tuck into the food and drink. "Most of those who come never knew the deceased closely or distantly," writer Tsitenghe Lubabu raged on the website of news magazine Jeune Afrique. "For them, there is no shame in pinching from the plates, whatever the circumstances," he wrote. Burial doesn't come cheap either. A plot in the cemetery costs $150, with $100 more for the gravediggers and a compulsory tax of 15,000 francs ($10) payable to the Republican Guard, said Kulube, who was planning to bury his son. In many western countries, many funeral parlours offer no-frills options, including an environmentally-friendly wicker casket. But this thinking has a very long way to go in DR Congo, "where people save money to pay for lavish funerals rather than subscribe to medical care," said social historian Zacharie Bababaswe. A first step would be to launch a debate about cremation, "although though this is liable to shock many Congolese people," he said. Yu Wensheng was seized as he left his Beijing apartment to walk his child to school by roughly a dozen people, including a SWAT team, sources told AFP The lawyer of a prominent Chinese human rights attorney detained in Beijing said Saturday that the allegations against his client, who has been charged with disrupting public service, were "absurd". Yu Wensheng was seized as he left his Beijing apartment to walk his child to school by roughly a dozen people, including a SWAT team, sources told AFP on Friday. Hours before his detention, Yu had circulated an open letter calling for five reforms to China's constitution, including the institution of multi-candidate presidential elections. "We believe detaining lawyer Yu for the 'suspected crime of disrupting public service' is absurd," said Huang Hanzhong, Yu's lawyer. "Lawyer Yu's publishing of this recommendation letter on the internet is within his rights as a citizen, it is not illegal," his lawyer said. Police have not allowed Yu to meet his lawyer or family since he has been detained and had searched his office, Huang said. While Yu is in detention, police and prosecutors will likely gather evidence and decide whether or not to bring the case to trial. The crime carries a maximum three-year jail sentence. The charges were "a bit far-fetched" said William Nee, China Researcher at Amnesty International, while noting that authorities could later change them. Yu has been a persistent voice for reform in China, despite the country's sweeping and increasingly severe crackdown on civil society under President Xi Jinping, which has led to the jailing of numerous human rights litigators. Yu has said that in 2014 authorities imprisoned and tortured him for 99 days for allegedly "disturbing public order". He is perhaps best known for being one of six lawyers who attempted to sue the Chinese government over the country's chronic smog. The detention order says Yu is being held at the Beijing Shijingshan Detention Center. The local public security department said they were not clear on the details and referred questions to the Beijing Public Security Bureau, which was not open for media calls on Saturday. Robert "Bobby" Shafran and David Kellman attend the world premiere of "Three Identical Strangers," the true story of three identical triplets separated at birth in what was later discovered to be a dark "nature versus nurture" social experiment If it were a conspiracy thriller it would be dismissed as far-fetched, but Tim Wardell's astonishing story of triplets separated at birth and reunited by pure chance is all too real. His debut feature documentary "Three Identical Strangers," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, introduces Bobby Shafran, Eddy Galland and David Kellman, who had no idea they were triplets until the age of 19. But don't expect "The Parent Trap," for this altogether darker film shows how the trio's joyous reunion set in motion a chain of events that unearthed a conspiracy that went far beyond their own lives. The amazing saga began in 1980 when Shafran enrolled at Sullivan County Community College, a two-hour drive north of New York, and was told he had a double called Eddy Galland, who had just quit. Shafran tracked down Galland and, sure enough, they were stunned to find they looked exactly alike, and had the same birthday, interests, voices, mannerisms and even hands. The chance reunion of twins separated at birth was enough to make the front pages of the local tabloids but the coverage unearthed a far more intriguing story. Kellman was reading about the newly-acquainted brothers and realized he, too, looked exactly like them, shared their birthday and was also adopted. The men hit it off immediately, moving in together, transferring to the same degree course in international marketing. The public lapped up their inspiring story and they became celebrities in the Manhattan club scene, even making cameo appearances in Madonna's first major movie, "Desperately Seeking Susan." - 'Complete surrealism' - "The initial meeting was just complete surrealism. These things that were happening were just so unreal that they were almost dreamlike," Shafran told AFP. "But then once we got together there was a joy that I had never experienced in my life and it lasted a really long time." They opened a restaurant -- Triplets -- selling Eastern European fare and had a ball in the early days, but eventually tempers began to fray as arguments flared over work responsibilities. Wardle uses a mix of reenactments and interviews with Shafran and Kellman, now 56, to deliver the first bombshell -- a disillusioned Shafran quitting the business. Then the story takes a tragic turn as it is revealed that Galland had become increasingly depressed and unstable, eventually taking his own life at the age of 33. The mystery around their infancy -- why they knew nothing about each other despite growing up within a 100-mile radius -- took another twist as journalist and writer Lawrence Wright made a stunning discovery. The triplets, it turned out, were among a number of identical siblings split up as part of a dark "nature versus nurture" social experiment which began in 1960 and was led by psychoanalyst Peter Neubauer, head of The Child Development Center. Neubaur's center merged in 1963 into the Jewish Board of Guardians, which would later merge with what would become the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services in Manhattan. Visits by researchers throughout their childhoods were explained away as a "child development study," when in reality Neubauer was scrutinizing the brothers' personalities and relationships with their very diverse adoptive families. "We really didn't understand just how egregiously these people behaved," said Kellman, who told AFP all six adoptive parents were angered that they too had been kept in the dark. "As we got older, got married, became parents ourselves, we realized how impactful it was." - 'Victims, not participants' - Wardle, who came across the story while scouting for new documentary ideas and has spent five years on the film, describes the story as "one of most extraordinary" he'd ever heard. "Right from the off they are very characterful, warm people but there was also a degree of mistrust, which I completely understand," he told AFP. "When you hear the full depth of their story and what has happened to them it's quite understandable that they'd be a bit wary of people." The Jewish Board finally agreed to give the surviving brothers access to 100,000 pages of heavily-redacted notes on their evaluations after filming was completed. But these were far from a formal research paper and included no explanation as to what Neubauer was doing and why, or what his researchers had learned. Kellman went on running the restaurant for another five years but with Shafran out of the picture and Eddy no longer alive, the venture lost its luster. He went on to work as an insurance consultant while Shafran became an attorney. No one has ever apologized to Shafran or Kellman, and the Jewish Board declined to take part in the documentary. "The Jewish Board does not endorse the Neubauer Study," a spokeswoman told AFP. She said the organization was "committed to providing identified Neubauer study participants access to their records in a timely and transparent manner." It is not the kind of language that sits easily with the brothers, however. "They refer to us as participants," says Kellman. "We weren't participants, we were victims." Boonchai Bach (L) is the alleged ringleader in a major syndicate trafficking in parts from endangered species used in Vietnamese and Chinese traditional medicine Thai police have arrested an alleged kingpin in Asia's illegal trade in endangered species, dealing a blow to a family-run syndicate that smuggles elephant ivory, rhino horn and tiger parts to Chinese and Vietnamese dealers. Boonchai Bach, 40, a Vietnamese national with Thai citizenship, was arrested on Friday evening over the smuggling of 14 rhino horns worth around $1 million from Africa to Thailand. His downfall follows the December 12 arrest of Nikorn Wongprachan, a Thai National Parks and Wildlife Conservation official, at Bangkok's main airport as he attempted to smuggle the rhino horn from the quarantine section to a nearby apartment. The horn was smuggled into Bangkok by a Chinese man who was arrested a day before on arrival from Johannesburg, South Africa. The police sting led to Boonchai, who financed the network. "This is a major smuggling syndicate and Boonchai is a ringleader," General Chalermkiat Srivorakan, deputy national police chief, told reporters Saturday after the suspect arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport ahead of his remand. "Boonchai admitted he was involved," Chalermkiat said, adding he faces up to four years in jail for smuggling parts of protected animals. For years Boonchai and the Bach family are believed to operated with impunity from Nakhon Phanom in northeast Thailand, bordering Laos -- linchpin players in a multi-million-dollar trade in illegal wildlife. The town is a pivot point in Asia's wildlife trafficking chain, in part because it is the narrowest neck of land for smuggled goods to transit through Thailand, into Laos and onto Vietnam, a major market for animal parts used in traditional medicine. China and Vietnam are among the world's biggest markets for parts from endangered or protected species including tigers, elephants, rhino and pangolins Freeland, a counter-trafficking organisation which works closely with Thai police, said the Bach family are part of a sprawling Southeast Asian crime organisation dubbed "Hydra". The Bachs have "long run the international supply chain of illicit wildlife from Asia and Africa to major dealers in Laos, Vietnam and China," Freeland said in statement following the announcement of Boonchai's arrest. They are believed to work alongside Vixay Keosavang, a Laotian dubbed "the Pablo Escobar of animal trafficking", who orchestrates a major wildlife trafficking ring from the Communist state, bribing officials to allow him to operate. Laos has long been a top transit hub for smuggling wildlife products, with widespread corruption and weak law enforcement allowing the criminal activity to flourish. China and Vietnam are among the world's biggest markets for parts from endangered or protected species including tigers, elephants, rhino and pangolins. The traditional medicine market flourishes despite the total lack of scientific evidence as to their efficacy and government campaigns to end the trade. Former Egyptian armed forces chief of staff Sami Anan (R), who has announced he will challenge President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in a March election, meets then US Central Command chief now Defence Secretary James Mattis in Cairo on March 29, 2011 A former Egyptian armed forces chief of staff said on Saturday that he will challenge fellow military man Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for the presidency in March. General Sami Anan's announcement came just hours after Sisi publicly confirmed he would seek a second term in the March 26-28 election, the third since the 2011 overthrow of longtime strongman Hosni Mubarak. In a video posted on Facebook, Anan said he would seek to correct the "wrong policies" that had been adopted since Sisi ousted elected Islamist president Mohamed Morsi when commander in chief in 2013. He said Egypt faced multiple challenges after the long years of turmoil, including deteriorating living conditions and a jihadist insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula. "This is all the result of wrong policies which have put all the responsibilities on the armed forces without rational policies that would enable the civilian sector of the state to carry out its role in full, alongside the role of the armed forces," he said. Anan said he had already put in place a team of civilians to support his bid, including Hisham Geneina, a former head of Egypt's anti-corruption watchdog who was sacked by Sisi in 2016 after publishing a damning report that put the losses from graft at more than $100 billion. Anan served as armed forces chief of staff from 2005 until he was retired by Morsi in 2012 and analysts said his candidacy might attract Egyptians nostalgic for the relative stability of the Mubarak era. When the longtime strongman was forced to step down by the Arab spring protests of 2011, he ceded power to the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF), an interim executive made up of 20 generals in which Anan served as number two. The top post was held by Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the army commander in chief who was replaced by Sisi at the same time that Anan was retired. Would-be candidates for the presidency must register with the National Elections Authority by January 29. Several prominent figures who had been seen as potential challengers to Sisi had already ruled themselves out even before registrations opened on Saturday. Former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq said on January 7 that he would not stand, reversing a pledge he made from the United Arab Emirates in November. Shafiq had disappeared for 24 hours after being deported to Egypt last month following years in exile in the UAE. On Monday, Mohamed Anwar Sadat, a dissident and nephew of the late president of the same name, said he would not stand because the climate was not right for free elections. Turkey launched air strikes against positions of the People's Protection Units (YPG) positions in Syria in a new offensive against Kurdish militias there Turkey on Saturday launched a new air and ground operation to oust a Kurdish militia from their northern Syrian enclave, defying US warnings that the action risked further destabilising the area after almost seven years of civil war. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had repeatedly vowed that Turkey would root out the "nests of terror" in Syria of the People's Protection Units (YPG) militia which Turkey deems a terror organisation. The launch came despite warnings that the operation could be militarily tough against an already battle-hardened foe and complicate relations with both Washington and Moscow. Turkey's army said operation "Olive Branch" began at 1400 GMT and was aimed at the YPG and Islamic State (IS) jihadists. Map of northwestern Syria showing zones controlled by various factions Among the targets hit was the YPG-held Minnigh military airport north of Aleppo, the army said. It said 108 targets were struck and that all casualties were Kurdish militants. A total of 72 aircraft took part in the initial onslaught, it added, saying all returned safely to base. IS targets were also destroyed, it said. Saturday's attacks killed 10 people, a YPG spokesman in the northern Syrian region of Afrin, an area the militia controls, said. "Seven civilians were killed, including a child, as well as two female fighters and one male fighter," said Birusk Hasakeh, adding that the child was an eight-year-old boy. - Huge plumes of smoke - An AFP correspondent on the Turkish side of the border saw two war planes launch air strikes inside Syrian territory, sending huge white plumes of smoke into the sky. Turkey's army said its new operation in Syria is called "Olive Branch" and was was aimed at the YPG and Islamic State (IS) jihadists Units of pro-Ankara rebels known by Turkey as the Free Syrian Army (FSA) also began moving into the YPG-controlled Afrin area, Anadolu said. There were no reports of Turkish ground troops crossing the border but Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said "ground elements" could be deployed on Sunday. Erdogan said Turkish forces would next seek to oust the YPG from Manbij, a town further east. In a delicate diplomatic situation, the top envoys of Russia, Iran and the United States in Ankara were invited to the foreign ministry to receive a briefing on the operation, the ministry said. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu held telephone talks with US counterpart Rex Tillerson while Turkey's top general Hulusi Akar informed his American and Russian counterparts. Turkey accuses the YPG of being the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which has waged a rebellion in the Turkish southeast for more than three decades and is regarded as a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies. But the YPG has been the key ally of Turkey's fellow NATO member the United States in the fight against IS jihadists, playing a key role in pushing the extremists out of their Syrian strongholds. A senior US State Department official said on Friday that Washington did not believe "a military operation... serves the cause of regional stability". Erdogan had reacted furiously this week to an announcement of plans to create a US-backed 30,000-strong border security force in northern Syria composed partly of YPG fighters, describing it as an "army of terror". Tillerson later said the "entire situation has been mis-portrayed, mis-described", admitting "we owe them (Turkey) an explanation." "We don't care what they say," Erdogan spat back. "They will learn how wrong it is to trust a terror organisation." - 'Russian green light?' - Around 500 Syrian fighters graduated on Saturday from a US-led training course aimed at establishing a controversial "border security force" in the country's north that has raised Turkey's ire Syria warned last week that its air force could destroy any Turkish warplanes used in the new offensive. But Cavusoglu told the 24 TV broadcaster that Turkey was informing Damascus in writing about the operation through its Istanbul consulate, a rare contact between two governments who have been at odds since the civil war began. The Syrian foreign ministry however strongly denied this, denouncing the operation as a "brutal Turkish aggression". Turkey from August 2016 to March 2017 pushed into Syria in its more than half-year Euphrates Shield operation in an area to the east of Afrin against both YPG and IS. Analysts say that crucial for any major new ground operation will be approval from Moscow which has a military presence in the area and a cordial relationship with the YPG. Russia is an ally of the Assad regime which Turkey has opposed since the onset of the war. But both Ankara and Moscow, as well as Tehran, have worked closely on a peace process in the last year. The Russian defence ministry said its troops were withdrawing from the Afrin area to prevent any "provocation" and ensure the security of its troops. Timur Akhmetov, Ankara-based researcher at the Russian International Affairs Council, told AFP that Russia appeared to have given the "green light" to the operation but made clear it should not lead to destabilisation elsewhere. "I don't think Russia will agree to let Turkey occupy the whole Afrin region and insists on keeping the Syrian government in charge," he added. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an umbrella grouping composed mainly of YPG, said in a statement the Turkish operation threatened to "breathe new life" into IS and said it has "no choice but to defend ourselves and our people". A Pakistani policeman fires a teargas shell towards demonstrators protesting against the killing of 27-year-old Naqeebullah Mehsud by police in Karachi Pakistani authorities Saturday suspended a senior police officer over the killing of a man in an alleged staged shootout that sparked anger and protests nationwide. Senior superintendent Rao Anwar and other officers last week killed at least four men during what they claimed was a raid on a suspected Taliban hideout in the port city of Karachi. Relatives of one of the dead men, who was identified as Naqeebullah Mehsud, 27, from South Waziristan tribal district, rejected the claims of militant links and said he was an aspiring model who arrived in Karachi in 2008 in search of job and had been running a shop in the city. The killing led to a national outcry after Mehsud's modelling pictures posted on social media went viral, triggering protest rallies in several cities. A government committee interrogated Anwar on Friday and recommended his immediate removal "to ensure fair and transparent inquiry of the incident and investigation of the case", according to the official notification seen by AFP. The police chief of Sindh province, of which Karachi is the capital, has also requested a travel ban on Anwar and his team so they cannot leave the country. Pakistan's chief justice has ordered the provincial government to submit a report into the killing within a week. Anwar, along with some other police officers, had been accused of serial fake "encounters", mostly involving Taliban suspects. Paramilitary forces began a sweeping crackdown on alleged militants in Karachi in 2013 that has led to substantial drop in overall levels of violence. But rights groups have accused police and paramilitary troops of carrying out extrajudicial killings in staged gunfights, or "encounter killings". Karachi, a port city of some 20 million and Pakistan's economic hub, is frequently hit by Islamist, political and ethnic violence. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) welcomes US Vice President Mike Pence at the Presidential Palace in Cairo on January 20, 2018 US Vice President Mike Pence held talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi Saturday at the start of a delayed Middle East tour overshadowed by Arab anger over Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Controversy over President Donald Trump's decision to move the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem had led to the cancellation of a number of planned meetings ahead of the trip originally scheduled for December. Jerusalem and the West Bank The Palestinian leadership, already furious over the Jerusalem decision, has denounced the US administration and had already refused to meet Pence in December. A coalition of Arab parties in the Israeli parliament said Saturday it would boycott a speech by Pence on Monday, calling him "dangerous and messianic". Pence held talks with former army chief Sisi in Cairo that were expected to focus on US aid and security, including a jihadist insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula. Sisi's office said the talks also covered Jerusalem, with the president stressing Egypt's support for a two-state peace settlement and "the right of the Palestinian people to establish an independent state with east Jerusalem as capital". Pence, for his part, said relations between Cairo and Washington had "never been stronger" thanks to the leadership of Trump and Sisi. Expressing sympathy for deadly jihadist attacks that have targeted both Muslim and Christian places of worship, he said: "We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you in Egypt in the fight against terrorism." The vice president later travelled on to Amman ahead of a one-on-one meeting with King Abdullah II on Sunday before heading to Israel for the final leg of the tour. Pence went ahead with the trip -- which had been pushed back in December as a crunch tax vote loomed on Capitol Hill -- despite the federal government shutdown looming over Washington. - Key security partners - The leaders of both Egypt and Jordan, the only Arab states that have peace treaties with Israel, would be key players if US mediators ever manage to get a revived Israeli-Palestinian peace process off the ground, as Trump says he wants. US Vice President Mike Pence (L) and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly (R) listen as US President Donald Trump speaks to the press on January 18, 2018 in Washington, DC They are also key intelligence-sharing and security partners in America's various covert and overt battles against Islamist extremism in the region, and Egypt is a major recipient of aid to help it buy advanced US military hardware. Sisi, one of Trump's closest allies in the region, had urged the US president before his Jerusalem declaration "not to complicate the situation in the region by taking measures that jeopardise the chances of peace in the Middle East". Egypt's top Muslim cleric and the head of its Coptic Church had both cancelled meetings with Pence in December in protest at the Jerusalem decision. After Jordan -- the custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem -- Pence will head to Israel for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. He will also deliver a speech to parliament and meet President Reuven Rivlin during the two-day visit. Pence can expect a warm welcome after Trump's decision on Jerusalem, which Israelis and Palestinians alike interpreted as Washington taking Israel's side in the dispute over the city. The status of Jerusalem is perhaps the most sensitive issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967 and later annexed east Jerusalem in a move never recognised by the international community. Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its united capital, while the Palestinians see the eastern sector as the capital of their future state. The international community considers east Jerusalem illegally occupied by Israel and currently all countries have their embassies in the commercial capital Tel Aviv. - 'Matter of years' - The State Department has begun to plan the sensitive move of the American embassy to Jerusalem, a process that US diplomats say may take years to complete. This week reports surfaced that Washington may temporarily designate the US consulate general in Jerusalem as the embassy while the search for a secure and practical site for a long-term mission continues. A senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has yet to make a decision on either a permanent or interim location for the mission. "That is a process that takes, anywhere in the world, time. Time for appropriate design, time for execution. It is a matter of years and not weeks or months," he said. Pence -- himself a devout Christian -- will visit the Western Wall, one of the holiest sites of Judaism in Jerusalem's Old City, and pay his respects at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial. The two fishermen were snatched from their vessel in the waters between the southern Philippines and Malaysia in November 2016 Two Indonesian fishermen have been released by Islamic militants after more than a year in captivity in the southern Philippines, police said Saturday. There were no official comments on the physical condition of the two who were snatched from their fishing vessel in the waters between the southern Philippines and Malaysia in November 2016, a police statement said. The two were reportedly turned over by a "concerned citizen" late Thursday to a former governor on the southern island of Jolo, a longtime haunt of the Abu Sayyaf extremist group, some of whose members have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, the statement added. The ex-governor called the police who picked up the two. Officials would not say if ransom, a frequent motive for such abductions, was paid in this case. The Abu Sayyaf is a loose network of militants formed in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network, and has earned millions of dollars from banditry and kidnappings-for-ransom, often targetting foreigners. The group is based in the strife-torn southern islands like Jolo but its members have sometimes crossed the southern maritime borders to carry out attacks in Malaysia. This has prompted Malaysia and Indonesia to join forces with the Philippines in boosting its sea patrols in the area. Indonesian embassy officials could not be contacted for comment. Abu Sayyaf members were among the Muslim armed groups who rampaged through the southern city of Marawi in May, resulting in a five-month long battle that left more than a thousand dead. In another incident in the southern Philippines, about 10 Muslim extremists clashed with soldiers before dawn Saturday, the military said. There was no confirmation of casualties on either side but troops later recovered grenades, rockets and a black IS flag. strs-mm/mtp The Syrian government has been trying to rebuild Aleppo since recapturing the city in December 2016 destroyed buildings in Aleppo's northwest Layramoun industrial district on July 5, 2017. Six months after Syria's army captured the country's one-time economic powerhouse, dozens of manufacturers with small and medium-sized factories are cautiously returning to the city's east, once a stronghold of opposition fighters. Syria's conflict has ravaged the country's economy since it began in March 2011 with anti-government protests, before spiralling into a complex war that has killed over 320,000 people. It is over a year since Bashar al-Assad's regime, with the help of Russian air strikes and barrel bombs, pounded the rebel-held east of Aleppo into submission. Buildings were flattened, those who survived were left terrorised, hungry and filled with despair, and the stench of dead bodies rose up from the rubble as families searched for their loved ones. Now, having largely destroyed the city it sought to control, the Assad regime wants the world to visit what remains: as a tourist destination. This week the Syrian government is advertising Aleppo, along with other destinations in Syria, at the Fitur International Tourism Trade Fair in Madrid, "promoting" the country's attractions to the world. It is the first time Syria has attended the trade fair since 2011, before the war broke out. The damaged Roman amphitheatre in the ancient city of Palmyra after being recaptured by Syrian troops, backed by Russian jets, in March 2017 Along with the ruins of Aleppo, it also encourages people to visit the ancient Roman-era ruins of Palmyra, the UNESCO-listed archaeological site which was twice controlled by the Islamic State (IS) group. IS fighters blew up some of the temples and burial towers before being forced out of the city for the final time last year by Syrian government forces and their Russian backers. "This year is the time to rebuild Syria and our economy," Bassam Barsik, director of marketing at the Syrian Ministry of Tourism, told AFP. Barsik said 1.3 million foreign visitors travelled to Syria last year, although that figure includes those who came from neighbouring Lebanon for only one day. "We're targeting two million visitors this year," he said. He argued that religious destinations, such as the historic Christian town of Maaloula, one of the last places on earth where Aramaic is still spoken, are still a draw to tourists. A portrait of President Bashar al-Assad was held up during a government celebration marking the first anniversary of the retaking of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo in December 2016 Damascus, Tartus, Latakia and the historic Crusader castle of Krak des Chevaliers close to the border with Lebanon, although damaged by bombing, are other possible attractions. "In 2017, the army controlled much of the country, and that was a big help to promote Syria abroad and attract tourist groups again," said Barsik. Most countries advise citizens against all travel to Syria. The war has displaced millions of people and is estimated to have claimed the lives of at least 340,000 people since 2011. Indian villagers run following shelling across the India-Pakistan border Tensions escalated in Kashmir Saturday as a soldier and three civilians were killed in cross-border firing by the Indian and Pakistani armies, officials from the two countries said. The latest wave of violence this week has left at least 21 dead, including soldiers, suspected militants and civilians on both sides of the heavily-militarised border that divides the disputed Himalayan region. Indian Army spokesman Colonel N.N. Joshi said one of their soldiers was killed Saturday by Pakistani fire in Poonch sector along the de facto border, the Line of Control (LoC). Two civilians, including a 15-year-old boy, were killed in a separate cross border assault along a stretch of uncontested frontier between Kashmir and the Pakistani province of Punjab, director general of police Shesh Paul Vaid told AFP. Across the border, Pakistan's foreign office in a statement said Saturday a 60-year-old civilian was killed and two others including a six-year-old were injured in firing by Indian soldiers. Four civilians had died in the firing during the previous two days, the statement added. Both sides regularly trade fire along the border, parts of which are disputed, and civilian casualties are common. But this week has been particularly bloody. Pakistan said four of its soldiers were killed in Indian firing on Monday. Earlier this week Indian soldiers also killed five suspected militants who they said were trying to infiltrate from Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The latest deaths come a day after two Indian soldiers and two civilians were killed Friday when mortars fired by Pakistani soldiers landed in populated areas along the border in R S Pura area. India and Pakistan on Friday summoned each other's diplomats to register protests over the killings with both accusing the other of initiating the cross-border fire. The bitter rivals fought two of their wars over control of Kashmir, which has been divided between the nuclear-armed neighbours since partition in 1947. Protesters, many of them Catholics, called for President Joseph Kabila to step down on at a rally on December 31, 2017 in Kinshasa A pro-democracy movement has called for the release of five of its activists detained in the Democratic Republic of Congo, saying it fears they could be tortured. The activists from the Filimbi movement, whose name means "whistle" in Swahili, are accused of "insulting the head of state and inciting a revolt", according to their lawyer, Chris-Sam Kabeya. Four of the activists were arrested in Kinshasa on December 30 while trying to organise a protest march against the 17-year rule of President Joseph Kabila for the next day, New Year's Eve. All were "detained in total secret since January 1, 2018... at the National Intelligence Agency (ANR) where they would be tortured," according to a statement from the pro-democracy movement received by AFP on Saturday. The fifth activist was held a week earlier in the eastern town of Kindu by the military intelligence service where he "was tortured", said the statement. "To this day, it is difficult for us to confirm that they are still alive," it added. "We condemn with the utmost energy these barbaric acts and demand the unconditional release of our activists." The New Year's Eve anti-Kabila protest descended into violence after the authorities cracked down on demonstrators. Protest organisers said 12 people were killed, while the United Nations gave a toll of at least five dead -- a figure that it said could be "far higher," as its investigators had been barred from visiting morgues, hospitals and detention centres. An AFP reporter at a demonstration in the central city of Kananga saw a man shot in the chest by soldiers who opened fire on worshippers. Members of the Filimbi movement have repeatedly been arrested by the authorities in DR Congo, often for speaking out against Kabila. The new arrests are another sign of rising tensions in the vast central African nation, where the opposition does not want the president's grip on power to continue. Under a Catholic church-brokered 2016 deal, Kabila was allowed to stay in office provided new elections were held in 2017. After months of silence, the authorities said the vote would be held in December 2018 -- a postponement that has angered democracy activists and Western nations. Russian-led peace talks on Syria will be held on January 30 in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia's chief negotiator Aleksandr Lavrentyev said Saturday, quoted by Interfax news agency. Russia, a steadfast supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, is set to co-host the summit with regime ally Iran and rebel backer Turkey with the aim of setting up a new constitution for post-war Syria. Organisers had said earlier that the peace talks were planned for January 29 and 30, but Lavrentyev said that the participants would arrive on January 29 and "the forum itself will take place on January 30". Diplomats from Russia, Turkey and Iran have been holding discussions on how to organise the talks behind closed-doors in a Sochi hotel, Russian news agencies reported. "I consider the meeting went well. We managed to agree on lists of participants of the forum," Lavrentyev said. He said invitations would be sent within a few days, quoted by RIA Novosti news agency. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a press conference in New York on Friday that Moscow had invited around 1,500 representatives of the Syrian people "including sheikhs, tribal leaders and representatives of civil society". The talks will come after the latest round of UN-sponsored negotiations in Geneva ended in failure in December. "We want to launch the process of political settlement in order to breath life into the Geneva process," Lavrentyev said. The United Nations itself will host a new round of peace talks on Syria next week in Vienna. The war has displaced millions of people and is estimated to have claimed the lives of at least 340,000 people since 2011. Moscow said it hopes the UN will send its special envoy on Syria, Staffan de Mistura, to the Sochi forum. He said that the United States was also expected to attend as an observer. The January talks were announced during negotiations in Kazakhstan in December sponsored by powerbrokers Russia, Turkey and Iran. A joint statement said the congress would include "all segments of Syrian society". Moscow had earlier said talks would be held in Sochi in November last year. Turkey said Russia had postponed the event because it met with a cool reception from Ankara and its Western allies, but Russia said the date had not been officially announced. A picture from the Iraqi premier's office on January 20, 2018, shows Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (C) meeting Nechirvan Barzani (2nd from L), prime minister of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi met Kurdish regional government counterpart Nechirvan Barzani for the first time on Saturday since the autonomous northern region's failed attempt to secede. Since Kurdish voters returned a resounding "yes" in a referendum on independence last September 25, the federal government in Baghdad has taken retaliatory measures. These include an air blockade of international flights to the Kurdish region's two main airports, to remain in effect until the end of February. Abadi has also sent Iraqi troops to retake areas disputed between Baghdad and Kurdish regional capital Arbil, including oilfields from which the Kurds derived the bulk of their revenue. After a months-long frosty standoff, the two sides are now talking again and Kurdish officials including a minister have visited Baghdad. On Saturday Barzani, accompanied by his deputy premier and the chief of staff of the Kurds' former president Massud Barzani, "discussed the political and security situation and ways of settling disputes" with Abadi, the Iraqi premier's office said. Abadi had strongly opposed the Kurdish referendum, insisting on Iraqi unity and government control of airports and border posts in Kurdistan. Baghdad wants to regain control of the area's three border posts between Iraq and Iran, as well as Fishkhabur on the borders of Iraq, Syria and Turkey, through which Iraqi oil flows to the Turkish port of Ceyhan. Later on Saturday, Barzani will visit Iran, which also opposed the independence referendum given its own Kurdish minority. Sirisena (R) has clashed with free-market champion Wickremesinghe (L) over economic policy Sri Lanka's president announced Saturday that he would take control of the island's economy from the prime minister, as relations worsen between the ruling party and its main coalition partner. Maithripala Sirisena said he would directly manage the economy through a special economic council headed by him, taking over the responsibility from Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his United National Party (UNP). "Although the UNP was allowed to manage the economy in the past three years, from this month, the President will take it over," his office said in a statement. Sirisena joined hands with the UNP to topple Mahinda Rajapakse in January 2015, ending the strongman president's decade in power. But since then their alliance has fractured, with Sirisena clashing with free-market champion Wickremesinghe over economic policy. There was no immediate reaction from Wickremesinghe to the decision, which came after a heated cabinet meeting in which Sirisena accused the UNP of unleashing a smear campaign against him, according to sources close to the president. Tensions between the coalition partners have escalated over Sirisena's efforts to extend his presidential term by one more year till 2021, a move that was shot down by the Supreme Court last week. The UNP has indicated it may go it alone in the next general election in 2020. Sirisena has publicly accused the UNP of being more corrupt than the Rajapakse regime which they both ousted. During his rule, Rajapakse granted himself greater powers over the police, judiciary and civil servants, excesses which Sirisena pledged to curb upon his election. Parliament voted overwhelmingly in early 2015 to restrict the power of the presidency, restoring a two-term limit and reviving independent bodies to manage key institutions such as the police and the judiciary. In recent weeks, Sirisena has sought to assert his authority, reimposing a four-decade-long ban on women buying liquor, just days after his finance minister and UNP leader Mangala Samaraweera lifted the restriction earlier this month. People gather prior to the second annual National Women's March on January 20, 2018 in New York City Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of US cities on Saturday for a second Women's March opposing President Donald Trump on the first anniversary of his inauguration. The demonstrations come one year after more than three million people turned out nationwide to voice opposition to the president, according to a Washington Post estimate. The flagship rally was held in Washington, with sister protests echoing worldwide. The expectations for this year's marches are more modest than the explosive turnout last year, but the weekend of demonstration aims to keep the momentum of resistance rolling with the theme "Power to the Polls" -- a message designed to drive national voter registration and maximize women's involvement in the 2018 midterm elections, in which a record number of women are standing for election. Marchers gathered en masse in Washington, New York, Chicago, Denver and other cities in the United States Saturday, many donning the famous pink knit "pussy hats," caps referencing Trump's videotaped boasts of being able to grope women with impunity. "We went to the first women's march, but we feel like our work isn't done and that there's so much more that we need to fix," said Tanaquil Eltson, 14, who demonstrated in 2017 and came again for Saturday's march in Washington with her mother. "I know the world around me isn't happy colors; it's scary. But I'm excited to be able to fix it," she said, clad in a red and blue Superwoman outfit. Her mother Vitessa, a retired US army lieutenant colonel, also expressed hope for progress. "I've lived through decades of sexual harassment issues and it's getting better -- but it's nowhere near where it needs to be," she said, sporting a full Wonder Woman costume in coordination with her daughter. "Issues that face women are just not being represented well enough in our country, so it's a privilege to be able to get out here and try to do something from a citizen standpoint." Thousands of protestors hoisted placards with messages including "Fight like a girl" and "A woman's place is in the White House." Another took aim at Trump's government: "I've seen smarter cabinets at IKEA," it said, referring to a furniture store with items requiring often-tedious and time-consuming assembly. More than 300 towns and cities are organizing anniversary marches and rallies, not all of them affiliated with each other. In New York, 82,000 people have registered as "interested" in attending on the event's Facebook page. "I don't know if the attackers are inside the hotel but I can hear gunfire from somewhere near the first floor," a guest at the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul (seen in 2011) told AFP January 20, 2017 Four heavily-armed gunmen raided Kabul's landmark Intercontinental Hotel on Saturday, shooting at guests and staff and setting the building on fire, officials said, in an hours-long assault that is still ongoing. Special forces were lowered by helicopters onto the roof of the luxury hilltop hotel during the siege, interior ministry deputy spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told AFP, adding two attackers had been killed. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest assault in the war-torn Afghan capital that followed a series of security warnings in recent days to avoid hotels and other locations frequented by foreigners. It is not clear how many people are still inside the hotel, which was previously attacked by Taliban militants in 2011, or whether any foreigners are among them. "Four attackers are inside the building," an official at the National Directorate of Security (NDS) spy agency told AFP at the beginning of the attack. They are "shooting at guests", he said. A guest hiding in a room told AFP he could hear gunfire inside the 1960s hotel where dozens of people attending an information technology conference on Sunday were staying. "I don't know if the attackers are inside the hotel but I can hear gunfire from somewhere near the first floor," the man, who did not want to be named, said by telephone. "We are hiding in our rooms. I beg the security forces to rescue us as soon as possible before they reach and kill us." His phone was switched off when AFP tried to contact him again. Rahimi said the attackers were armed with small weapons and rocket-propelled grenades when they stormed the hotel, which is a popular venue for weddings, conferences and political gatherings. "Seven wounded people have been taken to hospital," Rahimi said. "Some other guests have been rescued. We will be able to release casualty figures once the operation ends." But several hours after the attack started Afghan security spokesmen switched off their mobile phones or refused to answer AFP's calls for an update. Afghan media is reporting multiple casualties in the attack, which comes days after a UN Security Council delegation visited Kabul for a close-up view of the conflict. The fourth floor of the hotel, which boasts several restaurants and an outdoor swimming pool, had been set on fire during the raid, the NDS official said. - Security questioned - The last major attack on a high-end hotel in Kabul was in March 2014 when four teenage gunmen raided the Serena, killing nine people including an AFP journalist. The Intercontinental was targeted in June 2011 when a suicide attack claimed by the Taliban killed 21 people, including 10 civilians. Afghanistan attack Even before Saturday's attack was over, authorities were questioning how the assailants got past the hotel's security, which was taken over by a private company two weeks ago, interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish told AFP. "They probably used a back door in the kitchen to enter," he said. Abdullah Sabet, an official at the communications and information technology ministry, said IT officials from around the country were staying at the hotel ahead of a conference on Sunday. "There were 40 of them in the hotel. We don't know if any of them have been killed or wounded," Sabet said. Security at the Intercontinental, which is not part of the global InterContinental chain, is relatively lax compared with other luxury hotels in Kabul. A conference on Afghanistan-China relations was held in one of its function rooms earlier Saturday, attended by the Chinese embassy's political counsellor Zhang Zhixin. An AFP reporter who attended the conference passed through two vehicle security checkpoints. At the entrance to the building, there was a physical inspection that could be easily evaded by scaling a low-level barrier and entering the lobby. Security alerts sent in recent days to foreigners living in the Afghan capital warned that "extremist groups may be planning an attack against hotels in Kabul" as well as public gatherings and other locations "where foreigners are known to congregate". US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said it was not known if any American citizens had been caught up in the attack. Security in Kabul has been tightened since May 31 when a massive truck bomb ripped through the diplomatic quarter, killing some 150 people and wounding around 400 others -- mostly civilians. No group has yet claimed that attack. The Islamic State group has claimed most of the recent attacks in the Afghan capital, but authorities suspect that the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani Network has been involved in at least some of them. The deadliest of the recent attacks happened at a Shiite cultural centre on December 29 when a suicide bomber blew himself up, killing more than 40 people. US Vice President Mike Pence meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the Presidential Palace in the capital Cairo on January 20, 2018 A coalition of Arab parties in the Israeli parliament said Saturday it will boycott a speech by visiting US Vice President Mike Pence, calling him "dangerous and messianic". Pence, who arrived in Cairo on Saturday to start his first Middle East tour, travels Sunday on to Jordan and to Israel later the same day. He is scheduled to address the Knesset, Israel's parliament, on Monday. The visit by Pence, a devout Christian, comes amid widespread anger in the Arab world over a December 6 decision by US President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. His trip had originally been scheduled for December but was postponed because of the furore over the Jerusalem decision, which broke with decades of international diplomacy. The Palestinians have frozen contacts with the Trump administration and have said Pence would not meet any Palestinian leaders. "He is a dangerous man with a messianic vision that includes the destruction of the entire region," Israeli Arab parliamentarian Ayman Odeh said of Pence. Odeh heads the United List of Arab parties, the third largest political group in parliament with 13 seats. "He comes here as the emissary of an even more dangerous man, a political pyromaniac, racist and misogynist who must be prevented from taking control of our region," Odeh said, referring to Trump. "The entire Arab List will boycott his speech." Arab Israelis are descendants of Palestinians who stayed on when Israel was created in 1948. They are Israeli citizens and represent 17.5 percent of the population. A picture taken July 26, 2017 during a tour guided by the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah movement shows a camp for Syrian refugees that was formerly under the control of militants in the mountainous area around Arsal, Lebanon on the Syrian border The number of Syrians who have died trying to flee their war-torn country into neighbouring Lebanon during a snowstorm has risen to at least 13, the United Nations said Saturday. A group of Syrians, including children, had tried to enter neighbouring Lebanon late on Thursday through a smuggling route but were caught in a fierce storm. The Lebanese army and civil defence said on Friday they had retrieved the bodies of 10 Syrians, including two children and six women. But the toll has since increased. Lisa Abou Khaled, a spokeswoman for the UN's refugee agency, said at least 13 Syrians were confirmed to have died in the incident. "The victims were trying to cross an arduous and rugged passage in freezing temperatures," the UNHCR said in a statement. "Others in the group, including a pregnant woman, were discovered in time and assisted by nearby residents and the Lebanese Armed Forces and Civil Defence to reach hospitals before they froze to death." A Lebanese army source told AFP on Saturday that the toll had reached 14. "The army retrieved a total of 12 bodies on Friday, and one person died at the hospital. Another body was found on Saturday, bringing the total to 14," the source said. Lebanon, a country of four million, hosts just under a million Syrians who have sought refuge from the war raging in their neighbouring homeland since 2011. Many live in informal tented settlements in the country's east and struggle to stay warm in the winter. The UN's children's agency UNICEF said on Saturday it was distributing blankets, warm clothes and heating fuel. "More children could be among the dead as residents in the area and the Lebanese authorities continue to look for people who are reportedly trapped in the mountainous in freezing temperatures and snow," a UNICEF statement said. "The brutal wars have to stop and we all need to step up our generosity and assistance for the most affected children. We have no excuse. We cannot continue failing children!" In 2015, Lebanese authorities introduced new restrictions to curb the number of Syrians entering the country. Lebanon and Syria share a rocky 330-kilometre (205 mile) border with no official demarcation at several points. A Syrian rebel fighter in the Tal Malid area north of Aleppo watches smoke rise from a Kurdish YPG position in the Afrin area on January 20, 2018 As soon as Turkish warplanes began bombing raids over Afrin on Saturday, terrified residents of the Syrian Kurdish enclave dashed to take cover in the cellars of their homes. They had been bracing for a Turkish assault over the past week as Ankara escalated its rhetoric against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which controls the area. "My four-year-old son is terrified every time he hears the sound of an airplane," said Nisrin, a housewife in Afrin who asked that her real name not be used. "What crime did he commit, that he has to live in terror? This boy who has seen nothing of life yet?" The YPG said at least 10 people -- seven of them civilians -- were killed and 25 were wounded in Saturday's raids. When the bombing began, Nisrin and her relatives rushed to hide in a lower level of the building, following instructions issued by the Kurdish authorities. Northern Syria "We'd prepared our basements to protect our children and young people, and also stocked up on essentials like milk and medicine for the children and elderly, who can't handle this," Nisrin added. Turkey and allied Syrian rebels on Saturday began an air and ground operation, dubbed operation "Olive Branch", aimed at ousting the YPG from Kurdish-majority Afrin. A reporter inside Afrin contributing to AFP said residents quickly disappeared from the town's streets when the Turkish bombardment began at around 4:30 pm local time (1430 GMT). YPG military vehicles took their place instead. Turkey-backed fighters of the Free Syrian Army hold a position in the Tal Malid area north of Aleppo as they prepare to target Kurdish YPG positions in the Afrin area on January 20, 2018 Local authorities enforced a curfew on Saturday, banning civilians from gathering in public and shuttering businesses and schools. - 'Psychological warfare' - "I don't know how to describe what I felt in the moments after Turkish warplanes began flying over Afrin and bombing civilians," said Randa Mustafa, a teacher in her 40s. "The children are scared. Our men, women, and young people are peaceful. What crime did they commit?" She accused Turkey of trying to sow discord among Syrians and waging "psychological warfare" against the people of Afrin. Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army fighters fire towards YPG positions in the Afrin area on January 20, 2018 Ankara vehemently opposes the YPG, accusing it of being the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which has waged a rebellion in southeast Turkey for more than three decades. Turkey said earlier there were casualties, but that they were all Kurdish militants. "We took steps to protect civilians, including digging bomb shelters and tunnels to use during emergency situations," said Heve Mustafa, who co-chairs Afrin's executive council. "The biggest fear we have is that international forces on the ground in Syria which claim they're here to fight terrorism and find a solution to the Syrian problem will turn a blind eye," Mustafa said. Several world powers have deployed forces in northern Syria, among them regime ally Russia. There are also troops from the US-led coalition fighting jihadists. Russia said on Saturday it was withdrawing its soldiers from areas around Afrin. - 'No choice' but resistance - "The only option the autonomous administration has is resistance. Nothing else. We will not allow a Turkish occupation of Syrian territory," Mustafa said on Saturday. A YPG statement echoed this stance, saying the Kurdish fighters had "no choice" but to fight back against Turkey's "barbaric aggression". Afrin was long known for its abundant olive groves and fragrant soap, and as the first area where Kurdish authorities implemented the self-rule model they later used across parts of northern Syria. After regime forces withdrew from Kurdish-majority areas in 2012, local authorities took over and established autonomous institutions, including schools and police forces. Jamil, a 22-year-old communications engineer in Afrin, said he could not believe Turkey had dubbed its assault operation "Olive Branch". "(Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan called it 'Operation Olive Branch' precisely because Afrin is the town of olives and peace," he said. "But by giving it this name, he proved to us that he doesn't want peace or security." White House budget director Mick Mulvaney also said US President Donald Trump will not travel to Florida as planned US President Donald Trump's participation at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland next week could be thrown into question now that the federal government has partially shut down over budget wrangling, the White House said Saturday. "We are taking Davos... on a day by day basis," White House budget director Mick Mulvaney told journalists, without providing further details. The Trump adviser also confirmed the president would not head south to Florida this weekend as initially planned. The annual Davos meeting from January 23-26 brings together the world's political and business leaders at a luxe Swiss ski resort for discussions of key global issues. The last US president to trek to Davos was Democrat Bill Clinton in 2000. KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) - Pakistan's chief justice on Friday ordered a probe into the killing of a 27-year-old man after his family and activists blamed police for what they say was his "stage-managed" death. Mian Saqib Nisar's ruling comes about a week after police in the port city of Karachi killed Naqeeb Ullah, claiming he was linked to Taliban insurgents. Ullah hailed from the South Waziristan tribal region, once a Taliban stronghold. Local residents chant slogans during a rally to condemn the killing of Naqeeb Allah, in Karachi, Pakistan, Friday, Jan. 19, 2018. Pakistan's chief justice has ordered a probe into the killing of a 27-year-old man Ullah, after his family and activists blamed police for his death in a "stage-managed" shootout. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil) Ullah's relatives deny he was a Taliban member and are demanding justice. On Friday, residents rallied in Karachi, demanding action against the police officers linked to Ullah's killing. The family of Ullah claims he was detained earlier this month but on Jan. 13 was killed in a "stage-managed shootout" by senior police officer Rao Anwar. Anwar escaped an assassination attempt this week when a suicide bomber on a motorcycle blew himself up near Anwar's vehicle. Authorities believe it was a Taliban attack. Meanwhile, Pakistan's army chief, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, on Friday confirmed death sentences by military court rulings for 10 militants over their involvement in a series of attacks against security forces, the military said. In a statement, he said the men were involved in the killing of 41 people. ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) - Ethiopia's Orthodox Christians have gathered to celebrate Timkat, or Epiphany, a major holiday marking the baptism of Jesus. Priests sprinkle holy water that they have prayed on through the night. The crowds jostle to get some of the water on their faces, an act that symbolizes the renewal of baptismal vows. Other priests hold crosses or beeswax candles, with the smell of frankincense in the air. Streets in the East African nation are packed with thousands of pilgrims gathered around the Tabot. The holy altar slabs are replicas of the Ark of the Covenant. Reverently wrapped in colorful and expensive cloth, the Tabot rests on the head of a senior priest during its journey through the main streets of the capital, Addis Ababa, and back to its church. BERLIN (AP) - Officials have decided to move a data center for the European Union's new satellite navigation system out of Britain because of Brexit. The European Commission says diplomats voted Thursday to relocate the Galileo Security Monitoring Center's backup site from Swanwick to Spain. In a statement Friday, the commission said it was "a consequence of the U.K. withdrawal from the EU." Spain welcomed the decision, which needs formal approval Wednesday, saying it will create about 100 jobs at the new site on the outskirts of Madrid. Galileo is Europe's answer to the U.S. Global Positioning System, or GPS, which has long been the mainstay of satellite navigation devices in cars, planes and mobile phones. Britain has already lost the European Medicines Agency and the European Banking Authority because of Brexit. CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. (AP) - A central Indiana woman has pleaded guilty to two counts of murder in the fatal stabbings of her young children after her husband filed for divorce. WISH-TV reports 31-year-old Brandi Worley's plea agreement was accepted Friday in Montgomery Circuit Court. Sentencing is scheduled for March 19. The Nov. 17, 2016, attack killed 7-year-old Tyler and 3-year-old Charlee Worley. Police said Worley called 911, admitting she just killed her children. First responders found the children dead at the family's Darlington home about 40 miles northwest of Indianapolis. Court documents say Worley told police she killed the children because she didn't want her husband to take them. She also was treated for self-inflicted stab wounds to her neck. Her husband, Jason Worley, told officers he was asleep downstairs when the attack occurred. ___ Information from: WISH-TV, http://www.wishtv.com/ An explosion rocked a tugboat while it was docked for repairs in Kentucky, killing three people and injuring several others Friday, authorities said. Work was being done on the vessel and dozens of people were either aboard the boat or at the site when the blast occurred shortly after 9 a.m. CST outside Calvert City, Kentucky State Police Detective Jody Cash said. The explosion appeared to occur inside the boat, resulting in a flash fire, he said. Authorities offered no immediate word about a cause. There was no early indication of foul play, Cash said. Emergency vehicles leave the scene of a boat explosion near Calvert City, Ky. Friday, Jan. 19, 2018. Work was being done on the vessel and dozens of people were either aboard the boat or at the site when the blast occurred shortly after 9 a.m. CST State Police Detective Jody Cash said. (Dave Thompson /The Paducah Sun via AP) Some of the injuries were serious, he said. The U.S. Coast Guard responded to the blast, along with numerous local emergency agencies. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration sent an investigator to the scene, Cash said. The boat was still upright and had not sunk after the blast, the detective said. Several other boats were nearby, but damage appeared limited to the tugboat, he said. Repair work was in progress on the tugboat when the explosion occurred, Cash said, but he didn't immediately know what type of work was underway. There were workers from four companies present when the blast occurred, state police said. The preliminary investigation indicated that 41 people were present, though not all were on the tugboat at the time of the explosion. The three victims were pronounced dead at the scene, state police said. They were identified as Timothy L. Wright, 52, of Calvert City; Jerome A. Smith, 56, of Thibodaux, Louisiana; and Quentin J. Stewart, 41, of Opelousas, Louisiana. Autopsies were scheduled for the victims. Six people were taken to hospitals for injuries ranging from minor to serious, state police said. Two of them were taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. The blast occurred on property owned by First Marine along the Tennessee River, state police said. State police identified the owner of the boat as Smithland Towing, while the Coast Guard identified the company as Western Rivers Boat Management. According to records with the Kentucky Secretary of State, the two companies are run by the same officers out of the same address in Paducah. A woman who answered the phone at Western Rivers said the company had no comment. MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexican prosecutors say they have filed extradition requests for a former ruling party governor accused of diverting public funds. The suspect is Cesar Duarte, the former governor of the northern border state of Chihuahua. He is believed to be in the United States. The state's new opposition governor, Javier Corral, accused Duarte of diverting public money to the 2016 electoral campaign of President Enrique Pena Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI. In December, authorities in Chihuahua detained a former top PRI official, Alejandro Gutierrez, for allegedly participating in a scheme to divert about 240 million pesos ($12 million) in public funds for political campaigning. The attorney general's office said Friday extradition requests had been entered for Duarte on three charges, including electoral law violations. WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump and Congress failed to reach an agreement on a spending plan by midnight Friday, triggering a partial shutdown of the federal government. Government shutdowns are unusual but not unheard of. The government has partially shut down three times in the past quarter-century - and far more often in decades past. Shutdowns have led to furloughs of several hundred thousand federal employees, required many government activities to be stopped or curtailed and affected wide swaths of the economy. During Jimmy Carter's administration, shutdowns happened nearly every year, averaging 11 days each. During Ronald Reagan's two terms in the 1980s, there were six shutdowns, typically just one or two days apiece. Staffers bring in boxes of barbecue as a bitterly-divided Congress hurtles toward a government shutdown this weekend, Friday, Jan. 19, 2018, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Legal opinions issued in 1980 and 1981 made shutdowns more impactful. Opinions by then-Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti determined that failure to pass new spending bills required government functioning to shut down in whole or in part. Earlier "shutdowns" did not always entail an actual stop to government functioning and often were simply funding gaps will little real-world effect. Here's a look at recent shutdowns, their causes and impact: - October 2013. Sixteen-day partial shutdown, which came as tea party conservatives, cheered on by outside groups, demanded that language to block implementation of President Barack Obama's health care law be added to a must-do funding bill. Then-Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, tried to avoid a shutdown by funding the government piecemeal, but the effort faltered. The shutdown affected most government operations and resulted in the furlough of 850,000 employees, costing the government 6.6 million days of work and more than $2.5 billion in lost productivity, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service. Boehner survived the shutdown but stepped down two years later amid conflict with the hard-right House Freedom Caucus. - December 1995-January 1996. Republicans led by then-Speaker Newt Gingrich, intent on slashing the budget, forced a three-week shutdown in a bid to coerce President Bill Clinton to sign onto a balanced budget agreement. Republicans were saddled with the blame, but most Americans suffered relatively minor inconveniences such as closed parks and delays in processing passport applications. The fight bolstered Clinton's popularity and he sailed to re-election that November. - November 1995. Five-day shutdown after Clinton vetoed an interim spending bill to block Medicare premium increases. Led to longer shutdown a month later. WASHINGTON (AP) - In his first year in office, President Donald Trump has frequently bent Washington to his will. He's shattered long-standing norms that have governed the capital and plunged politics to a new level of corrosiveness. And he's wielding his executive power to start rolling back his predecessor's policies on the environment, education and America's role around the world. But at times, Trump's Washington can also look strikingly similar to the era before presidential directives were delivered by tweet. President Donald Trump congratulates Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., while House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., watches to acknowledge the final passage of tax overhaul legislation by Congress at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File) Hyperpartisanship and legislative gridlock still reign. Many of the same issues that bedeviled previous presidents now sit unresolved on Trump's desk, including North Korea's nuclear threats and the fate of millions of people living in the U.S. illegally. WASHINGTON (AP) - The president was angry. He'd been fuming since the previous night, mad at his chief of staff John Kelly for saying on television Wednesday that Trump's views on a border wall had "evolved." To his base, that's a worse offense than shutting down the government, Trump told a confidant. He picked up his phone and began tweeting. In a single, baffling message, he suggested he wasn't on board with his party's plan to avert a government shutdown Friday night. His allies in Congress were confused, frustrated and unnerved by the tweet. Republicans picked up the phones to the White House. This needed fixing. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, center, R-Ky., walks to his office early Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018, at the Capitol in Washington. The federal government shut down at the stroke of midnight Friday, halting all but the most essential operations. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) The episode was one of several that eroded trust and derailed negotiations between the White House and lawmakers from both parties in the final run-up to the government shutdown. Lawmakers who wanted to negotiate over a "big deal" on immigration and spending ultimately wound up haggling over how many more days they needed to talk. Cheeseburgers and chats at the White House could not yield lasting progress. The president who promised to be master dealmaker at times looked more like a saboteur. __ The week did not start well for Republicans. Trump officials and a few GOP senators were still struggling to explain whether the president had disparaged African nations as "shithole countries" in a White House meeting last week. The comments fired up liberal activists, who pushed Democrats to dig in on their instance that any budget measure come with protections for the young immigrants known as "dreamers" who are facing deportation. There would be consequences - even primary challenges - for Senate Democrats who balked. By Wednesday, when Senate Democrats huddled behind closed doors in the Capitol to discuss their options, the impact of those efforts was becoming clear. Up to that point, only those Democrats with 2020 ambitions and the more liberal members had supported the bare-knuckles strategy. But faced with a GOP proposal of a four-week funding bill that would keep the talks going, the tide began to turn. Inside the caucus room that day, an almost-organic shift spread across the senators. It felt like Groundhog Day, and few members believed things would be any different four weeks later. They decided to take a stand. When they left the meeting, Schumer announced the party was united in opposition against the GOP's 30-day spending plan. __ Republicans had other problems to tackle first. House conservatives weren't yet backing that temporary deal. Trump worked the phones from Air Force One Thursday afternoon as he traveled to western Pennsylvania to promote the recently-passed tax overhaul. He called Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., the leader of the House Freedom Caucus, who was huddling in the office of Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and a few other like-minded congressmen. The conversation with the president included a pledge to lift the cap on military spending in subsequent legislation, according to a source familiar with the discussion, one of several people who requested anonymity to discuss the budget negotiations because they were not authorized to disclose private deliberations. The White House was clearly proud of Trump's work. After the conversation, Meadows left Jordan's office to share his thoughts with the House Speaker Paul Ryan, stopping to do a CNN interview along the way. By the time he reached the speaker's office, the White House had already notified Ryan that the Freedom Caucus was on board. __ It was shortly after 7:30 p.m. Thursday when the Republican-led House passed the 30-day spending plan, overcoming solid Democratic opposition to approve legislation that included funding for the children's health insurance program, but did nothing to protect the young immigrants. Just six Democrats voted yes. With less than 29 hours until the shutdown deadline, attention quickly shifted to the Senate. Republicans control the chamber, but they would need at least nine Democrats to support the legislation to reach the key 60-vote threshold. In a sign of the trouble to come, the Senate couldn't even agree on when to adjourn for the night. When lawmakers did return Friday morning, a shutdown suddenly seemed more likely than ever. The White House announced that Trump would not travel to his lavish Florida resort, where he was slated to attend a glitzy weekend gala to mark the anniversary of his inauguration. The president had voiced frustration about the cancellation, but signed off on the change, according to a person who spoke with the president. If a deal was struck Friday night to keep the government running, he would depart for Mar-a-Lago on Saturday instead. The White House and Republican lawmakers spent the morning blaming Democrats for putting the country on the brink of a shutdown. Meanwhile, Trump privately reached out to Schumer to discuss the contours of "a big deal," according to a source familiar with the conversation. The two New Yorkers agreed that short-term spending plans were largely a waste of time and agreed to meet in person to discuss a way forward. __ Trump and Schumer each brought just one aide to Friday's Oval Office lunch. The president was flanked by chief of staff John Kelly, while Schumer brought his own chief of staff. Over cheeseburgers, they discussed a broad deal that would include a large increase in defense and border spending in exchange for protections for the young immigrants. Schumer suggested a two- or three-day resolution would give congressional negotiators time to nail down the details. He left the White House without a deal, but believed he had an understanding they were close. As news of the Schumer meeting spread, the White House sought to reassure Republican leaders that Trump wasn't making any major policy concessions. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas told reporters Trump had simply told Schumer to work things out with Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. A few hours later, Trump called Schumer - but the conversation had changed. He wanted to talk about an apparent deal for a three-week spending bill he believed had been struck by leaders by both parties. Schumer was confused and said it was the first he had heard of it, according to a person familiar with the conversation. The president encouraged Schumer to work it out with McConnell. McConnell, unsure what Trump might support, encouraged Schumer to work it out with the White House. The White House did not immediately comment on the conversations. Trump called Schumer one more time as the evening turned to night, this time with chief of staff Kelly on the phone. He raised new concerns about the deal they had discussed during lunch. In a subsequent phone call with Schumer, Kelly said the deal was too liberal. __ Trump spent much of the rest of the evening watching cable television coverage of the impending shutdown and talking on the phone with his network of outside advisers. He told one person he was convinced Democrats would take the blame for the shutdown. He also expressed annoyance he was not at Mar-a-Lago. Speaking on the Senate floor after midnight, when the shutdown had formally begun, Schumer expressed disappointment for the deal that almost was. "The same chaos, the same disarray, the same division and discord on the Republican side that's been in the background of these negotiations for months, unfortunately appears endemic," Schumer said. He added, "This is no way to conduct the nation's business." __ Peoples reported from New York. Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Julie Pace contributed to this report. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., walks to the chamber after a closed meeting with fellow democrats on Capitol Hill, Friday, Jan. 19, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., left, and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., walk outside the Senate chamber on Capitol Hill, Friday, Jan. 19, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., front right, walks as he is questioned by reporters on Capitol Hill, Friday, Jan. 19, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) WASHINGTON (AP) - The federal government has shut down at the stroke of midnight Friday. That has halted all but the most essential operations and marred the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump's inauguration in a striking display of Washington dysfunction. Last-minute negotiations crumbled as Senate Democrats blocked a four-week stopgap extension in a late-night vote, causing the fourth government shutdown in a quarter century. Behind the scenes, however, leading Republicans and Democrats were trying to work out a compromise to avert a lengthy shutdown. Congress scheduled an unusual Saturday session to begin considering a three-week version of the short-term spending measure. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., walks to the chamber after a closed meeting with fellow democrats on Capitol Hill, Friday, Jan. 19, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) With no apparent indications of a breakthrough in the Senate to avoid a government shutdown, the Capitol is illuminated in Washington, Friday evening, Jan. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, is surrounded by reporters following a TV interviewed about a possible government shutdown at the White House, in Washington, Friday, Jan. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) President Donald Trump waits to be introduced to speak to the March for Life participants from the Rose Garden of the White House, Friday, Jan. 19, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Director of the Office of Management and Budget Mick Mulvaney, right, and Marc Short, left, White House director for legislative affairs, speak to members of the media in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, Friday, Jan. 19, 2018, about a potential government shutdown this weekend. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., arrives at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 19, 2018, as a bitterly-divided Congress hurtles toward a government shutdown this weekend in a partisan stare-down over demands by Democrats for a solution on politically fraught legislation to protect about 700,000 younger immigrants from being deported. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) LOS ANGELES (AP) - The governor of California once again denied parole Friday for Leslie Van Houten, the youngest follower of murderous cult leader Charles Manson who blamed herself at her parole hearing for letting him control her life. Gov. Jerry Brown said in his decision that Van Houten still lays too much of the blame on Manson, who died two months ago at 83. Brown acknowledged that Van Houten's youth at the time of the crime, her more than four decades as a model prisoner and her abuse at the hands of Manson make it worth considering her release. FILE - In this Sept. 6, 2017, file photo, Leslie Van Houten attends her parole hearing at the California Institution for Women in Corona, Calif. California Gov. Jerry Brown has again denied parole for Van Houten, the youngest follower of murderous cult leader Charles Manson. Brown said in his decision announced Friday, Jan. 19, 2018, that despite Van Houten saying at her parole hearing that she accepts full responsibility for her crimes, she still lays too much of the blame on Manson, who died two months ago. (Stan Lim/Los Angeles Daily News via AP, Pool, File) "However," he wrote in his decision "these factors are outweighed by negative factors that demonstrate she remains unsuitable for parole." The 68-year-old Van Houten is serving life for the murders of wealthy grocer Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary, when Van Houten was 19. They were stabbed a day after other Manson followers killed pregnant actress Sharon Tate and four other people in Los Angeles. Van Houten's attorney, Rich Pfeiffer, said Brown's decision shows an unprecedented and unlawful reliance to deny parole based on the circumstances of the crime, rather than the inmate's fitness. "We're going to challenge this in court," Pfeiffer said. "I expect the courts to uphold the law and allow her to be released." Pfeiffer added that he has "dozens of clients who have done much worse deeds than Leslie has done and they're out leading productive lives." Van Houten has long been considered among the most likely candidates among Manson "family" members to be paroled, But Brown, like Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger before him, has steadfastly refused to let anyone associated with Manson's killings go free. It's the second time Brown has blocked parole for Van Houten after a state parole panel recommended that she be freed. Brown wrote Friday that Van Houten "played a vital part in the LaBianca murders, one of the most notorious of the Manson family crimes. The devastation and loss experienced by the LaBianca family and all the victims' families continues today." Although she said at her September parole hearing that she accepts full responsibility for her role, Van Houten "still shifted blame for her own actions onto Manson to some extent." Brown recalled Van Houten saying that she takes responsibility for "Manson being able to do what he did to all of us. I allowed it. I accept responsibility that I allowed him to conduct my life in that way." She appeared frail at the parole hearing with her silver hair pulled back in a bun, almost unrecognizable from the young woman who pledged her allegiance to Manson. She said at the hearing that she was devastated when her parents divorced when she was 14. Soon after, she said, she began hanging out with her school's outcast crowd and using drugs in the Los Angeles suburb of Monrovia. When she was 17, she and her boyfriend ran away to San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury District during the city' summer of love. She was traveling up and down the California coast when acquaintances led her to Manson, who was holed up at an abandoned movie ranch on the outskirts of Los Angeles where he had recruited what he called a "family" to survive what he insisted would be a race war he would launch by committing a series of random, horrifying murders. At her hearing, Van Houten candidly described how she joined several other members of the group in killing the LaBiancas, carving up Leno LaBianca's body and smearing the couple's blood on the walls. No one who took part in the Tate-LaBianca murders has been released from prison. Manson died of natural causes on Nov. 20 at a California hospital while serving a life sentence. A man who befriended him through letters and another who purports to be his grandson are fighting in court over his body and possessions. BERLIN (AP) - The leaders of Germany's Social Democrats made a final push Saturday to try and convince party members to approve opening talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives on forming a new coalition government, saying it was the best option left on the table. The center-left party, which has governed with Merkel since 2013, was battered in September's election, falling to a post-war low of 20.5 percent support. Leader Martin Schulz had vowed not to enter another coalition, saying his party would regroup in opposition. But he reconsidered after Merkel's attempts to form a coalition with two smaller parties failed. FILE - In this Jan. 17, 2018 file photo Martin Schulz, chairman of the Social Democratic Party, SPD, attends a party meeting in Mainz, Germany. Leaders of Germany's Social Democrats are making their final push to try and convince party members to approve opening talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives on forming a new government. (Andreas Arnold/dpa via AP, file) Now it's up to a party vote in Bonn on Sunday whether to open negotiations, based upon a 28-page agreement on issues hashed out a week ago between the Social Democrats, Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, and her Bavarian-only sister Christian Social Union. Schulz and other leaders face firm resistance, led by the party's youth wing, driven by fears that concessions needed to form another so-called grand coalition of the country's biggest parties will further alienate the Social Democrats' base and lead to a further erosion of support. Many have also expressed concerns that if a coalition is formed, that would leave the anti-migrant nationalist Alternative for Germany the country's largest opposition party. Even if negotiations are approved, party members still need to also sign off on whatever coalition agreement is concluded. But if they vote against negotiations, that leaves only the possibilities that Merkel will form a minority government - which she has indicated she doesn't want - or a new election. Should it come to another election, the latest polls suggest the results would be very similar to those in September - with the Social Democrats possibly faring even a little worse - creating the same situation again. Senior Social Democratic lawmaker Andrea Nahles, told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper she was confident coalition negotiations would be approved, while warning the party would be put on the defensive in any new election campaign. "Please consider what consequences a failure of this government option will have," she said. "New elections are fraught with many risks and side effects... Some believe that the Social Democrats can only renew itself in opposition but that is a fallacy." Right now, it's thought that about a third of the delegates voting Sunday are against opening negotiations with Merkel, a third are for, while a third are undecided. Complicating matters, two of the biggest voting blocs, North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse, are considering only voting for opening negotiations on the condition that Schulz push for more concessions on labor, health and migration policies with Merkel's conservatives, according to a report in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. The Union bloc, however, has indicated it will not agree to any changes to the document already negotiated. Deputy party leader Olaf Scholz, mayor of the city-state of Hamburg, urged party members to vote for opening formal negotiations and break the political deadlock in Germany, saying Europe was watching. "The decision of this party congress is important for Germany, but affects things far beyond our border," he told the dpa news agency. MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - Alexander Zverev has long been touted as a future Grand Slam champion. The problem is he can't seem to get anywhere near the second week of a major, let alone contend for one. The fourth-seeded Zverev made yet another puzzling early exit at a Grand Slam tournament, dropping 12 of the final 15 games in a 5-7, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 loss to fellow rising star Hyeon Chung in the third round of the Australian Open on Saturday. The 20-year-old German player won five ATP tournaments last year, second only to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, but has only reached the fourth round of a major once - at last year's Wimbledon - and has never gone beyond. Germany's Alexander Zverev waves as he leaves Rod Laver Arena after losing his third round to South Korea's Chung Hyeon at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian) More troubling, Zverev has notched multiple wins over top-10 players like Federer, Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka at regular ATP tournaments, but has never managed to beat a player ranked in the top 50 at a major. When asked after his match whether his problem in best-of-five-set matches was physical or mental, a downcast Zverev replied, "Definitely not physical." "I have some figuring out to do, what happens to me in deciding moments in Grand Slam," he said. "It happened at Wimbledon. It happened in New York. It happened here." Zverev's Grand Slam record is a paltry 14-11. Among those he's lost to are Borna Coric (second round, 2017 U.S. Open), Dan Evans (second round, 2016 U.S. Open) and Fernando Verdasco (first round, 2017 French Open). Part of the issue, Zverev admitted, was that he puts too much pressure on himself to do well at the slams. "I'm still young, so I got time," he said. "At the other tournaments, my three-set record is pretty decent over the last few years." Zverev said Federer had spoken to him in the locker room after the match and offered him some words of encouragement. Zverev didn't elaborate too much, but Federer was happy to after his third-round win later Saturday. "I just think it's important to sometimes take a step back and actually see the good things you've done, give yourself time, maybe set the bar a bit lower," Federer said "That's what I told Sascha. I said, 'Be patient about it. Don't put yourself under unnecessary pressure. Learn from these mistakes. Whatever happened happened'. I just thought some nice words would maybe cheer him up." Against Chung, Zverev seemed to come apart inexplicably in the fourth set. He played at a high level for the first three sets, hitting 48 winners, including 19 aces, and making 27 unforced errors. He managed just nine winners to 24 unforced errors the rest of the match. "I think game-wise, my level was good. I think I should have won in four sets," he said. Zverev said Chung had dramatically improved in the last year and is playing better than his current ranking of No. 58. "This was a top-10 level match from the start till the end of the fourth set, and for him until the end," he said. "When he plays like that, there are very, very few people who will beat him." Chung went undefeated last November to capture the title at the much-hyped NextGen ATP Finals, a tournament for the best eight players aged 21 and under. Zverev didn't take part because he qualified for the ATP Finals in London. And with his run in Melbourne, Chung becomes the first South Korean man to reach the fourth round at the Australian Open and just the third Korean player (male or female) ever to do it at a Grand Slam. His next opponent is not ranked as high as Zverev, but presents just as daunting a challenge - six-time champion Novak Djokovic. The Serbian player, seeded 14th, beat Chung in straight sets in the first round two years ago. "I have one more chance to play with a great player in the world," he said. "I'm just happy to share the court with Novak." _____ More AP coverage: www.apnews.com/tag/AustralianOpen Germany's Alexander Zverev makes a forehand return to South Korea's Chung Hyeon during their third round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian) Germany's Alexander Zverev breaks his racket in frustration during his third round match against South Korea's Chung Hyeon at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian) South Korea's Chung Hyeon celebrates after defeating Germany's Alexander Zverev in their third round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian) MADRID (AP) - Spain's maritime rescue service says it has saved 56 migrants trying to make the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean Sea from Africa to European shores. The service says two boats were intercepted by its search craft Saturday morning. One boat was carrying 23 men in the Strait of Gibraltar. A second boat with 33 men of sub-Saharan origin was located east of the Strait near Alboran Island. Europe's border watchdog said Friday that 22,880 migrants had arrived in Spain last year by sea, up from 10,231 in 2016. It also warned it expects the number of migrants using the western Mediterranean route to Europe to increase this year. In this Friday Jan.19, 2018 photo aid workers from the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms help refugees and migrants to disembark from the rescue vessel, at the port of Pozzallo, in Sicily, Italy. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios) The International Organization for Migration says 2,583 migrants entered Europe by sea this year through Wednesday, and 199 others died en route. In this Thursday Jan. 18, 2018 photo Guillermo Canardo, a doctor from the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms, assists an Eritrean child as the organization's rescue vessel heads to Italy with more than 500 refugees and migrants on board. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios) In this Thursday Jan. 18, 2018 photo a Sub-Saharan baby rests aboard the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms vessel after being rescued off the Libyan coast when they were trying to reach European soil, north of Sabratha, Libya. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios) In this Thursday Jan. 18, 2018 photo a doctor from the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms assists an Eritrean woman as the organization's rescue vessel heads to Italy with more than 300 refugees and migrants on board. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios) In this Friday Jan.19, 2018 photo aid workers from the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms wait to disembark the lifeless bodies of an Eritrean man and 2 babies from the organization's rescue vessel, at the port of Pozzallo, in Sicily, Italy. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios) In this Friday Jan.19, 2018 photo Sub-Saharan refugees and migrants look to the Italian authorities from aboard the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms rescue vessel, at the port of Pozzallo, in Sicily, Italy. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios) In this Tuesday Jan. 16, 2018 photo a wooden boat used by 450 refugees and migrants, mostly from Eritrea, remains abandoned off the Libyan coast after they were rescued by aid workers of the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms, 34 miles north of Kasr-El-Karabulli, Libya. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios) In this Friday Jan.19, 2018 photo women and children from Eritrea sing and pray to celebrate their arrival to Europe aboard the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms rescue vessel, Pozzallo, Sicily, Italy. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios) Two Americans and two Canadians who were kidnapped in Nigeria's north-central Kaduna state on Tuesday have been freed and are in good condition, police said Saturday. Police and a special anti-kidnapping squad rescued the foreigners in the Kagarko local government area Friday night after a massive manhunt, state police commissioner Agyole Abeh said. 'No ransom was paid. It was the efforts of the police through the directives of the Inspector General of Police that led to their release,' he said. Police and a special anti-kidnapping squad rescued the four foreigners in the Kagarko local government area Friday night after a massive manhunt. Kafanchan was the area where the people were taken One suspect was arrested in connection with the kidnapping and police were on the trail of remaining suspects, Abeh said. The foreigners have been taken to the capital, Abuja, Kaduna state police spokesman Mukhtar Aliyu said. 'They are in good condition but due to trauma they have to undergo medical observation.' Aliyu said. Gunmen ambushed the foreigners Tuesday as they traveled from Kafanchan in Kaduna state to Abuja. Two police escorts were killed in what police called a 'fierce gun battle.' Gunmen ambushed the foreigners Tuesday as they traveled from Kafanchan in Kaduna state to Abuja The Americans and Canadians have not been publicly identified. Aliyu earlier said they are investors setting up solar stations in villages around Kafanchan. The U.S. State Department said that 'we are aware of reports of two U.S. citizens kidnapped and released in Nigeria. The safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas are among our top priorities. Due to privacy considerations we have no further comment.' Kidnapping for ransom is common in Nigeria, especially on the Kaduna to Abuja highway. Two German archaeologists were seized at gunpoint last year less than 100 kilometers (60 miles) northeast of Abuja and later freed unharmed. Sierra Leone's deputy high commissioner was taken at gunpoint on the highway in 2016 and held for five days before he was let go. Victims typically are released unharmed after ransom is paid, though security forces have rescued a few high-profile abductees. A number of bandits, including herdsmen, have been arrested. JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Two Indonesian hostages have been released after being held for more than a year in the southern Philippines by their Abu Sayyaf captors, Indonesia's Foreign Ministry said Saturday. The two fishermen, identified as La Utu bin Raali and La Hadi bi La Adi, from the Wakatobi islands in Southeast Sulawesi province were freed Friday in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, the ministry said. They were kidnapped November 5, 2016, from different fishing boats in waters off Sabah, Malaysia. Indonesian officials in the Philippines are arranging their return home with local authorities, the ministry said in a statement. Details about their release were not immediately known. The Abu Sayyaf has been blacklisted as a terrorist organization by the United States and the Philippines for deadly bombings, kidnappings and beheadings. Indonesia and its neighboring countries of Malaysia and the Philippines now conduct joint maritime patrols in in the Sulu Sea to fight pirate attacks and transnational crimes. JACKMAN, Maine (AP) - The town manager of a rural Maine community says he's the leader of a racial segregationist group, and he believes the United States would be better off if people of different races were to "voluntarily separate." Jackman town manager Tom Kawczynski wants to preserve the white majority of northern New England and Atlantic Canada, he has told the Bangor Daily News. He moved to Maine a year ago and launched a group called "New Albion" to promote what he calls "the positive aspects of our European heritage." American Civil Liberties Union of Maine legal director Zachary Heiden said Kawczynski's attitudes and materials are "shockingly racist." Kawczynski has defended his group as "pro-white" without being opposed to other racial groups. But he has also called Islam "the scourge of Western civilization" and incompatible with his view of American society. Kawczynski said he doesn't run town affairs in a way that discriminates against anyone. Jackman Town Office officials did not immediately return a message from The Associated Press. SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel is voicing support for continuing the dialogue between the European Union and Turkey. Merkel said Saturday during a news conference in the Bulgarian capital that "we need to have orderly relations with Turkey." Speaking about EU-Turkey relations, Merkel hailed the idea for a meeting of the leaders of European institutions with Turkey's president in Bulgaria and "to talk openly on all issues." German chancellor Angela Merkel speaks during joint news conference with her Bulgarian counterpart after their meeting in Sofia, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. Merkel is on a one day visit to the country. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova) In Sofia, Merkel discussed with her Bulgarian counterpart, Boyko Borissov, the main issues of the six-month European Council presidency, which the Balkan country assumed at the beginning of this month. Merkel said that the motto of the presidency 'United we stand strong' is "what we all need in the European Union." TRUJILLO, Peru (AP) - The Latest on Pope Francis' visit to Peru (all times local): 4:30 p.m. Pope Francis is denouncing killings of women and other gender-based crimes that have turned Latin America into the most violent place on Earth for women. Pope Francis arrives for a tribute to the Virgen de la Puerta at the Plaza de Armas in Trujillo, Peru, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) At a Marian prayer in the northern Peruvian city of Trujillo, Francis called women, mothers and grandmothers the guiding force for families. But he said women are nevertheless victims of "femicide and many situations of violence that are kept quiet behind so many walls." He called Saturday for legislation protecting women and a new culture "that repudiates every form of violence." It was the second time in as many days that he has spoken out about gender violence, following his strong defense of indigenous women in the Amazon. ___ 1:55 p.m. Authorities in Chile are probing a new church burning that comes after a series of fires at religious buildings following Pope Francis' visit to the nation. The Church of the Virgin of Candelaria is located about 60 miles (100 kilometers) south of the capital, Santiago. Officials say it burned to the ground in an overnight blaze. Commander Rodolfo Zuniga of the regional firefighting corps told Bio Bio radio Saturday that investigators are examining the possibility someone instigated the blaze. He did not give details on who may have been responsible. Several churches were damaged by firebombs during the pontiff's visit to Chile earlier this week. Francis left the country Thursday and is currently in neighboring Peru. ___ 12:20 p.m. Pope Francis may not have returned to his native Argentina since becoming pontiff, but he is traveling through a Peruvian town with the same name as his birthplace. People lined the streets Saturday in Buenos Aires, Peru, to greet Francis as he rode through on the pope mobile. Some waved Argentine flags. Like the sprawling, densely populated capital of Argentina, Peru's Buenos Aires is situated on the water. The comparisons might end there, however. The town of about 20,000 people consists mostly of simple one-story homes, many of which were damaged in El Nino storms last year when heavy rains caused by a warming of Pacific Ocean waters left more than 150 dead across the country. The first pope from Latin America has traveled throughout the region since becoming pontiff five years ago but not Argentina. ___ 12:10 p.m. Pope Francis' top adviser on clerical sex abuse has implicitly criticized the pope over his accusations of slander against Chilean abuse victims, saying his words were "a source of great pain for survivors of sexual abuse." Cardinal Sean O'Malley said in a statement Saturday that he couldn't explain why Francis "chose the particular words he used." He insisted that Francis "fully recognizes the egregious failures of the church and its clergy who abused children and the devastating impact those crimes have had on survivors and their loved ones." Francis set off a national uproar upon leaving Chile on Thursday by accusing victims of the country's most notorious pedophile priest of having slandered another bishop by saying he knew of the abuse but did nothing. ___ 10:20 a.m. Pope Francis is consoling Peruvians who lost their homes and livelihoods in devastating floods, telling them they can overcome all of life's "storms" by coming together as a community. Francis travelled Saturday to an area of northern Peru that is frequently affected by El Nino storms and was hit last year by flooding that killed more than 150 people and destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes. Some residents are still living in tents. Francis said he wanted to come to Trujillo to pray with those who lost everything and must contend with "other storms that can hit these coasts, with devastating effects on the lives of the children of these lands." He also mentioned organized violence and contract killings, a problem which is particularly acute in northern Peru. He said Peruvians have shown that life's greatest problems can be confronted when the community comes together "to help one another like true brothers and sisters." ___ 10 a.m. Pope Francis has arrived in northern Peru to console residents still reeling from devastating floods nearly a year ago that toppled hundreds of thousands of homes, left streets covered in thick layers of mud and even ripped apart tombs from an above-ground cemetery. Francis is celebrating a seaside Mass near Trujillo, a popular tourist resort town. He will then ride through a hard-hit neighborhood bearing the name of his native Buenos Aires, where thousands are still living in tents after El Nino rains killed more than 150 and sent thousands onto rooftops seeking rescue. On his penultimate day in Peru, Francis also meets with local priests and then celebrates a Marian prayer in the central square. Marian popular piety is enormously important to Peruvian Catholics and the first Latin American pope. Locals arrange an altar of the Virgen de la Puerta during a tribute with Pope Francis, at the Plaza de Armas in Trujillo, Peru, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) Flames engulf the Virgen de la Candelaria church at the Calafquen community of Panguipulli, in Chile, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. In the last week a dozen Catholic churches and chapels have been burned prior to the visit of Pope Francis to the Andean nation. (AP Photo/Jonathan Chandia) Members of the National Police inspect remains the Virgen de la Candelaria church at the Calafquen community of Panguipulli, in Chile, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. In the last week a dozen Catholic churches and chapels have been burned prior to the visit of Pope Francis to the Andean nation. (AP Photo/Jonathan Chandia) Children dressed as angels attend a Mass celebrated by Pope Francis on Huanchaco Beach, near the city of Trujillo, Peru, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. Francis travelled Saturday to an area of northern Peru that is frequently affected by El Nino storms and was hit last year by flooding that killed more than 150 people and destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes. Many residents are still living in tents. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) A dove that was released on the arrival of Pope Francis roosts on a section of a red carpet at the airport in Trujillo, Peru, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. Francis travelled Saturday to northern Peru, a region still reeling from devastating floods nearly a year ago. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Pope Francis stands before a statue of Virgin of La Puerta of Otuzco, during a seaside Mass on Huanchaco Beach, near the city of Trujillo, Peru, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. Francis travelled Saturday to northern Peru, a region still reeling from devastating floods nearly a year ago. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) Pope Francis greets Peru's President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, after the pontiff celebrated a seaside Mass on Huanchaco Beach, near the city of Trujillo, Peru, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. Francis travelled to an area of northern Peru that is frequently hit by "El Nino" storms and was inundated in 2017 by flooding that killed more than 150 people and destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) A group of women wait for the arrival of Pope Francis to celebrate Mass on Huanchaco Beach, near the city of Trujillo, Peru, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. Francis travels Saturday to northern Peru, where the pontiff will celebrate Mass and ride through a hard-hit neighborhood still reeling from disastrous rains that hit nearly a year ago. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) Nuns sing as they wait for the arrival of Pope Francis to celebrate Mass on Huanchaco Beach, near the city of Trujillo, Peru, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. Francis travels Saturday to northern Peru, where the pontiff will celebrate Mass and ride through a hard-hit neighborhood still reeling from disastrous rains that hit nearly a year ago. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) Children dressed as angels wait for the arrival of Pope Francis to celebrate Mass on Huanchaco Beach, near the city of Trujillo, Peru, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. Francis travels Saturday to northern Peru, where the pontiff will celebrate Mass and ride through a hard-hit neighborhood still reeling from disastrous rains that hit nearly a year ago. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) Fisherman paddle in their woven reed vessels known as caballito de Totoras as they wait for the arrival of Pope Francis to celebrate Mass on Huanchaco Beach, near the city of Trujillo, Peru, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. Francis travels Saturday to northern Peru, where the pontiff will celebrate Mass and ride through a hard-hit neighborhood still reeling from disastrous rains that hit nearly a year ago. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) Pope Francis waves from his pope mobile as arrives to celebrate Mass on Huanchaco Beach, near the city of Trujillo, Peru, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. Francis travelled Saturday to northern Peru, a region still reeling from devastating floods nearly a year ago. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) Pope Francis waves from his pope mobile as arrives to celebrate Mass on Huanchaco Beach, near the city of Trujillo, Peru, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. Francis travelled Saturday to northern Peru, a region still reeling from devastating floods nearly a year ago. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) Pope Francis waves from his pope mobile as arrives to celebrate Mass on Huanchaco Beach, near the city of Trujillo, Peru, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. Francis travelled Saturday to northern Peru, a region still reeling from devastating floods nearly a year ago. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Pope Francis waves from his pope mobile as arrives to celebrate Mass on Huanchaco Beach, near the city of Trujillo, Peru, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. Francis travelled Saturday to northern Peru, a region still reeling from devastating floods nearly a year ago. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Fishermen carry a statue of their patron saint, St. Peter through the crowds of faithful waiting for the arrival of Pope Francis to celebrate Mass on Huanchaco Beach, near the city of Trujillo, Peru, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. Francis travelled Saturday to northern Peru, a region still reeling from devastating floods nearly a year ago. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) In a story Jan. 19 about women's marches, The Associated Press misidentified the city of Portsmouth as New Hampshire's state capital, which is Concord. The story also said 1 million marched around the world in rallies protesting President Donald Trump's inauguration; global crowd estimates were in the millions. A corrected version of the story is below: Women will march again with aim to become a political force Activists return to the streets a year after more than 1 million people rallied worldwide for female empowerment, hoping to create an enduring political movement that will elect more women to government office. By MICHELLE L. PRICE and ANITA SNOW Associated Press Activists are returning to the streets a year after more than 1 million people rallied worldwide at marches for female empowerment, hoping to create an enduring political movement that will elect more women to government office. Hundreds of gatherings are planned Saturday and Sunday across the U.S. and in places such as Beijing, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Nairobi, Kenya. A rally Sunday in Las Vegas will launch an effort to register 1 million voters and target swing states in the midterm elections. The 2017 rally in Washington, D.C., and hundreds of similar marches created solidarity for those denouncing President Donald Trump's views on abortion, immigration, LGBT rights and more. Afterward, a wave of women decided to run for elected office and the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct became a cultural phenomenon. "We made a lot of noise," said Elaine Wynn, an organizer. "But now how do we translate that noise into something concrete or fulfilling?" Linda Sarsour, one of the four organizers of last year's Washington march, said Las Vegas was slotted for a major rally because it's a strategic swing state that gave Hillary Clinton a narrow win in the presidential election and will have one of the most competitive Senate races in 2018. Democrats believe they have a good chance of winning the seat held by embattled Republican Sen. Dean Heller and weakening the GOP's hold on the chamber. Organizers say Nevada is also a microcosm of larger national issues such as immigration and gun control after Las Vegas became the scene of the deadliest mass shooting in modern history. Following the October massacre, the Sunday rally is being held at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' stadium 10 miles (16 kilometers) southeast of the famous Strip where a gunman opened fire on a concert, killing 58 people. Authorities have kept details confidential about security for the Sunday rally at the 40,000-seat stadium. Ahead of the Las Vegas rally, Planned Parenthood Rocky Mountains will hold a huge voter registration training effort on Saturday as part of a nationwide effort to register over a million voters in 2018. Minnie Wood, a nurse practitioner who participated in the 2017 gathering in Las Vegas, said she was left with a sense of solidarity and "this feeling of almost a quickening, this resistance brewing." It also laid the groundwork for the recent movement that brought a reckoning for powerful men accused of sexual misconduct, Sarsour said. "I think when women see visible women's leadership, bold and fierce, going up against a very racist, sexist, misogynist administration, it gives you a different level of courage that you may not have felt you had," she said. Many women inspired by last year's massive marches went on to seek higher office, such as Mindi Messmer, a 54-year-old environmental scientist from Rye, New Hampshire. Messmer was a state legislator when she attended the 2017 march in Portsmouth. She's now a candidate for the seat held by retiring U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, a fellow Democrat. Other women running for Congress include newcomer Chrissy Houlahan, who hopes to unseat a Republican in suburban Philadelphia, and Sara Jacobs, a former aide to Barack Obama, seeking the Southern California seat held by retiring Republican U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa. Democratic officeholders pledging to elect more progressive candidates in swing states will be among the speakers in Las Vegas. Cecile Richards of Planned Parenthood also will address the crowd. Last year's march in Washington sparked debate over inclusion, with some transgender minority women complaining that the event seemed designed for white women born female. Some anti-abortion activists said the event did not welcome them. The organizers for the Sunday rally are striving for greater inclusion this year, with Latina and transgender female speakers, said Carmen Perez, another co-chair of the 2017 Washington march. Women in the U.S. illegally, sex workers and those formerly incarcerated are welcome, she said. Eman Hassaballa Aly, a 38-year-old digital communications manager and activist, said last year's gathering in the Chicago area prompted two Muslim women she knows to run for office - one for state Senate and one for Congress. "It was incredible that all these people came together," said Aly, who addressed the 2017 Chicago event. "We realized how powerful this thing could be." ___ Price reported from Salt Lake City and Snow from Phoenix. Associated Press writers Ken Ritter in Las Vegas, Teresa Crawford and Sara Burnett in Chicago, Jocelyn Noveck in New York and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report. HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - House Speaker Paul Ryan called for an Ethics Committee investigation Saturday after the New York Times reported that U.S. Rep. Patrick Meehan used taxpayer money to settle a complaint that stemmed from his hostility toward a former aide who rejected his romantic overtures. The story, published online Saturday, cited unnamed people who said the Republican Pennsylvania representative used thousands of dollars from his congressional office fund to settle the sexual harassment complaint the ex-aide filed last summer to the congressional Office of Compliance. In a statement, Ryan's spokeswoman said the allegations must be investigated "fully and immediately" by the House Ethics Committee and that Meehan would immediately submit himself to the committee's review. Meehan is being removed from his position on the committee, and Ryan told Meehan that he should repay any taxpayer funds that were used to settle the case, Ryan's spokeswoman said. FILE - In this March 20, 2013 file photo, Rep. Patrick Meehan, R-Pa. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. House Speaker Paul Ryan ordered an Ethics Committee investigation Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018, after the New York Times reported that Meehan used taxpayer money to settle a complaint that stemmed from his hostility toward a former aide who rejected his romantic overtures. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File) The Times did not identify the accuser and said she did not speak to the newspaper. In a statement, the four-term congressman's office denied that Meehan sexually harassed or mistreated the ex-aide. It also said Meehan, the former U.S. attorney in Philadelphia, had asked congressional lawyers who handled the case to ask the ex-aide's lawyer to dissolve the settlement's confidentiality requirements "to ensure a full and open airing of all the facts." "Throughout his career he has always treated his colleagues, male and female, with the utmost respect and professionalism," Meehan's office said. The accuser's lawyer, Alexis Ronickher, called the allegations "well-grounded" and rejected the idea of doing away with confidentiality. Meehan is trying to victimize her client twice by revealing the woman's identity and litigating the case in the media, Ronickher said. Ronickher called it a "dirty political maneuver" by Meehan and an effort to save his political career by making it look like he's being transparent. "Mr. Meehan demanded confidentiality to resolve the matter, presumably so that the public would never know that he entered into a settlement of a serious sexual harassment claim," Ronickher said. Ronickher said the Ethics Committee investigation must include the fact that Meehan, in his Saturday statement responding to the Times article, "knowingly breached confidentiality in his agreement by discussing the case and the terms of any potential settlement agreement." Meehan's office did not respond to questions about whether he used taxpayer money to settle the case or whether he would submit to the Ethics Committee investigation. However, his office said Meehan would only act with advice of House lawyers and in line with House Ethics Committee guidance to resolve any allegation. "Every step of the process was handled ethically and appropriately," Meehan's office said. Meehan represents a closely divided district that Democrat Hillary Clinton narrowly won in the 2016 presidential election. Calls from Democrats for Meehan to resign were immediate, including one from Pennsylvania's Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, who said the U.S. House should investigate "how this matter was handled from top to bottom." WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on the government shutdown (all times local): 7:30 p.m. A Senate showdown vote on a Republican plan for ending the federal shutdown is on track to occur by early Monday. Democrats say they have the votes to block it. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., walks to his office after speaking on the senate floor Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018, at Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has proposed a measure financing the government through Feb. 8. Senate Democrats derailed a House-passed measure early Saturday that would have run through Feb. 16. They say they want to provide enough money to keep agency doors open only a few days. They say the shorter time frame puts more pressure on Republicans to cut deals on immigration and the budget. The shutdown began at midnight Friday. The public won't feel its full effects until the next workweek begins Monday. The vote would occur by 1 a.m. EST Monday but could happen earlier. ___ 7 p.m. Hours after shuttering much of the federal government, feuding Democrats and Republicans in Congress spent the day dodging blame for a paralyzing standoff over immigration. The two sides show few signs of progress on negotiations to end it. The finger-pointing has played out in rare weekend proceedings in both the House and Senate, where lawmakers have been eager to show voters they are actively working for a solution - or at least actively making their case why the other party is at fault. Democrats refused to provide the votes needed to reopen the government until they strike a deal with President Donald Trump protecting young immigrants from deportation. They also want more disaster relief and a boost in spending for opioid treatment and other domestic programs. ___ 5:45 p.m. President Donald Trump is "frustrated" by the government shutdown falling on the first anniversary of his inauguration. That's according to budget director Mick Mulvaney, who tells reporters that the White House believes Democrats provoked the fiscal crisis to distract from Trump's accomplishments in his first year in office. Mulvaney says, "The Democrats got the shutdown that they wanted on his anniversary." He adds of Democrats that Trump "kicked their butts for a year" and charges they were looking for a way to embarrass the administration. Mulvaney says it is up to Democrats to decide when the government will reopen, and that the White House won't negotiate on immigration until Democrats agree to turn the lights back on. __ 5:40 p.m. Tensions are rising at the Capitol on the first day of the partial government shutdown. Debate in the House screeched to a halt Saturday after Democrats objected to a comment by Texas Republican congressman Pete Sessions, who referred to the "Schumer shutdown." Republicans are using the phrase to cast blame on Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, but House rules bar floor remarks impugning another lawmaker. After private discussion, Sessions agreed to withdraw the comment. Debate was soon halted again after Alabama GOP congressman Bradley Byrne displayed a poster-size photo of Schumer with a 2013 quote calling a shutdown "the politics of idiocy." Arkansas congressman Steve Womack, the presiding officer, allowed the poster, but Democrats objected and forced a roll call vote. Lawmakers voted, 224-173, to allow the display. ___ 2:55 p.m. Republicans and Democrats appear to be no closer to ending a government shutdown, and the White House is indicating it's waiting for Democrats to drop their demand that a funding bill include protections for younger immigrants brought to the country illegally as children. Budget director Mick Mulvaney and legislative affairs director Marc Short are lobbing verbal attacks at Democrats for blocking a spending bill over the unrelated legislation. Short told reporters Saturday that "it's like a 2-year-old temper tantrum." Mulvaney says the administration is trying to mitigate the impact of the funding lapse, noting many national parks and government offices will be open during the duration. But he says the effects will still be significant. Democrats are blaming the shutdown on Republicans, who control the White House and Congress. ___ 2:40 p.m. The White House says President Donald Trump will not attend a fundraiser at his Florida estate because of the ongoing government shutdown in Washington. Budget director Mick Mulvaney says Trump will not appear at the high-dollar fundraiser Saturday night at his Palm Beach estate. Mulvaney also told reporters during a press briefing Saturday that Trump's participation in the World Economic Forum is up in the air. He says the White House is taking Trump's visit, as well as the planned attendance of much of the Cabinet at the Davos, Switzerland, event, "on a day by day basis." Trump is scheduled to depart Washington for the Swiss Alps on Wednesday evening. A number of White House staffers and agency advance teams are already on the ground awaiting his arrival. ___ 12:40 p.m. A Florida fundraiser celebrating President Donald Trump's first year in office will go on with or without him. That's according to a Trump campaign official who was not authorized to publicly discuss planning and spoke on condition of anonymity. Trump had hoped to spend the anniversary of his inauguration in Florida attending a high-dollar fundraiser taking place Saturday night at his Palm Beach estate. Instead, the president is reckoning with a federal government shutdown brought on by disagreement with lawmakers over what should be included in a government funding bill. Trump scrapped plans to depart Washington on Friday. It remains unclear whether he still plans to attend. Tickets start at $100,000 per couple and $250,000 to attend a round-table. The proceeds benefit a joint committee between Trump's campaign and the Republican National Committee. - By Associated Press writer Jill Colvin ___ 12:35 p.m. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi is rejecting a fallback plan by Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to pass a short-term spending plan through Feb. 8. Pelosi says "there's no point" in approving a short-term bill unless both sides agree on how to move forward. She and other Democrats said Saturday that they want "parity" on spending increases for defense and domestic programs such as opioid addiction and community health centers. Pelosi says that even without a dispute over immigration, Democrats would not agree to a GOP spending plan unless it pays for domestic programs Democrats consider crucial. Democrats have blamed the shutdown on Republicans, who control Congress and the White House. Republicans say Democrats are "holding our government hostage" to win protections for young immigrants brought to the country illegally as children. ___ 12:25 p.m. Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan says the partial government shutdown is "utter madness" and he is blaming it all on Senate Democrats. Ryan said Saturday that the Democrats are "deliberately holding our government hostage" to win protections for younger immigrants brought to the country illegally as children. He blasted Democrats for a filibuster on a House-passed stopgap funding bill that would keep the government open through Feb. 16 and reauthorize a health care program for 9 million children from low-income families. He accused them of "opposing a bill they don't even oppose." Ryan says, "We do some crazy things in Washington, but this is utter madness." Democrats are blaming the shutdown on Republicans, who control Congress and the White House. ___ 11:10 a.m. The White House says President Donald Trump phoned Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to discuss strategies to reopen the government. Deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley says Trump called the Republican Senate leader on Saturday morning. Gidley says chief of staff John Kelly is speaking with lawmakers and congressional leadership, while legislative affairs director Marc Short and budget director Mick Mulvaney are on Capitol Hill. The shutdown is marring the anniversary of Trump's inauguration. For a businessman who made his career selling himself as a deal-maker, he is struggling to find consensus with Congress on a funding agreement. The White House says Trump will not negotiate with Democrats over their demands to provide legal protections for roughly 700,000 young immigrants known as "Dreamers" until the government is reopened. ___ 11 a.m. Junior White House aides are using their out-of-office messages to assign blame to Democrats for the government shutdown. The automatic replies from White House assistant press secretaries Ninio Fetalvo and Natalie Strom say, "Unfortunately, I am out of the office today because congressional Democrats are holding government funding - including funding for our troops and other national security priorities- hostage to an unrelated immigration debate." Hundreds of nonessential White House staffers are barred by law from working during the shutdown. The three deputy press secretaries are still working, however, as is press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. President Donald Trump had been set to leave Friday for a fundraiser Saturday at his Florida estate marking the anniversary of his inauguration but delayed the trip over the shutdown. It's unclear if he will attend. ___ 10:25 a.m. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi is giving President Donald Trump an F for "failure in leadership" on the anniversary of his inauguration. Pelosi also slammed congressional Republicans on Saturday as the government shutdown began. In a speech on the House floor, Pelosi said Republicans who control the White House and hold majorities in the House and Senate are "so incompetent and negligent that they couldn't get it together to keep the government open." Pelosi urged Republicans to "get down to business for everyday people in America." She says Trump has tweeted that the country "needs a good shutdown." She says: "Your wish has come true for your one-year anniversary." Republicans have blamed Democrats for the shutdown. ___ 9:50 a.m. The White House says President Donald Trump will not negotiate immigration policy with Congress until the government reopens. Spokesman Hogan Gidley says it's "disgusting" that Senate Democrats "decided to just throw our military under the bus." Some government functions shut down at midnight Friday after the Senate failed to pass a short-term extension of government funding. Some Democrats voted against the bill because it did not include measures to shield from deportation immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children. Democrats demanded that immigration be included in the funding bill. The White House insists the issues be deal with separately. Trump in a tweet Saturday accused Democrats of being more concerned about immigrants in the country illegally than about the military. ___ 7:35 a.m. President Donald Trump is blaming Democrats for the government shutdown - tweeting that they wanted to give him "a nice present" to mark the one-year anniversary of his inauguration. He says Democrats "could have easily made a deal but decided to play Shutdown politics instead." And as part of a series of tweets hours after the shutdown began, the president is trying to make the case for Americans to elect more Republicans in the November elections "in order to power through this mess." Trump is accusing Democrats of being more concerned with "Illegal Immigrants than they are with our great Military or Safety at our dangerous" border with Mexico. He's also noting there are 51 Republicans in the Senate, and it takes 60 votes to move ahead on legislation to keep the government running - so some Democratic support is needed now. In Trump's view, "that is why we need to win more Republicans" in the midterm elections. ___ 2:36 a.m. The federal government has shut down. That means a halt to all but the most essential operations. And the shutdown is marring the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump's inauguration. It's a striking display of Washington dysfunction. Last-minute negotiations crumbled when Senate Democrats blocked a four-week extension. And that's led to the fourth government shutdown in a quarter-century. Leading Republicans and Democrats are now trying to work out a compromise to avert a lengthy shutdown. Congress has scheduled an unusual Saturday session to begin considering a three-week version of the short-term spending measure. Director of the Office of Management and Budget Mick Mulvaney speaks during a press briefing at the White House, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Director of the Office of Management and Budget Mick Mulvaney, left, stands as Marc Short, White House director for legislative affairs, speaks during a press briefing the White House, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Bangladesh made it two wins out of two in the triangular one-day international series by thrashing Sri Lanka in Mirpur. Tamim Iqbal made 84 for the second match in succession and Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim both passed 50 to help Bangladesh post 320 for seven from their 50 overs. And Shakib then took three for 47 as Sri Lanka were dismissed for just 157, giving Bangladesh victory by 163 runs, their largest winning margin in one-day internationals. Bangladesh batsman Tamim Iqbal made 84 for the second successive match (John Walton/PA) Thisara Perera top scored for Sri Lanka with 29 from just 14 balls, but wickets fell at regular intervals in an innings lasting only 32.2 overs. Perera had earlier taken three for 60 in Bangladeshs innings, which featured a 99-run partnership between Tamim and Shakib (67 from 63 balls) for the second wicket. A judge who heavily criticised a watchdog probe into alleged police collusion in a notorious loyalist atrocity has been asked to withdraw from the case amid claims he held a subconscious bias. Mr Justice McCloskey delivered a damning judgment against Northern Irelands Police Ombudsman Dr Michael Maguire last month, ruling that he had exceeded his statutory powers by declaring officers guilty of colluding in the Ulster Volunteer Force shootings in Loughinisland, Co Down in 1994. The Ombudsman and relatives of the six Catholic men shot dead have jointly applied for the judge to recuse himself because, as a barrister, he once represented one of the two retired police officers who mounted the judicial review challenge against Dr Maguires findings. The judge, who has insisted he has no memory of representing the officer in the 2002 case related to a separate Police Ombudsmans probe into the 1998 Omagh bomb, said he would take time to consider the application and announce his decision next week. In a landmark 2016 report, Dr Maguire found that Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers colluded in the UVF gun attack in the village of Loughinisland. Two loyalist gunmen burst into the Heights Bar and opened fire on locals watching the Republic of Ireland play Italy in USA 94. Two retired officers took judicial review proceedings against the Ombudsmans findings and judge McCloskey found in their favour in December. He has however yet to complete his judgment in respect of whether the Ombudsmans report should be formally quashed. The joint application for recusal has been submitted ahead of him issuing that decision, which had been expected on Friday. The issues were aired in court during over two hours of legal exchanges on Friday. Fiona Doherty QC, representing the families, said the application was being made with regret and only after careful consideration. She made clear she was not questioning the professional integrity of the judge but said his role in the historic case could lead to public unease about him presiding in the current proceedings. At the very least there is a doubt, she said. Where there is a doubt it should be resolved in favour of recusal. Barra McGrory QC, representing the Ombudsman, faced intense questioning from the judge over the merit of the application. Barra McGrory QC is representing the Ombudsman (Paul Faith/PA) Mr McGrory, Northern Irelands former Director of Public Prosecutions, said a reasoned independent observer might find it difficult to accept the judges assertion that he did not recall his involvement in a case related to such a high-profile atrocity as Omagh. The apprehension of bias, either direct or subconsciously, is all that needs to be established, he said. The judge highlighted that he was bound by a solemn oath to be rigorously impartial and he challenged lawyers to point him toward the slightest whiff of unconscious bias in his judgment. He suggested to Mr McGrory that a DPP would be bound by a similar duty to be impartial in all cases, regardless of who they had represented previously in their legal career. The judge also drew the courts attention to a judgment he had delivered in 2010 where he was highly critical about the conduct of police officers. David McMillen QC, representing the retired officers, said the application was absolutely without foundation. He said the judiciary had a proud record of independence in Northern Ireland, demonstrated during the violent years of the Troubles. A fair-minded observer wouldnt even think for one moment theres a real possibility of bias in this, he said. At the close of oral submissions, Justice McCloskey told the court he was faced with a complex and challenging decision. The effect is that its not possible for the court to indicate its decision now, he said. I regret that greatly because the families are going to be delayed once again. The judge said he would rule on the matter on January 26. He indicated that, if he decided to retain the case, he would then deliver his judgment on the fate of the Ombudsmans report. The men who died at Loughinsland were Adrian Rogan, 34, Malcolm Jenkinson, 53, Barney Green, 87, Daniel McCreanor, 59, Patrick OHare, 35, and Eamon Byrne, 39. Five others were wounded. Family members packed the High Court in Belfast for Fridays hearing. A petition launched by Russell Brand to permanently house the homeless people of Windsor as a wedding gift to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has reached more than 10,000 signatures in less than 24 hours. The comedian kicked off the campaign in response to Windsor and Maidenhead Council leader Simon Dudleys request for police to clear rough sleepers from the town ahead of the marriage of Harry and the American actress in May. Brands wish is for Slough Borough Council to buy an existing building to give to homeless charity SHOC (Slough Homeless Our Concern) in order to help the vulnerable people it supports. Russell Brand petition for homeless charity royal wedding gift tops 10,000 signatures (Andrew Matthews/PA) Within hours, the petition had reached nearly 15,000 signatures. Show love to Harry and Meghan AND help the homeless The petition: https://t.co/hqzVJJviVF pic.twitter.com/JngKdPxRBP Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) January 18, 2018 In a video, posted on Thursday, Brand said: You know Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are getting married, and that councillor guy said Weve got to cleanse all the homeless people off the streets of Windsor in some terrifying sort of eugenics, genocide, burn the books, burn the people-type language. One of the charities that will be affected by that are SHOC, a charity that Ive worked with for ages. They provide day care for homeless people and loads of advice and clothes and help, vital clothes and help. Brand said of course its not Prince Harry and Meghan Markles fault but it is an interesting indication that in order to make this wedding spick and span and spotless, the most vulnerable people in society are being exposed to yet more persecution. A HUGE thank you to the 10,812 of you who have signed the petition already! Let's try and get another 10k to make this happen - please sign and share if you feel inclined to do so. #WeddingPresenthttps://t.co/8euryBl8Eo Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) January 19, 2018 He added: That is why Im suggesting that, as a wedding present to Prince Harry and Meghan, we encourage, insist, push Slough Council to donate a building to SHOC. The building already exists all they have to do is sign a little bit of paper and the building can be used by SHOC to help the homeless that will be affected by this royal wedding and theyre already homeless. He said he hopes that if people group together to support his plea, they can put enough pressure on Slough Council to give the building to the homeless charity. In his petition, launched on Change.org, Brand wrote: It will cost them nothing but the ink in the pen to commit to a change of use for this building you know how easy it is to do that councils have to do it every time they turn an old office block to luxury flats. Two weeks ago, Prime Minister Theresa May said she disagreed with Mr Dudley, who had said that homeless people in Windsor could present the town in a sadly unfavourable light when the royal wedding takes place on May 19. He tweeted that some rough sleepers had made a commercial life choice praying (sic) on residents and tourists. In a letter to police, he complained about aggressive begging and intimidation, and bags and detritus on the streets. Mr Dudley later apologised for his comments and said he was not referring to genuine homeless people, and that he regretted referring to Harry and Ms Markles wedding at the time. A serial sex offender who repeatedly breached orders to stop him from looking at indecent images of children has been jailed for five years. Judge Michael Gledhill QC, sitting at Londons Southwark Crown Court, also told Christopher Wyn Jones, 60, his sentence was being extended to include five years on licence to protect the public from further offences. Wyn Jones, of High Street, Tonypandy, in Wales, was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment for possession of indecent photographs of children to run consecutively to two concurrent 30-month sentences for breaching a sexual harm prevention order. The sentence was handed down at Southwark Crown Court (Sean Dempsey/PA) He had previously pleaded guilty to all charges. Wyn Jones was on licence when these latest offences happened. He had been released after being given sentences totalling four years in 2013 for similar offences. The court was told that police went to the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in June 2017 after a report that indecent images were found on his iPad. His carer spotted that Wyn Jones, who is wheelchair-bound and suffering from a degenerative illness similar to Parkinsons disease, had been deleting images on his iPad. Police found an iPad by a settee when they searched his home in October 2017, despite Wyn Jones saying all his electronic devices had previously been taken away by the police. Two graphic indecent movies involving children were found on the iPad. The judge said the videos showed disgusting acts being inflicted against young girls and that Wyn Jones had lied to police about having the images. His first court appearance concerning indecent photographs of children dates back to 2007, the judge said. Prosecutor Andrew Davies described Wyn Jones as a determined person, aged 60, with a clear predilection for watching and contacting young girls. Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh city Peoples Committee Huynh Cach Mang (R) and Director of the French Anti-corruption Agency Charles Duchaine. (Source: VNA) At a reception for FAA Director Charles Duchaine in HCM city on January 18th, the official said the partnership between the two sides is expected to contribute to socio-economic development in each country. Mang expressed his delight at the fruitful development of the Vietnam-France relations, especially after the two countries agreed to lift their ties to a strategic partnership in 2013. The relationship between HCM city and France is also developing strongly, particularly cooperation between southern metropolis and French localities in economy, culture, arts and people-to-people exchange, he said. For his part, Charles Duchaine said that France and Vietnam need to support each other in order to improve their anti-corruption capacity. Lauding the local authoritys political determination in the combat, the FAA Director noted his hope that the FAA and the municipal Inspectorate will implement their cooperation programs and materialise the memorandum of understanding on cooperation in this field signed by the French agency and the Vietnam Government Inspectorate recently./. A coroner has appealed for witnesses to the Ballymurphy killings to come forward. Ten people were shot dead by the Army in west Belfast in August 1971. The inquest is due to begin in September into what relatives of the dead have called the Ballymurphy Massacre. A February 1 event at Belfast Metropolitan Colleges Springvale Campus will allow coroners staff to meet potential new witnesses or receive more information. The victims of the Ballymurphy killings (Ballymurphy Massacre Committee/PA) A statement from the service said: The coroner is appealing for all witnesses to the shootings who have not previously made statements (or those who have made statements and wish to add to those statements) to come forward and provide whatever information they can to assist with the inquest proceedings. An inquest in Belfast is scheduled to begin on September 10 under Justice Siobhan Keegan. A coroners statement said: If you were a witness to the shootings or if you have other information to provide about the shootings, this is an important opportunity for you to assist the inquest. You may also be asked to attend the inquest to give evidence, but the necessary arrangements for that will be made at a later stage. A Catholic priest and a mother of eight were among those gunned down during three days of shooting involving members of the Parachute Regiment in Ballymurphy. The deceased were Francis Quinn; Father Hugh Mullan; Noel Phillips; Joan Connolly; Daniel Teggart; Joseph Murphy; Edward Doherty; John Laverty; Joseph Corr; and John James McKerr. Theresa May and Donald Trump will meet for talks at the World Economic Forum in Davos next week, Downing Street said. The Prime Minister and the US President will hold a bilateral meeting on the margins of the Swiss summit due to be attended by leaders including India PM Narendra Modi, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau. The White House and Downing Street made the announcement just a day after reports Mr Trump would snub the PM at the gathering. The presidents press secretary, Sarah Sanders, tweeted that Mr Trump was looking forward to the meeting that would further strengthen the US-UK Special Relationship. Mr Trump celebrates his first full year in office on Saturday and is expected to mark the occasion with a gala dinner, while protests are planned in several cities. In London a demonstration by Stand Up To Racism is due to be held outside the new US Embassy in Nine Elms, south London. The new US Embassy opened this month (John Stillwell/PA) Earlier this month Mr Trump scrapped a February visit to the UK when he was expected to open the building. The president blamed the cost of the new embassy and its location south of the River Thames, saying it was a bad deal. His cancellation prompted media speculation that reasons for the snub included that Mr Trump had been offended by perceived slights against him by UK public figures. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson accused London Mayor Sadiq Khan of endangering the so-called special relationship after he said president had got the message from Londoners and would have been met by mass peaceful protests if he went ahead with the visit. The president has endured a turbulent relationship with Mrs May since taking office, with the Prime Minister publicly criticising statements he has made on Muslims, terrorism and climate change. In November the pair fell out spectacularly over his retweeting of anti-Muslim videos posted online by the deputy leader of the far-right Britain First group, Jayda Fransen. Their meeting this week will be the first time they have seen each other in person since the row. A Number 10 spokesman said: The Prime Minister will have a bilateral meeting with President Trump in the margins of the World Economic Forum at Davos in Switzerland next week. .@POTUS looks forward to having a bilateral meeting with @theresa_may in Davos next week to further strengthen the US-UK Special Relationship. Kayleigh McEnany 45 Archived (@PressSec45) January 19, 2018 Mr Trump is thought likely to use his appearance to promote his America First strategy at an event associated with the rise of globalisation. The event takes place at the upmarket ski-resort Davos between January 23 and 26, with business leaders, politicians and representatives from non-government organisations among those attending. Mr Trump will be the first sitting US president to attend the summit in person since Bill Clinton in 2000. US vice president Mike Pence has greeted soldiers at Shannon Airport in Ireland hours after the federal government shutdown in America. Mr Pence shook hands and posed for photos with the troops in the airport terminal during a re-fuelling stop by Air Force Two. Mr Pence told some of the troops: Well get this thing figured out in Washington. Vice President Mike Pence (Susan Walsh/AP) @mike Pence signing autographs for the troops at Shannon airport@ Ireland on our way to @cairo@ Covering Mid East trip .@ Alarabiya pic.twitter.com/s9elaNJXm3 Nadia.Bilbassy (@nadia_bilbassy) January 20, 2018 He is told the soldiers to stay focused on your mission. The vice president is travelling to the Middle East with stops in Egypt, Jordan and Israel. Actor Jake Wood has hailed his EastEnders co-star and on-screen daughter, actress Lorna Fitzgerald, as a grounded and amazing young woman as she bowed out of the soap. Too. Much. Sadness. As Walford says a final goodbye to Abi Branning. pic.twitter.com/FbwF4KAQhz BBC EastEnders (@bbceastenders) January 19, 2018 During Friday nights emotional instalment of the popular BBC One soap, the Branning family said goodbye to Fitzgeralds character, Abi, as her life support was switched off. WARNING: Embargoed for publication until 00:00:01 on 04/01/2018 - Programme Name: EastEnders -January-April 2018 - TX: 02/01/2018 - Episode: EastEnders - January-April 2018 - 5631 (No. 5631) - Picture Shows: Dr Notley (MIRANDA KEELING), Abi Branning (LORNA FITZGERALD), Max Branning (JAKE WOOD) - (C) BBC - Photographer: Jack Barnes Mother Tanya Branning (Jo Joyner) also returned for the episode where she accused her ex-husband, Max Branning (played by Wood) of killing their daughter. As you know @LornaFitz0 I am so proud of all the incredible work youve done over the last 12 years and more importantly of the grounded and amazing young woman youve become in that time. Its truly been an honour to watch you grow and flourish. Love ya x Jake Wood (@mrjakedwood) January 19, 2018 Following the episode, Wood tweeted: As you know @LornaFitz0 I am so proud of all the incredible work youve done over the last 12 years and more importantly of the grounded and amazing young woman youve become in that time. Its truly been an honour to watch you grow and flourish. Love ya x. Fitzgerald, who has been in the soap since 2006, replied saying she couldnt have asked for a better on screen dad!. Couldn't have asked for a better on screen Dad! You truly have been an incredible role model, I've learnt so much from you you're completely forgiven for the roof btw https://t.co/OOHYjDBIDs Lorna Fitzgerald (@LornaFitz0) January 19, 2018 She added: You truly have been an incredible role model, Ive learnt so much from you, jokingly adding a reference to the dramatic Christmas Day episode, writing: youre completely forgiven for the roof btw. The festive instalment saw both Branning sisters Abi and Lauren falling from the roof of the Queen Vic pub, with Lauren surviving. In September last year, EastEnders confirmed both Fitzgerald and Jacqueline Jossa, who plays Lauren, would be leaving the soap. A spokeswoman for the soap said: We can confirm that Jacqueline and Lorna will be leaving EastEnders. They have both been wonderful to work with and we wish them all the best for the future. Veteran broadcaster David Jensen has told of his fear at revealing he has Parkinsons disease, because he thought people might think less of me. The Radio 1 stalwart and DJ, also known by his nickname Kid, has been living with the disease for the past five years. The 67-year-old disclosed his condition in an official statement at the beginning of the week, explaining he wanted to demonstrate that it is possible to continue with so many aspects of ones life. Just seen the David Jensen Story on @itvnews - I had no idea and it made me sad. Lots of love to you David, be strong. One of the nicest people Ive ever worked with, a truly lovely man. X pic.twitter.com/Mywqb2uwvh Steve Penk (@StevePenk) January 16, 2018 In an interview with the Daily Mail, he explained he was afraid to speak out. I thought people might think less of me. He added: If a tremor started in my hands, I became very self-conscious and self-obsessive, worrying the whole world was looking at me. Jensen currently still presents on BBC Local Radio and also hosts another weekend show titled Kid Jensens Flashback 40. He told the paper: I want to show its not a death sentence. That its something you can live with and that there are far worse things that can happen to you than Parkinsons. DJ David Jensen arriving for the Sony Radio Awards in 2003 (PA wire). The Canadian-born radio personality made a name for himself on UK airwaves after he joined Radio Luxembourg in 1968 aged just 18, where he gained his moniker Kid because he was the youngest radio presenter in Europe at that time. In his initial statement, he said: When Billy Connolly and my old colleague, Sky Sports Dave Clark announced they had Parkinsons and started to raise funds for Parkinsons charities, I felt it was time for me, with the support of my friends and family to reveal my situation. I hope to be available to try and raise further awareness of Parkinsons and to be on hand to aid fundraising activities. Parkinsons is a neurological condition that causes problems in the brain and over time gets worse with no cure yet discovered. I am so appreciative of the support I have received from my wife Gudrun, who I have been married to for 43 wonderful years, my three children and seven grandchildren, who are all aware that I have Parkinsons and continue to provide so much love, support and understanding. Tottenham are increasingly confident of winning the race to sign Bordeaux forward Malcom this month. Press Association Sport understands Malcom, who has already scored seven goals in Ligue 1 this term, is keen to secure a Premier League move and wants to play in the Champions League. But a deal is being discussed that would loan the 20-year-old back to Bordeaux, who are fighting relegation and reluctant to lose a key player mid-season. 2eme acte : Relance de Jules Kounde, percee de Malcom et centre parfait pour la finition de Gaetan Laborde ! #ESTACFCGB pic.twitter.com/vEkjsmRwml FC Girondins de Bordeaux (@girondins) January 15, 2018 It is understood Malcom is happy to see the campaign out with his current team. Bordeaux brought the then 18-year-old to Europe from Corinthians only two years ago. Mauricio Pochettino would also struggle to include the Brazilian in his Champions League squad, which already boasts the full allocation of non-home grown players. Pochettino stayed tight-lipped when asked about Malcom on Friday. He has been linked with different clubs, Pochettino said. I dont want to speak about players that are in other clubs. Pochettino is hopeful Hugo Lloris can shake off a virus in time to face Southampton on Sunday, with Michel Vorm ready make his first league appearance in goal since April last year. Here at Spurs. TN - Lloris ill and being assessed, Alderweireld (hamstring) coming towards the end of his rehabilitation. Rose (knee), Winks (ankle) out. pic.twitter.com/wJ6MebcosU Tom Allnutt (@TomAllnutt_) January 19, 2018 Tottenham sit fifth in the table, three points adrift of the top four, having won eight of their last 10 matches. It is also five years ago this week Pochettino replaced Nigel Adkins as Southampton manager, when the Argentinian arrived with no experience in the Premier League. Its so special for me, Pochettino said. Five years ago, we played our first game. We knew only one or two words in English in that moment. Mauricio Pochettino has been a Premier League manager for five years (Yui Mok/PA) Southampton opened the door to England, the Premier League and opened a different language for me. Im so proud after five years how I can talk in front of you, with a few lessons, not too much. Im so proud to be part of the Saints history, it means a lot. A lot of people we love and be sure they love us. After 34 years, the changing of the guard has come with Mary Lou McDonald set to take over the role of Sinn Fein leader. The Dublin woman has been clear favourite for some time to replace Gerry Adams, one of the longest serving party leaders in the world. She was once described by her party colleague Caral Ni Chuilin as one of the most formidable women in politics. Sinn Fein party president, Gerry Adams and President elect Mary Lou McDonald I wont fill @GerryAdamsSF shoes but Ive brought my own and together we will walk a journey that will lead to a United Ireland - @MaryLouMcDonald pic.twitter.com/6tAxALphZk Sinn Fein (@sinnfeinireland) January 20, 2018 Born in 1969, Ms McDonalds background is very different from other leading Sinn Fein politicians. She was raised in the affluent Rathgar area of Dublin and was educated at Notre Dame, a private fee-paying school in the city. She is a graduate of Trinity College, University of Limerick and DCU. Her first formal link to politics was as a consultant and researcher with the Institute of European Affairs, a think tank run by Brendan Halligan, the former Labour TD. Irish unity is the best solution for this island and we will work to convince our unionist friends and neighbours of that - @MaryLouMcDonald Sinn Fein (@sinnfeinireland) January 20, 2018 In the late 1990s, she joined Fianna Fail in Dublin West, defecting to Sinn Fein shortly afterwards. In 2002, Ms McDonald was Sinn Feins candidate in Dublin West, but she failed to win a seat in the Dail (Irish parliament). But two years later, she made history by becoming the partys first MEP. By 2009, she was deputy leader of the party and in 2011 became a member of the Dail for Dublin Central. She is now set to become the partys first ever female leader. Anti-Trump protesters descended on the new site of the United States embassy on Saturday afternoon, declaring the US president a racist bigot and calling for Theresa May to cancel her meeting with him at the World Economic Forum in Davos next week. In a demonstration held to mark the first anniversary of Mr Trumps inauguration as US president, around 20 activists from the campaign group Stand up to Racism pushed over a mock wall they had built in front of the embassys recently opened site in Vauxhall, south London. It came a week after Mr Trump publicly cancelled a visit to Britain to open the new site because, he said, it had been sold for peanuts and was built in an off location of London. Bad deal. [They] Wanted me to cut ribbon-NO! Mr Trump wrote on Twitter at the time. Battling heavy rain, protesters chanted Donald Trump go away, racist, sexist, anti-gay, and from Calais to Mexico, all the walls have got to go. Many activists discussed Mr Trumps recent controversial remarks on immigration, when he was reported to have branded Haiti and some African states shithole countries in a White House meeting. From his attacks on immigrants to the outrageous #Muslimban, we will tear down Donald #Trump's racist wall! Thanks to everyone that turned out for today's protest at the new #USEmbassy pic.twitter.com/xjCOYCJ0QT Stand Up To Racism (@AntiRacismDay) January 20, 2018 Lewis Nielsen, an activist for Stand up to Racism, led much of the crowds chanting, and later said that Mr Trump will be met by the biggest demonstration in British history if he comes to the UK. Today marks a year since Trump came to office, said Mr Nielsen, 24. In that year, hes proved himself to be a racist, sexist bigot. Hes tried to bring in a Muslim ban, hes called the whole of Africa a shithole, he wants to build a wall in Mexico. Its incredibly important we oppose his racism. If a state visit is arranged it will be a huge mistake for the Government, because the city and the country would be shut down by some of the biggest protests. Michael Bradley, 50, who works for Stand up to Racism, said: The mans completely unacceptable and its pushing politics beyond what is acceptable. We think hes a racist and we think the reason he didnt come to Britain is he knows there would have been millions of people out on the streets. If he came to Britain, it would be absolutely unimaginable, the level of protest at every level of British society. The demonstration came on the same day that the US federal government plunged into a shutdown after the Senate could not agree on a new budget. Affecting hundreds of thousands of federal workers, the shutdown is the first in US history to occur while the same party the Republicans controls both Congress and the White House. Activist Ben Studd, 37, added that a Trump visit to London would whip up anti-Muslim prejudice and endanger British Muslims. Every time somebody in the media makes Islamophobic comments, every time theres a terrorist attack, people are attacked in the streets, he said. Anti-Trump protesters outside the new US Embassy in Nine Elms, London (Yui Mok/PA) Saturdays demonstration was one of a number of anti-Trump protests held in Britain since he was elected president in November 2016. In January 2017 thousands took to the streets of London and other British cities to take part in the Womens March. Later that month, thousands of protesters in London, Glasgow, Newcastle, Birmingham, and other cities marched on the streets to protest against Mr Trumps controversial executive order that imposed a 90-day ban on residents from seven Muslim-majority nations. Kyren Wilson stunned Judd Trump with a spectacular comeback as he reached the final of the Dafabet Masters at Alexandra Palace. The 26-year-old Englishman will be chasing the biggest title of his career on Sunday after setting up a clash with Scotlands John Higgins or Northern Irelands Mark Allen, who meet later on Saturday. World number three Trump led 5-2, but Wilson turned the match around, forcing a decider with a 107 break. One of the greatest comebacks in Masters history WHAT a performance from @KyrenWilson, back from 5-2 down to beat Judd Trump for the 2018 @dafabet Masters final! #dafabetmasters pic.twitter.com/UZrcz9rlpA World Snooker Tour (@WeAreWST) January 20, 2018 Wilson, chasing what would be his first Triple Crown title, took the all-important 11th frame with a run of 72 against the pre-match favourite to secure a memorable 6-5 win. The world number 14, who coasted past twice former Masters winner Mark Williams 6-1 in their quarter-final, looked to be heading out as Trump took control with four half-century breaks to move within one frame of victory. Wilson, though, took inspiration from the late Paul Hunter winner of the Masters title three times between 2001 and 2004 when it was played at Wembley Conference Centre to produce a stirring recovery. People ask why we called @KyrenWilson the warrior... That is why! @WorldSnooker1 Taylor Wilson (@Taylor8wilson) January 20, 2018 Hunter was famous for his Masters fightbacks, and Wilson came up with one of his own. People keep calling me The Warrior and I thought to myself, I havent won a comeback in years, Im going to stick in there and, this venue, funny things can happen here, Wilson said on BBC Two. The late, great Paul Hunter made some awesome comebacks and I was thinking of him a little bit and trying to draw a little bit of inspiration from some of the comebacks he made and I just managed to stick in there. Wilson felt he had been given an opportunity to spark a fightback after Trump took a liberty with a pot attempt when appearing well set to close out victory. Kyren Wilson is chasing a first Triple Crown title after reaching the final of the Dafabet Masters at Alexandra Palace. (Steven Paston/PA Wire) It let me settle and I just needed one frame to get my arm going from 5-2 down to get back into the match, Wilson added. I just thought to myself, Right, I am going to go for it now, and when opportunities came I thought I just had to start taking them, whether taking a risk or not. I just started to grow in confidence and find my game. While pharmaceutical import has maintained a two-digit increase for many consecutive years, the imports of pharmaceutical raw materials have slightly decreased, data from the General Department of Customs showed. Most of Vietnams pharmaceutical supply markets are European countries. France and Germany are the two largest markets with turnovers of USD342 million and USD316 million, respectively, accounting for over 23% of the total. Its noteworthy that imports from India, Vietnams third largest suppliers, grew exponentially to 40 times the volume of the same period in 2016. Insufficient resources to invent new drugs and the limited number of businesses with technology meeting the high standards of the EUs Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) or Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme (PIC/S) are the main cause of the sharp increase in pharmaceutical imports in recent years, according to a report by market research firm Business Monitor International (BMI). With limited manufacturing capability, Vietnam has to import 55% of drugs it needs every year. In 2016, Vietnam imported USD2.5 billion worth of drugs, data from BMI showed. In 2017, domestic sales were expected to reach USD5.2 billion, an increase of about 10% over a year earlier, and expected to maintain a double-digit growth over the next five years, according to BMI. Imports of pharmaceutical products increased from USD2.035 million in 2014 to USD2.32 billion in 2015 and USD2.563 billion in 2016. Vietnamese pharmaceutical market is showing a positive growth with estimated revenues of USD5.2 billion last year, up 10%, and is forecast to achieve double-digit growth over the next five years./. A man and woman in their 20s have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 53-year-old man was found dead at a flat in east Belfast, police have said. The man was found at a property in the London Road area on Saturday morning. He had sustained a number of injuries to his head and face, according to the Police Service of Northern Ireland. A murder investigation has been launched and a post-mortem examination will be carried out to establish the exact cause of death, police said. Police have appealed for witnesses The 25-year-old man and 26-year-old woman were arrested at the scene and were still in custody on Saturday afternoon. Detective Chief Inspector Geoff Boyce, who is leading the murder investigation, said: I am appealing for witnesses, or anyone who may have information about this crime, to get in touch with the investigation team by calling 101, quoting reference 347 of January 20. 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. The greeting of American soldiers by US Vice President Mike Pence at Shannon Airport raises questions over Irish neutrality, Sinn Fein has said. Aengus O Snodaigh TD said the meeting highlights the erosion of Irish neutrality. Mr Pence shook hands and posed for photographs with the troops in the airport terminal during a re-fuelling stop by Air Force Two on Saturday morning. Mike Pence shook hands and posed for photographs with the troops in the airport terminal (Niall Carson/PA) The soldiers were on their way to Kuwait. Honored to see troops based out of Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado while refueling in Ireland. They are headed to Kuwait for a six month deployment. Its disappointing to every American that Democrats in the Senate would shutdown the gov't when we have troops in harms way. pic.twitter.com/xzCh0H3V8K Vice President Mike Pence Archived (@VP45) January 20, 2018 Mr Pence was travelling to the Middle East with stops in Egypt, Jordan and Israel. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was also at Shannon Airport on Saturday morning to meet officials about the growth in passenger numbers. He did not meet with Mr Pence. It is understood both men were in the airport at different times. Im visiting @ShannonAirport this morning. Delighted to see it doing so well & growing its passenger numbers since it gained independence when I was Transport Minister. Here I am meeting Chairwoman Rose Hynes. pic.twitter.com/E2NW2xy1Za Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) January 20, 2018 Mr Pence later tweeted about his refuelling stop at Shannon. He said: Honoured to see troops based out of Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado while refueling in Ireland. They are headed to Kuwait for a six-month deployment. Mr O Snodaigh said the incident shows how much Irish neutrality has been undermined by successive Irish governments. That the US vice-president could address US soldiers, supposedly on their way to the Middle East, in the civilian airport in Shannon, shows just how much successive Irish governments have undermined Irish neutrality. These images are a stark reminder that the civilian Shannon Airport has virtually become a forward base for the US army to carry out military operations and exercises, he said. Mr O Snodaigh added: Sinn Fein has always stated that the US militarys use of Shannon Airport makes a mockery of Irish neutrality and the Irish Governments supposed commitment to neutrality. He said he is to raise the issue with the defence minister next week. Sergio Aguero scored a hat-trick as Manchester City restored their 12-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a 3-1 win over Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium. Aguero glanced home a Kevin De Bruyne cross to break the deadlock in the 34th minute then added his second from the penalty spot midway through the second half. Jacob Murphy gave Newcastle hope with a composed finish to reduce the deficit but Aguero wrapped up victory by firing home after a dazzling piece of work by Leroy Sane. PA Graphics What they said Tweet of the match Aguero completes his hattrick after Sane beats 37 Newcastle defenders. Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) January 20, 2018 Star man Sergio Aguero Aguero maintained his stunning scoring record against Newcastle (Martin Rickett/PA) It was hardly Agueros most vintage display in a light-blue shirt but the Argentine still managed to single-handedly steer City back to winning ways. With the faintest of touches to break the deadlock, a coolly-taken penalty and a fine finish after Leroy Sane did the hard work, Aguero simply underlined that when when his side needs him most, he will always be where it counts. Moment of the match Sane dazzled the Newcastle defence to set up Agueros third (Martin Rickett/PA) Leroy Sanes role in Citys victory was hardly high-profile until his stunning piece of skill confirmed victory late on. With his side looking set to hold out for a nervous 2-1 triumph, Sane dribbled into the left side of the Newcastle box and turned a series of Magpies defenders inside-out before crossing for Aguero to complete his hat-trick. View from the bench Pep Guardiola got the better of his compatriot Rafael Benitez again (Martin Rickett/PA) Pep Guardiola will be the first to acknowledge that it was far from a perfect performance, but after the trauma of last weeks defeat to Liverpool, an ultimately comfortable victory over a defensive-minded Newcastle was exactly what he required. Guardiola will be particularly pleased with the performance of stand-in left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko on his first league start. For Magpies boss Rafael Benitez, one can only predict a bleak short-term future with his side still teetering close to the relegation zone and the apparent collapse of a takeover leaving major questions over his ability to buy his way out of trouble. Ratings Manchester City: Ederson 6, Kyle Walker 7, John Stones 6, Nicolas Otamendi 6, Oleksandr Zinchenko 7, Fernandinho 6, Kevin De Bruyne 8, David Silva 6, Raheem Sterling 7, Leroy Sane 7, Sergio Aguero 8. Subs: Bernardo Silva (for Sterling, 86) 5, Brahim Diaz (for Sane, 87) 5. Newcastle: Karl Darlow 6, Javier Manquillo 6, Jamaal Lascelles 6, Ciaran Clark 7, Paul Dummett 7, Jacob Murphy 8, Jonjo Shelvey 7, Mohamed Diame 7, Isaac Hayden 6, Christian Atsu 6, Joselu 6. Subs: Ayoze Perez (for Atsu, 64) 5, DeAndre Yedlin (for Manquillo, 66) 5, Dwight Gayle (for Joselu, 77) 5. Whos up next? Man City face a Carabao Cup trip to Bristol City (Martin Rickett/PA) Bristol City v Manchester City (Carabao Cup, January 23) Chelsea v Newcastle (FA Cup, January 28) A hotel fire in Prague city centre has killed at least two people and injured dozens more. Prague rescue service spokeswoman Jana Postova said eight people had been rushed to hospital with serious injuries after the blaze broke out in the hotel, named by firefighters as Eurostars David, on Saturday evening. Ms Postova said that three people had to be resuscitated. Firefighters and rescuers work at the scene of the blaze (AP) Prague mayor Adriana Krnacova, who was at the scene, expressed condolences to the relatives of the victims who have not been immediately identified. No further details were available. The hotel is located near the Vltava river in the Prague 2 district, which is walking distance from the citys historical centre. Scarlett Johansson has praised the Me Too movement for bringing hope of equality as she addressed thousands who joined Womens Marches on the anniversary of Donald Trumps inauguration as US president. She told an estimated 500,000 protesters in Downtown Los Angeles on Saturday how the Harvey Weinstein revelations led her to consider how she had been treated as a young actress. Wearing a Times Up top, she said: As the rage settled in it gave way to other feelings sadness and, unexpectedly, guilt and grieving. Suddenly I was 19 again and I started to remember all the men Id known who took advantage of the fact I was a young woman who didnt yet have the tools to say no. Johansson says viewers must lead the way (Ian West/PA) Many of her relationships, both personal and professional, had power dynamics so off that she let herself be degraded, she said. I stand before you as someone who is empowered not only by the curiosity about myself and by the active choices that Im finally able to make and stand by, but by the brightness of this movement, the strength and the unity that this movement has provided, she said. It gives me hope that we are moving toward a place where our sense of equality can truly come from within ourselves. She was among Hollywood stars joining marchers marking a year since more than one million people worldwide rallied on Mr Trumps first day in the White House. The latest demonstration comes at a time of reckoning for many powerful men in Hollywood and other industries over their treatment of women, courtesy of the Me Too movement. Viola Davis shared her own experiences to echo the march organisers sentiment to encourage people to sign up to vote in Novembers mid-term elections, which could deal a blow to the president. Im always introduced as an award-winning actor but my testimony is one of poverty, my testimony is one of being sexually assaulted and very much seeing a childhood that was robbed from me, Davis said. I know that the trauma of those events are still with me today and thats what drives me to the voting booth, thats what allows me to listen to the women who are still in silence. Eva Longoria told protesters to seize the Me Too momentum to fight for equality and decried the sexist, racist rhetoric coming out of the White House. As we build upon the momentum of Me Too and Times Up in this movement, we women have the worlds attention so lets seize this moment and catalyse a permanent and cultural shift towards fairer and equal treatment in the workplace, she said. Alfre Woodard said that people must reach across boundaries to fight for a common cause in this dangerous and baffling hour. Many at last years rallies focused their outrage on Mr Trumps policies and alleged behaviour, which includes denied claims of sexual assault by multiple women and his boasting of grabbing women by the pussy. The pink, pointy-eared pussy hats used to mock the commander-in-chief made a popular return. As hundreds of thousands took to the streets, Mr Trump tweeted that it was a perfect day for women to celebrate the economic success and wealth creation of his first year in the White House. The marchers disagreed. Anti-Trump sentiments were strong among the placards, but so were pro-immigrant messages and those in favour of womens rights, including one reading Girls just want to have fun-damental rights. The main march this year was held in Las Vegas, but others took to the streets in cities including New York City and Washington DC. UK cities will hold marches on Sunday including a London demonstration in support of the Times Up initiative. England are considering travelling to Tbilisi during one of the fallow weeks of the NatWest 6 Nations to test their scrum against Georgia. Eddie Jones is examining the options as he looks to repeat the experience of engaging in a live training session with another nation after a successful head to head with Wales in Bristol before last autumns trio of victories at Twickenham. Eddie Jones wants to test his forwards against a better scrum (Adam Davy/PA) Georgia are feared scrummagers and Jones sees the value in uprooting his forwards from their base in Bagshot and exposing them to the expertise of a team desperate to be granted entry into the Six Nations. Tbilisi has a great red wine. Its fantastic. And the meat is good good Roman bars, Jones said. Georgia have a massive scrum and they have the strongest pack in the world. Their babies are born with beards! Tbilisi is a nice place at this time of year so we could potentially go there. We have got plans because we have got a couple of fallow weeks. We have got a good relationship with Scotland, Wales, dont know about Ireland too far to go Ireland Georgia and Italy. So there is potential. .@GeorgianRugby is growing. What's the next step for the proud rugby nation? pic.twitter.com/94rG6EaIF2 World Rugby (@WorldRugby) December 4, 2017 We are looking to improve our training and get a higher quality of opposition. The players absolutely loved it against Wales because when they train they want to get something out of it. If they want to train and just go through the motions they are the wrong players. Our players are developing a great attitude that they want to train to get better. The only way you get better is to scrummage against people who are better than you. Kyle Sinckler is a fiery prop who retains Eddie Jones support (Paul Harding/PA) Wherever in Europe the session takes place, combustible prop Kyle Sinckler will play a full role if he has convinced Jones that he warrants perseverance. Sinckler emerged as a tighthead with a promising future during last years British and Irish Lions tour but has since lost his way in a slump that reached its nadir when he was banned for seven weeks in October for gouging. Now is the test for him how much he really wants it otherwise hes going to become a pantomime character, Jones said. He has got to show he really wants to be a test prop and we are going to back him a hundred percent and give him every opportunity because hes a good kid. Im going to back him to come through. A pilot on a British Airways flight who was suspected of being drunk was arrested at Gatwick Airport on Thursday evening. Sussex Police said they received a call at 8.25pm on Thursday regarding a member of airline staff suspected to have been under the influence of alcohol. The flight, from Gatwick to Mauritius, was scheduled to leave at 8.20pm on Thursday, but the plane was left waiting at the gate while airline staff looked for a third pilot. The flight was due to leave Gatwick for Mauritius A 49-year-old man from Harmondsworth, Hillingdon, was arrested on suspicion of performing an aviation function while his alcohol level was over the prescribed limit, police said. He was taken into custody and later released under investigation. British Airways said it was taking the matter extremely seriously. We are sorry for the delay to our customers, said a spokesperson. The aircraft remained at the gate until an alternative third pilot joined the crew. The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority. The airline added that it is assisting police with inquiries. AFP: Facebook has emerged as the top site for wildlife trafficking in the Philippines, a watchdog said yesterday, with thousands of endangered crocodiles, snakes and turtles illegally traded in just three months. Monitoring network TRAFFIC said Facebook had not done enough to shut down the trade, which saw more than 5,000 reptiles from 115 species put up for sale on its discussion groups from June to August 2015 alone. Facebook is the platform of choice for illegal traders in the Philippines because of its popularity and insufficient internal monitoring enforcement, the report said. This magnitude of commerce in live wild animals online is just mind-boggling, said Serene Chng, TRAFFICs programme officer for Southeast Asia. The groups where live reptile advertisements were posted had more than 350,000 members when the study began, with numbers growing 11 percent in two months. Most transactions were completed using Facebooks Messenger service, the report said, adding that trading continues on the platform despite periodic government raids. Over half the species bought and sold were protected internationally and by the Philippines wildlife act, which carries jail terms and fines. The radiated tortoise, black spotted turtle, Bengal monitor lizard, and Dumerils boa - all threatened with extinction were among them, as well as the critically endangered Philippine crocodile and Philippine forest turtle. In one transaction, a trader also used an unnamed ride-sharing service to deliver wildlife to a buyer. This small snapshot reinforces how social media has taken over as the new epicentre of wildlife trade, Chng said. A statement from Facebooks PR firm said the site does not tolerate wildlife trade and is working with TRAFFIC to tackle the problem. Facebook does not allow the sale and trade of endangered animals and we will not hesitate to remove any material that violates our community standards when it is reported to us, it said. TRAFFICs regional spokeswoman Elizabeth John said that Facebook was seeking additional information in order to take action and that the watchdog was helping it liaise with Philippine authorities. Findings from the study were used to launch raids on suspected illegal traders in Manila and other areas last year, TRAFFIC said, with numerous arrests made. Philippine customs authorities also intercepted packages with illegal wildlife destined for China, Sweden, and the United States. JVP MP Sunil Hadunnetti said yesterday the appointing of a committee headed by Minister Tilak Marapana to recommend action in the event any UNPer was involved in the Central Bank bond scam was worse than appointing the Pitipana Committee to probe bond scam. He said the minister was the first person in the present government to resign from his portfolio because of his alleged involvement in Avant-Garde incident and was a national list MP appointed by UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. Will the minister hold the Prime Minister, who brought him to parliament, responsible for the scam? Mr. Marapanas brother is the lawyer appearing for Perpetual Treasuries Ltd on behalf of Arjun Aloysius. It is like Horage Ammagen Pena Ahanawa Wage How we can expect any justice from him, the MP said. He said any attempt to clear anyone from the bond scam would further establish their involvement in the scam. Every attempt made to get away from the scam has been futile. It will further establish their involvement in the scam. If the recommendations of the Bond Commission were implemented, all the politicians and officials held responsible by the commission would be found guilty, the MP said. He said if the COPE committee had not revealed the scam and made its recommendations, this scam would have been swept under the carpet. (Ajith Siriwardana) Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong would visit Sri Lanka on January 22 on a three-day official visit, at the invitation of President Maithripala Sirisena, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said yesterday. The Singaporean Premier will be received at the Presidential Secretariat on Tuesday morning with an official guard of honour and gun salute that will be followed by official bilateral discussions with President Sirisena. A Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Sri Lanka and Singapore will be signed following bilateral talks. During the visit, Prime Minister Lee will also meet Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and discuss economic, trade and investment cooperation between the two countries. The visiting Prime Minister is also scheduled to attend a Business Forum in which leading businesspersons and investors from both Singapore and Sri Lanka will be present. The Ministry said that this is the first time in 13 years that a Singaporean Prime Minister undertakes an official visit to Sri Lanka. It is not a bad thing for us, that the route known as the Goldene Strae or the Golden Road as we will get to know it- has escaped the attention of so many. It has been spared being overrun by hordes of tourists and as you will discover the The revenue from operations came in at Rs 6,879 crore, 12 per cent higher than the trailing quarter. New Delhi: Billionnaire Mukesh Ambani's telecom arm Reliance Jio, which has been blamed for the declining profitability in the sector, today broke into profits in just second quarter of commercial operations on the back of its cheap data offerings. Reliance Jio posted net profit of Rs 504 crore for the three months ended December 31, 2017, against a loss of Rs 271 crore in September quarter. Ambani had returned to the telecom sector in September 2016 with Jio's disruptive offerings of free voice and data that weaned away subscribers from established operators. Jio started commercial operations in second quarter of 2017-18 fiscal. It has often been blamed by the industry for falling profits and financial distress in the sector. Bharti Airtel, India's largest telecom operator yesterday reported its seventh straight quarter of profit decline. The Sunil Mittal-promoted company reported over 39 per cent fall in its consolidated net profit for the third quarter this fiscal to about Rs 306 crore. Jio today claimed it is world's fastest growing digital services platform and country's largest wireless data subscriber base. "Jio's strong financial result reflects the fundamental strength of the business, significant efficiencies and right strategic initiatives. Jio has demonstrated that it can sustain its strong financial performance," Mukesh Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Industries said in a statement. The company is committed to push newer innovative products, which would radically transform customer lives and generate huge societal value, he added. The revenue from operations came in at Rs 6,879 crore, 12 per cent higher than the trailing quarter. The earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) jumped 82.1 per cent sequentially to end at Rs 2,628 crore during December quarter. The operating profit margin improved quarter-over-quarter to 38.2 per cent (23.5 per cent in September quarter). Jio's subscriber base as on December 31, 2017 stood at 160.1 million. The gross subscriber addition stood at 27.8 million during the quarter with net subscriber addition at 21.5 million. Jio's average revenue per user was pegged at Rs 154 each subscriber per month. Amongst other operational metrics, Jio logged total wireless data traffic of 431 crore GB (9.6 GB per subscriber per month), while the overall voice traffic was 31,113 crore minutes. The video consumption crossed 200 crore hours per month on the network (13.4 hours of video consumption per subscriber per month), the statement added. The company said it is on track to achieve 99 per cent population coverage during the year. The growth in Jio's subscriber base is getting further accelerated through the launch of JioPhone -- its 4G-enabled feature phone priced at "effective" zero, that wooed low income users with life-long free voice calls and cheap data bundled with the handset. "Reliance Retail is geared to increase capacity of supply of JioPhone, considering the tremendous response from Indians to embrace Digital Life," Jio statement said. Mumbai/New Delhi: A few days back, some Rajput women claimed that they will commit suicide if Padmaavat releases. But it looks like they have taken U-turn, as now they want the director of the film, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, to commit suicide. "Why should those women commit jauhar? It is Bhansali who will have to commit jauhar. Hum Bhansali ki chita jalayenge," Ramwati Kanwar of the Kshatriya Mahila Sangh told Hindustan Times. According to a report on Times Of India, a delegation comprising members of Kshatriya Samaj and an NGO on Friday met the management of two Thane malls and gave them a memorandum requesting them not to screen Padmaavat, which will release on Janaury 25. Dhananjay Singh, president of Kshatriya Samaj, said, We had planned a mega rally against the film release, but denied permission. Hence, we requested the mall authorities not to run the movie. When asked about their plan of action plan if the movie is screened, he said they would take the decision at that time. Not only that, senior advocate Harish Salve, received a death threat. An FIR was filed for the same. The Delhi police on Friday registered an FIR against unknown person for threatening senior advocate Harish Salve. Salve, who represented the producer of Padmaavat in Supreme Court, had earlier alleged that he had received life threats over phone. The callers reportedly claimed that they were from Karni Sena, the group which is protesting against the release of the epic drama. Earlier on Thursday, the apex court stayed notifications issued by four states - Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat - to ban the release of the film 'Padmaavat'. In its interim order, the court said all states are constitutionally obliged to maintain law and order and prevent any untoward incident during the screening of the film after permission has been granted by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The flick has run into trouble time and again, as members of several Rajput factions have accused the director of the film, Bhansali of distorting history. Starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor in lead roles, the film is all set to release on January 25. The makers released three dialogue promos from the film. Here they are: Mumbai: Ranveer Singh has impressed many with his transformation as Alaudin Khilji for Padmaavat. The actor gained kilos as his character required the same, but the dedication he showed for that movie, and later for Gully Boy is applaud-worthy. Ranveer in fact shared an image about his physical transformation for both the movies, and theres one word for it wow. Heres the image he shared: The actor has lost as much as 7 kgs for the Zoya Akhtar directorial, and this before-after transformation is something to look forward to. Padmaavat has finally got a solo release and is being appreciated as much as criticized. Now Ranveer is back on the sets of Zoya Akhtars Gully Boy, which also stars Alia Bhatt. Priyanka Chopra on the sets of 'Quantico' in New York. (Photo: Instagram) Mumbai: Despite proving that she is a Desi Girl by shining at numerous events at her recent trip back home, the truth is that Priyanka Chopras second home America is very much her actual home right now. The Global Star headed back straight to the sets of her hit TV series Quantico upon reaching USA and since then, the actress has been shooting back-to-back. While the pictures from the shoot have been going viral, her latest photos have generated the maximum buzz. Priyanka was recently snapped passionately kissing her co-star Alan Powell on the streets of New York for a sequence in the series. Showing off her legs in a black high-slit outfit and furry jacket, the actress is definitely looking sizzling hot. It is not the first time that the actress has shot for steamy scenes for Quantico, with ones in the previous seasons also making headlines. Looking at this picture, we have no doubts that this scene will also set the Internet on fire when the third season hits the screens on April 26. While most quarters have good things to say about Akshays decision to push Pad Mans release, sources claim that it was marked by a little self-interest The Hindi film industry, always portrayed as a harsh and mean world, where each person looks out only for ones own interest, witnessed a rare instance of solidarity on Friday. Akshay Kumar, whose biographical film Pad Man was to release at the same time as Sanjay Leela Bhansalis controversial Padmaavat, deferred the release of his film at the latters request. Much to the Padmaavat teams relief, the film is all set for a solo release on the most lucrative weekend of our Republic Day. While Bhansalis magnum opus has seen the lowest of lows what with the sets being vandalised, the lead actors being threatened and the release being postponed several times, the industry has backed Bhansali right from the start. And this is the most tangible example of Bollywoods solidarity yet. In fact, Akshays entire team is with him on this decision. Says his co-producer Prerna Arora of Kriarj Films, Just a week before our films release, without any prior intimation, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, came to Akshay sir requesting that we postpone Pad Man. It was a very unusual request considering we were just days away from release. But Akshay agreed immediately. Prerna further states that this event sets a precedent for other actors, directors and producers who pit their films against each other in a bid to come out on top. They should learn from this experience. By moving ahead by two weeks at the last minute, Akshay has shown there can be solidarity in the film fraternity, she says. Prernas partner, Arjun N. Kapoor also agrees that this unity is not just welcome but also needed in the industry. The other side of the coin Despite the teams profuse admiration for Akshay, the move isnt as magnanimous as it may seem. While the entire industry is busy commending the actor-producers largesse, the generous gesture was not without a pinch of self-interest. A source in the know informs us, It was a marvellous marketing manoeuvre. In one stroke, Akshay made himself out to be the hero rescuing Padmaavat from its crisis. But look closer. He actually did his own film a favour. His entire marketing team advised him to pull out of the January 25 release slot after Padmaavat came into the picture. With Padmaavat around, Pad Man would have lost at least 45 percent of its intended viewership. Also, with all the threats of violence hovering over Padmaavat, the multiplex theatres screening both Padmaavat and Pad Man would have witnessed a reduction in visitors. Families wary of unrest would have stayed away from both. Furthermore, it is believed Bhansali did not want to be the one to approach Akshay. Hed wanted to send a Viacom 18 representative to do the job. However, the team felt that the request would sound more genuine if it came from the director himself. Whatever their motivations though, it seems that both the much-awaited films have got their share of positive response and limelight from their fans, who are geared up for a couple of power-packed weeks of cinema-going. With inputs from Dyuti Basu and Subhash K. Jha On Thursday, Nandamuri Balakrishna made a surprise announcement at his felicitation ceremony by the Brahmin community. I am planning to play Ramanujacharyas (Hindu theologian) role and want to make the film on my 60th birthday, he said. Though the actor didnt disclose any details about the director or the technicians, he made an announcement about the film as he felt that it was the best occasion to reveal it. The actor, who played Satakarni and Krishnadevaraya in his earlier films, revealed that he wanted to portray Ramanuja. My father did a film on Brahmanaidu, which showed that all people are the same. Ramanuja also said that there is no caste or religion, and that everyone comes under one umbrella, said Balakrishna. Meanwhile, his latest film Jai Simha is doing well at the box-office and a particular scene in the film tells about the importance of Brahmins in society. Pleased by this, the AP and Telangana Brahmin Asosications came forward to felicitate the actor. When we were shown in a bad light, we fought against those films and filmmakers; this film has highlighted us, so we want to give our blessing to the makers, said Dronamraju Ravi Kumar, Secretary of the All India Brahmins Federation. He said that many filmmakers were showing the community in poor light and requested Balakrishna to help prevent the same in the future. To which the actor responded, I will talk to the filmmakers and also the concerned Movie Artistes Association not to degrade the community in the films. Balakrishna also showed his command over the Telugu language by reciting a few poems from the Puranas and explaining the importance of Brahmins. Vikram Sirikonda is making his directorial debut with Touch Chesi Choodu, starring Ravi Teja. Interestingly, he turned writer unexpectedly with the film Konchem Ishtam Konchem Kashtam. Director Dolly is a good friend of mine and asked me to write for that film, says Vikram, who also worked as a screenwriter for the films Mirapakayi and Race Gurram, both of which were hits. When I was working for Mirapakayi, Ravi Teja offered me the directors role, he shares, admitting that it took him quite long to accept the offer. A still from Touch Chesi Choodu Though the basic plot of Touch Chesi Choodu is by writer Vakkantham Vamsi, I told the actor and producer that I wanted to develop the story on my own and give credit to Vamsi. They all agreed, reveals the Chemical Engineering graduate. I even worked in DRDO for a month, but left the job because I am passionate about cinema, he says. Son of Madhava Rao, a popular theatre artiste from Warangal, Vikram shares that he wanted to join films from the beginning. From childhood, I used to go to shootings because of my father, who knew a few people in the industry. I first joined as an associate director to V.V. Vinayak for films like Samba and Bunny, he shares. Talking about writers turning into directors, he says, I wanted to become a director from the beginning, Usually writers dont get credit for a films success as the credit mainly goes to the director and actor. If the film becomes a super success, the director and the lead actors remunerations go up, but not the writers. So I wanted to be a director. Artist, sculptor and engineer - there's very little Ranjan Ramachandran can't do with his hands. 2018 is a special year for the creative colossus: he was chosen to make a model of the Gommateshwara Temple in Shravanabelagola to mark the Mahamasta-kabhisheka here in Bengaluru. His is a remarkable story, marked by the relentless pursuit of his passions. He talks to Ranjani Madhavan about growing up with Kuvempu's son, his life as an engineer and how he made his name in the art world . At 56, Ranjan Ramachandran exudes an unmistakable air of vitality, pacing constantly to balance out a mind bursting with ideas. He awaits us at Lalbagh's Glass House, standing beside his 18-foot-tall creation, the International Mahamastakabhisheka -2018 logo. Bhagwan Bahubali towers up through the middle, his giant body cast in fibre-reinforced plastic and resin. Ramachandran has devoted himself to detail, made visible in the nuances of the idol's expressions, his large years and his curly hair. Water flows from the top, to represent continuous Abhisheka. Held once in 12 years, the Mahamasta kabhisheka held at Shravanabelagola draws crowds from across the country, who throng the spot to bathe and annoint Bahubali's Gomateshwara statue. It is the glory of this scene that Ramachandran has attempted to recreate, in an initiative sponsored by the Mahamastakabhisheka committee. Built to scale, the model is a splendid replica of the hillock in Shravanabelagola, standing at 15-feet tall, 35-feet wide and 60-feet in length from front to back. "Above the hill, the idol measures 15 feet from the waist up," Ranjan explains. "In total, the idol is about 30 feet tall." A project like this would take nearly a couple of months to complete. Not so, however, with Ramachandran and his dream team. Ramachandran led a team of over 100 artists, putting the installation together in a record time of 15 days. "The logo alone woudl normally take about 25 days to make," he remarks. Ramachandran's creative restlessness began when he was a child, fashioning houses out of cardboard. "Even today, I make gift and fancy boxes for corporates and individuals. And no, I didn't learn this from anyone. It comes from within me, difficult as that might be to comprehend. Whatever I am asked for - silk thread earrings, paintings, or embroidery - I can do it all," he says, not without a touch of pride. He pauses to recount a childhood anecdote - the housewarming of his family's new three-storeyed home. "There were a few elderly people invited and they couldn't walk up the stairs," he said. The young Ramachandran, evidently troubled by this, dedicated himself to the task. A month before the function was to be held, he crafted a thermocol replica of the structure. "You could detach each floor and see what the bedrooms and toilets look like. I had painted it entirely and I remember my aunts syaing, 'Oh, this is what your room like', with surprise in their voices. Imagination is everything, it just needs to be tapped," he smiles. His story grows more remarkable as he proceeds. As a young boy, he would slip out to a neighbour's house to play with the young boy there, Tejaswi. His young companion, as it happened, is the son of the Rashtrakavi, Kuvempu! "I would play in his house between 1965 and 1970," he recalls. "Kuvempu would give me his short stories, about 10 pages each, with his autograph. I didn't realise the treasures I was being given because I was only a child then," he says. He regrets not preserving the signed books of Karnataka's most renowned Padma Vibhushan, whom he recalls as being jovial and well-spoken. The opportunity for thanks presented itself in 2017, when Ramachandran was called upon to recreate Kuvempu's Samadhi (memorial) to mark the 50th year since Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa won the Jnanpith award. "The ambience and silence of the burial ground had to be created. We did the ambience so well, people felt they were at a real Samadhi. I don't know what Governor Vajubhai Vala's experiences were personally, but he put flowers on the Samadhi, which we all know was just a box," he remarks. Raised in Harihar, Rama-chandran studied to become a Mechanical Engineer in Tumkur, after which he arrived in Bengaluru. His talents were spotted earlier on: As an engineer in Kirloskar, he invented India's first CNC machine (Computer Numerical Control), used for drilling, milling, glass cutting an dlots more. He's also a man of many talents: Ramachandran deftly flicks his wrist, pulling a coin out of thin air. "I quit my job when I was young and learned magic under a teacher for an entire year. People also say I'm an excellent cook," he grins. "I only cook vegetarian food and people say they love to eat my masala dosas!" The Gommateshwara installation was a three-step process, starting with a 5-foot thick mould made from thermocol. The impression is made from this and placed inside a clay mould before it is reinforced itno the fibre plastic. Years of oustanding creative accomplishment have made him something of a local celebrity. This we understand when Hampa Nagarajaiah, the respected Kannada scholar and Karnataka Sahitya Academy award winner stops by to say hello. Speaking to Rama-chandran like an old friend, Nagarajaiah tells him that everyone think sof him as they stroll through the Glass House. "Nagarajaiah gave me the motivation to do this," he says, as his friend retreats. "There are times when I lack both the money and the inclination - doubt is always debilitating." Does he identify himself as an artist or a sculptor? "There's nothing I can't make," he retorts. "From bags and sweaters to customised head bands, kaleidoscopes, flower pots made of paper and large sets like Gommatesh- wara, I have worked with over 60 materials." Now, when he isn't busy tending to bulk design orders, he manufactures panel coolers for electronic machines. Ramachandran does, however, steer clear of teaching art. "You can't teach it. Do children join an art class out of passion or compulsion? Many people aren't self-motivated and quit their classes - I call this pseudo passion. One needs to have a bug within them to explore this as a career. Michelangelo and Van Gogh didn't go to art college either. Shakespeare didn't even go to school!" THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A railway track that is strong enough to hold loaded trains that weigh more than the combined weight of 220 elephants is now seen as the best bet to prevent wild animals from straying into human settlements. The Railways, as part of their safety protocol, discard rails that are 20 years old. It is these scrapped rails that the Forest Department now wants to erect as elephant fences in problem areas along the fringes of national parks and sanctuaries. We have plans to use rail fences in the Palakkad division, as a pilot of sorts, said Dr Anikumar Bhardwaj, the head of forest force (HOFF) and principal chief conservator of forests. The human-elephant conflict is highest in the Mannarkad division (Palakkad) and in North Wayanad. We have asked our ministry (Ministry of Environment and Forests) to talk to the Railways, he said. Dr Bharadwaj said that rail fences looked better than the normal interventions like trenches and electric fences. Still, he is wary for two reasons; the rail fence has not been tested in the country and it could be costly as the Railways charge high for their scrap. The head of forest force is also worried about the ill-effects of permanent barriers. These could prevent other species, too, from moving between forests and could also prompt them to explore new non-forest areas thus defeating the very purpose of a barrier, Dr Bharadwaj said. Dr P.O. Nameer (professor and head of Centre for Wildlife Studies, Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur), who first brought the rail fence to the notice of the Forest Department in 2015, said the rail fence addresses the issue to a large extent. Dr Nameer said that rail fence was ecologically sustainable as it did not hamper the movement of the non-target species. The rail fence will be like two or three parallel railway tracks lifted up and placed vertically, except that the vertical poles will be placed wider apart. The space in between will be too small for an elephant but large enough for other animal species like tiger or fox or bulls or deer to cross from one area to the other, Dr Nameer said. In the case of a trench or a wall or an electric fence, it blocks the movement of all species. The rail-fence is also virtually maintenance-free, he added. However, Dr Nameer, like HOFF Dr Bharadwaj, said that the construction of barriers of whatever type should be considered only as a last resort. The womans father had told police that there is mystery in his daughters death and alleged that his son-in-law used drove her to suicide by constantly fighting with her. Chennai: A 29-year-old software engineer was arrested on charges of abetment to suicide after his wife committed suicide at their residence in Madipakkam on Thursday night. Preliminary investigations have suggested that the woman took the extreme step due to issues in her marital life. The deceased was identified as K. Deepika (27). Deepika got married to Gowtham only five months ago and the couple was staying at an apartment in Ram Nagar (north) in Madipakkam. Gowtham was working in an IT company in Sholinganallur while his wife worked with a private company near Poonamallee. On Thursday, Deepika stayed back at home while Gowtham went to work. Around 10.30 pm, he returned home to find the lights turned off in his apartment. When he went in, Deepika was found hanging from the ceiling. Gowtham alerted the neighbours and her parents, who reside in Porur. Deepika was moved to a hospital nearby where she was declared brought dead. Madipakkam police secured the womans body and moved it to Chromepet government hospital for autopsy. Meanwhile, the womans father, Krishnan Kutty filed a complaint with police against his son-in-law, claiming that he was responsible for her death. The womans father had told police that there is mystery in his daughters death and alleged that his son-in-law used drove her to suicide by constantly fighting with her. Investigations revealed that the couple used to have frequent quarrels about Deepika visiting her parents home often after work. On Friday, Madipakkam police booked Gowtham on charges of abetment to suicide. He was produced before a magistrate and remanded to judicial custody. Since the woman committed suicide within six months of her getting married, an enquiry by the Tambaram Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) has also been recommended, police said. Preeti Bhandari, management head of Little Elly, told the parents that their Hyderabad coordinator was on leave and that they could shift their child to their centre in Gachibowli but offered no response on providing the parents CCTV footage or the insult their child faced. Hyderabad: A four-year-old student was allegedly mentally harassed in front of his peers and teachers at the Little Elly Playschool, Jubilee Hills, because the management had personal vendetta against his parents. After her suggestions during the parent-teacher met, she received a call on January 13 informing her that her son had slapped a new female student and had to be taken away from the school immediately. We demanded the CCTV footage of the incident countless times but were denied the same. They kept giving us excuses like their operator was not in town and it was not working. They were offering us a refund to remove our child from the school. The childs father said, Our child started behaving strangely at home, getting scared easily, apologising whenever someone went close to him and cried uncontrollably a few times saying he was not allowed to even play with his best friend. He was also sent home in soiled pants one day without the ayah even cleaning him up. The parents excha-nged a series of emails with the headquarters of the playschool in Bengaluru. Preeti Bhandari, management head of Little Elly, told the parents that their Hyderabad coordinator was on leave and that they could shift their child to their centre in Gachibowli but offered no response on providing the parents CCTV footage or the insult their child faced. The last mail sent by the management on Friday stated that the school could not cater to the mental and emotional capabilities of the child. They also claimed that they had to speak to the parents of the child in a defensive manner because they were questioned about the facilities in the school. Repeatedly called names by teachers, the four-year-old child suffered at school despite external experts his parents contacted stating that the child was perfectly normal for his age. We even had another parent get in touch with us who explained the religious discrimination that the school shows towards students. They do not provide yoga mats to children of a particular faith, said the mother. However, school authorities denied allegations and said mats had been ordered. The parents approached the police for help in obtaining the CCTV footage and also complained about the cruelty meted out to their student. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday defended his trademark hugs with world leaders, saying he was unaware of laid down protocols as he is a common man and this has become his strength, as his openness was liked by the world leaders. PM Modi also said his basic nature has been "to convert adversity into opportunity". Days after being mocked by the Congress over his hugs, PM Modi said in a TV interview had he been "trained", he too would have followed the laid down protocols of shaking hands and "looking left and right" with world leaders. "I do not know all the protocols as I am a common man. The openness of this common man is liked by the world. Friendly relations come in handy," he said in the interview to Zee news. He further said, "Had I been trained like others...I too would have followed those protocols of looking right and left, had shaken hands. But I am an ordinary person...I only try to ensure that no harm ever happens to my country (due to this)," A few days ago, the Congress had posted a tweet mocking Modi for hugging world leaders, evoking a sharp reaction from the BJP that slammed it as "immature" and demanded an apology. "When I became the prime minister, there was criticism that Modi neither knows nor understands anything which is outside Gujarat...," PM Modi said. "Everybody used to ask me how will I conduct my foreign policy. And in a way, this criticism was right because I did not have any experience. I got the benefit of not having experience. I did not have any baggage," he said. Asked how he feels when he stands next to world leaders, he said, "My only feeling is that it is not Narendra Modi who is standing there but the representative of 1.25 billion people." Speaking to the media in Kochi, the BJP leader said, 'Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and Popular Front of India (PFI) activists are getting strengthened day by day with the help of Communist Party of India (Marxist). We will take this up at the national level and push Centre to interfere in the matter.' (Photo: ANI) Kochi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Kummanam Rajasekharan on Saturday urged the Centre to intervene in the matter of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) worker's murder. Speaking to the media in Kochi, the BJP leader said, "Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and Popular Front of India (PFI) activists are getting strengthened day by day with the help of Communist Party of India (Marxist). We will take this up at the national level and push Centre to interfere in the matter". He added that the Kerala government must take action. Read: Kerala: 24-yr-old ABVP worker Syam Prasad hacked to death by masked assailants Earlier on Saturday, four Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) activists were arrested by the Kannur police in connection with the murder of the ABVP worker. ABVP activist Syam Prasad was hacked to death near Kuthuparamba in Kerala's Kannur district on Friday. 24-year-old Prasad, a resident of Peravoor city in Kannur, was a Peravoor government ITI student who was killed while he was travelling on a bike. The court issued this direction after the public prosecutor informed the court that the Tamil Nadu government had passed an order for conducting jallikattu at Ulagampatti. MADURAI: The Madurai bench of the Madras High court on Friday directed the Dindigul district collector, Mr. T G Vinay to grant permission for conducting jallikattu at Ulagampatti village in connection with St Antonys church festival, which is scheduled on January 22. The court issued this direction after the public prosecutor informed the court that the Tamil Nadu government had passed an order for conducting jallikattu at Ulagampatti. Jesumani from Dindigul in his petition filed before the court said, though the jallikattu festival had been organised for many years during St Antony Church festival, the collector rejected their petition for organising the event on January 22. When the case was heard on Thursday, it was argued that the authorities denied permission because Ulagampatti did not figure in the G.O. passed to facilitate for conducting jallikattu this year (2018). When the case came up for hearing today before Justice V Bharathidasan, the public prosecutor informed the judge that Ulagam-patti venue name was mentioned in the government order. Recording the submission, the judge directed the district collector to grant permission and also make necessary arrangements for conducting the event. The F-16 provides the path to business relationships with Lockheed Martin, the only company in the world that has designed, developed and produced operational fifth generation fighter aircraft. (Representational Image) Washington/New Delhi: American aerospace and defence major Lockheed Martin has proposed to manufacture custom-built F-35 fighter jets in India, which its officials say will give Indian industry a unique opportunity to become part of the world's largest fighter aircraft ecosystem. "We plan to introduce two new words into the lexicon of international fighter aircraft manufacturing: 'India' and 'exclusive'," Vivek Lall, vice president, strategy and business development, at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics said in an interview. "India-specific state-of-the-art fighter production in India will be exclusive, something that has never before been presented by any other fighter aircraft manufacturer, past or present. There will also be a significant export market available for Indian-made fighters," he said. Lall is an Indian-American who last year was instrumental in the decision of the Trump administration to sell top-of-the-line unarmed drones from General Atomics, in his previous capacity. Noting that the India-specific fighter on offer and its programme's size, scope and success will enable Indian industry to take advantage of unprecedented manufacturing, upgrade and sustainment opportunities well into the future, Lall said the platform will give Indian industry a unique opportunity to become a part of the world's largest fighter aircraft ecosystem. "We intend to create far more than an assembly line in India," he said. Lall claimed no other advanced fourth generation platform even comes close to matching the record of real-world combat experience and proven operational effectiveness. "The fighter being offered specifically to India is uniquely the best state-of-the-art fighter," he said adding that all three variants of the F-35 are single-engine aircraft. Many of the systems used on the India-specific platform are derived from key lessons learned and technologies from Lockheed Martin's F-22 and the F-35, the world's only operational fifth generation fighters, he said. Northrop Grumman's advanced APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar on the F-16 Block 70 provides F-16s with fifth generation fighter radar capabilities by leveraging hardware and software commonality with F-22 and F-35 AESA radars, he added. The APG-83 radar shares more than 95 per cent software commonality with the F-35 radar and more than 70 per cent hardware commonality. Lall said the F-16 provides the path to business relationships with Lockheed Martin, the only company in the world that has designed, developed and produced operational fifth generation fighter aircraft. Technology improvements will also continue to flow between the F-16, F-22 and F-35 for decades, at a fraction of the cost to F-16 operators, he said. The platform being offered provides unmatched opportunities for Indian companies of all sizes, including micro, small & medium enterprises (MSMEs) and suppliers throughout India, to establish new business relationships with Lockheed Martin and other industry leaders in the US and around the globe, Lall said giving an insight into the offer being made by his company. Asserting that approximately half of the Indian fighter supply chain will be common with the fifth generation F-22 and F-35, Lall said the aircraft brings the most modern avionics, a proven AESA radar, modernised cockpit, advanced weapons, longer range with conformal fuel tanks, auto ground collision avoidance capability, and an advanced engine with an extended service life. Even with the addition of targeting systems and two 2,000 pound (lb) class Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), the aircraft has a mission radius exceeding 1,300 kms 30 per cent greater than that of its closest competitor, he said. "Many of the advances in systems on the aircraft India would get draw directly from key lessons learned from Lockheed Martin's work on the F-22 and the F-35," he said. "The AESA radar is the result of over two decades of investment, use and experience with AESA technology, and it's fully operational today," Lall said. The latest ceasefire violation comes just days after seven Pakistani soldiers were killed by the Indian Army in cross-border firing initiated by Pakistani rangers in Poonch sector. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons) Mumbai: Pakistan has a twisted mindset, Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir said on Friday, and asserted India will respond with 10 bullets for every bullet fired by the neighbouring country. "Sending terrorists into India, violating ceasefire has become their (Pakistan's) nature. They have a twisted mindset. Be it our home ministry, defence ministry or the Jammu and Kashmir police, everybody has to keep co-ordinating and give reply to Pakistan's misadventures," Ahir said, speaking to reporters in Yavatmal, Maharashtra. "The home minister has said we should not fire the first bullet. But if one bullet is fired from their side, we should respond with 10," he said. Two civilians and a BSF jawan were killed on Friday and 23 others, including 2 BSF men, were injured in a heavy mortar shelling by Pakistan along the international border in three districts of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. The latest ceasefire violation comes just days after seven Pakistani soldiers were killed by the Indian Army in cross-border firing initiated by Pakistani rangers in Poonch sector. As the situation continues to be tense, over 1,000 people staying on border have been moved and schools in the area will remain closed till further notice. Chennai: Madras high court has rejected a plea from an anti-Hindi agitator, to direct the state government to accord pension under the Tamil Nadu payment of pension to Tamil Scholars Miscellaneous Provision Act, for having participated in the agitations to preserve the Tamil language and imprisoned at least thrice. While dismissing the petition filed by S. Chokalingam, Justice R. Suresh Kumar observed that in order to protect the avowed principle of unity in diversity, it is essential to protect and preserve all languages of this country as each one will have to be cherished for the rich and distinct culture it represents. The petitioner had participated in anti-Hindi agitations in and around Thiruppur and Avinashi and had been imprisoned. The state government had brought a legislation called Tamil Nadu payment of Pension to Tamil Scholars Miscellaneous Provision Act, 1983. Thus, those who participated in anti-Hindi agitation, to safeguard the interest and richness of the Tamil language, were to be given pension, in order to recognize their service to the mother tongue. Accordingly, in 1987 he had submitted an application along with jail certificates, seeking pension. But, there was no response. Ultimately, pursuant to a direction of the court, the authorities had on November 11, 2003, rejected his application, he added. The judge said the state governments move to bring the legislation to give pension to agitators for protecting the Tamil language was viewed seriously by the courts of law and the said move was negated and was not approved by the court of law in the judgments referred to in the very G.O itself. The courts have already taken the view that the government pension or extending any benefit in the name of protecting the language, would amount to encouraging the agitation against the particular language and if this trend continues throughout the country, the unity and integrity of the country will be at stake and one day country will get disintegrated in the name of language, the judge added. Since the government has come forward to stop giving any benefit to those who participated in the agitation in the name of language by issuance of G.O and the said G.O is in force, no order can be passed by any authority including the government, contra to the said G.O which reflects the present policy of the state. New Delhi: Looking to address the concerns of four senior judges, Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra has decided to himself hear the former special CBI judge H.B. Loya case on Monday. The decision follows the dramatic recusal of Justice Arun Mishra from hearing the two PILs demanding an independent probe into Loyas mysterious death in December 2014. The high-profile Loya case is seen as the trigger for the top four Supreme Court judges Justices J. Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B. Lokur and Kurian Joseph to go public with their criticism of CJI Misra for allocating sensitive cases to junior judges. Hosapete BJP MLA Anand Singh and Ballari district in-charge minister Santosh Lad were spotted travelling in the same car with speculation rife that Mr Singh will join the Congress ahead of the polls. Ballari: Although a picture of Hosapete BJP MLA, B S Anand Singh seated in the official car of Ballari district in- charge Minister, Santosh Lad went viral on social media on Friday, he denied he was considering quitting the saffron party. "My photograph with Santosh Lad is not recent. It could have been taken during last year's Hampi Utsav," he contended, however , admitting that he enjoyed a good relationship with Mr Lad and often travelled with him in his official car for work related to the development of his home constituency. As for speculation about him quitting the BJP, he said although he had some differences with district party leaders, the state leadership had assured him the problems would be sorted out in the next couple of days. But going by party insiders, Mr Singh had gone in Mr Lad's official car to visit Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at his official residence 'Krishna' in Bengaluru on Wednesday to hold talks for over two hours over the possibility of his joining the Congress and contesting on its ticket from Hosapete in the coming Assembly elections. He also reportedly met KPCC president, Dr G Parameshwar and Energy minister, D K Shivakumar and received a positive response from them, said sources. Disgruntled with the BJP, Singh had kept away from the BJP's Parivartana yatra in Hosapete on January 6. Sources reveal that AICC General Secretary, Oscar Fernandes is likely to discuss his joining the party with Congress president, Rahul Gandhi and he may be inducted into the party during the latter's visit to Hosapete end of January. Mr Singh is said to have received feelers from JDS state chief, H D Kumaraswamy as well to join his party, but has sought time to consider the offer. Disgruntled with the BJP, he kept away from its Parivartana yatra when it entered Hosapete on January 6. The MLA is believed to be miffed over BJP MP, Sriramulu and other leaders from Ballari allegedly promoting a local businessman, Kishore Pattikonda as an alternative leader to him in his constituency. And there is speculation that he may be denied a ticket to contest the coming poll for participating in the 'Tipu Sultan Jayanthi' celebrations last year against the party's diktat. Born to a Muslim mother and Rajput father, it is believed he could be paying the price for reportedly proving uncooperative in turning Hosapete into a hot bed of Hindutva politics. A mining businessman, he was once close to the mining barons turned politicians, the Reddy brothers of Ballari and was himself arrested by the CBI in 2013 in connection with the illegal export of iron ore from Belekeri port in Karwar and jailed for 18 months. He is currently out on bail. Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati has enough reasons to be worried with the Congress, along with Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mavani, also posing a serious threat to the BSP vote base. Mayawati who claims to be on the comeback trail in Uttar Pradesh is no longer worried about the BJP making in-roads into her vote base. Behenji has enough ammunition to fire at the BJP which has done nothing for Dalits-in fact under the Modi regime, Dalits have been at the receiving end. From the Rohith Vemula case to the Una killings, Saharanpur clashes and now Bhima Koregaon clashes, the BJP seems to have no answers to the BSP salvo. However, it is the Congress- Mevani alliance that could disturb our plans in UP, said a BSP functionary. According to BSP sources, Mayawati is particularly anxious about reports that Jignesh Mevani will soon be making his political debut in Uttar Pradesh. Apparently, the BSP which has already been losing ground among the youth and lacks a young leadership that can address new voters, sees a major threat from Mevani. The BSP, incidentally, is the only political party in Uttar Pradesh that does not have a youth wing or even a student wing. The BSP has rapidly been losing ground. From getting a 30 per cent vote share in 2007, the partyhas slipped to 26 per cent voters in 2012. Wailing relatives of Ghar Singh, who was killed after Pakistan opened heavy fire and shot mortars along the India Pakistan border, grieve in R.S. Pura Sector on Saturday. (Photo: PTI) Srinagar: Noisy protests by the Opposition over intensified clashes along the borders with Pakistan rocked Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, currently in its budget session in winter capital Jammu, on Saturday. The Opposition alleged that the PDP-BJP government has failed to protect the lives of the border-dwellers. Seven civilians and two soldiers each from the Army and the BSF have been killed and over 30 people, most of them civilians, injured in the Pakistani firing along the International Border (IB) and the Line of Control (LoC) in the states Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch districts since Wednesday night. The escalation has forced thousands of border-dwellers to flee their homes and relocate to safer locations. Over a dozen cattle have also perished in the cross border firing and shelling. The Opposition National Conference and Congress members staged a walkout from the House over the alleged failure of the government to protect the lives of the border residents. NC working chief Omar Abdullah, worried at the escalation along the borders called for talks between the national security advisers of India and Pakistan so that this bloodshed comes to an end. If there was a single notable trend in 2017, it was the inroads made by non-IAS officers in positions traditionally considered the turf of the heaven-born. Going by the liberal sprinkling of non-IAS officers at the joint secretary level, it does appear as if the supremacy of the IAS, who for decades considered themselves a cut above the rest of the All India services, is under threat. In March 2017, the government named 16 new joint secretaries in key ministries and departments, including the ministry of home affairs and the department of financial services. Ten of these officers were from services like Indian Forest Service (IFoS), Central Secretariat Service (CSS), Indian Postal Service (IPoS) and Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS). For example, Vinod Kumar Tiwari, a 1986 batch Himachal Pradesh cadre IFoS officer, was appointed as joint secretary in the ministry of tribal affairs in place of Manoj K. Pingua, a 1994 batch Chhattisgarh cadre IAS and Ms Vandita Kaul, a 1989 batch Indian Postal Service (IPoS) officer was made the new joint secretary in the department of financial services in place of A.V. Patil, a 1998 batch Tamil Nadu cadre lAS officer. This was not the odd blip but a precursor to similar appointments. In June, when 21 new joint secretaries were appointed, only four belonged to the IAS. The government made it clear that an officers specialisation had no bearing so far as the appointment of the joint secretaries were concerned. Thus, income tax officer Vipin Chandra (1987 batch IRS-IT) was made the joint secretary in the ministry of earth sciences and Prasanta Kumar Swain, a 1987 batch Indian Postal Service officer, was appointed joint secretary in the department of agriculture, cooperation and farmers' welfare, replacing an IAS Shakil P. Ahammed. Then, in another series of joint secretary appointments in November 2017, 10 of the 20 new joint secretary positions were bagged by the babus from Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS), IRAS, Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS), Indian Economic Service (IES) and Indian Defence Estates Service (IDES). Dharma Reddy Alia, a 1991 batch IDES, was made joint secretary in the ministry of home affairs (MHA) replacing Nagaland cadre IAS, V. Shashank Shekhar. Also, forest service officer Sanjay Kumar Sinha was appointed joint secretary in the department of higher education. The most recent example is the naming of 10 new joint secretaries last month, of which five are from the non-IAS services. They include Amit Mehta (IoFS), K.K. Aggarwal (IRSE), Sanjay Upreti (IRAS), Gopal Krishna Gupta (IRSME) and Sudhir Garg (IRSEE). Sources say that the government has been encouraging such appointments after seeing the reluctance of many state governments to send their IAS babus to the Centre on deputation. Apparently, there are only five IAS officers of the Chhattisgarh cadre in the capital, though the states quota is 31 officers. Similarly, 11 IAS officers of West Bengal cadre are serving in Central deputation whereas the number should have been 56. Whatever may be the reason behind the reluctance of IAS officers to serve at the Centre, it has created space for non-IAS officers to fill the gap. And not just non-IAS officers, the government is increasingly open to hiring specialists from outside bureaucracy to design and implement its key programmes. The heaven-born have all reasons to be increasingly nervous about the increased intrusions into their turf. Will they try to reclaim lost ground, the coming months will reveal. You are a revolutionary leader and you are revolutionising India. You are catapulting this magnificent state into the future, Israels Benjamin Netanyahu said to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week. What could he possibly mean? My dictionary defines revolution as involving or causing a complete or dramatic change. Usually the change a revolutionary seeks is a sort of insurrection against the established order, particularly the state. Since Mr Netanyahu is calling the India state magnificent (it would be fascinating to know why he thinks it is), it is safe to assume that hes not referring to Mr Modis attempts to overthrow that order. So what could he possibly be reaching for? I dont really know, and dont want to speculate. For a moment let us set aside the fact that Mr Netanyahu is here to sell arms to a customer susceptible to flattery. However, it is very true that in one way, Mr Modi is seeking to bring about revolutionary change in the established order. What is this change? I would say it is reform, but not in the way the word is generally used. Let me illustrate this by looking at one of Mr Modis signature initiatives: Swachchh Bharat Abhiyan. Readers will remember how it was launched: with the Prime Minister taking a broom and cleaning public spaces, and encouraging others to do the same and tweet about it. His website explained the purpose of Swachchh Bharat Abhiyan: A clean India would be the best tribute India could pay to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150 birth anniversary in 2019 While leading the mass movement for cleanliness, the Prime Minister exhorted people to fulfill Mahatma Gandhis dream of a clean and hygienic India. Mr Modi himself initiated the cleanliness drive at Mandir Marg Police Station in Delhi. Picking up the broom to clean the dirt, making Swachchh Bharat Abhiyan a mass movement across the nation, the Prime Minister said people should neither litter, nor let others litter. He gave the mantra of Na gandagi karenge, Na karne denge. In the introductory note Mr Modi uses the words clean, cleanliness, litter and littering 21 times. The words toilet and sanitation appear once, in the line that Mr Modi has simultaneously addressed the health problems that roughly half of the Indians families have to deal with due to lack of proper toilets in their homes. This is almost an afterthought, perhaps because it was an extension of earlier programmes and, therefore, uninteresting to Mr Modi. Littering is an eyesore and at the most an aesthetic irritant. It is not a national crisis like sanitation is (38 per cent of our children are stunted at age two, giving them no chance of a fulfilling intellectual and physical life). But Mr Modis focus and his messaging was on littering, because what he was reaching for was a change in the individual Indian citizens character, which he saw as needing behavioural change; an internal transformation. This is reformation of the sort that is usually done by spiritual and religious leaders. It is not in the domain of popular politics. One can similarly understand the motivation for eccentric actions like demonetisation through the same instinct of social reform. Indians must be weaned off black money and the way to do this is by forcing behavioural change and taking away their cash. Whether or not this is ultimately effective; whether or not it affects millions negatively; whether or not people will actually die from this slashing policy stroke; all of that the experts can quibble over later. Mr Modi must act and so he will force (compel) people to do the right thing, or that which he considers right. This is the reform of the father figure, which in many ways Mr Modi has become, given the nature of his popularity and where it springs from. Bollywood director Madhur Bhandarkar recently wrote a piece (When a Prime Minister turned social reformer) referring to the same aspects. He wrote: There are several examples which show how our society is undergoing a major transformation. Initiatives like taking yoga to the masses, banning the use of red beacons to end VIP culture, special schemes for divyangs and sensitising people to their needs, ending the formality of getting forms/certificates attested by gazetted officers, exhorting people to prepare their own manure through composting these may look like small initiatives but their impact is massive. Whether this is what the Prime Minister of India should concentrate on is not something I want to look at here. The point is that this societal change is what he is drawn to. Sometimes he recognises that he may have approached the issue wrongly or hastily. Today the Swachchh Bharat websites, including the one for urban centres, list the toilet and sanitation numbers front and centre and there is little if anything about littering. In his reply to Mr Netanyahus praise, Mr Modi said, I have a reputation for being impatient to get results and so do you. We should expect that his attempts to reform us will continue. The law and order situation in Haryana is deteriorating; reports indicate that six rapes have taken place last week. The principal Opposition, the Congress Party, is up in arms and has demanded the removal of the state chief minister M.L. Khattar. Former chief minister of Haryana and senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda speaks to Ashhar Khan on the prevailing situation in the state. You have seen what has happened in your state. You met the Governor in Chandigarh recently. What are your demands? I am deeply pained at what is going on in Haryana. I am also very angry at the state government that the situation has come to this pass. The law and order situation in Haryana is worrisome. Four to five incidents of rape being reported within a span of just 48 hours is shocking. The crime graph has been going up during the past three years of Khattar government rule. We have unequivocally demanded that the CM should step down with immediate effect. We have met the Governor and submitted a memorandum drawing his attention to what all has been happening in the state. We requested him to dismiss the government and impose Presidents rule in the state, in case Mr Khattar does not resign. People have lost faith in this government. The crime graph is rising while the government is watching like a bystander. The Chief Minister has said that these incidents are unfortunate and he will take strict action so that the guilty are not spared. You have to say that he is trying? That is the problem. He has been trying since last three-and-a-half years since this government came to power but unfortunately nothing much has been achieved. They have made Haryana unsafe. Let us just look at the figures: Haryana ranks sixth in the country for crimes against women; 1,187 rapes, 700 sexual harassment cases, 1,860 cases of assault, 2,697 kidnapping and abduction cases, 821 cases involving abduction for forced marriage, 3,314 cases of domestic violence, 260 dowry deaths and 123 cases of abetment to suicide. In 2016 as many as 191 cases of gang rapes were reported. The time to try is over now; the chief minister should just move out. We need to take steps for women safety on an urgent basis. There are reports coming in that the BJP top leadership has pulled up the Haryana Chief Minister and asked him to take action. Do you think that the situation will improve now? As I said earlier that now it is time for Khattarji to go. The BJP government has lost the confidence of people of the state. Hence, there is no need for them to be in power in the state. Let me give you just a brief history of the tenure of this government. Massive violence in Panchkula when the Haryana government allowed people to assemble there in August last year when the verdict was being pronounced in the Dera case. Over 30 people lost their lives in the widespread violence and nearly 250 others were injured. Similarly, during the Jat agitation the BJP and its representatives could not control the situation; some intemperate remarks were made and the situation became worse leading to blockade of national highways. Thirty people died during the agitation; there was massive loss of life and property. In a bid to fool people, the state government formed the Prakash Singh committee to look into the reasons of violence during the Jat agitation. The committee, in its report, has clearly stated that there was a total failure of governance. Officers who should have shown responsibility and leadership abdicated their duties. Apparently they do whatever pleases their political masters. If this is the prevailing situation one can very well imagine what is going on in the administration of the state. If the present Chief Minister does not resign then what will the Congress do? We have made our demands very clear. We met the Governor and apprised him of the situation prevailing in the state. The people of the state, especially farmers, unemployed youth and the common man, are in a miserable condition, while the BJP government seems to be in a deep slumber. We have been trying to wake up the state government for more than three years. We will now have to seek peoples blessings to oust the BJP regime from Haryana. Apart from the law and order situation how do you judge the performance of the present Haryana government? It is shocking that this government has done almost nothing in the last three-and-a-half years. It is just appalling to look at their track record. When I was the Chief Minister, we established five power plants, built national highways measuring nearly 2,000 km, provided 100 square-yard residential plots to 3,82,000 poor families, set up 35 new universities and five medical colleges in the state. However, the present BJP government in Haryana cannot list any concrete achievement. We gave good prices to farmers for their yield; when sugar was at ` 28 rupees per kg we fixed the MSP of sugarcane at Rs 310 rupees. Look at the Dadam Mining Scam; the BJP leaders are so good at digestion that they digested stones! When we were in power we got in the Dal Roti Yojna which benefitted almost 1.26 crore people in the state. To our utter dismay this government has stopped this scheme. This government is only about propaganda and nothing else. What are your political plans for the future? Despite the tall promises, which the BJP had made to the people of Haryana before the polls, during the last three years it failed to take a single decision to give relief to the common man. What they did is only event management. It is not the time for manthan now, it is time to hit the roads and force this government to go. We have already started holding panchayats with dalits, farmers and trader meets. From our interactions with the people we have got to know that no section of the society is happy with the present government. It is indeed surprising. You are undertaking a yatra in February to cover entire Haryana, what is the aim behind such a move? In February I will be taking out a yatra the objective of which is to expose the BJP and its government. The BJP had made 154 promises in its manifesto and not a single promise has been fulfilled. The Khattar government is functioning like an event management company. People from every section of the society are suffering due to the ill-conceived decisions of the BJP government. The objective of my rath yatra will be to highlight the failures of this government and turn the tide against the BJP. For instance, Haryana never charged for sprinkler and drip irrigation system. Now, this government has forced the farmers to pay 18 per cent GST on these. Similarly, the government has increased the tax from 5 per cent to 18 per cent on certain other implements. Sugarcane producers are forced to sell their produce in Uttar Pradesh at much lower rates as they dont get payment for their crop on time. All these issues will be highlighted in my yatra. Alphabet Incs Google has agreed to a patent licensing deal with Tencent Holdings Ltd as it looks for ways to expand in China where many of its products, such as app store, search engine and email service, are blocked by regulators. The US technology company has signed similar agreements before with Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and Cisco Systems Inc, but the deal with Tencent is a first with a large Chinese tech firm. Google has previously said that agreements such as these reduce the potential of litigation over patent infringement. The agreement with the Chinese social media and gaming firm Tencent covers a broad range of products and paves the way for collaboration on technology in the future, Google said on Friday, without disclosing any financial terms of the deal. Tencent oversees Chinas top social media and payments app, WeChat, which has close to a billion users. It also oversees one of the countrys most popular app stores and hosts the countrys biggest gaming and live stream platforms. Google did not disclose the scope of the new patent deal and Tencent did not immediately respond to questions about which products the patent agreement will cover. By working together on agreements such as this, tech companies can focus on building better products and services for their users, said Mike Lee, Googles head of patents. Over the past year, Google has indicated that it was looking to increase its presence in the restrictive Chinese market, with the launch of a local AI research lab, introduction of a version of its translation app and expansion into new cities. The company announced this month that it had invested in Chinese live stream gaming app Chushou, which is similar to Googles own YouTube game live streaming services. In December, Google CEO Sundar Pichai spoke at a conference in China hosted by the Cyberspace Administration of China, which oversees censorship in the country. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. It will be powered by Android 8.0 Oreo, which we expect to be masked by Samsungs Oreo-focused custom UI. (Photo: Galaxy J7 Pro) The Galaxy S9 has been in the rumour mill lately, hogging all the attention. However, Samsungs majority of income comes from the budget handsets and it seems that the company might be readying its 2018 challenger for the midrange smartphone segment in the form of the Galaxy J8 (2018). GSMArenas report claims that the successor to the popular Galaxy J7 (2017) has surfaced on Geekbench and GFXBench. The listing reveals that the Galaxy J8 (2018) (codenamed SM-J720F) will be pretty similar to the recently launched Galaxy A8 (2018), albeit with more affordable specifications. For starters, it will be sporting a 5.5-inch 1280 x 720-pixel resolution display and will be powered by a 1.5GHz Exynos 7885 octa-core chipset, accompanied by a Mali-G71 GPU. It will be aided by 4GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage. The rear camera will be a 12MP sensor whereas the front camera will be an 8MP unit. Lastly, it will be powered by Android 8.0 Oreo, which we expect to be masked by Samsungs Oreo-focused custom UI. As of now, it is not yet known when the device will reach the market but Samsung seems to have a rather average midrange offering to battle the increasingly stronger rivals in the segment. Stay tuned for all the developments regarding the Samsung Galaxy J8 (2018). Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. One of the biggest criticisms inside the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill is that the US military is suffering from a lack of readiness, where troops and gear are not getting the training or maintenance they need. (Photo: AP) Washington: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Friday that America is facing "growing threats" from China and Russia, and warned that the US military's advantages have eroded in recent years. Mattis's assessment came as he unveiled the Pentagon's vision for the future detailed in a document called the national defense strategy. "We face growing threats from revisionist powers as different as China and Russia, nations that seek to create a world consistent with their authoritarian models," Mattis said. "Our military is still strong, yet our competitive edge has eroded in every domain of warfare -- air, land, sea, space and cyberspace -- and is continually eroding," he added. President Donald Trump and his administration worry that the vast US military force is feeling the effects of years of budget shortfalls and atrophy, and needs a full reboot to restore it to an idealized strength. Part wish list, part blueprint for the coming years, the Pentagon's national defense strategy seeks to increase the size of the military, improve its readiness and work with allies -- all while operating across multiple theaters including in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. "This strategy establishes my intent to pursue urgent change at significant scale," Mattis wrote in the introduction to the strategy. "We must use creative approaches, make sustained investment and be disciplined in execution to field a Joint Force fit for our time, one that competes, deters and wins in this increasingly complex security environment." Elbridge Colby, deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development, told reporters that Mattis's strategy seeks to deal with the "erosion" of America's military advantage. "What it is recognizing is that China and Russia in particular have been assiduously working over a number of years to develop their military capabilities to challenge our military advantages," he said. Strategic competitors The new defense strategy follows on from Trump's national security strategy that he released last month which, similarly, highlights the role of China and Russia in the global security environment. "China is a strategic competitor using predatory economics to intimidate its neighbors while militarizing features in the South China Sea," Mattis wrote. "Russia has violated the borders of nearby nations and pursues veto power over the economic, diplomatic and security decisions of its neighbors," he added, while also pointing a finger at Iran and North Korea for their threats to peace. The two countries reacted furiously to Trump's security strategy, with Beijing accusing Washington of having a "Cold War mentality" while Moscow denounced its "imperialist character." Trump's security strategy contrasts with the friendly nature of his first state visit to Beijing in November, when he received a lavish welcome and repeatedly praised President Xi Jinping. One of the biggest criticisms inside the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill is that the US military is suffering from a lack of readiness, where troops and gear are not getting the training or maintenance they need. Mattis said the United States must be ready to fight a war. "The surest way to prevent war is to be prepared to win one," he said. "Doing so requires a competitive approach to force development and a consistent, multiyear investment to restore war fighting readiness and field a lethal force." Mattis's strategy also calls for greater coordination with allies, who Trump on the campaign trail lambasted for not doing enough to share the burden of defending the post-World War II order. "We expect European allies to fulfill their commitments to increase defense and modernization spending to bolster the alliance in the face of our shared security concerns," Mattis said, in reference to NATO countries paying more into their defense budgets. Republican Senator John McCain, who chairs the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee that helps oversee the Pentagon, welcomed Mattis's strategy for getting "the big decisions right." "A new era of great power competition has emerged, and this strategy prioritizes that reality," he said in a statement. The document makes no mention of climate change, which under former president Barack Obama was recognized as a national security threat. Trump has claimed climate change is a hoax and pulled the US out of the historic climate accords in Paris. At UNSC meet Indian Ambassador to the UN Syed Akbaruddin said: We must focus on addressing the challenges posed by cross border terrorism emanating from safe havens and sanctuaries to our region and especially to Afghanistan. (Photo: PTI) United Nations: Pakistan needs to change its "mindset" of differentiating between good and bad terrorists, India has told the UN Security Council, urging it to focus on challenges posed by terrorism emanating from the safe havens from across the border. Indian Ambassador to the UN Syed Akbaruddin told the Security Council it is India's vision that Afghanistan regain its place and New Delhi remain committed to work closely with its regional and international partners to bring peace, security, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan. "There is a common Afghan saying that roughly translates as if water is muddied downstream, don't waste your time filtering it; better to go upstream to clean it," Akbaruddin said during a special ministerial meeting on Afghanistan. Underlining that support for voices of peace in Afghanistan alone is not enough, Akbaruddin said, "We must focus on addressing the challenges posed by cross border terrorism emanating from safe havens and sanctuaries to our region and especially to Afghanistan". "If we do so, the decay, which has been inflicted on Afghanistan, can be made reversible," he added. It is India's vision that Afghanistan regain its place and New Delhi remain committed to work closely with its regional and international partners to bring peace, security, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan. "It is with this in mind that our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Afghanistan on December 24, 2015 to inaugurate the Parliament building, stopped over in Lahore, Pakistan," he said. "Unfortunately, these visits were followed by a heinous and barbaric terrorist attack on the Pathankot airbase on January 1, 2016, perpetrated and planned by the very same mindsets which attack the spirit of Afghanistan every day," he added. "These mindsets differentiate between good and bad terrorists. These mindsets refuse to see reason in peace. They are mindsets that are reluctant to join hands in moving the region forward to build a shared future for our people and our youth. These mindsets, Mr. President, need to change," Akbaruddin said. 'Those who talk of changing mindset need to look within, at their own record of subversion against my country as our capture of an Indian spy has proven beyond doubt,' Permanent Representative of Pak to the UN Maleeha Lodhi said. (Photo: File | AFP) United Nations: Pakistan raked up the issue of Indian death-row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav in the UN Security Council after it was accused by India, the US and Afghanistan, for providing safe havens to terrorists. Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN Maleeha Lodhi was responding to Indian Ambassador to the UN Syed Akbaruddin who said Pakistan needs to change its "mindset" of differentiating between good and bad terrorists. India urged the UN Security Council to focus on challenges posed by terrorism emanating from the safe havens from across the border. Read Also: India targets Pak at UNSC meet, asks to change its mindset on terrorism In response to India, Lodhi raked up the case of Jadhav, who was captured in March 2016 and sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court for alleged spying, an accusation that India has dismissed as concocted. "Those who talk of changing mindset need to look within, at their own record of subversion against my country as our capture of an Indian spy has proven beyond doubt," Lodhi told the members of the UN Security Council, without naming Jadhav. Earlier, the US told the UN Security Council that the status quo regarding continues terrorist safe havens in Pakistan is not acceptable. The US has said that the status quo regarding continued terror safe havens in Pakistan is not acceptable and insisted that Islamabad join its efforts to bring a resolution to the conflict. "We seek to work cohesively and effectively with Pakistan, but cannot be successful if the status quo, one where terrorist organisations are given sanctuary inside the countrys borders, is allowed to continue," US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan told the ministerial meeting. And the Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai reiterated the presence of terrorist safe haven across the border. But Lodhi continued to be in denial. "Indeed, with its safe havens inside the country and income from the narcotics trade, the insurgency does not really need any outside assistance or support centers to sustain its efforts," Lodhi said during a ministerial debate on Afghanistan. "Afghanistan and its partners, especially the United States therefore need to address these challenges inside Afghanistan rather than shifts the onus for ending the conflict on to others," Lodhi said. Afghanistan needed to address the challenges inside the country rather than shifting the onus for ending the conflict to others, she alleged. "Those who imagine sanctuaries outside really need a reality check," she said But there were no takers for Lodhi's claims that there are no terrorist safe havens inside Pakistan. None of the more than two dozen speakers came out in support of the Pakistani argument in this regard. This time, about 850,000 workers, out of a total 3.5 million, could be told to stay home -- without pay -- until Congress reaches an agreement. (Photo: File) Washington: Hundreds of thousands of US government defence workers, park rangers and business regulators could be temporarily out of work as Congress fails to pass a budget before a midnight Friday deadline. But the government shutdown due to lack of funding -- which would be the second in five years -- does not mean every office closes its doors. Vital services will still be provided by law enforcement, immigration officers, the central bank, veterans' hospitals and the military. During the two-week shutdown in October 2013, around 800,000 workers were furloughed. This time, about 850,000 workers, out of a total 3.5 million, could be told to stay home -- without pay -- until Congress reaches an agreement, the American Federation of Government Employees estimates. The following is a rundown of who is and isn't affected in a government shutdown: Defense, security and borders The 1.5 million uniformed members of the US military, mostly in the Defense Department but also 40,000 with the Department of Homeland Security, will remain at work. "All military personnel performing active duty will continue in a normal duty status," the Pentagon ordered Thursday. But a large number of civilians in both departments, including about three-fourths of the roughly 740,000 civilians who work for the Pentagon, will stay home. That will slow many operations, and could impact the huge defense private sector, which depends on Pentagon contracts. Officials of the Customs and Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and US Citizenship and Immigration Services will remain on the job checking and processing people entering the country by land, sea and air. Key government operations The White House, Congress, federal courts and the Veterans Administration will all continue to operate. The US Postal Service will continue to deliver the mail. The investigation by special prosecutor Robert Mueller into possible collusion between Russians and President Donald Trump's election campaign will remain active. Washington The US capital is funded by the federal budget and will be affected. Trash services and street cleaning will halt and libraries will close. But schools and public transport will continue to operate. Travel The Federal Aviation Administration, which oversees air traffic control, will remain at work, and airports will remain open for travellers. Parks and museums According to tentative plans, national parks and museums will remain open, but some public employees at the parks could be furloughed while private contractors, who supply food and other services, will maintain operations. Health Disease monitoring and prevention will slow. About 61 percent of the staff of the Centers for Disease Control will be furloughed, according to The Washington Post, and much of the research-focused National Institutes of Health will be shuttered. Other public services Other agencies will largely shut down, including the Internal Revenue Service, the Social Security Administration, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Education, the Commerce Department, the Labor Department, and the Environmental Protection Agency. That means people and businesses will not get documents and permissions processed, contractors will have difficulty moving ahead on their projects, and disaster relief will slow. Twitter said that it had identified 3,814 IRA-linked accounts, which posted some 176,000 tweets in the 10 weeks preceding the election, and another 50,258 automated accounts connected to the Russian government London: Twitter says it will notify nearly 700,000 users who interacted with accounts the company has identified as potential pieces of a propaganda effort by the Russian government during the 2016 US presidential election, according to reports in The Slate and the Guardian and The Washington Post. The company disclosed thousands of accounts that it said were associated with the Kremlin-linked troll farm, the Internet Research Agency and the Russian government, adding to numbers that it released to Congress in October. Twitter said that it had identified 3,814 IRA-linked accounts, which posted some 176,000 tweets in the 10 weeks preceding the election, and another 50,258 automated accounts connected to the Russian government, which tweeted more than a million times, while acknowledging that such activity represents a challenge to democratic societies everywhere. The disclosures are the latest sign of how widely the effort to disrupt the 2016 election through disinformation permeated the services of social media companies, the media reported. It is yet another instance where Twitter appears to be adjusting its service in the wake of cultural shifts exposed by Russian meddling. US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia conducted a sophisticated campaign intended to affect the outcome of the election. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Visitors could still ride snowmobiles and ski into Yellowstone National Park Saturday to marvel at the geysers and buffalo herds, despite the federal government shutdown. (Photo: AP) Washington: The US government shut down at midnight on Friday after Democrats and Republicans, locked in a bitter dispute over immigration and border security, failed to agree on a last-minute deal to fund its operations February 16. The Bill needed 60 votes in the 100-member Senate but only 50 supported it. Most Democrats opposed the Bill because their efforts to include protections for hundreds of thousands of young immigrants, known as Dreamers, were rejected by President Donald Trump and Republican leaders. Huddled negotiations between Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer were unsuccessful, and the US government technically ran out of money at midnight. While the two men said they remained committed to reaching a deal, the shutdown formally began on Saturday, the first anniversary of President Donald Trumps inauguration. Hamas, which rules the territory, held Ahmad Said Barhoum for several months without trial before handing him over to the family, several of whose members belong to the Islamist movement. (Photo: Representational/AFP) Gaza City: A family in Gaza "executed" one of its own members Friday for passing on information to Israel that led to the deaths of three Hamas militants, Palestinian sources said. Hamas, which rules the territory, held Ahmad Said Barhoum for several months without trial before handing him over to the family, several of whose members belong to the Islamist movement. Witnesses said Barhoum was shot dead in an open area of Rafah in southern Gaza shortly after the handover. The shooting was attended by family members of the three Hamas militants killed in an Israeli air raid in the 2014 Gaza war with Israel. One of the three killed was Mohammad Barhoum, a cousin of the alleged collaborator. All were militants of Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades. "We carried out the punishment against our son Ahmad Said Barhoum after having been assured without a shadow of a doubt that he was implicated in the assassination of the terrorists, the family said in a statement. Hamas, for its part, welcomed what it called "the execution of this criminal". According to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, Hamas has carried out more than 20 executions and condemned to death over 100 others since it seized control of Gaza in 2007 from rival faction Fatah. Its execution of Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israel has stirred international condemnation. The current storm in the Supreme Court traces its roots back to a series of similar upheavals by judicial magistrates. The dent in the image of the judiciary cannot be undone. It would be fair to say that following the initial storm, things are under control but not yet resolved. The four honourable judges, Justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan Lokur and Kurian Joseph, contended that all important cases were being given to junior judges and the senior judges were being ignored. However, it must be noted that the Chief Justice of India has complete powers to allocate the cases to any bench. The chief justice is first among the equals on the judicial front, but the supreme authority on the administrative front. This can be traced back to the Supreme Court ruling in State of Rajasthan vs Prakash Chand & Ors, 1997. That ruling said, "The judges can hear only those matters which have been allotted to them by the chief justice or under his directions. It, therefore, follows that the judges do not have any general jurisdiction over all the casesaonly to such cases as are allotted to them by the chief justice or under his directions." The Supreme Court ruled that this applies to the apex court as well. It is surprising that such contentions come from judges who themselves have held the office of chief justice of various high courts. Justice Chelameswar was chief justice of Kerala and Gauhati High Courts; Justice Joseph of Himachal Pradesh HC; Justice Gogoi of the Punjab and Haryana High Court; and Justice Lokur was chief justice of Andhra Pradesh HC. What needs to be questioned is the judges' decision to take the drastic step of going to the press with their concerns despite knowing the repercussions. Did they exhaust all other avenues to resolve their issues before doing so? They could have requested the CJI to call a full-court meeting to put forth their concerns; if that did not work, they could have approached the President, who is the appointing authority and is apolitical. If that too failed, they could have resigned from their positions as Justice K S Hegde and Justice H R Khanna had resigned as a matter of principle when they were superseded for appointment as Chief Justice of India in 1973. Recently, Justice Jayant Patel resigned as a judge of the Karnataka High Court when he was transferred to the Allahabad High Court, instead of being named chief justice of Karnataka. The genesis of a divided Supreme Court can be traced back to 1993 and the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record case and Justice M M Punchhi's dissenting opinion. The bench overruled the S P Gupta case and the practice of judges appointing judges began. When an agitated H R Bharadwaj, the then law minister, rushed to the then prime minister P V Narasimha Rao, the latter calmly said, "Why are you so agitated? They cannot handle it. It will come back to us. Wait for some time." This episode is being replayed today. In fact, it is fortunate that the other Supreme Court judges have not so far called a press conference in support of the CJI. The four judges have violated the oath of office and, knowingly or unknowingly, given a political colour to their in-house differences. The curiosity rises with the fact that Justice Chelameswar met CPI leader and Rajya Sabha MP D Raja in these circumstances. If public trust in the judiciary is lost, then where is the question of an independent judiciary. The judiciary needs to work towards restoring public trust. We have to revive faith in our democracy. Judicial turbulence Democracy is alive and functioning in our country. High courts, district courts and lower courts spread across the country are functioning normally and discharging their duties. The armed forces are working. Parliament and state legislatures are functioning. The Executive is accountable to Parliament. This is the message that needs to go out to the world today. Where was the need for the judges to state that democracy had collapsed just because a few cases were not allotted to them? Judicial turbulence is not new. In 2004, 25 judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court went on mass leave as a mark of protest against the then chief justice, Justice Roy. However, the torchbearers of the protest Justice G S Singhvi (author of the Supreme Court 2G judgement in 2012), Justice V K Bali and Justice H S Bedi were summoned by the then Chief Justice of India V N Khare and were 'severely admonished'. All the judges reported for work the next day after the intervention of the Supreme Court. But today, the Supreme Court is itself involved in a similar imbroglio. The seed of the entire controversy is in the practice of judges appointing judges. The Supreme Court did not accept a proposal to set up a National Judicial Commission and struck down the attempt to give the Executive a hand in the appointment of judges. Unless the issue of appointment of judges is set right, the problems of the judiciary will continue to surface in one way or the other. A wound has now been inflicted on the judiciary. The concern now is how to stop the bleeding. The only effective way of healing the wound is to revive trust in the judiciary. And that can be done only by the appointment of judges who display the qualities of statesmanship, foresight and rectitude and duly perform their duties. (The writer is a retired IAS officer and former chairman, Karnataka Appellate Tribunal) Rohingya militants on Saturday hit out at a repatriation plan for refugees from Bangladesh to Myanmar set to begin next week, saying it aims to trap the Muslim minority in long-term camps while their ancestral lands are seized. Bangladesh and Myanmar have agreed to send back around 750,000 refugees who arrived since October 2016 over the next two years, a process set to begin as early as Tuesday. But the deal has been pilloried by many Rohingya refugees who say they do not want to return to Rakhine after fleeing atrocities including murder, rape and arson attacks on their homes. Rights groups and the UN say any repatriations must be voluntary with safety assured in a state where communal hatred still runs sky high. Concerns are also mounting about conditions in Myanmar, where hundreds Rohingya villages have been razed by soldiers and Buddhist mobs, with fears huge numbers of Rohingya will be coralled for the long-term in camps. In a statement circulated on Twitter the Arakan Rohingya Salavation Army (ARSA) said the "deceitfully and crookedly (repatriation) offering" will lock Rohingya in "so-called temporary camps... instead of allowing them to resettle in their own ancestral lands and villages". Citing the tens of thousands of Rohingya IDPs languishing in camps in state capital Sittwe since communal violence in 2012, ARSA said Myanmar's intention is to distribute Rohingya lands to industrial and agricultural projects. The aim is to "ensure a Buddhist majority" in Rakhine meaning Rohingya "will never be able to settle down" in their own homes, the statement on @ARSA_Official handle said. Most Rohingya are denied citizenship in Myanmar as well as free movement and other basic freedoms. They are officially described as "Bengalis" -- Muslim interlopers to a predominantly Buddhist land despite many living there for generations. The group has been driven out in successive waves since the late 1970s. The latest followed deadly co-ordinated attacks by ARSA in late August which sparked an army crackdown that sent 655,000 Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh. They carried with them a cascade of accounts of rape, mass murder and torture. Beyond admitting its troops were involved in shooting dead 10 captured suspects, Myanmar's army has cleared itself of any wider wrongdoing. What the UN and US has described as "ethnic cleansing", the military says is a proportionate response to an attempt by Muslim militants to take over Rakhine. The state-backed Global New Light of Myanmar on Saturday carried photos of one of the reception camps for refugees at Taung Pyo Letwe, in Maungdaw, showing basic wooden structures closed off by high wire fences. The same outlet has this week carried several pages of colour headshot photos of the alleged 1,000 or more wanted "ARSA Terrorists". The photos, which include women and young men, with their names and 'father's names', have been circulated to Bangladeshi authorities urging them to handover the suspects. Dhaka is unhappy at the slow pace of the returns negotiated by Myanmar -- with only a few hundred likely to be processed each day. Pakistan needs to change its "mindset" of differentiating between good and bad terrorists, India has told the UN Security Council, urging it to focus on challenges posed by terrorism emanating from the safe havens from across the border. Indian Ambassador to the UN Syed Akbaruddin told the Security Council it is India's vision that Afghanistan regain its place and New Delhi remain committed to work closely with its regional and international partners to bring peace, security, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan. "There is a common Afghan saying that roughly translates as "If water is muddied downstream, don't waste your time filtering it; better to go upstream to clean it," Akbaruddin said during a special ministerial meeting on Afghanistan. Underlining that support for voices of peace in Afghanistan alone is not enough, Akbaruddin said, "We must focus on addressing the challenges posed by cross border terrorism emanating from safe havens and sanctuaries to our region and especially to Afghanistan". "If we do so, the decay, which has been inflicted on Afghanistan, can be made reversible," he added. It is India's vision that Afghanistan regain its place and New Delhi remain committed to work closely with its regional and international partners to bring peace, security, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan. "It is with this in mind that our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Afghanistan on December 24, 2015 to inaugurate the Parliament building, stopped over in Lahore, Pakistan," he said. "Unfortunately, these visits were followed by a heinous and barbaric terrorist attack on the Pathankot airbase on January 1, 2016, perpetrated and planned by the very same mindsets which attack the spirit of Afghanistan every day," he added. "These mind sets differentiate between good and bad terrorists. These mindsets refuse to see reason in peace. They are mindsets that are reluctant to join hands in moving the region forward to build a shared future for our people and our youth. These mindsets, Mr. President, need to change," Akbaruddin said. Pakistan raked up the issue of Indian death-row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav in the UN Security Council after it was accused by India, the US and Afghanistan, for providing safe havens to terrorists. Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN Maleeha Lodhi was responding to Indian Ambassador to the UN Syed Akbaruddin who said Pakistan needs to change its "mindset" of differentiating between good and bad terrorists. India urged the UN Security Council to focus on challenges posed by terrorism emanating from the safe havens from across the border. In response to India, Lodhi raked up the case of Jadhav, who was captured in March last year and sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court for alleged spying, an accusation that India has dismissed as concocted. "Those who talk of changing mindset need to look within, at their own record of subversion against my country as our capture of an Indian spy has proven beyond doubt," Lodhi told the members of the UN Security Council, without naming Jadhav. Earlier, the US told the UN Security Council that it wants to work cohesively and effectively with Pakistan, but the relationship cannot be successful if Pakistan continues to provide safe haven to terror organiations. The US insisted that Islamabad join its efforts to bring a resolution to the conflict. "We seek to work cohesively and effectively with Pakistan, but cannot be successful if the status quo, one where terrorist organisations are given sanctuary inside the countrys borders, is allowed to continue," US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan told the ministerial meeting. And the Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai reiterated the presence of terrorist safe haven across the border. But Lodhi continued to be in denial. "Indeed, with its safe havens inside the country and income from the narcotics trade, the insurgency does not really need any outside assistance or support centers to sustain its efforts," Lodhi said during a ministerial debate on Afghanistan. "Afghanistan and its partners, especially the United States therefore need to address these challenges inside Afghanistan rather than shifts the onus for ending the conflict on to others," Lodhi said. Afghanistan needed to address the challenges inside the country rather than shifting the onus for ending the conflict to others, she alleged. "Those who imagine sanctuaries outside really need a reality check," she said But there were no takers for Lodhi's claims that there are no terrorist safe havens inside Pakistan. None of the more than two dozen speakers came out in support of the Pakistani argument in this regard. The US government officially shutdown on Saturday for the first time in five years after the Senate rejected a short-term spending bill to keep the federal government running, marking a chaotic end to Donald Trump's first year as president. The shutdown began at 12:01 am (local time) (10:31 am IST) after a few Republicans joined Democrats in blocking the crucial measure would have provided short-term funding for the Pentagon and other federal agencies. Trump blamed the Democrats for the shutdown which comes exactly a year after he was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. "Dems want a shutdown in order to help diminish the great success of the tax cuts, and what they are doing for our booming economy," he said. Despite last-minute bipartisan meetings, the bill to fund the government until February 16 did not receive the required 60 votes. The Senate voted 50-48 to block the stopgap funding measure. The short-term spending bill was passed by the House on Thursday. This is part of the Democrats strategy to force President Trump and the Republicans to negotiate with them on illegal immigrants who are facing deportation. The effect of the shutdown would be felt most from Monday when the federal government employees would not be able to join for their work and be forced to stay at home without pay. It is estimated that more than 800,000 federal employees would be furloughed. Only the essential services would be open. The last time that a government shutdown happened was in 2013. Earlier in the day, the Office of Management of Budget said it was preparing for "what we're calling the Schumer Shutdown". The Director of Office of Management of Budget Mick Mulvaney told reporters that efforts were being made to have the government shutdown less impactful than it was in 2013. "We're going to manage the shutdown differently. We are not going to weaponize it. We're not going to try and hurt people, especially people having to work for this federal government. But we still need Congress to appropriate the funds," he said. Military will still go to work, the border will still be patrolled, fire folks will still be fighting the fires and the parks will be open. But in each of these cases people will not be paid, Mulvaney said. Fanny and Freddy will be open, the post office will be open, the TSA will be open, but again all of these people will be working for nothing, which is simply not fair, he said. US Postal Services would be working. The last government shutdown lasted for 16 days in October 2013. The previous shutdown before that was for 21 days that ended on January 6, 1996. However, this is for the first time in recent history that a shutdown has taken place when both the House and the Senate, as well as the White House, is controlled by the same party. "This is completely unfair and uncompassionate for my Democratic colleagues to filibuster government funding, harm our troops, and jeopardise health coverage for nine million children because extreme elements of their base want illegal immigration to crowd out every other priority," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said. He argued that immigration reform needed to be handled separately from the spending bill. Trump has cancelled his scheduled weekend trip to Mar-a- Lago in Florida. However, he would continue with his trip to Davos to attend the World Economic Forum meeting next week. "Democrats can't shut down the booming Trump economy. Are they now so desperate they'll shut down the government instead" said White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders and described it as a "Schumer shutdown". Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer is the Senate Minority Leader. "Senate Democrats own the Schumer Shutdown. Tonight, they put politics above our national security, military families, vulnerable children, and our country's ability to serve all Americans," Sanders said. "We will not negotiate the status of unlawful immigrants while Democrats hold our lawful citizens hostage over their reckless demands. This is the behaviour of obstructionist losers, not legislators," Sanders said in a statement. "When Democrats start paying our armed forces and first responders we will reopen negotiations on immigration reform. During this politically manufactured Schumer Shutdown, the President and his Administration will fight for and protect the American people," the White House said. Earlier, Trump held a last-minute meeting with Schumer to avert a government shutdown. "We had a long and detailed meeting. We discussed all of the major outstanding issues, we made some progress, but we still have a good number of disagreements. The discussions will continue," Schumer said soon after his meeting with Trump. India's entry into elite nuclear groups in the recent past has reaffirmed the country's strict non-proliferation commitments, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today. His remarks come in the backdrop of India becoming a member of the 'Australia Group' (AG), a move that is expected to raise New Delhi's stature in the field of non-proliferation and also help it acquire critical technologies. "I thank Australia and other members of the Australia Group for export control for supporting India's entry in it," Modi tweeted. He said over the last two years, India's membership of the MTCR, Wassenaar Arrangement and Australia Group reaffirmed the country's "strong non-proliferation credentials also our commitment to global peace and security". India is now a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), the Wassenaar Arrangement (WA) as well as AG, three of four non-proliferation regimes. The only one remaining is the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). In a fresh push to bestow Bharat Ratna on Siddaganaga seer Shivakumara Swamiji, former chief minister and BJP leader S M Krishna has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking India's highest civilian honour for the centenarian seer. In the letter, a copy of which is available with DH, Krishna has stated, "The 111-year-old Swamiji is rendering service to the society for the past eight decades, uplifting lakhs of needy and downtrodden. The seer, who believes in egalitarian society, has been preaching against the practice of superstition, social evils and discrimination of all kinds." The former chief minister further said, "It is the wish of lakhs of devotees to see Siddaganga seer honoured with Bharat Ratna in recognition of the yeoman services being rendered by the Swamiji." He added that Shivakumara Swamiji richly deserves India's highest civilian honour for his selfless service rendered for the past eight decades. The Supreme Court has set aside an order of the Himachal Pradesh High Court by which action was recommended against a judicial officer for granting bail to an accused within four days of rejection of his pre-arrest bail by a higher court. The high court had termed the action of the magistrate "judicial impropriety" and "gross indiscipline" and recommended the chief justice to take appropriate action on the administrative side. It had set aside the order of the magistrate and cancelled the bail plea of an accused, arrested for reportedly giving fake educational degrees to students for money. A bench of Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan said the approach of the high court was "erroneous in law" and set aside the order of single judge of the high court. "Merely, because an application for anticipatory bail preferred by the appellant was rejected, it could not be said that thereafter the magistrate was precluded from even considering the application for grant of regular bail," the bench said. The top court said, "The grounds for grant of anticipatory bail are altogether different from that of regular bail." "No doubt, anticipatory bail was rejected on August 26, 2016, and within four days thereafter regular bail was granted. However, the high court could not have cancelled the bail, only on the ground that the anticipatory bail was rejected," it said. It said that the high court was also wrong in observing that in the circumstances the only remedy for the accused was to approach the high court alone "as if he was precluded from filing an application for regular bail before the magistrate". Advocate D K Thakur, appearing for the Himachal Pradesh government, claimed that the accused had threatened the complainant immediately after coming out on bail. The top court said it was an event that occurred after the accused came out on bail and could be a ground which could be raised by the complainant before a trial court for cancellation of bail. An FIR was lodged at Dharamshala police station of Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh. The accused Chander Kant was charged with the offences of forgery, criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and other sections of the IPC. After registration of the FIR and when the probe was pending, the accused had moved high court seeking anticipatory bail, which was dismissed on August 26, 2016. Thereafter, the accused was arrested and taken into police custody. After his police remand got over, he moved a regular bail application, which the judicial officer allowed and enlarged him on bail on August 30, 2016. The complainant challenged the order of magistrate granting bail to the accused before the high court, which on June 2, 2017, after seeking explanation, passed various strictures against the judicial officer. The judicial officer in her explanation to the high court had said there were "direct or indirect directions to grant bail liberally. Taking into consideration that anticipatory bail has been rejected but now as the accused remanded to custody and opportunity was given to police for custodial interrogation and recovery, I considered it to be a changed circumstance". However, the single judge in his order said, "To my mind, the action of the magistrate is clearly subversive to judicial discipline and amounts to gross impropriety because so long the order passed by this court was in force, the magistrate could not have entertained the application for bail much less granted the bail." The high court said, "Judicial discipline requires decorum known to law which warrants that the appellate directions should be followed in the hierarchical system by the court which exists in this country." "It is necessary for each lower tier to accept loyally the decisions of the higher tier. The judicial system only works if someone is allowed to have the last word and if that last word, once spoken, is loyally accepted," the bench had said. It had said that once the judgement rendered by the high court was absolutely clear and the bail granted to the accused had been rejected by a detailed order, then judicial comity, discipline, concomitance, pragmatism, poignantly point, per force to observe constitutional propriety and adhere to the decision, so rendered by the high court. As Pakistani troops continued heavy shelling and firing for the third consecutive day, four people, including a jawan, were killed. The ceasefire violations in the forward areas and border villages of Jammu and Kashmir continued on Saturday, in which a dozen people were also injured. The relentless shelling has been along the International Border (IB) and the Line of Control (LoC) along the Jammu region and has claimed 10 people over the three days, which includes six civilians and four soldiers. The fresh shelling has taken place along the IB in R S Pura and Arnia sectors of Jammu district. Three BSF personnel were among those injured on Saturday. Earlier, the army had said that a soldier was killed after Pakistani troopers opened "unprovoked" fire along the LoC in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district. Reports said that almost the entire IB in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts and LoC in the twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch faced a war-like situation. On Saturday, more than 10,000 people in RS Pura, Arnia, Ramgarh, Hiranagar, Kanachak and Pargwal sectors moved to safer locations. Some of them moved to the relief camps set up for them by the administration, officials said. Educational institutions close to where the shelling and firing were taking place have been closed for the next three days, they said. Oppn walks out The issue of the continuing ceasefire violations by Pakistan was raised during the ongoing state Assembly session in Jammu. The opposition staged a walkout from the House. National Conference and Congress MLAs questioned the BJP's "inability" to stop the killing of civilians and armed forces on the border and the failure of the NDA's Pakistan policy. With an apparent reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, opposition legislators questioned BJP ministers in the House, saying, "Why has the 56-inch chest been reduced to six inches? Where have the tall claims of beheading ten enemies for every single casualty vanished? Go and fight on the border; what are you doing here?" Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti expressed deep anguish and grave concern over the loss of human lives. "Distraught to hear of three more civilians caught in the crossfire on the border. The people of J&K are the worst victims of the acrimony between the two neighbouring countries. I pray that the hostility on the borders ends soon," she tweeted. A day after a massive fire erupted in Bellandur lake, Bengaluru Development Minister K J George on Saturday said that he had requested Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to allocate separate fund for the upkeep of the lake, in the 2018-19 budget. Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, George said that the government was forced to resort to this measure, as the Centre had refused to release funds for Bellandur lake. "The BJP has charged that the state government has not cleaned up the lake despite the Centre sanctioning funds for the same. The fact however is that the Centre has not responded to the state's request for funding. It has categorically said that it cannot make separate funding for this purpose," he added. George, however, maintained that the government had taken measures to clean up the lake as directed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT). He said that the government had adhered to the NGT orders and that notices had been issued by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board to buildings that were releasing waste water into the lake. George also said that the police had been asked to ascertain how the fires were occurring. He said that it was unlikely the fire was emanating from the lake. Instead it was suspected that the marshy land around the lake was catching fire. "The marshy land has a lot of grass and weed growth. Also, it is replete with ammonium gases, which is causing the fire," he said. Lake visit by BJP leaders BJP leader and Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar is scheduled to pay a visit to the lake at 5 pm today (Saturday). BJP MP P C Mohan, MLA Aravind Limbavali and other party legislators will be accompanying him. Operations still underway Meanwhile, over 100 Fire and Emergency personnel on Saturday continued the operations to douse the fire in Bellandur lake. The Fire personnel have, to an extent, managed to douse the fire but heavy smoke from the fire has filled a vast stretch of the lake. Manoranjan Roy, a soldier of Army Service Corps, was bitten by a snake during the operation to douse fire. He was rushed to the Army Hospital. Fresh fire was spotted on Srinivagalu end of Bellandur lake on Saturday morning. Read also: Bellandur Lake fire under control, says army Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said that he had declined to accept the honorary doctorate proposed by the University of Mysore. In a tongue in cheek reply to media queries, Siddaramaiah said, "I do not hold a PhD. Hence I said no to the doctorate." M S S Kumar, a Syndicate member of the UoM on Friday had said that he had proposed Siddaramaiah's name for the honorary doctorate as the latter was not only an alumnus of the varsity, he had also excelled in political administration and economics despite hailing from a rural background. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday announced a financial aid of Rs 20 lakh for the wife and Rs 5 lakh for the parents of a BSF jawan killed in ceasefire violations by Pakistan, an official said. BSF head constable Jagpal Singh (49) a resident of Bulandshahr district, succumbed to injuries sustained during cross-border firing in Samba sector along the International Border on Friday. Singh, posted with the Alpha company of the 173rd Battalion of the force deployed for border guarding, had joined the BSF in 1988. He is survived by a daughter and a son. Four people, including a BSF jawan, were injured after Pakistan violated ceasefire for the third consecutive day today in three districts of Jammu and Kashmir along the International Border, officials said. Two security forces jawans and as many civilians were killed and 35 others injured in mortar shelling by the Pakistani troops on civilian areas and BoPs along the International Border and the LoC in four districts on Friday, they added. In a one-of-a-kind order, the Supreme Court has ordered removal of pictures of a couple from all social media platforms, leaving them with no footprint of their bitter relationship. A three-judge bench presided over by Chief Justice Dipak Misra allowed the man and the woman to part ways peacefully and dissolved their marriage solemnised in 2013. The court passed its order, exercising its extra-ordinary jurisdiction under Article 142 of the Constitution. The court ordered the man, an IIM graduate, to pay his engineer wife Rs 37 lakh as a full and final settlement. Both the husband and the wife were present in the court. The bench, also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, accepted a plea made by advocate Dushyant Parashar, appearing for the woman, to issue directions for removal of the wife's picture from any social media platform by the husband. He said in order to ensure that the woman can move ahead in life, all her pictures from any social media platform or elsewhere should be removed. This would also help in woman's effort to get re-married in future, he said. Advocate Rajesh Mahale, appearing for the man, agreed to the request. It was contended that the marriage had barely lasted for three months as the couple from Maharashtra developed serious differences, resulting in an initiation of 18 civil and criminal proceedings against each other. "Neither the husband nor the wife shall put the photographs of each other in any mode at any place which would also include social media or online," the court directed. The court allowed a plea made by the husband to quash all criminal and civil proceedings against him and his family members. The bench also directed for expunging of all adverse statements made by the couple against each other from records in proceedings before any court. The AIADMK on Saturday said it would seek disqualification of ruling Congress and DMK legislators in Puducherry "for holding office of profit," in view of the Election Commission's decision to disqualify 20 AAP MLAs in New Delhi on similar grounds. Addressing reporters here, the party's legislature wing leader A Anbalagan said the "office of profit" axe has fallen on 20 AAP MLAs in New Delhi with EC sending its recommendation to the President, suggesting their disqualification. "The development in New Delhi is directly applicable to Puducherry where the legislators belonging to the ruling Congress and its ally the DMK are holding 'office of profits' such as chairmen of government-owned undertakings and Parliamentary Secretary," he claimed. Anbalagan said the AIADMK will give 15 days to the MLAs "to relieve themselves of posts of chairmen and Parliamentary Secretary so as to remain only as legislators as my intention is not to disturb them." The party would send a petition to ECI after the lapse of 15 day-deadline, he added. While one Congress legislator is the parliamentary secretary to Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, two DMK members and five belonging to the Congress had been appointed chairmen of statutory bodies here. The Election Commission had on Friday recommended to the President the disqualification of 20 MLAs of the AAP for holding office of profit, setting the stage for their ouster from the New Delhi Assembly. Questioning the move to associate Puducherry BJP president V Saminathan with the inauguration of a Passport office in Karaikal, the AIADMK leader said, "Narayanasamy had not registered protest against inclusion of the name of BJP president in both the official invitation and also the plaque erected at the venue of the function." American aerospace and defence major Lockheed Martin has proposed to manufacture custom-built F-35 fighter jets in India, which its officials say will give Indian industry a unique opportunity to become part of the world's largest fighter aircraft ecosystem. "We plan to introduce two new words into the lexicon of international fighter aircraft manufacturing: 'India' and 'exclusive'," said Vivek Lall, vice president, strategy and business development, at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. "India-specific state-of-the-art fighter production in India will be exclusive, something that has never before been presented by any other fighter aircraft manufacturer, past or present. There will also be a significant export market available for Indian-made fighters," he said. Lall, an Indian American who last year was instrumental in the decision of the Trump administration to sell top-of-the-line unarmed drones from General Atomics, in his previous capacity. Noting that the India-specific fighter on offer and its programme's size, scope and success will enable Indian industry to take advantage of unprecedented manufacturing, upgrade and sustainment opportunities well into the future, Lall said the platform will give Indian industry a unique opportunity to become a part of the world's largest fighter aircraft ecosystem. "We intend to create far more than an assembly line in India," he said. Lall claimed no other advanced fourth generation platform even comes close to matching the record of real-world combat experience and proven operational effectiveness. "The fighter being offered specifically to India is uniquely the best state-of-the-art fighter," he said adding that all three variants of the F-35 are single-engine aircraft. Many of the systems used on the India-specific platform are derived from key lessons learned and technologies from Lockheed Martin's F-22 and the F-35, the world's only operational fifth-generation fighters, he said. Northrop Grumman's advanced APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar on the F-16 Block 70 provides F-16s with fifth-generation fighter radar capabilities by leveraging hardware and software commonality with F-22 and F-35 AESA radars, he added. The APG-83 radar shares more than 95% software commonality with the F-35 radar and more than 70% hardware commonality. Lall said the F-16 provides the path to business relationships with Lockheed Martin, the only company in the world that has designed, developed and produced operational fifth-generation fighter aircraft. Technology improvements will also continue to flow between the F-16, F-22 and F-35 for decades, at a fraction of the cost to F-16 operators, he said. The platform being offered provides unmatched opportunities for Indian companies of all sizes, including micro, small & medium enterprises (MSMEs) and suppliers throughout India, to establish new business relationships with Lockheed Martin and other industry leaders in the US and around the globe, Lall said giving an insight into the offer being made by his company. A bench led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra on Monday will hear two PILs on seeking an independent probe into the death of Mumbai's special judge B H Loya. Congress sympathiser Tehseen Poonawalla and Maharashtra-based journalist Bandhuraj Sambhaji Lone filed two separate PILs for a fresh probe into Loya's death on December 1, 2014. The judge was hearing the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case. BJP president Amit Shah and senior police officers, who faced charges, were exonerated subsequently. According to the Supreme Court's website, the two PILs have been posted under the category of cases "fresh for admission" as item number 45, before the bench of CJI and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud. Notably, both Justices Khanwilkar and Chandrachud are from Maharashtra. The assigning of two PILs before a bench led by Justice Arun Mishra earlier had acted as a trigger for four seniormost judges of the apex court to come out in public against the CJI on January 12. The four judges - Justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph - had addressed a press conference, accusing the chief justice of allocating cases with far-reaching consequences to select benches. The two PILs, which were heard two times briefly by Justices Arun Mishra and Justices Mohan M Shantagoundar earlier, were on January 16 directed to be posted before an "appropriate bench". On Friday, after Poonawalla's counsel sought a listing of the matter, the CJI-led bench had said it would be posted before an "appropriate bench as per the roster". Now it has emerged that the matter would be heard by a three-judge bench of CJI and Justices Khanwilkar and Chandrachud. Are you travelling to Mauritius with your parents?" asked the stewardess. "Why, yes, of course!" I beamed. His question surprised me, to say the least. But soon, the plane started to fill up, and what do I see? An entire army of married couples! Across aisles, blood-red bangles jingled on mehendi-laden hands and the gold on wedding bands shone brightly as ever. And there we were - my mom, my dad and me - stuck in a 'honeymooners' aeroplane'. Like aliens in a strange land, we stood out from the crowd. But, a husband in tow or not, I was determined to enjoy my vacation. After all, how often would I get to swim in crystal-clear waters, share a meal with dolphins, relish fresh tropical fruits every day, visit a soon-to-be-active volcano (wait at least 1,000 years for that), or experience a melting pot of cultures and cuisines, and that too, all in one place? Yes, Mauritius isn't just the Indian honeymooners' most-preferred getaway; it is a portal to heaven for all its visitors. The divide Tourists look at Mauritius in two parts: the North and the South. But mind you, you are never too far away from the ocean. North is where the capital city of Port Louis lies, along with Le Caudan Waterfront, a seaside commercial complex that houses many shopping units, eating joints, and a casino. South is where the tallest Shiva statue in the world looks down upon his devotees, a waterfall enlivens the area, and a river snakes through a national park before emptying itself in the ocean. Our Mauritian journey began with the South tour. Fair warning: you have to drive for quite a while to get from point A to point B here. But you will have no reason to complain as the intermittent views of the big blue ocean and green villages and towns will keep you satiated. At 9 on a bright early morning, we found ourselves in a small setup housing wooden miniature boats. At different corners, men were busy at their craft. While one was weaving together threads to connect the mast of the ship to the deck, another one was carving out little windows in a half-finished ship. After the miniature ship factory tour, our wallets were lighter while the bags were heavy. We left the city behind as we headed to our next stop: a dormant volcano crater in Curepipe village. While the crater itself is inaccessible, many come here, to the top of the hill, to enjoy 360-degree views of the town and the coastal plains. Don't leave without an ice-cream or a plate of spicy-sweet fruits. Many generations of Indian families call Mauritius their home. Which is why at around noon, we found ourselves at Grand Bassin, also known as Ganga Talao, a crater lake sitting pretty at 1,800 feet above sea level. Symbolically linked to one of the holiest rivers of India, Ganga Talao is an oasis of calm. Moving on, as our van made its way through hilly terrains, honeymooners got busy clicking selfies. Taking pity on the only 'unhoneymooning' couple in the group, our guide took us on a 'Get to Know Mauritius' talk that brought us a little closer to this wonderful country. "Mauritius is a country dominated by villages, almost 170 in number, and it enjoys a spectacular coastline of 390 sq km. Since ours is a French colony, our main languages are Creole and French," he said. We are in a country whose population is dominated by Hindus, 1.4 billion to be exact. So, don't be surprised to find temples and little shrines in every nook and corner. A quick stop for lunch and we were off to Chamarel, a village located right next to the Black River Gorges National Park. We were there to see Seven-Coloured Earth, a world-famous natural wonder, and Chamarel Waterfalls, a jaw-dropping water beauty. A signboard told me that the 'Seven-Coloured Earth' dunes contain traces of ancient activity of geoclimatic events. The basalt from the intermediate-period lava flow has been leached by the humid climate, leading to gullied clay. The decomposition has left iron and aluminium oxides, which repel each other, resulting in colourful stripes. "Heavy rainfall doesn't erode this unique formation, nor does any plant grow here," said the guide. The waterfall, on the other hand, is dominated by dense vegetation and is apparently perfect in the monsoon. But for now, it's just two narrow strips of water from River St Denis falling from a height of 270 feet. The next day, I couldn't help but think that the North Island tour was mainly targeted at shopaholics. If not, why would anyone want to spend almost four hours at Le Caudan Waterfront, the seaside shopping complex? This spacious conglomerate is also where many actors have proclaimed their love for each other on the silver screen. If you are a shopaholic, this is the perfect place to pick up souvenirs: sugar packets (Mauritius is known for its sugarcane), artefacts, and more. Or, if you are feeling lucky, you can also gamble at the casino here. But don't leave the place without visiting the Blue Penny Museum, a brightly lit setup that will give you a glimpse into the history and art of Mauritius. Behind the lens Now, the sympathetic looks weren't the only disadvantage of travelling with my parents. Since I didn't have a husband fawning over me, I unofficially became the official honeymoon photographer for the group. But I couldn't complain, as I, in return, often got treated to the delicious Mauritian vanilla yoghurt every now and then. As we bid goodbye to this blue jewel of the Indian Ocean, we realised that Mauritius isn't just about beckoning beaches, casuarina-lined coasts or thrilling water-sports adventures. The tiny nation holds within its folds many fascinating cultural aspects that turned our beach vacation into something much more. Be it the Apravasi Ghat, which served as the island's immigration depot for indentured labour from India, or the Champ de Mars Racecourse, which is the oldest horse-racing club in the Southern Hemisphere, or the Rhumerie de Chamarel, a rum distillery whose carefully concocted spirits might just be the cure for all your stress, Mauritius is full of surprises. BJP MP Subramanian Swamy on Saturday produced before a Delhi court an Income Tax assessment order against the Young Indian company, in which majority shares are held by Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. The order dated December 27 of last year, served on Young Indian (YI), cancels the tax exemption certificate issued to the firm and declares that it should pay tax for the concealed income gain, amounting to Rs 414 crore. Metropolitan Magistrate Ambika Singh directed that the I-T department documents, which were submitted by Swamy, be kept in a sealed cover till further orders. The court posted the matter for further hearing on March 27. Seeking a speedy trial, Swamy submitted that the I-T department had launched a probe against the Gandhis, Young Indian, and four other accused after taking note of his complaint. Genesis Swamy accused the Gandhis and others of conspiring to misappropriate funds by paying just Rs 50 lakh, through which YI obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore which Associate Journals Ltd owed the Congress. The 105-page order contradicts the Congress party's claim of giving Rs 90 crore loan to Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of the National Herald newspaper. The order adds that the transaction was made to take over Rs 2,000 crore worth of land and building assets of AJL, he said. "The I-T department took notice of the facts in my complaint and launched an investigation against the seven accused. A Rs 414-crore fine was imposed on YI for withholding information," Swamy said in the court. The counsel for the accused persons opposed Swamy's submission alleging that the I-T documents were in "unauthorised and unlawful possession of Swamy" and they should not be taken on record. "He (Swamy) can't be in possession of such documents. Let him file an affidavit about how he got these documents," the counsel appearing for the Gandhis said. Swamy said he found the documents related to the I-T department's December 27 order lying along with newspapers at his doorstep recently. Swamy also told the court that certain documents filed by him, whose authenticity was challenged by the accused, were filed before the Supreme Court by Sonia Gandhi herself. On December 19, 2015, the court had granted bail to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Congress treasurer Vora, CWC member Oscar Fernandes and Gandhi family's friend Suman Dubey, who had appeared before it following summons. Technocrat Sam Pitroda, also an accused, was granted bail on February 20, 2016. In a horrifying incident, a seven- year-old boy was brutally attacked and mauled to death by half-a-dozen stray dogs in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district, the police said today. Vikki, a son of a migrant labour from Uttar Pradesh, was attacked by the dogs while he was returning home from a near- by market in Amarkot village under Paonta sub division, they said. Hearing his cries, villagers rushed to his rescue and three of them also got injured by the aggressive dogs. The boy sustained multiple injuries on his head, throat, neck and stomach, they said, adding he succumbed to his injuries on the way to a hospital. A case has been registered in this matter, DSP Paonta Pramod Chauhan said. A sum of Rs 20,000 has been given to the bereaved family members, SDM Paonta H S Rana said. According to the Amarkot village head, Rakesh Mehraloo, the administration was informed many a time in the recent past about the stray dogs attacking people, but it turned deaf ear to their complaints. The incident has frightened the villagers, who are now not sending their wards to schools, he said. As election draws closer, party-hopping has intensified in the state. Speculations are rife in Congress circles that BJP MLA from Vijayanagara constituency in Ballari district Anand Singh will soon join the Congress. Sources in the party said Singh met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah recently and discussed the possibility of his joining the Congress. Ballari district incharge Minister Santosh Lad was also present in the meeting. But it is said that the chief minister has not given him any assurance on the party ticket to contest the coming election from Vijayanagara. The sources said the party high command is averse to inducting any BJP leader who is facing charges of illegal mining. Singh, who was once a close associate of the Reddy brothers in Ballari, is facing a SIT probe in connection with illegal mining. Anand Singh has now distanced himself from the BJP. He did not take part in the Parivarthana Yatra held in Ballari recently. Singh also took part in the government-organised Tipu Jayanti celebrations recently despite the party's stand to oppose it. Anil Chikkamadu, son of late Chikkamadu of the JD(S), is likely to join the Congress. The party is likely to field him as its candidate from HD Kote constituency in Mysuru district in the coming election. HD Kote was represented by Chikkamadu who passed away recently. The sources said Anil, who met Siddaramaiah recently, is upset with the JD(S) for not promising him the ticket to contest the election. The Congress is planning to cash in on the sympathy factor by fielding Anil, the sources pointed out. Hoping to return to power in the next Lok Sabha elections in 2019, the BJP on Saturday launched its 'yuva udghosh' campaign from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency of Varanasi in a bid to connect to the young and first-time voters. BJP president Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addressed a meeting of young and first-time voters at the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth ground in Varanasi and sought their support. In his speech, Amit Shah listed the achievements of the Modi government since it came to power in 2014 and said that India had attained respect in the world under Modi. He also said that both the Centre and state government were focusing on the youths and referred to the schemes initiated for them. BJP leaders announced that 'yuva udghosh' meetings would be held in different parts of the country ahead of next year's elections. The campaign, however, witnessed protests from Congress workers, who gathered outside the venue and raised anti-BJP slogans. Over 36 Congress leaders and workers were taken into custody, when they tried to storm the venue, police said. The Congress had decided to stage a protest before Shah in revenge against the BJP's protests in Amethi during Rahul Gandhi's visit there. Union Minister Satyapal Singh has claimed that Charles Darwin's theory of evolution is "scientifically wrong" and needs to be changed in school and college curriculum. Singh, the Minister of State for Human Resource Development, said our ancestors have nowhere mentioned that they saw an ape turning into a man. "Darwin's theory (of the human evolution) is scientifically wrong. It needs to change in school and college curriculum. Since the man is seen on Earth he has always been a man," he said while speaking to reporters on Friday here. The IPS officer-turned-politician was in the central Maharashtra city to attend the 'All India Vaidik Sammelan.' "Nobody, including our ancestors, in written or oral, has said they saw an ape turning into a man," he said. "No books we have read or the tales told to us by our grandparents had such a mention," the minister added. Darwinism is a theory of biological evolution that states that all species arise and develop through natural selection of small, inherited variations that increase the individual's ability to compete, survive, and reproduce. It was developed by Charles Darwin, a 19th-century English naturalist, and others. The Shivappa Nayaka Palace in the city will soon the be the world's first museum which displays around 150 iron rockets. Sources in the Archaeology, Museums and Heritage department said presently such rockets are found only in two museums in the world - Firepower: The Royal Artillery Museum in Woolwich in south-east London and the Government Museum, Bengaluru. Two iron rockets which had been designed and developed by Sir William Congreve in 1804, popularly known as Congreve rockets and designed after the Mysore rockets, are on display in London. The Bengaluru museum has a collection of three iron rockets. But they are not displayed for public viewing. According to officials of the department, around 150 iron rockets of various sizes were found in an areca plantation belonging to Nagaraj Rao at Nagara, Hosanagar taluk in the district, while desilting a century-old well. Many believed that they were either shells or explosive materials. At last, retired director of the department of archaeology, museums and heritage H M Siddanna Gowda confirmed they were iron rockets as they are similar to the ones in the Bengaluru museum. R Shejeshwar, assistant director of the archaeology, museums and heritage department, Shivappa Nayaka Palace, told DH, "when we got to know about these rockets, we consulted senior officials of the department and historians. A research was conducted subsequently". He said though it is a known fact that Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore, had used iron rockets for the first time in the world during the Anglo Mysore Wars of the 18th century, such rockets were not found in large numbers anywhere in the world so far. But now, they have been found in Shivamogga district." Nagara in Hosanagar taluk, he said, was the last capital of the Keladi rulers. Earlier, it was known as Bidanoor. In 1763, Hyder Ali, ruler of Mysore, captured the fort in Nagara and renamed the place as Hydernagar. He had set up an armoury there. So, iron rockets may have been found there. Historian Nidin G Olikara said iron rockets of up to seven feet in length and one to three feet in width were found. These rockets contained gun powder and soldiers used to fire them by placing them on a pole, up to a distance of two km. Taking note of the plight of a woman from Uttar Pradesh, forced to live in the terrace portion of her in-law's house without amenities, the Kerala State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC) directed the police to trace her husband and register a case against him. KSHRC acting Chairperson P Mohandas, suo-motu registered a case and directed the Ernakulam district police chief to take steps to find the woman's husband. The commission also ordered a case to be registered against him for defrauding the woman, Jabin Shayaq, an aeronautical engineering diploma holder, by extracting money and cheating her. The woman told the commission that she and Anil Kuruvilla fell in love while pursuing the course at a college in Meerut and got married after graduation, with their parent's approval. They stayed together for four months in Anil's house at Airapuram, Ernakulam district, in Kerala. Thereafter they went back to Uttar Pradesh, where she delivered a baby boy. Some time back Anil left for Kerala after taking Rs six lakh from her, the money was from her share of her family property, after assuring that he will construct a house at his native. He constructed a house at his family property. Thereafter, she had not heard from him, prompting her to go to the village with her son. She found her husband and his parents at his home, but they immediately left locking the door. Jabin said she was now occupying the terrace portion of the building with her schoolgoing child. The commission noted that she had been left in the lurch and said the 'inhuman treatment' meted out to her and the child at the instance of her own husband and in-laws was nothing but a violation of Human Rights. "She has no food, no proper shelter, no water and no electricity. She is living at the mercy of neighbours", it said. It also directed Ernakulam district officials to urgently intervene in the matter and submit a domestic investigation report before the magistrate concerned after interacting with the woman. Following the repair work in Udupi prison at Hiriyadka, all the 91 inmates of the prison have been shifted to Karwar jail on Saturday morning. According to sources, the work on repairing the walls which have developed cracks and the UGD will be taken up in the prison at a cost of Rs 65 lakh. The wall of the kitchen has developed cracks and collapsed and the wall of a barrack has also developed cracks, which will be repaired within 2-3 months. After the repair, all the inmates will be shifted back to the prison in Hiriyadka. The prison staff have also accompanied the inmates to Karwar. The prison is situated on 15 acres of land and has around eight CCTV cameras. Only one or two staff members are likely to stay back in Udupi prison to look into the safety of the prison, said sources. The Udupi prison in Hiriyadka was inaugurated on January 11, 2009. The IMF and the World Bank have commended the Reserve Bank of India for its "remarkable progress in strengthening banking supervision" saying the regulation by the central bank has improved in recent years. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank had released two separate main Reports of the 2017 India Financial Sector Assessment Programme (FSAP) in December 2017. In continuation, the IMF and the World Bank yesterday released two detailed assessment reports (DARs) relating to the 2017 India FSAP. The report providing 'Detailed Assessment of Observance Basel Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision' has been released by the IMF and the World Bank. The report providing 'Detailed Assessment of Observance of Clearing Corporation of India Limited (CCIL) Central Counter Party (CCP) and Trade Repository (TR)' was released by the World Bank. Market regulator Sebi in a statement noted that the DAR on the observance of Basel Core Principles commends the Reserve Bank for the remarkable progress in strengthening banking supervision since the last FSAP. "It notes that the supervision and regulation by the Reserve Bank remain strong and have improved in recent years," the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) said. The DAR states that the system-wide asset quality review (AQR) and the strengthening of prudential regulations in 2015 testify to the authorities' commitment to transparency and a more accurate recognition of banking risks. The report also notes that most of the Basel III framework (and related guidance) has been implemented and cooperation arrangements, both domestically and cross-border, are now firmly in place. The DAR, Sebi said, acknowledges that banking reforms, including the Indradhanush Plan for revitalising the public sector banks and the Bank Board Bureaus have helped usher in an era of transparency and improved discipline and will go a long way in resolving the problem of bad loans in India. The DAR relating to the assessment of the CCIL on CCP system and TR systems' benchmarking against the applicable principles of financial market infrastructure concluded that the CCIL systems have a high degree of observance of the principles. A 32-year-old labourer from West Bengal was found dead under suspicious circumstances in Jaipur. According to the police, Sakir Ali, a migrant labourer, died of injuries due to acid burns. The mysterious death comes exactly a month after another migrant worker from West Bengal, Mohammed Afrazul, was murdered in Rajsamand district of Rajasthan by one Shambhulal Regar, who circulated the video of the killing, claiming it to be the price for "love jihad". Virendra Singh, sub inspector, Shastri Nagar police station said the body of Ali was recovered on January 16 from the house in which he and other labourers lived in Shastri Nagar's painter colony. "We conducted a post-mortem on January 17, which revealed he died of acid burns. Rajasthan police sent the body of Ali to his family in Malda district of West Bengal. "The post-mortem revealed that there were internal and external burns," Virendra Singh added. Messaging platform, WhatsApp is set to introduce an Android based business app for the Indian markets next week for hassle free market transactions. The new Whatsapp Business App is aimed to help small businesses for which company has introduced new features dedicated for the same target group. The company had announced the initiative first in September last year. The beta version of this app has already been rolled out in Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, the UK, and the US, with a global rollout scheduled in the coming weeks. "The new app allows the users to create business profiles with details, such as email-ids, website links or store addresses, for easy connections with their customers, quick or automated replies which lets the users save and reuse any message," the company said in a blog. According to data provided by Whatsapp, over 80% of the small businesses from India and Brazil say that they use Whatsapp for easy communications with customers and growing their market share. In India, 84% of the SMBs think that Whatsapp has improved their trade experience with customers. The company claims that this app would further revolutionise trade and communications for both customers and small businesses. "WhatsApp Business changes the way we communicate with our customers, especially with features like quick replies which make our WhatsApp experience easier. This also helps our business profile stand out in the crowd," Harpreet Sharda, who own a three-year old graphic design and video production company said. China's Xiaomi plans to expand its Indian store network as it attempts to grab the lead in a smartphone market which Korea's Samsung has dominated for more than five years. A little over three years after Xiaomi entered India, its cheap, high-spec handsets have helped the start-up, which is now valued at close to $100 billion and plans to list this year, to pull neck-and-neck with Samsung in its biggest market behind China. "If you look at 2017 and 2018 combined, the biggest change in our strategy is our focus on offline," Manu Kumar Jain, Managing Director of Xiaomi India, told Reuters in an interview. Xiaomi opened its first Mi Home, an Apple store-style sales and experience centre, in May and already operates 17 such outlets in India. Jain said Xiaomi is ahead of schedule on its plans to open 100 Mi Home stores by mid-2019 in India and also plans to add more preferred partner stores - multi-brand outlets that stock largely Xiaomi products. In a bid to widen its user base in India, where about a third of its 1.2 billion mobile phone subscribers use smartphones, Xiaomi is looking to strengthen its network beyond online, which accounts for some 70 percent of local revenue. Its strategy in India has so far rested on flash sales on leading homegrown e-commerce player Flipkart and Amazon.com's Indian sites, an approach that helped Xiaomi save on expensive marketing spends and grab market share. Jain, who declined to provide financial metrics, said Xiaomi will launch six to eight new smartphones across key price ranges in 2018. "We want to improve on whatever we launched in 2017 and also launch and plug whatever we think are the big use cases where we are not present," he said. Last year, Xiaomi launched eight smartphones priced from 4,999 Indian rupees ($78) to 32,999 rupees ($516). Samsung, by comparison, offers more than 40 smartphone models in India. Xiaomi also plans to unveil at least one or two new smart products in 2018. It already sells airpurifiers and fitness bands in India and will likely venture into TVs, water purifiers, scooters and rice cookers in the future, Jain said. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday performed the annual 'halwa' ceremony at the Ministry of Finance located in the North Block, before the commencement of the confidential process of printing Budget documents. The Union Budget for 2018-19 is to be presented in Parliament by the FM on February 1, with the session of the two Houses set to begin from January 29. The ceremony, which was performed at the North Block here, marks the inauguration of the formal printing of different documents relating to the Union Budget. As part of the ritual, halwa was prepared in a big kadhai (wok) and served to the entire staff in the ministry. Apart from Jaitley, those present at the ceremony were chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian, Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg, and Minister of State for Finance Shiv Pratap Shukla, among others. The halwa ceremony is held to maintain the secrecy of the Budget preparation process with the entire staff of the Finance Ministry not being allowed to leave the building until the presentation of the Budget. After the celebration, over a hundred members of the Finance Ministry descended into the basement of the North Block, where the "Budget press" is located. The printing of documents is guarded closely, as any leakage could lead to the government being accused of compromising on the privileges of Parliament. Among the documents, a blue sheet of paper is said to be the most guarded piece of paper. It contains figures for the Budget, outlining the entire economic planning process. The staff members are not even allowed to contact their near and dear ones through phone or any other form of communication, like email or phone. The basement has one telephone line, which can only receive calls. All communication is in the presence of intelligence officers. Only very senior officials in the Finance Ministry are permitted to go home. Union Minister of State Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale said that the Union government will table the Constitution (123rd) Amendment Bill, 2017, in the budget session of Parliament, which seeks to accord constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC). He said on Saturday that although it was tabled in the winter session, it could not be passed. The Centre is firm on according Constitutional status to the Commission. "Economically backward sections of the Upper Class should be given reservation without affecting the existing reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs. A law to give a reservation of 25% in the remaining 50% to those who are not in SC/ST/OBC but have an annual income below Rs 8 lakh, should be made," he added. "Dalit atrocity is a social issue and not a political issue. One of the reasons for the atrocities on Dalits was the feeling among other communities that Dalits have reservation," he said "A proposal has been submitted before the ruling NDA government in this regard. The agitating communities, including the Marathas in Maharashtra, Patels in Gujarat, Jats in Haryana, can be included in the 25% quota," said the minister. The Ministry has conducted over 6,000 camps for disabled persons to distribute various equipment. Nine lakh beneficiaries have benefited from the camps. He added that the NDA government believes in the Constitution of India. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stated that he considers Constitution as 'Dharma Grantha.' To a query on Anant Kumar Hegde's statement on changing the Constitution, Athawale clarified, "Nobody can change the Constitution, there is only a provision for amendment. Nobody can change the preamble of the Constitution. The NDA government has not supported Hegde's statement." 'BJP will win' Predicting the victory of the BJP in the upcoming Assembly election in Karnataka, Athawale said that the people of the state will support the welfare programmes initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Athawale, who is president of Republic Party of India, said "If the BJP shares a few seats with the RPI to contest, then we will have an alliance. Otherwise, the RPI will field its candidates in some constituencies. Wherever we are not fielding our candidates, the RPI will support the BJP. I will discuss the issue with Union Minister Ananth Kumar and BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa." With the Election Commission's recommendation to disqualify 20 Aam Aadmi Party MLAs in Delhi, the future course for such legislators is fraught with legal battles, with little hope of success. After the President's formal assent, which is termed natural, such MLAs, who were appointed parliamentary secretaries, are again going to question the decision in the court. Though the AAP government claimed that such MLAs were not taking a single penny, there are many apparent legal deficiencies as the Delhi government brought the bill in this regard with retrospective effect. The President has then declined assent to the Delhi Members of Legislative Assembly (Removal of Disqualification) Bill, 2015, passed by Delhi assembly in June 2015. It is notable that similar decision by other state governments to appoint MLAs as parliamentary secretaries could not sustain a legal challenge. The Supreme Court's three-judge bench led by Justice J Chelameswar had on July 26, 2017, declared a law passed by Assam Assembly in 2004 for such a purpose as "unconstitutional". "We are of the opinion that the legislature of Assam lacks the competence to make the impugned Act," the bench has said. The Assam Parliamentary Secretaries (Appointment, Salaries, Allowances and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2004 was passed after Parliament enacted amendment as Article 164(1A) of the Constitution. The main arguments against such appointment were that it went against Article 164 (1A) of the Constitution and was repugnant to 91 st Constitutional Amendment, which fixed the ceiling of 10% on the number of Ministers of the total number of seats in the Assembly of a state and union territory. The Punjab and Haryana had on August 12, 2016, quashed a law appointing Chief Parliamentary Secretaries in Punjab, saying it was contrary to the constitutional intent of limiting the number of ministers or the size of the Cabinet. The Meghalaya HC also on November 9, 2017, set aside such a state law for the appointment of parliamentary secretaries. A similar move by the Goa (2009) and the West Bengal government (2015) was quashed by the HCs. The appointment of parliamentary secretaries was seen as nothing but extending the privileges to some of the Member of Legislative Assembly who could not make it to the Council of Ministers. It is also argued that the move is nothing but elevating a good number of MLAs to the position of ministers under the guise of parliamentary secretary in violation of the Constitution. Not just in domestic politics, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has invoked Lord Rama in diplomacy as well. With Modi set to host leaders of the 10 ASEAN nations next week, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) has invited artistes from all the South East Asian nations to a Ramayana Festival it is holding in New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Lucknow and, of course, Ayodhya. The artistes from Thailand, Myanmar, Singapore, Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam and Lao PDR are participating in the Ramayana Festival, which started at Kamani Auditorium in New Delhi on Saturday and will conclude in Ayodhya on Wednesday. "Delighted to know that the Ramayana Festival, with participation of all ten ASEAN countries, begins in Delhi today. This celebrates India's deep civilizational and historical relations with the ASEAN region," the Prime Minister posted on Twitter. Modi will host the leaders of the South East Asian nations for the ASEAN-India summit on January 25 to commemorate 25 years of New Delhi's partnership with the 10-nation bloc. New Delhi is of the view that Ramayana, along with Buddhism, provides a strong cultural bond between India and all the ASEAN countries. The ASEAN leaders will also attend the Republic Day ceremony on January 26 as chief guests. New Delhi has been inviting a foreign leader to the ceremony. But this is the first time that the Heads of State and Governments of 10 nations will join President Ram Nath Kovind in witnessing the parade by the armed forces and the colourful tableaux on Raj Path. "An important part of a series of events to commemorate 25 years of India-ASEAN relations, the Festival is a fitting prelude to the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit on 25th January," Modi tweeted. The connect The ASEAN countries regard Ramayana as a very important theme that connects all of them because the epic is something that is played and enacted today in most of the South-East Asian nations, said Preeti Saran, Secretary (East) at the Ministry of External Affairs, who inaugurated the festival in New Delhi. The masked "Khon" artistes from Thailand performed a dance-drama based on Ramakien (or Ramayana) during the inaugural ceremony. They staged the epic battle between Phra Ram (Rama) and Thotsakan (Ravana) amid applause. Sunita Ksheerasagar of Shakti Colony at Shettar Layout here was not happy with the condition of roads, and collection of waste in the area, while Neelambika Hosmani, a student of Vishwabharati School in Unkal area, stressed the need for installing 'school zone' boards and clearing footpaths for easy pedestrian movement. In reply, Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) Executive Engineer (North) Mahesh Gowda noted that tenders have already been called to develop roads at Shettar Layout, while he would personally inspect the garbage collection, and would rectify the errors. Along with him, Corporator Umeshgouda Kaujageri and Assistant Commissioner of Police (North) A H Pathan assured to take steps to solve the problems mentioned by Neelambika Hosmani. From problems related to a particular location in a certain area, and to larger issues concerning thousands of people, a variety of civic problems were raised by the citizens at the 'Janaspandana' programme, organised by Deccan Herald-Prajavani Group here on Saturday. The People's representatives and officials concerned responded to the issues, by explaining the steps taken or to be taken, and by giving assurances. The event which brought citizens and authorities concerned together for the redressal of public grievances in Hubballi-Dharwad Central Assembly constituency was attended by Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly Jagadish Shettar who represents the constituency, Mayor D K Chavan, Corporators Veerana Savadi, Rajanna Koravi, Pandurang Patil, Mahesh Burli, Umeshgouda Kaujageri, Ashwini Majjagi, Laxmi Uppar, Smitha Jadhav, Menaka Hurali and Beerappa Khandekar. Officials of HDMC, H-D BRTS Company, Karnataka Water Board, NWKRTC, HDUDA and other departments were also present, to answer the queries of the citizens. Damaged condition of roads, pig menace, stray dog menace, improper waste collection, gutters blocked with garbage, open plots causing nuisance, overflowing sewage water, delay in water supply, dust, traffic congestion, lack of parking space, unscientific road humps, liquor shops in residential areas, streetlight problem, burning of waste, and many other issues were raised by the citizens including doctors, other professionals, women and students. A few persons from other constituencies had also come to express their grievances. Officials blamed A S Kulkarni of Vidyanagar lamented that HDMC officials are not responding to the demands of the residents, while Dr K H Jituri noted that unscientific road humps have not been removed even after a court order. Dr G B Sattur noted that officials should have ensured that road humps were not unscientific, while sewage water is not mixed with drinking water. "Shall the citizens go to the court to get these things done," he asked. Citizens should be alert first, and should join hands for the development of the city, he said. D M Shanbhag opined that the HDMC commissioner and H-D BRTS Company Limited managing director should have attended the programme, and he also called them irresponsible officials. Dr M C Sindhur lamented that the officials are not responding to the plea to develop 18-metre wide road from Kamaripet to Unkal Cross Road, under the CRF, though the land required is available as per the CDP. Corporator Veeranna Savadi also noted that HDMC commissioner and deputy commissioner are the authorities who clear the files related to solutions for many public grievances, and they should attend to such programmes. At one point of time, Corporator Pandurang Patil admitted that the HDMC lagged in utilising Solar City project, and it has to be utilised before the funds get lapsed. With growing outrage over the massive fire at Bellandur Lake, government agencies are pointing fingers at one another. The pollution control authorities are slapping notices on two agencies for the conflagration, and are being asked, in turn, to fund the protection and rejuvenation of the lake. Lakshman, chairman of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, told DH the notices were going out on Monday to the Bangalore Development Authority and the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board. Saturday's meeting Lake stakeholders, including the BDA, BWSSB, KSPCB and the Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority, met on Saturday. Additional chief secretary Mahendra Jain chaired the meeting. "The BDA and BWSSB have 15 days to reply to our notice. We will ask them to submit a status report on the short- and medium-term measures they have taken," Lakshman said. The smoke and the stench clearly indicate the presence of methane in the atmosphere. The lake is full of garbage and pollutants, he said. Water and air quality The notice is being served under the Water Act, and also because the level of particulate matter has increased 10-fold following the fire on Friday and Saturday, Lakshman said. QUOTES We are struggling to know the cause of the fire. We will request the Pollution Control Board and the Centre to help us out financially. We will also form watch-and-ward groups for 100% vigil, and deploy security guards - Rakesh Singh, BDA commissioner The repeat flare-ups show how badly the lake is polluted - Sonali Singh, Citizens Watch Group The lake is full of sewage. Cameras and boards warning of a Rs 5,000 penalty serve no purpose - Sandeep Sudarshan, resident of Varthur Lake water is at its worst. The government has not implemented any of the measures recommended by our committee - T V Ramachandra, Centre of Ecological Sciences, IISc, and lake expert committee member Residing at Embassy Pristine at the Iblur side of the smoldering Bellandur Lake, Bharathi Mani spent a tensed Friday watching the leaping flames. "Our apartment is just round the corner from the lake and we were worried that the blaze would spread to our building," Bharathi said. Her vigil continued into the early hours of Saturday. Moving into the apartment just three months ago, Bharathi enjoyed the view of the lake. "But on Friday, I wondered if I had made the right decision," she said, hoping that the authorities would study the issue and fix it soon. At another apartment in the Iblur area, Daina Emmanuel sighed in relief watching the wind blow in the other direction. Unlike the fire last year, the bellowing smoke from the lake would not be choking her flat. "We had a tough time as smoke filled our apartment," she recalled. Daina said the authorities just addressed the symptoms with minor weeding and pressing on the sprinklers to control the foam from the lake. "The fire is an indication of the scale of pollution," she said. Close by, Hariprakash Agrawal could not escape the smell of charring toxins despite the smoke not blowing in the direction of his house. "We could smell the smoke though we had closed the doors and windows at the flat. Children kept complaining about the stench," he said. Several meetings with civic agencies failed to solve the problem for good, Agrawal lamented. A day after a massive fire erupted in Bellandur Lake, Bengaluru Development Minister K J George accused the Centre of refusing funds for rejuvenating the Aity's largest waterbody. Speaking to reporters on Saturday, he said the Centre had "categorically turned down" the state government's requests for funds for cleaning Bellandur and other lakes in the city. "The Opposition claims the state government failed to clean the lake in spite of the Centre sanctioning funds for the purpose. This is a blatant lie. The truth is that the Centre didn't respond to the state's requests for funds. It categorically said it cannot sanction separate funds for this purpose," he added. George said he had urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to sanction separate funds for the development of lakes in the state's budget for 2018-19. He insisted that the state government had taken adequate steps to clean the lake as directed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) issued notices to the owners of buildings releasing wastewater into the lake as per the NGT orders, he added. The minister further said the police had been ordered to establish the cause of the fire. He, however, said the fire was unlikely to have originated in the lake. "The marshy area around the lake is full of grass and weeds. It's the breeding ground for ammonium gases that cause the fire," he added. Bengaluru: With the ruling Congress airing concerns over possible tampering of electronic voting machines (EVMs), the Election Commission of India has decided to take up random verification of votes in the upcoming Assembly elections in a bid to quell claims of foul play. The ruling Congress, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, want ballot papers instead of EVMs for the polls. IT Minister Priyank Kharge, too, has shot off a letter to the ECI demanding error-testing of 250 EVMs. The 2018 polls will see the introduction of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines, on which voters can see the votes they cast on a printout. "To raise voter confidence, the Election Commission has taken a decision to tally votes cast on the EVM with the VVPAT. This will be done in one polling booth selected randomly in every constituency," Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar said. "Votes will be tallied in the presence of election agents of different parties. The printouts will be put in a container and they will be tallied with the EVM readings," he added. This was done in 182 polling booths across 182 constituencies in Gujarat last month. Officials said, "there was a 100% match in the results of the EVM and the slips produced by VVPAT machines." According to Kumar, the decision to tally EVM readings with paper trail slips was voluntary. "One of the national parties approached the Supreme Court seeking counting of the paper trail slips. It was prayed that at least one-third of the votes should be counted, but the plea was rejected. But the EC has taken a decision on its own just to show there's no possibility of anything going wrong." Kumar said an EVM has three parts - a processing unit, a ballot unit and the VVPAT. "The VVPAT has a glass window on top. After the vote is cast, the machine prints a physical slip. For six seconds, the slip comes to the surface where the voter can see the vote. They are printed in permanent ink that can be preserved for five years. They can be verified any time during any dispute before a court or the district election officer," Kumar said. In his January 2 letter to Chief Election Commissioner Achal Kumar Jyoti, Kharge proposed an EVM challenge jointly hosted by the state government and the ECI, where stakeholders from the scientific community can test the EVMs. A 40-year-old man having a criminal record died after suffering a cardiac arrest at the Tilak Nagar police station, South Bengaluru, on Saturday. Sadiq Pasha, of Tilak Nagar, was brought to the police station by a constable around 12.30 am. But soon afterwards, he started vomiting. He was taken to a nearby hospital where doctors said he had some heart ailment. He was then taken to the Jayadeva hospital where he died of a cardiac arrest on Saturday evening, police said. Pasha was involved in various vehicle thefts in the locality, according to the police. Senior police officers are looking into the case as part of a procedure laid down to investigate custodial deaths. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Reliance Jio in the black with Rs504-cr Q3 net profit Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd, which continued to make losses for almost a year with is low tariffs and price wars has reported a net profit of Rs504 crore for the October-December 2017-18 quarter agains6t a loss of Rs271 crore in the previous quarter. Jio's disruptive launch late in 2016 that sparked a price war in India's cut-throat telecom sector, however, left incumbent telcos deep in the red, driving down margins and forcing consolidation. Reliance Jio, with over 160 million subscribers, turned positive ''in only the second quarter of commercial operations'', logging a net profit of Rs504 crore, RIL said. Reliance Jio has disrupted the telecom industry with free voice calls and cheap data since its launch in September 2016. The telecom start-up, which started commercial operations in Q2 FY18 with a loss of Rs271 crore, has been blamed for falling profits of industry peers. Vodafone India Ltd and Idea Cellular Ltd, the second and third among India's top three telecom companies, agreed to merge while Bharti Airtel, India's biggest telecom service provider, reported falling profits for six straight quarters. The Mukesh Ambani-owned company, which upended the market with its initially free voice and data and now much cheaper mobile internet services, has posted a revenue of Rs6,879 crore, up nearly 12 per cent on quarter. Voice calls remain free for life for the 160 million plus subscribers of the operator, which has come out with tariff plans across price ranges and even cash back offers to get more market share. Reliance Jio said it has continued its strong subscriber growth trend with gross adds during the quarter of 27.8 million as against 19.5 million in the trailing quarter. Average revenue per user (ARPU) stood at Rs154 per subscriber per month in December quarter against Rs156.4 in September quarter. Total wireless data traffic of 431 crore GB (9.6 GB per subscriber per month) for quarter ended December 2017. "Jio subscribers continue to demonstrate high activity level with average data consumption per user per month of 9.6 GB and average voice consumption of 694 minutes per user per month; these are both highest in the industry and substantially higher than other operators," the telco said, adding that video consumption has crossed 200 crore hours per month on the network. The telco revealed that its customer churn at 1.4 per cent per month is the lowest in the industry. Editor's note resolves The 76-page report provides a comprehensive review of Irans internet policies and initiatives, in particular, the development and new capabilities of Irans state-controlled National Internet Network (NIN), which gives the government newly expanded abilities to control Iranians access to the internet and monitor online communications. is("Complainant") [: commonly known as "| inta.org]...is("Respondent"), India. Theat issue is... Theto a." On the top right-hand corner of the page is a "Housing Request" form inviting users to book hotel rooms near the meeting venue. The page also includes other information about the meeting, and a disclaimer appears at the very bottom of the page. Complainant states that Respondent is not known by the INTA mark and has no affiliation or association with Complainant, and that Complainant has not consented to Respondent's use of the domain name .... it is Ordered that thedomain name be TRANSFERRED from Respondent to Complainant." (emphasis added) Internet Cut-Off During Recent Unrest in Iran Reveals Tehrans New Cyber Capabilities | Center for Human Rights in Iran | iranhumanrights.org : a major new report,, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) details the advances the Iranian government has made in controlling cyberspace in Iran, and the resulting losses to internet freedom and privacy. Download Guards at the Gate, here HTML ).--former ICANN board member Wolfgang Kleinwachter.Five EU Commissioners threaten to regulate online platforms if they do not remove more illegal content like hate speech-- EURACTIV.com --the famous and glamorous 74-year-old French actressapologized to victims but still stands by the letter she signed , saying she did not like the and unleashed by thecampaign, adding,(# of pageviews Sun-Sat) this past week on I had the flu last week. And, based on anecdotal evidence, you probably did as well. Heres why: Were nice. Let me explain. Have you noticed the maps that come out during flu season? Almost all of them consistently show the worst outbreaks concentrated in the South. On one hand, this shouldnt be. Were pretty rural here. You would think the Northeast would be ravaged by the flu all day, every day. Most often, however, the worst flu outbreaks seem to occur from Texas to Georgia. Why? We love to shake some hands in the South. My dad taught me the importance of a good handshake practically before he stuffed the first spoonful of Gerbers in my mouth. A good, firm handshake, he said, communicates all kinds of desirable virtues. Earnest, sincere, forthright, hard-working, honest. Now, stop laughing and let me explain further. While a handshake may or may not be a good indicator of honesty, it appears to be an incredibly effective germ delivery system. Although all of science is not unanimous on this (all of science is not unanimous on anything apparently), most experts believe that if the flu virus can live on a door knob for a few hours, it can most certainly live on a warmer hand for a while. During our churchs regular greeting time Sunday, our pastor attempted to suggest the fist bump as an acceptable alternative since the flu appeared to be at its peak. Based on my totally unscientific estimate, it was about 32.7 percent effective. I mean, what do you do when a pillar of the church extends his hand for a shake? Are you going to risk losing all status by responding with a fist bump? Maybe just a quick head-nod and a whasup? Of course not. Youre going to shake hands and get the flu. Overall, I prefer the handshake culture over the non-handshake culture. In many northern states, eye contact is expressly forbidden by law. Handshakes are a capital offense. I understand this. During my first trip to Boston about 20 years ago, I was enjoying my first ride on the T. No one looked at anyone, ever. Then, this one man made eye contact with me. My Southern self took over and I said hello. He said hello back. I introduced myself. He introduced himself as . Jesus Christ. He said he recently morphed from a bird to a human after flying to the United States from Guatemala. Everyone else on the T looked at me in derision. Rookie. My Southern self took over again and I said the only thing that seemed appropriate after that. Well, Ill be dog. I think he took me literally. So I think Ill just stick to the South, shake hands and get the flu. - - What Im Reading Ukraine is obliged to continue carrying out reforms in 2018 despite the upcoming elections, including because of its obligation to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), without cooperation with which the country will not be able to fulfil its debt obligations, Head of the Group of Strategic Advisors for Support of Reforms in Ukraine Ivan Miklos has said. "It's normal in democratic countries when politicians do not want to carry out reforms before the elections, because people are afraid of reforms. However, reforms must be continued in 2018, because Ukraine is in a situation where there will be no progress without reforms, and people need progress. [Without reforms] Ukraine will not be able to finance its obligations without a program of the [International] Monetary Fund, and therefore it is necessary that these obligations be fulfilled," Miklos said live on Channel 5 late on Friday, January 19. He noted that one of the most important obligations of Ukraine to the IMF was anti-corruption reform, in particular, the adoption of the bill on the Ant-Corruption Court, "It will be necessary that these prerequisites of the monetary fund be met in spring, that is before the end of May, so as not to create problems in this financing. Therefore, there is still time... However, it is not only necessary to have an anti-corruption court. It is necessary to have a court that will work," Miklos said. Ukrainian Finance Minister Oleksandr Danyliuk has stressed the need to effectively use the funds seized from representatives of the former authorities, in particular, former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. "Now the money is in the budget. My task is to make so that it is used effectively. I really do not want anyone to build a political career at the expense of confiscation and the confiscated money to disappear eventually," he said in an interview with Ukraine's Mirror Weekly published on Saturday. Danyliuk believes that it is expedient to use part of the seized funds to repay the state's debt to business for overpayment for profit tax and to ensure the country's defense capability. "In any case, we need to spend it wisely. Many people in our country can waste money, because they were not taught to be responsible for every kopeck. Such transfers to the budget will not be made every year, and their distribution should be treated not as annual manna from heaven, but as one-off income," he said. To build the largest and most complete Amateur Radio community site on the Internet - a "portal" that hams think of as the first place to go for information, to exchange ideas, and be part of whats happening with ham radio on the Internet. eHam.net provides recognition and enjoyment to the people who use, contribute, and build the site. This project involves a management team of volunteers who each take a topic of interest and manage it with passion. The site will stand above all other ham radio sites by employing the latest technology and professional design/programming standards, developed by a team of community programmers who contribute their skills to the effort. The site will be something of which everyone involved can be proud to say they were a part. We welcome your comments. The eHam.net Team, Revision 07/2020. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Davos, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavel Klimkin has said. "Of course, the president will talk with Trump," Klimkin said on the Inter TV channel on Friday evening speaking about the upcoming meetings of the Ukrainian head of state in Davos. Answering the question on whether Poroshenko will speak with Tramp in private or in the format of a general meeting, Klimkin said: "What can they talk about in the format of a general meeting? Of course, they will talk as two presidents. There is no point to discuss sensitive issues in a general meeting format." A policeman injured in Odesa during a shooting on Friday afternoon died in hospital, adviser to Chief of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Odesa region Ruslan Forostiak has said. "A 30-year-old policeman, who was in grave condition, died in hospital," Frostiak wrote on a Facebook page. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has said he will meet with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Paris next week. "[I will meet] with Tillerson in Paris. There will be many ministers there. A new initiative to control chemical weapons begins there. There will be a communication there, including with the U.S. delegation," he said live on the Inter television channel late on Friday. He also noted that he planned to meet with many of his foreign colleagues both in Paris and at the international economic forum in Davos. Arriving this weekend are some explosive and heart-stopping films that will be sure to have everyone at the edge of their seat. From gritty cops to brave soldiers, here are some movies everyone should check out this weekend! Den Of Thieves Den of Thieves stars: stars Gerard Butler, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Pablo Schreiber, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Evan Jones, Dawn Olivieri, Mo McRae, and Max Holloway. The film follows members of LAPD and the elite members of the County Sheriff Department who try to stop a crew of thieves from pulling off the ultimate heist. The film may seem cut and dry. However, it has been teased that there will be a twist ending no one will see coming. 12 Strong The latest war-action film tackles the aftermath of the Twin Towers attack. 12 Strong stars Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Michael Pena, Navid Negahban, Trevante Rhodes, Geoff Stults, Thad Luckinbill, William Fichtner, and Rob Riggle. The movie portrays the true story of a special task force that is sent to Afghanistan to help conduct warfare against Taliban forces. Forever My Girl If you want to take a break from crime and action, a new love story will be premiering this weekend based on a best-selling novel. Forever My Girl stars Alex Roe and Jessica Rothe, who were a former couple that were set to get married until Roe's character, Liam Page, left his bride at the altar. Now, Page returns to home to bury his high school friend and also face the consequences of leaving his love behind for fame and fortune. Cocaine Godmother If you're thinking about staying in this weekend, Lifetime may have the perfect film for you. Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones stars in the latest biopic Cocaine Godmother, a film based on the life of notorious Colombian drug lord, Griselda Blanco. The movie will follow Blanco's life at the age of 17 when she met her first husband and obtained a fake passport to enter America. The film also stars Raul Mendez and Juan Pablo Espinosa. Also still in theaters are the films: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, The Commuter, The Post, and The Greatest Showman. Is Kourtney Kardashian preparing to welcome her fourth child with her much-younger boyfriend, model Younes Bendjima? According to a new report, the 38-year-old mother of three is suffering from baby fever after watching her younger sister, Kim Kardashian, welcome her third child, a baby girl, with husband, Kanye West. After holding Kims new baby, Kourtney has baby fever again, a source close to the reality star told Hollywood Life on Jan. 19. Kourtney wants more kids. In addition to Kim's recent addition, two of Kourtney Kardashian's other siblings, Kylie Jenner and Khloe Kardashian, are currently pregnant with their first children. As Khloe recently revealed on Instagram, she is six months pregnant with the child of Cleveland Cavaliers player Tristan Thompson. Meanwhile, Jenner is reportedly nearing the end of her pregnancy, but her due date has yet to be confirmed. Kourt has three kids and she feels like she could easily have three more," the insider continued. "She grew up with five other siblings and would love to give her kids the same experience of having a big family." As Keeping Up with the Kardashians fans well know, Kardashian shares three children, sons Mason, 8, and Reign, 3, and daughter Penelope, 5, with her former boyfriend, Scott Disick. However, despite her busy life, Kardashian has always said that she wants a big family. So at 38-years-old, Kardashian may be in a bit of a time crunch when it comes to welcoming more children. As Kardashian considers a pregnancy with Bendjima, she allegedly made the mistake of telling her former boyfriend, Disick, about the idea, and he completely flipped. As the Hollywood Life insider explained, Disick is jealous of Bendjima and doesn't want to see his ex-girlfriend welcome more children into her family with another man. Disick has expressed his sadness over Kardashian's relationship with Bendjima on Keeping Up with the Kardashians, but when it comes to Kardashian, she doesn't seem to mind. In fact, she's loving life with Bendjima and totally over her past relationship with Disick. Kardashian and Disick dated for nine years prior to their July 2015 split. To see more of Kourtney Kardashian and her family, including sisters Kim and Khloe Kardashian and Kendall and Kylie Jenner, don't miss new episodes of Keeping Up with the Kardashians season 14 on Sundays at 9 p.m. on the E! Network. Kylie Jenner and Tyga split up nearly a year ago but now, as she awaits the birth of her first child, rumors are swirling in regard to a reconciliation. According to a new report, the pregnant Keeping Up With the Kardashians star has not lost touch with her former boyfriend, and while she continues to enjoy the company of rapper Travis Scott, she is allegedly missing the romance they once shared. "They occasionally still text and remain in contact," an insider told Hollywood Life on Jan. 19. "Bad timing was the reason they ended things - Kylie knew she was too young to settle down. She really misses having him around daily." Jenner first began facing rumors of a romance with Tyga when she was just 16 years old. However, as she and the rapper spent tons of time with one another in Los Angeles, she continued to deny that they were romantic. Then, as she celebrated her 18th birthday, she and Tyga finally acknowledged their relationship. Throughout Jenner and Tyga's relationship, the rapper faced allegations of cheating, and at times they enjoyed brief breakups. Then, after their most recent breakup with the rapper in March last year, Jenner began dating her current boyfriend, Scott. A short time later, by May or June of that same year, Jenner and Scott conceived a child. "Kylie is excited about being a mother, but the pregnancy, with her hormones running wild, is also making her miss Tyga's son, King Cairo," the Hollywood Life insider continued. "She knows that having Travis' baby makes reconciling with Tyga difficult right now, but she's still open to rekindling things in the future. She misses Tyga and is keeping the door open for a possible happy ending with her first true love." Jenner is reportedly due to give birth by February and was recently seen having a crib assembled in the driveway of her Calabasas home. As for her relationship with Scott, the couple hasn't been seen together that much in recent months but they attended Kris Jenner's Christmas party together last month. To see more of Kylie Jenner and her growing family, including her sisters Kendall Jenner and Kourtney, Khloe, and Kim Kardashian, don't miss the new episodes of the 14th season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. on the E! Network. Kendall Jenner and Blake Griffin are reportedly on the verge of ending their relationship after just months of dating if they haven't already. According to a new report, the 22-year-old model and Keeping Up With the Kardashians star and her Los Angeles Clippers player boyfriend are cooling off their relationship after first being spotted together in August 2017. Blake considers himself single, an insider told Hollywood Life on Jan. 19. He and Kendall have decided they are on a break that is leaning towards a full breakup. Its not that they are mad at each other or wont see and talk to each other again, but their priorities are career-oriented right now." Jenner was linked to Jordan Clarkson of the Los Angeles Lakers and rapper ASAP Rocky throughout 2016 and early months of 2017, but by August, she seemingly cut ties with both men in lieu of a romance with Griffin. However, just like in the past, Jenner remained silent in regard to the nature of her relationship with Griffin. As Keeping Up With the Kardashians fans well know, Jenner has been infamously private about her dating life for the entirety of her career and doesn't seem to be open to the idea of publicly confirming any of her relationships. She's also kept all of her rumored boyfriends off-camera. "They have decided its best to slow things down and figure out what to do next. If that includes dating other people, they would both be okay with that, the Hollywood Life source added. Earlier this week, after People magazine revealed that Jenner and Griffin were taking a step back from their romance, the outlet revealed that Griffin had recently been spotted out and about with another woman. While the magazine noted that Jenner and Griffin were not officially broken up, an onlooker claimed to have witnessed PDA between Griffin and his mystery girl. They were definitely giving off couple vibes, the onlooker explained of Griffin's outing at Soho Malibu. According to the report, Griffin and the woman were having dinner and drinks with another couple, and at one point during their meal, she placed her hand on Griffin's leg. To see more of Kendall Jenner and her family including sisters Kylie Jenner and Kim, Khloe, and Kourtney Kardashian, tune into new episodes of Keeping Up With the Kardashians Season 14 on Sundays at 9 p.m. on the E! Network. The list of actors that have vowed not to work with Woody Allen again continues to grow. This time, Marion Cotillard has added her name. Midnight In Paris Cotillard previously worked with Allen when he filmed his 2012's Midnight in Paris. The Dark Knight Rises actress starred alongside an all-star cast that includes Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Corey Stoll, Adrien Brody, and Kathy Bates. Six years after the film premiered, Cotillard shared her uncanny experience with the director and screenwriter on the movie set and how she would do a double take if her agent presented her with a potential project from him. "I have to say today, yeah, if he were to ask me again...I don't think it would ever happen because the experience we had together was very odd. I admire some of his work, but we had no connection on set," said Cotillard. Cotillard also mentioned that she knew little about Allen's personal life including the fact that he married one of his adopted daughters. However, Cotillard called it weird, but she could not have any misconceived notions. The Allen Boycott Cotillard is the second Oscar-winning actor to join the growing boycott of Woody Allen. Earlier on Friday, Jan. 19, Colin Firth stated to The Guardian that he would not work with Allen again. Other actors who planned to not work with Allen include Call Me By Your Name actor Timothee Chalamet, Lady Bird director Greta Gerwig, and Mira Sorvino, one of Harvey Weinstein's blacklist survivors and accusers. A Family Feud The Allen boycott could stem from his estranged stepdaughter, Dylan Farrow. Farrow, who wrote a scathing op-ed in the Los Angeles Times in 2017, stated that Hollywood has a double standard as it condemned disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and not Allen. Both Gerwig and Sorvino had publicly apologized to Farrow weeks when they made their vows not to work with Allen again. When CBS This Morning anchor Gayle King plainly asked Farrow if this was a personal vendetta to take down her former stepfather, Farrow responded that she had a right to be angry and was tired of being ignored and tossed aside for years. Hours after Farrow's interview aired on CBS, Allen responded and blamed his ex-wife, Mia Farrow, for brainwashing his former stepdaughter and using their private lives to help move the Time's Up Movement forward. He also proclaimed his innocence. Several Hollywood actors that have questioned the Allen boycott and defended the Blue Jasmine director including Alec Baldwin and Kate Winslet. The editorial titled When Workers Die (EPW, 11 November 2017) has documented the death of 32 workers and grievous injuries to another 100 in a blast that occurred at the thermal power plant operated by the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) in Unchahar, Raebareli district, Uttar Pradesh, on 1 November 2017. The Delhi Soldiarity Group gives sordid details of this workers tragedy in its report titled A Preliminary Report on Unchahar Tragedy, published in December 2017. This group has visited the site and conducted interviews with various contract workers. The report says, most of the workers at the Unchahar plant are migrants from Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and are hired by contractors. During its interactions with workers, they have revealed that many people are missing from the list of deceased and injured, and that the number of deaths is much higher than what is mentioned by the authorities. It is apprehended by the workers that a number of people are still buried under the ash. The importance of the epoch-making press conference organised by the four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court of India on 12 January 2018 cannot be overstated. They have, bypassing the demands of convention and tradition, come forth into the public space and aired their grievances against Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra, specifically the way in which he has exercised his powers to allocate benches to hear certain cases. Most extraordinarily, they have claimed that this, if not checked or rectified, could put democracy itself in danger. This press conference presents, in many ways, a breaking point for the four senior-most judges of unquestionable integrity, for the institution of the judiciary, and for Indias constitutional system of governance. It is a reaction of not just the four individuals in question; this has nothing to do with any personal grievance they may have. In choosing to come forth and put their reputations and careers on the line by taking their grievance to the public, Justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan Lokur and Kurien Joseph have performed stellar service to the nation. In understanding why this is so important, it is necessary to remember how things got to this point and what happens next. Though there were, no doubt, proximate causes that explain why the judges came forth when they did, a brief overview of what has happened in the Supreme Court in the recent past would show that this was a long time in the making. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus visit to India from 14 to 19 January 2018 completes 25 years since the two countries established full diplomatic relations in 1992, following the victory of the United States (US) over the Soviet Union in the protracted Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Israel from 4 to 6 July 2017 came in a year that marked the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration by the British occupying government in 1917, asserting the objective of establishing a Jewish National Home in Palestine, a promise British imperialism had made to the Zionists. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Zionist leaderships proclamation of the State of Israel on 14 May 1948. Collective memory of colonialism was then quite strong. In those Nehruvian times, India did acknowledge the gross violations of the rights of the Palestinians who were brutally dispossessed and expelled to make way for the creation of Israel. Zionism must be recognised for what it was and isa colonialist and racist ideology that justifies the dispossession and the expulsion of the indigenous population of Arabs and denies their human rights. Anti-Zionism is not anti-Jewishness; it is also not anti-Semitism. In claiming that its brutal actions against the Palestinians are being carried out in the name of the worlds Jews, Israel poses a threat to the humanity of all Jews. Under Zionist leadership, Israel is an occupying force in Palestinian lands. The State of Israel refuses to treat the Palestinians as equals. The Palestinian liberation struggle against Israeli sub-imperialism is part of a wider struggle against imperialism and the reactionary regimes of the Arab world allied with imperialism. With the support of Washington, and in the course of three warsin 1948, 1967, and 1973Israel has gained over time de facto possession of the entire area west of the River Jordan. Furthermore, it has been controlling and limiting access of the Palestinians to their lands, besides subjugating and containing them in a most brutal manner. The venue of meetings of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) for the settlement of the situation in eastern Ukraine does not matter for the achievement of results, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has said. "Calm down, the venue of the format does not really matter... Unfortunately, we are not moving forward in our process, because Russia does not want to fulfil any obligations, and the reason is very simple they want to preserve occupied Donbas as a Russian colony," Klimkin said live on the Inter television channel late on Friday, January 19. According to Klimkin, Minsk was chosen as a venue for negotiations of the Trilateral Contact Group due to "relative neutrality of Belarus" and good logistics. "If it's Astana, then look where it is. Minsk or any other venue is absolutely not important," he said. On January 18, 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump suggested relocating the talks on settling the conflict in eastern Ukraine from the Belarusian capital, Minsk, to another venue. "We said that the 'Minsk-1' process is stalling, that it is in a deadlock, and that 'Minsk-2' is needed. He [Trump] said: 'Let's [hold the talks] in another place.' I said: 'Let's do it,'" Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said at a press conference in New York after a United Nations Security Council meeting on Thursday, January 18. "Generally speaking, it should have taken place in Kazakhstan from the very beginning. I arranged trips in order to gather all parties so that they would meet there. We agreed that we would work on this matter," he added. "In my opinion, the Minsk Agreements are facing a deadlock. Peacekeepers now need to be deployed to Donbas and Luhansk to determine the border. It is necessary to somehow narrow the gap between their positions and help them reach mutual understanding. This mutual understanding does not exist today," Nazarbayev said. That may be something of a tall order. Generally speaking, tax accountants tend to handle one country's taxes or another, but only rarely both. There is also the difference in the tax systems. The US system is one where you have all sorts of choices, and it's up to you (or your tax preparer) to decide which choices will work best to minimize your taxes (or whatever other goal you may have in mind). The French system is a declarative system, where you just put each item of income and expense in the correct box and the it's the Fisc that calculates your taxes based on the information you give them. There are a few "choices" but overall, not many, and only related to certain specific situations. And, despite what folks seem to think, there isn't that much "interplay" between the two tax systems. You report things under the US rules for your US returns, and under the French rules for the French declaration. The amounts you report may be very different for what seems to be the same item. That said, the US Consulate in Paris used to publish a listing of English speaking tax preparers, though that seems to have disappeared along with the IRS office in Paris. Their list of English speaking attorneys generally has several who are tax attorneys, and depending upon the complexity of your finances, might be a better option for preparing both sets of tax documents for you. Tax declaration preparation doesn't seem to be a big "thing" here - unless you have a small business so that your accountant may do your personal declarations along with the business reports and filings. There is also always the option to go in and speak with the local tax office to ask for assistance. Normally takes an appointment, but very often they'll pretty much take you through the process of filling out the forms - for free. (Not at all like the IRS.) Oh, and H&R Block now has an online service specifically for US expats. It's pricey (at least in comparison to their services back in the States) but probably less expensive than a local accountant or tax lawyer. Cheers, Bev Hello everyone I am brand new to the forum. I am British and my partner is French. We are seriously considering relocating to Perpignan in the next 6 months. At the risk of sounding silly, can I bring my Sky dish / Sky boxes etc with me and if I do, will I pick up British tv? If not, is there another way of catching up with my favourite things on UK tv (apart from Youtube etc) - when I'm not at the beach; walking; visiting family etc. Thanks in advance for your time. Lesley :lalala: In France, many groups, clubs and associations are organized through the local mairie. You should definitely check the website for Perpignan and/or the towns in the area (especially if you're going to be living outside Perpignan itself). There may well be other associations and groups organized separately, but start with the mairie and its listing of associations.There will be nothing going on during the summer months - July and August - but in early September, you should look for signs indicating that the towns are holding their "Forums des Associations" which are activity fairs, designed to recruit new participants. This may get you started: Bienvenue sur l'espace associations de Perpignan | l'espace associations de Perpignan Cheers,Bev AUSTIN Gov. Greg Abbott, who asked state education officials to quickly draft a plan to ensure children with special needs get a proper education, wants parents and special interest groups to weigh in. The Texas Education Agency on Thursday released a 13-page plan to hire more special education staff and provide such services to students who were illegally denied in the past under a benchmark that illegally sought to limit the number of students receiving those resources. Gov. Abbott recognizes that fixing special education in Texas is of critical importance and no small task. Although there is much work to be done, he believes this initial action plan is a positive first step in the right direction, said Ciara Matthews, Abbotts spokesman. The TEA issued the plan after the U.S. Department of Education last week found the state illegally set an 8.5 percent benchmark on the number of students receiving special education services, well below the national average of 13 percent. A 2016 Houston Chronicle investigation found the practice led school districts to deny access to special education services to tens of thousands of students with disabilities. The state has since done away with the cap, although federal officials are requiring the state to evaluate students who were denied services and also to determine if students in special education need more academic support. While the federal government asked the TEA to report back with its plan, Abbott told the agency to get its work done in a week. The next step will be to receive important and critical feedback from stakeholders, including parents and special education groups, to ensure those in need are receiving the best education Texas has to offer, Matthews said. As the TEA continues to tinker with the draft plan, questions remain about how the sweeping plan would be paid for. The state agency estimated that implementing its Corrective Action Plan, as its now written, would cost about $84.5 million over six years. But state lawmakers have been reluctant to allocate funds for education, and last year failed to pass school finance reform that would have directed more state dollars to school districts. The spending plan that was passed last year shifted nearly $2 billion in public education costs from the state to local taxpayers. Anne Sung, a Houston ISD trustee who is heading the districts ad hoc committee on special education, said shes glad that a state committee is reviewing ways to overhaul Texas school-funding system in 2019. She hopes finding ways to better fund special education will be part of that process. In speaking with legislators who were involved in drafting (parts of the states funding formulas) way back in the 1980s, they say its time for an update, especially now that we know more about how to serve students (with) special needs. That work is done in schools, and its personnel-intensive, Sung said. I presume the $85 million is not a lot of money within a state budget, so I just hope that this will be a down payment on further improvements. The TEAs draft action plan outlines four main steps and calls for creating 46 new positions within the TEAs special education department. The first step improving the states documentation of how it reviews local special education programs would shift Texas school-district monitoring duties from a school improvement team to a team within the special education department. The TEA says this will provide more capacity to oversee districts. The first corrective action calls for the agency to increase the number of people reviewing districts actions and to publicly release all its reports. That step alone would cost $2.3 million annually, with $500,000 required at the onset. The second step, which would cost $28 million over five years, would have the TEA create a plan and timeline for school districts to identify students eligible for special education services who were denied access in the past. The TEA would contract with a third-party vendor to launch an outreach campaign to inform families of their rights and would expand a special education call center. It would also require school districts to provide require compensatory services to students who are found to need special education services but were denied, and would create a state fund to help school districts shoulder those costs. It would also require districts to identify all students who were in the states dyslexia program for six of more months. The TEA and school districts across Texas had used the states dyslexia services as a cheaper alternative to providing special education services to students who needed them, the Chronicle investigation and the DOE found. That prompted the TEAs third planned corrective action to ensure the states dyslexia programs will no longer be used to delay or deny special education services. To do that, the draft plan calls for a third-party vendor to create a suite of resources for families explaining the differences between the states dyslexia program and special education services that their children might be entitled to. It would require professional development for all educators statewide. That part of the plan would cost $17.5 million upfront and $3.65 million annually. The final step would have the TEA create a timeline to monitor how districts provide special education services. The plan would create a special education escalation team of 17 staffers devoted to helping school districts with the most dire special education needs. The plan calls for spending the first three years focusing on districts with the largest gaps between students identified with special needs and those who should have previously been identified. It would cost $1.5 million to implement initially, and $1.5 million each year after that. Lauren Callahan, a spokeswoman for the TEA, stressed that the plan was a draft and could change in the coming months. She said the agency would create a survey and publish it on its website by Tuesday, and encouraged parents and others to send feedback to TexasSPED@tea.texas.gov. These are specific areas we identified where corrective action should take place, Callahan said. But we want to hear from the field to see if there are different ideas or things we should add to what we submitted. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate JOURDANTON Defense attorneys in the Atascosa County capital murder trial of Shawn Puente, accused of killing a San Antonio police officer, failed Friday to convince a judge to move the trial based on the district attorneys asking local officers for help finding potential jurors who wont be afraid to kill this guy. State District Judge Donna Rayes denied a motion for a change of venue and also rejected a defense motion asking that she throw out a list of potential jurors that District Attorney Audrey Louis admitted sharing with the officers to get their feedback on the names it contained. Two potential jurors who Rayes deemed very credible members of the community gave statements to authorities reporting law enforcement officers in the county had contacted them informally and made them feel, as the defense put it, that they were being hand-picked for the jury. Puente and his girlfriend, who is not yet on trial, both were charged with capital murder in the Dec. 8, 2013 shooting of San Antonio Police Officer Robert Deckard during a highway chase on Interstate 37 that ended in Atascosa County, population 49,000. Deckard, 31 and a father of two, died Dec. 20 at Brooke Army Medical Center. Coincidentally, one of the physicians in the hospitals emergency room was Louis husband. Louis sent an email Jan 12 to five officers, including Atascosa County Sheriff David Soward, and sent a separate note to others on Dec. 18, according to testimony Friday. She asked the officers to review the list of names and provide feedback. Its inconceivable whats going on here, defense attorney Anna Jimenez told the judge Friday. The chances are slim and none that the panel of jurors (would be untainted) by these efforts. It is wrong for law enforcement to contact the jurors, said her co-counsel Gary Taylor. These are partisan people who are out to take a life, not impartial. Louis, who prosecuted white collar crime for former Bexar County DA Susan Reed and also served in the U.S. Attorneys office in San Antonio, told Rayes she was shocked the defense team would be surprised by her language in communicating with officers with whom she deals on a daily basis. Everyone on this side (of the courtroom) knows we want the death penalty, Louis said. Theres no evidence that any potential jurors have been influenced. Theres no collusion to deny Mr. Puente a fair trial. Louis said the county could not afford expensive jury selection consultants whose fees might approach $100,000. Weve got great jury consultants right here, she said, gesturing toward several officers in jeans and cowboy boots who testified during the hearing. A parade of officers including Soward, several of his investigators, and the police chiefs of Pleasanton and Jourdanton, all testified that they received one of the emails. Here is our list of jurors in order with addresses. Will yall please, please go through it and let me know the yess, nos and maybes. Or on a scale of one to 10, whatever you think works best. Ill owe you all a dinner or beverage of your choice! Cant thank you enough! This guy deserves to die, and yall will play a big part in helping by your input. The email Dec. 18 also attached a list of potential jurors and noted, Jury selection is the most critical part of the trial. I dont regret it, and it wasnt unethical, Louis said in a brief statement on the record during an interview. Ive done it before. In jury trials, the prosecution and defense can strike or remove a specified number of people from the jury pool without giving a reason. A sophisticated, nationwide industry provides experts to advise lawyers in this process, often focusing on a persons race, religion, education, parenting, attitudes about police and, in capital murder cases, the death penalty. The issue Friday was not whether police and prosecutors express frank opinions that might shock judicial purists, but the appearance of impropriety by those bound by law to seek impartial justice and not merely convictions, said St. Marys University School of Law professor Gerald Reamey, a former police legal advisor in Irving. Louis likely did not cross a constitutional line, he said, but the email raises the specter that she is saying she wants partisan jurors, people with a predisposition in a (death penalty) case like this. As for officers who might have informally discussed the case with people they knew were in the jury pool, Reamey said: The problem is not what the officer intended, or what the potential juror took away from the conversation, but that the unspoken assumption is that you will be a good juror for the prosecution and can find this person guilty and sentence them to death. You dont want jurors being lobbied by law enforcement. Puente sat beside his lawyers Friday, wearing large dark-framed glasses and a suit. He is being held in Atascosa County Jail in Jourdanton. Several of the officers who testified said they knew they were not supposed to contact prospective jurors, did not do so and did not interpret Louis request as anything unethical. Jake Guerra, the sheriffs departments chief investigator, said he thought the email meant he should research some of the potential jurors criminal histories. Guerra said he saw maybe 10 or 15 people on a list of 196 prospective jurors who may have been involved in criminal activity. Sheriffs Sgt. Albert Garza testified that he ran into a fellow Poteet Independent School District board member last week who told him she was afraid she might be picked for the jury. I told her, Dont worry, youll do fine, he said. Lt. Max Peralta said he glanced over the list and looked for good jurors. When pressed by Taylor, the defense attorney, on what good meant, Peralta replied, Not a drug user, someone with a good job, someone who could listen to the evidence, a good citizen. Soward said he knew better than to contact potential jurors and did not define for his officers what might be a good juror. But I would assume (Louis) was seeking someone who favored the death penalty, he said. Rayes denied defense motions requesting a new jury pool, a change of venue for the trial and a continuance. Jury selection continues Monday and is expected to last at least another four weeks. Attorneys believe the trial may go two to three months. bselcraig@express-news.net This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate AUSTIN A federal judge has ordered Texas to make broad and immediate reforms to the way it cares for children in long-term foster care, despite objections from top state officials who call the mandates unfunded and unnecessary. Roughly seven years after a group of foster children brought the class-action lawsuit, U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack of Corpus Christi issued a final order Friday calling on the state to expand its foster home options, make it easier for children to report abuse and ensure caseworkers visit with their kids each month. On Friday night, after Attorney General Ken Paxton appealed Jacks ruling, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans stayed the ruling until it can hear arguments. Texas has a solemn responsibility to care for children removed from their homes due to neglect and abuse of all kinds, and last year the Legislature approved landmark changes in the foster care system, Paxton said in a statement. When unelected judges improperly assume control of state institutions, Texas officials cannot make the policy theyve been entrusted to make. In a 116-page order, Jack criticized the state, saying leaders completely ignored the courts earlier order to implement policies making sure foster children are free from an unreasonable risk of harm. Jack called the states recent steps admirable but said the reforms havent gone far enough to fix a system she ruled unconstitutional in 2015, finding that foster children in Texas almost uniformly leave state custody more damaged than when they entered. Over two years later, the system remains broken and (the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services) has demonstrated an unwillingness to take tangible steps to fix the broken system, she wrote in Fridays order. The foster system has faced scrutiny for shuffling children among multiple homes, relocating them far away from their own communities and running out of placement options, forcing children to at times sleep in state office buildings. As of October, more than 16,800 children were in foster care statewide, including more than 1,880 in Bexar County, according to DFPS data. Plaintiffs in the case, identified only by their initials, reported suffering sexual abuse from foster parents and siblings, being over-medicated and bouncing between foster homes and a rotating cast of caseworkers. Z.H., an 11-year-old boy at the time the lawsuit was filed, was placed in a residential treatment center 300 miles from his community in San Antonio. An attorney who helped represent Childrens Rights, the New York-based childrens advocacy group that filed the lawsuit, said Jacks decision represents a turning point for Texas foster children. The courts ruling requires the state to provide safe and secure homes, which will protect our most vulnerable children, said Paul Yetter, a Houston attorney. It is a well thought out, comprehensive, careful order that requires across-the-board reform. Jacks order requires the state to implement a plan developed over the past year by court-appointed experts known as special masters. Two of them will, at state expense, monitor compliance with Jacks order and update the court every six months. Jack ordered the state to adopt some reforms immediately, such as setting up a 24-hour hotline for reporting abuse and requiring monthly documented meetings with foster children, some of whom had testified they went months without seeing a caseworker. Though the state has fought the court-ordered reforms at almost every turn, Abbott and the Legislature made improving child protection a priority last year. The recent changes include boosting pay for family members who take in a troubled child and further privatizing foster care in certain areas, including Bexar County, where eventually a contractor will take over case management duties from state workers. In 2016, the state approved $12,000 raises for about 6,000 child-protection workers, meant to help plug a workforce shortage and stop high rates of turnover. Still, state Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, said theres more to be done. Judge Jacks final order will bring a requirement of urgency thats been missing in our effort to reform the foster care system, he said. It wont be easy, and it wont be cheap, but its necessary and it will save kids lives. Some of Jacks mandates could come with a hefty price tag. One caps workloads at 17 children per caseworker, which might force the state to hire more staff. As of November last year, the average caseload was 18.4 children per worker, according to DFPS. The ruling also forces the state to ensure each child has legal representation. Its unclear how many foster kids dont have an attorney because the DFPS doesnt track that information, according to the order. DFPS will likely have to recruit many more foster homes to comply with mandates that, within two years, all children under 13 be placed in family-like settings and that each region has enough foster homes to ensure kids are not placed far away. As of November, almost 18 percent of Bexar County foster children were living outside the region, and some agencies reported a critical shortage of licensed foster homes, according to DFPS data. Allie Morris is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer based in Austin. | amorris@express-news.net | @MorrisReports Ukraine and Georgia are mutually interested in deepening inter-parliamentary ties between the two countries, the press service of the head of the Ukrainian state reported on Friday, January 19, following a meeting between Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Georgian Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze as part of his official visit to Ukraine. According to the report, the sides discussed the coordination of positions within international parliamentary assemblies, first and foremost, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), and international organizations. Kobakhidze, in turn, noted that Ukraine and Georgia demonstrated good dynamics in bilateral cooperation. "We are convinced that we have broad prospects for deepening our relations, in particular, political and economic cooperation," he said. The sides emphasized the importance of the implementation of the declaration on the establishment of strategic partnership between Ukraine and Georgia, which was signed during Poroshenko's state visit to Georgia in July 2017. He glares at you from the front page of the newspaper, a plume of cigarette smoke trailing behind his head. In one hand, he holds a gun in the other a knife. This guy is up to no good. San Antonio, meet Mr. Composite Killer. The illustration ran at the top of the page of the Jan. 3, 1954, San Antonio Express to help kick off a series of five articles, Can You Get Away With Murder in S.A.? The first article, written by Staff Writer Howard Hunt, leads with that provocative question and continues: Morally, ministers will tell you no. Legally, San Antonio law enforcement bodies and courts will cite state statutes and constitutional law and tell you that you cannot. But as an editors note states, In this series the facts speak for themselves. You as a reader can draw your own conclusion. The newspaper examined 86 killings over the previous two years and determined that none resulted in a death sentence and only one resulted in life imprisonment. It researched Bexar County grand jury files and those of the district attorneys office and the homicide division of the San Antonio Police Department. The paper concluded that seven of the 86 slayings went unsolved and then presented the outcome of the other 79 in chronological order. That Sundays paper covered the first four months of 1952 and closed with the sentence Murder in May and following months will appear in Mondays Express. But back to that eye-catching illustration. It gives you series of data points that were considered in creating San Antonios murderous amalgamation. The reason he brandishes both bullets and blade is that one or the other were used in 82 percent of the deaths. Mr. Composite Killer is also disheveled, which the artist illustrates with an untucked shirt and unkempt hair. Though the data does not mention smoking, the cigarette smoke adds an air of menace, as does the killers shadow. Perhaps most surprising to modern readers, is the murderers mean weight of 151 pounds. According to the latest report from the Metropolitan Health District, 65 percent of adults in Bexar County are overweight or obese based on their body mass index. The man who compiled and drew Mr. Composite Killer was cartoonist and graphic artist Bob Dale, near the start of his 34-year career at what was then the Express and News. One has to think that if newspapering didnt work out, Dale might have made a name for himself illustrating comics or pulp fiction. In fact, according to his 2015 obituary after his death at age 88, Dale earned a reputation in his later years as a Western artist who strove for historical accuracy in his depictions of cowboys and Indians. The illustration could be considered a prototype for data visualization, in which a large amount of complex data is presented graphically for easier and quicker comprehension. Its still a tool commonly used in newsrooms today, from a simple table to a variety of graphs or charts. As striking an illustration as it was, it may not have been very effective. Its a cool drawing, but it doesnt really tell you anything, Metro Editor Nora Lopez remarked upon inspecting the image. She added, That could be anyone. The response to this survey was overwhelming, with the majority of respondents citing the need for fair access to high quality education, the differences in operation between SOTA and SIDE, and the need to keep children in the regions as being the most concerning issues, she said. Producers who sign up to the voluntary PCAS standards will be required to pay an audit fee ranging from $600 to $850, plus travel fees for the auditor, to ensure that they are eligible to be certified as grass or pasturefed and be able to use those markings in the marketing of their beef. Jason said a cow which calved later in the calving window (week eight or nine), throughout her life compared to one that calves in week one or two, would produce almost the equivalent of two fewer calves (based on calf weight), which at todays prices is close to $2000 less income. Ukraine's future cooperation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) can be discussed following the implementation of the current memorandum, Ukrainian Finance Minister Oleksandr Danyliuk has said. "The new program is not being discussed. What could it include? Remaining items of the current memorandum? But what's the point? We need to achieve the maximum for the country as part of existing cooperation. First and foremost, those are priority reforms required under this program. Only after the implementation of it we can think about next steps in cooperation with the fund," he said in an interview with Ukraine's Mirror Weekly newspaper published on Saturday. Danyliuk pointed out that he puts great efforts into the successful continuation of the IMF program. "Receiving zero tranches this year and getting eliminated from the IMF program are actually synonyms, because the program is concluding in the first quarter of 2019," he said. "There is a certain delay with this tranche, because the parliament did not consider some key bills on time. One of them, on privatization, is being considered this week [the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada passed the bill on January 18]," the finance minister said. Danyliuk said he was confident that Ukraine's cooperation with the IMF is not only about the money. "We're currently at the stage, where reforms cannot be stopped. On the contrary, they must be accelerated. [...] We cannot allow stopping. And if we do that, we can't even raise a questing about the continuation of the IMF program. It's simple, if there are no reforms, there will be no program. Both the president and the prime minister understand this, that's why I'm confident in the progress," he said. As an independent state, Ukraine should be able to work without the IMF, the finance minister said. "Of course, I also want Ukraine to be independent and move forward without outside assistance, but many of those who speak about that now pursue different objectives. They don't want reforms and changes, many people want to get rid of the IMF to preserve the existing situation in order to advance their personal interests," he said. Sophie Turner studied schizophrenia and other mental illnesses before shooting 'X-Men: Dark Phoenix'. Sophie Turner The 21-year-old actress returns to the franchise as psychic Jean Grey in the next outing in the series, and revealed the "amazing superhero story" is also very "personal" and required a lot of research. She said: "Once I got the script through, I realised that not only were we telling this amazing superhero story, but we were also telling a very personal story as well. "One which required research into mental health issues because that is a big part of what drives the story. "I mainly drew inspiration from multiple personality disorder and schizophrenia, as it really is about duality, this movie. "Darkness and light - that's all within her. "This sense of her being a completely other persona and struggling with that." And Sophie admitted the movie has been a huge challenge for her. She said: "I kept saying to Simon (Kinberg, director), 'Oh good, that's nearly done. Now I only have, like, seven huge emotional scenes to go. It was a real challenge." Simon has stepped behind the camera for the first time, having previously been a writer on the saga, but Sophie insisted he didn't seem inexperienced and praised him as one of the "best" directors she's ever worked with. She told Empire magazine: "Simon has been the brain behind 'X-Men' for years and it's really exciting to have what feels like one of our own rise up and take hold of the franchise and direct it in the way that he sees it. "I have to say he's one of the best directors I've ever worked with. He's so passionate and collaborative." Peter Fancinelli and Jennie Garth would have celebrated their 17th wedding anniversary today, had they stayed together, so we reflect on their marriage with some things you might not know about the couple. Peter Facinelli and Jennie Garth (Credit: Famous) 1. Peter Facinelli met fellow actress Jennie Garth on the set of An Unfinished Affair back in 1995. 2. They got married in Santa Barbra, California, on 20th January 2001. 3. The couple wed in a traditional Roman Catholic ceremony in a mission-style church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Montecito, located south of Santa Barbra. 4. Garth converted to Roman Catholic before their big day, even though there was no requirement to do so. 5. Garth wore a wedding dress by Reem Acra. 6. The pair now have three daughters; Luca Bella (1997), Lola Ray (2002) and Fiona Eve (2006). 7. Their daughter Luca Bella who was three when they got married was their flower girl. 8. Instyle magazine featured their big day in its wedding pages. 9. When pregnant, she said; Peter and I feel very blessed with our children. We didn't plan any one of them but higher forces and recognizing priorities helped us along the way. We can't wait to meet this newest addition to our family! (IMDB) 10. When asked about marriages and life, she revealed; Marriages aren't easy, and we're just like any other couple. We have our roadblocks, but we get around them, and our family prevails. We are so happy we have a normal, grounded life to keep us centered. (IMDB) 11. In March 2012, Facinelli filed for divorce from Garth and it was all finalised by June 2013. Garth is now with actor David Abrams after they met on a blind date back in 2014. They got engaged in April 2015 and married in July 2015. Facinelli went on to date actress Jaimie Alexander after they met on the set of Loosies. The couple got engaged in March 2015, however in February 2016, they announced that they had called off their engagement. Source: Wikipedia and IMDB. Textile traders in Surat have sought extension of the online e-way bill generation deadline to March 31 from February 1 due to technical glitches in the goods and service tax (GST) portal. Though the process was trial-launched on January 16 for inter-state movement of goods above Rs 50,000, the traders want that to start after the system works properly.It was reaffirmed in the recent GST Council meeting that the e-way bill system would be rolled out from February 1 and 15 states are on board for obtaining intra-state bill, according to finance minister Arun Jaitley. Textile traders in Surat have sought extension of the online e-way bill generation deadline to March 31 from February 1 due to technical glitches in the goods and service tax (GST) portal. Though the process was trial-launched on January 16 for inter-state movement of goods above Rs 50,000, the traders want that to start after the system works properly.# Though the finance ministry stated that traders and transporters can start using the system on a voluntary basis from January 16, a majority of traders are either unable to upload their details or the system crashes while the details are being filed.The transporters are insisting on the e-way bill details, without which the goods are not loaded for transportation, a report in a top Indian daily quoted leader of the Federation of Surat Textile Traders' Association (FOSTTA) Devkishan Menghani as saying.A large number of textile traders recently gathered at Abhishek Market in the city to convey their problems related to GST to Navsari member of parliament C R Paatil. (DS) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 19, 2018) - eXeBlock Technology Corporation (CSE: XBLK) (the "Company" or "eXeBlock") is pleased to provide a clarification to its news release dated November 15, 2017. Clarification of Pooling Arrangement and Hold Period The Company would like to clarify the terms of the pooling arrangement and hold period applicable to the common shares of the Company issued upon the exchange of subscription receipts subscribed for pursuant to the non-brokered private placement that closed on October 4 and 6, 2017, respectively (the "Exchanged Shares"). The Exchanged Shares are subject to the following pooling arrangement and hold period: The Exchange Shares are subject to a voluntary pooling arrangement. This arrangement provides that the Exchange Shares will be held in trust with the Company's transfer agent, National Issuer Services Ltd., and released from the pooling arrangement as follows: 25% of the Exchanged Shares were released on November 16, 2017, which was the date on which the common shares of the Company were listed for trading on the Canadian Stock Exchange (the "Listing Date"); 25% of the Exchanged Shares will be released on February 16, 2018 (the date that is 3 months following the Listing Date); 25% of the Exchanged Shares will be released on May 16, 2018 (the date that is 6 months following the Listing Date); and 25% of the Exchanged Shares will be released on August 16, 2018 (the date that is 9 months following the Listing Date). Pursuant to applicable securities laws, the Exchanged Shares are subject to a hold period expiring on February 5 or 7, 2018, respectively. After the expiry of this hold period, the Exchanged Shares are freely tradeable and can be sold without a prospectus exemption. Prospectus For more information regarding the Company, including among other things, its business, management, use of proceeds from the subscription receipt financing that closed in October 2017, and capitalization, refer to the Company's prospectus dated November 9, 2017 filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR www.sedar.com and on the Canadian Securities Exchange's ("CSE") website. About eXeBlock Technology Corporation eXeBlock is a designer of custom, state-of-the-art blockchain based software applications that provide profitable, secure and efficient solutions to businesses and markets globally. eXeBlock is one of the first Canadian public companies focused on the development of disruptive decentralized applications (DApps) using blockchain technology. For More Information about the Company, please contact: Ian Klassen President & Chief Executive Officer Email: ian@exeblock.com Tel: 1-604-899-0106 Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION This press release contains forward-looking statements and information that are based on the beliefs of management and reflect the Company's current expectations. When used in this press release, the words "estimate", "project", "belief", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "plan", "predict", "may" or "should" and the negative of these words or such variations or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. Such statements and information reflect the current view of the Company with respect to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in those forward-looking statements and information. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. There are a number of important risk factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated or implied by forward-looking statements and information. Such risk factors include, among others, the Company's limited operating history and expected continued operating losses; failure of the Company's business strategy; inherent risks of the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry; system failures and security risks; government regulation; need for additional financing requirements and access to capital; reliance on key and qualified personnel; dependence on third party relationships; insurance; competition; and intellectual property. Other factors include risks associated with the marketing and sale of securities; dilution; the potential for conflicts of interest among certain officers or directors; and the volatility of the Company's common share price and volume. For a fuller discussion of risk factors, refer to the Company's prospectus dated November 9, 2017 filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR www.sedar.com and on the CSE's website. The Company cautions that the foregoing list of material risk factors is not exhaustive. When relying on the Company's forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing risk factors and other uncertainties and potential events. The Company has assumed a certain progression of its business objectives, which may not be realized. It has also assumed that the material factors referred to in the previous paragraph will not cause such forward-looking statements and information to differ materially from actual results or events. However, the list of these risk factors is not exhaustive and is subject to change and there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors. THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS PRESS RELEASE REPRESENTS THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE COMPANY AS OF THE DATE OF THIS PRESS RELEASE AND, ACCORDINGLY, IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AFTER SUCH DATE. READERS SHOULD NOT PLACE UNDUE IMPORTANCE ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND SHOULD NOT RELY UPON THIS INFORMATION AS OF ANY OTHER DATE. WHILE THE COMPANY MAY ELECT TO, IT DOES NOT UNDERTAKE TO UPDATE THIS INFORMATION AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME EXCEPT AS REQUIRED IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES Indians love traditions and are known to hold them up dearly. Well, parliamentarians are not an exception to it. The reasons behind many long-standing traditions are not known though. However, these interesting rituals relax the serious-economic jargon of the days leading to and the D-Day. Here some of the customs which have been observed by finance ministry: The briefcase story The picture of the finance minister holding a leather briefcase and posing for shutterbugs as he readies himself to present the Budget to Parliament has become synonymous to the curiosity and excitement evoked by ''the big day'' for Indian economy. According to a Business Today report, the reason behind finance ministers bringing Budget papers in a leather briefcase lies in the word ''Budget'' itself. The word originated from a French word ''bougette'' which literally means a leather bag. The custom of carrying a leather bag on the Budget day, adds the report, has been inherited from British colonial governments. According to NDTV, in the UK, a single briefcase has been passed on from one British finance minister to the next. That is not the case in India though. Here, the all-important Budget briefcase has been varied in colour and shape every year. Change in timing of Budget presentation Have you wondered about this so-called auspicious time? When Yashwant Sinha was finance minister of India, he changed the longstanding colonial tradition of presenting the Budget at the end of the day. Sinha, according to The Indian Express report, in 1999 was in agreement with Finance Ministry officials that it would be sensible to move to a morning timing, which would allow the finance minister to have an informed debate on the Budget. Sinha was instrumental in breaking the ritual that has been in practice since 1947 when he stood up at 11 am on 27 February, 1999 to present the Budget for 1999-2000. Apparently, the precedent to present the Budget at 5 pm was set by Sir Basil Blackett, a British civil servant in colonial India. The halwa ceremony Probably the most interesting among all the Budget traditions is the all-important halwa ceremony where the finance minister is photographed stirring a huge kadhai with the simmering sweet. This ceremony, in fact, marks the process of printing documents for the Budget. Halwa, an Indian dessert is prepared in a big kadhai and served to all finance ministry officials. Locking-up ministry officials In order to maintain and ensuring secrecy, after the halwa ceremony the finance ministry officials who are directly associated with making and printing of the Budget are required to stay in the ministry and are not allowed to contact their family or friends, according to The Economic Times. The staff is isolated in the finance ministry for one week before the roll-out of the Union Budget. Since the Budget comes with big policy announcements and impacts the stock markets, it is feared that those who are in the know of the Budget document can misuse the information for personal benefits. The finance ministry officials are cut-off from the outer world till the finance minister's delivers his Budget speech. For full coverage of Union Budget 2018, click here. Mumbai: Union minister Nitin Gadkari said that the forthcoming budget will see priorities in agriculture and infrastructure investment as country targets to achieve double-digit growth in due course. "After demonetisation and GST, the situation is really changing. Our direct tax collection for this year has gone up by 18 percent compared to last year, and the government borrowings have come down by Rs 30,000 crore as anticipated, keeping out fiscal deficit under control," Gadkari said at an event 'Countdown to Union Budget' in Mumbai. "The growth figure for last quarter has again gone up over 7 percent and our target is double-digit, which may take some time. But the way in which the economy is moving I am confident that in due course of time, we will achieve this," he added. "I hope that the finance minister will give more priority to agri and infrastructure investments in the forthcoming budget. "Our economy is the fastest growing in the world and the credibility has increased. Global investors and stakeholders have tremendous expectations and confidence in our country," he added. The minister said that the government's ambitious infrastructure projects of roads, shipping, ports and inland waterways will be completed with an investment of Rs 8 lakh crore by March 2018. "Infrastructure is very important for our country and we need world-class water, power, transportation and communication infrastructure. The Cabinet has already cleared projects of Rs 7.5 lakh crore under Bharatmala projects and by the end of March 2018, we will complete investment of Rs 8 lakh crore in infrastructure and many of which is from the private sector," Gadkari said. We have increased annual budget for road project from Rs 40,000 crore to Rs 1,30,000 crore annually this year and targeting Rs 1,50,000 crore next year. The road construction would further gather momentum with an average addition of 28 kilometres per day by March this year and 40 kilometres per day by next year, he added. Gadkari said his ministry has sanctioned Rs 1,00,000 crore for irrigation projects in Maharashtra's drought-prone areas. Urging the state governments to adopt new modes of transport like waterways, Gadkari said that 10,000 seaplanes would be brought into operation in the country over the next two years. He also warned that in the next three months rules and regulations should be put in place for operating seaplanes in the country. Stating that the use of petrol, diesel, ethanol, and methanol should be brought down, the minister announced that the Delhi-Mumbai highway would be converted into an "electric route" and the task of preparing a detailed project report (DPR) has been given to the department concerned. New Delhi: It's not unusual that a minor incident, if left overlooked for long, turns into a factor important enough to impede the progress of a political party. The Aam Aadmi Party, which governs Delhi with an overwhelming majority, would surely concur to that. A petition filed in July 2015 by a then little-known lawyer, Prashant Patel, has now led to the Election Commission recommending the disqualification of 20 of AAP legislators in Delhi for holding 'offices of profit'. The development could set the stage for possible bypolls on those 20 seats in Delhi, where AAP has 66 MLAs in the 70-member Assembly. Interestingly, it was the first year of the now 30-year-old lawyer in Delhi, when he petitioned the President in 2015. The lawyer hails from Fatehpur district in Uttar Pradesh. A graduate in Physics and Computer Application, he did his MBA from the Footwear Design and Development Institute, Noida. Patel describes himself as a person who has an urge to work for society. The inclination made him pursue a degree in law from Chaudhary Charan Singh University in Meerut. But how did he get the idea to file a petition to the President in connection with the 'office of profit' matter? Patel said a book 'Delhi Sarkar Ki Shaktiyaan aur Simayen' by SK Sharma, a former secretary in the Delhi Legislative Assembly released in June 2015, has a chapter on it. "I filed an office of profit petition and it got accepted in July 2015. It was not that the BJP and the Congress appointed parliamentary secretaries. Even those appointments were illegal but no one objected to it," he said. Patel dismissed the charge that Election Commission did not provide the AAP an opportunity to hear them out. "There were 11 hearings since July 2016 to March 2017 and each hearing lasted for 2-3 hours," Patel said. Patel had to argue against senior lawyers such as Indira Jaisingh, who represented the Delhi government, and many other top legal eagles representing the BJP and the Congress. The AAP has previously dubbed Patel's petition an action taken by him at the behest of the BJP. Patel dismisses the allegation. "I am a proud Hindu and ardent devotee of Hanuman," he said. "But being a proud Hindu does not make me a BJP man. This is a matter of principles. I have nothing personal against Arvind Kejriwal or these AAP MLAs. In fact, a couple of AAP MLAs have become my friends during the course of hearing," Patel added. Patel had also sought an intervention when JNUSU leader Kanhaiya Kumar had approached the Supreme Court for bail. In 2014, he had filed a case against Aamir Khan and director Rajkumar Hirani for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through their film 'PK'. A lawyer, who deals with criminal and matrimonial cases, Patel practices at the Delhi High Court. On Friday, the Election Commission asked the president to disqualify 20 of AAP legislators for holding offices of profit, setting the stage for their ouster from the Assembly. In its opinion sent to President Ram Nath Kovind, the Election Commission said the MLAs, by occupying the post of parliamentary secretaries between 13 March, 2015 and 8 September, 2016, held offices of profit, and were liable to be disqualified as legislators, highly-placed sources have said. Parliamentary secretaries assist ministers with their work. The AAP insisted that despite holding the office, these legislators did not take any salaries or perks. The development does not yet threaten the AAP government. However, the BJP and the Congress have demanded that Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal resign on moral grounds. The appointment of a new governor of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) may strengthen Ukraine's positions in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), investment experts have said. "Such a decision will put an end to current uncertainty regarding the candidacy of the head of the central bank... The official appointment may also strengthen Ukraine's positions in its intention to restart cooperation with the IMF," Vladimir Osakovsky, an economist for Russia and the CIS at the Merrill Lynch investment bank, said. He said that since Yakiv Smolii is already a member of the board of the central bank and currently fulfils the duties of the NBU head, his approval in office inspires confidence in the continuity of the central bank's cautious monetary policy. A similar opinion is shared by the head of research at the ICU group, Oleksandr Valchyshen. "The current program of cooperation with the IMF is coming to an end. The Ukrainian economy is in great need of a large creditor in foreign currency, so preparations for a new round of cooperation are overdue. Against this backdrop, the existence of an approved head, rather than an acting one, would be a stronger position in talks with the fund," the expert said. At the same time, the head of research at the Concorde Capital investment company, Oleksandr Parashchiy, believes it is premature to talk about a new program of cooperation with the IMF and about the appointment of a new NBU governor in this context. "The president can introduce Smolii in Davos as an official candidate for the post of NBU head, but Ukraine must first resolve issues on the revision of the current cooperation program. This week we moved to this goal - the Rada adopted a law on privatization, and new initiatives were put forward to address the open question on the price of gas. It is obvious that the Ukrainian authorities will have something to talk about with IMF representatives in Davos," he said. As reported, on January 18, 2018, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko tabled in the Verkhovna Rada draft resolutions on Valeriya Gontareva's dismissal as NBU governor and on Smolii's appointment to this post. Gontareva tendered her resignation in April 2017. Gontareva currently remains on vacation and does not plan to return to work at the NBU. According to the Constitution of Ukraine, the NBU head is appointed by the Verkhovna Rada on the proposal of the president for a period of seven years. Kochi: The BJP in Kerala on Saturday pressed for its demand to ban on SDPI, after four members of the outfit, the political wing of Popular Front of India (PFI), were arrested in connection with the killing of an ABVP activist in Kannur. "Outfits like SDPI should be banned. Even parties like Indian Union Muslim League have made such a demand", BJP state unit president Kummanam Rajasekharan told reporters. He said the BJP would approach the central government seeking the ban on Social Democratic Party of India if the state government failed to take action against it. A member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Shyam Prasad, was allegedly hacked to death by a three-member gang at Kommeri in Kannur when he was going to his house at Koothuparamba on his motorcycle last evening. Four persons, allegedly SDPI activists, were on Saturday arrested in connection with the incident. The ABVP has alleged that Popular Front of India was behind the killing and demanded that the outfit be banned. Shyam Raj, State Secretary of the BJP students' wing, had said in a statement on Friday that the 'terror' face of PFI has come out in open once again with the killing of Shyam Prasad. He said the ABVP would ask the Centre to ban PFI by pointing to its activities, including alleged recruitment to the IS. The BJP is on Saturday observing a dawn-to-dusk hartal in Kannur district from 6 am in protest against the killing. Kannur: The situation in Kannur district, where a BJP-sponsored hartal was being observed on Saturday to protest the killing of an ABVP member, was under control and no untoward incident has been reported so far, police said. A member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Shyam Prasad, was on Friday allegedly hacked to death by a three-member gang in the district when he was going to his house at Koothuparamba on his motorcycle. Tight security arrangements were made, with police personnel from other districts being deployed in strength in vulnerable pockets. "No untoward incident was reported so far," Peravoor Circle inspector Kuttikrishnan said. Four persons, belonging to the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), were taken into custody in connection with the killing and further investigations were underway, he said. The police suspected that the killing could be a sequel to a clash between workers of the SDPI and BJP-RSS combine last week in the area. Vehicles and essential services were exempted from the dawn-to-dusk hartal. Sources in the BJP's Kannur unit said postmortem of Prasad's body was on at the Pariyaram Medical College in Kannur and the funeral will be held later in the evening at his native place. Bengaluru: Black smoke continued to billow from the Bellandur lake on Saturday, hours after a huge fire close to a nearby Army firing range was doused in a massive operation involving more than 5,000 army men and firefighters. "Major fire that was there yesterday has been doused, but there is still smoke emerging in some small pockets," a senior fire department official said. He said they were now trying to ensure that the embers from which the smoke emanated do not reignite due to the wind. Water from the lake was used to put off the fire, the cause of which would be known after investigations, officials said. The blaze started on Friday in the highly-polluted and biggest water body of the city, giving anxious moments to hundreds of residents living nearby before it was doused last night. It had also spread towards the nearby Iblur firing range of the Army, the officials said. The Army last night said the fire, which had spread to the perimeter of its facility, had been doused due to the untiring efforts of more than 5,000 of its personnel and firefighting equipment of the Army Service Corps (ASC) Centre and College. Lieutenant General Vipin Gupta, commandant ASC Centre and College, said today that things were under control. As voices were emerging that the fire may have started due to a methane burst as a result of the accumulation of chemicals and pollutants in the lake, authorities also suspect the involvement of local grass harvesters in starting it. Fire department officials said the reason behind the fire has not yet been determined and their priority was to put off the fire completely. "Later, an investigation will be done to know the cause of the fire," a senior official said. Speaking to reporters after visiting the site this morning, Gupta said: "The area that is close to our camp is absolutely under control, there is nothing. The area which is close to the lake there is still a lot of smoke, but it is under control. "We have a lot of fire tenders there and we are ready for any eventuality," he said. Lieutenant general Gupta said this was the first time the blaze had spread to their camp. "It had never interfered with our activities, but now that it has come very close to us we will definitely take up the case with civil authorities," he said. Asked if the Army will take up the lake's cleaning, he said they were always ready to help the civil administration. But as far as cleaning was concerned "it is a very technical and professional job" for which people were available on the civil side, he added. Spread over 1,000 acres near the infotech hub, the lake is highly contaminated as it receives 60 percent of the sewage generated in the city. It is in a bad shape despite the National Green Tribunal pulling up the government and its various agencies for failing to prevent pollution and not doing enough to restore the lake. The Bellandur lake had caught fire in May 2015 and August 2016 also. In 2015, the lake had turned into a frothy, foam-filled water body due to the high concentration of pollutants in the waters. Foam from the lake spilling onto nearby roads and surrounding areas had become a common sight every time the city received heavy rainfall. The nearby Varthur lake was also in the focus when it caught fire in May 2017. Tensions have soared along the India-Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir, as the Border and Security Force (BSF) and Pakistan Rangers exchanged cross-border gunfire on Saturday. The BSF, in retaliation to cross-border firing, destroyed six Pakistani posts and killed four rangers, media reports said. #BREAKING -- Pak suffers heavy losses as BSF retaliates to cross-border fire. 6 Pakistani posts have been destroyed, 4 Pak rangers among 10 killed | @islahmufti with more details pic.twitter.com/IVV5pblakB News18 (@CNNnews18) January 20, 2018 According to a report on The Indian Express, two civilians and an army jawan were also killed in unprovoked mortar shelling by Pakistani troops. The report added that the civilians have been identified as Ghara Ram of Kapurpur in RS Pura sector and Ghara Singh of Abdullian village. The recent action by the BSF came after four people, including a BSF jawan, were injured after Pakistan violated ceasefire for the third consecutive day on Saturday in three districts of Jammu and Kashmir along the international border. Responding to the cross-border firings, Union minister of State for home Hansraj Ahir said that Pakistan has a twisted mindset, and asserted that India will "respond with 10 bullets for every bullet fired" by the neighbouring country. "Sending terrorists into India, violating ceasefire has become their (Pakistan's) nature. They have a twisted mindset. Be it our home ministry, defence ministry or the Jammu and Kashmir police, everybody has to keep coordinating and give a reply to Pakistan's misadventures," Ahir said, speaking to reporters in Yavatmal, Maharashtra. Pakistan rangers targeted villages along the border from Chenab river (Akhnoor) to RS Pura throughout the night in heavy unprovoked shelling and firing, a BSF officer told PTI on Saturday. The officer said Pakistan was targeting civilian villages to cause death and destruction and added that the BSF was giving them a befitting reply. Pakistan rangers continued to fire and launch shells along the border in Arnia, Ramgarh, Samba and Hiranagar sectors till 5 am, a police official said. Angered over the rising violence, Pakistan's foreign ministry summoned Indian deputy high commissioner JP Singh on Friday and condemned what it called "unprovoked ceasefire violations". Indian and Pakistan have both accused each other of initiating past border skirmishes and causing civilian and military casualties. The fighting is taking place along a somewhat-defined frontier where each country has a separate paramilitary border force guarding the lower-altitude 200-kilometre boundary separating Kashmir and the Pakistani province of Punjab. The contentious frontier also includes a 740-kilometre rugged and mountainous stretch called the Line of Control that is guarded by the armies of India and Pakistan. With inputs from agencies. Jammu: At least one civilian was killed and four people, including a BSF jawan, were injured after Pakistan violated ceasefire for the third consecutive day on Saturday in three districts of Jammu and Kashmir along the International Border, officials said. Pakistan rangers targeted villages along the IB from Chenab river (Akhnoor) to RS Pura throughout the night in heavy unprovoked shelling and firing, a BSF officer told PTI. The firing and shelling were still underway when the reports last came on Saturday morning, he said. The officer said Pakistan was targeting civilian villages to cause death and destruction and added that the BSF was giving them a befitting reply. He said a BSF jawan in Pargwal sector was injured in the heavy firing and shelling and was later hospitalised. The Pakistan rangers continued to fire and launch shells along the IB in Arnia, Ramgarh, Samba and Hiranagar sectors till 5 am, a police official said. Two people were injured in Kanachak sector of Akhnoor, and a girl sustained minor splinter injuries, the official said. Between 8,000 to 9,000 people living along the IB migrated to safer places and most of them were living with their relatives, the official said. Over 1,000 people are housed in camps in R S Pura, Samba and Kathua areas, he said. Educational institutes have been closed for next three days along the IB and the LoC in Jammu region by authorities in wake of increased tension along the India-Pakistan border, officials said. Two security forces jawans and as many civilians were killed and 35 others injured in mortar shelling by the Pakistani troops on civilian areas and BoPs along the International Border and the LoC in four districts on Friday, officials said. New Delhi: Former telecom minister Andimuthu Raja on Saturday alleged that former CAG Vinod Rai was a "contract killer" hired to kill the UPA-2 government and called for his prosecution for "abusing" the power and "cheating" the nation. Raja went on to say that some forces were working against the UPA-2 and for that they used Rai as a tool. "Vinod Rai should be prosecuted for cheating and abuse of power... (he) was a contract killer... His shoulder was used to kill UPA 2," Raja said during a media interaction following the launch of his book "2G Saga Unfolds". The then comptroller and auditor general (CAG) Rai came out with a report in 2010 which pegged notional loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the national exchequer due to 2G spectrum allocation in 2008 when Raja was the telecom minister. "Some forces wanted to kill UPA (United Progressive Alliance) 2 for which Vinod Rai was used as the gun," Raja said. The former telecom minister said that the Supreme Court got carried away with that CAG report and cancelled 2G telecom licences. Raja accused Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal of conspiring against him to stop new telecom players from entering the market so as to maintain a cartel of a handful of service providers. He, however, praised former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "Because of protection and patronage given by him I was able to break cartel when tariff came down and teledensity went up. He (the former PM) wanted spectrum to be made available for public use," Raja said. The mobile tariff during Raja regime came down to 25 paise per minute from the range of Rs 2-4 a minute. Raja said that he met Singh for half an hour and gave him a copy of book. The former telecom minister, who was recently cleared by the CBI court of all the charges, said, "He (Singh) deeply regretted whatever happened to me. He nearly broke down. I will disclose what went between us at an appropriate time." Raja said there were differences among the cabinet ministers on the spectrum allocation issue. He said that Mittal approached courts against spectrum allocation but failed and also went to the then PM and law minister but again failed to get anything. Mittal "wanted to stall proceedings of my government," Raja said adding that contradictions came from within the UPA ministers and there were instances to prove it. The former telecom minister said objections were raised by the finance ministry and the then Union Cabinet minister Kamal Nath wrote an open letter to (Manmohan) Singh that the matter should be sent to the group of ministers. Stating that the BJP benefited from the 2G controversy, Raja, however, ruled out any possibility of alignment with the saffron party. "We are for secularism. We will go with secular forces. Any change will be decided by the leadership," Raja said. The book "2G saga unfolds" was released by former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah. "The principal of natural justice was not adhered by institutions. Ultimately injustice was done to me not only by individuals but the institutions like CVC (Central Vigilance Commission), CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation), CAG, Parliament and sorry to say with due to respect to judiciary, even the Supreme Court," Raja said. Also, he accused media of biased reporting by repeatedly citing documents and instances that accused him. But, the same media, Raja said, did not show his reply to the CBI during court proceedings which went on for 14 days. New Delhi: The Congress on Friday accused the Narendra Modi government of endangering national security due to its "directionless" political actions and policies. Modi Govt's directionless policy on National Security has created a disquiet border-Both at the Eastern & Western frontiers. It's continuous Flip-Flops to the Chinese Misadventure in #Doklam is harming Indias Strategic Interests Our Statement:- pic.twitter.com/zoKqV3fxWf Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) January 19, 2018 Congress communications incharge Randeep Surjewala said the government's "uncertain" foreign policy and continuous "flip-flops" to the Chinese "misadventure" in Doka La is harming India's strategic interests. He asked it to come out of its "slumber" and act. "The Congress is deeply concerned by the present national security situation that has been compromised by the political inactions of the Modi government. The question simply is, when will the Modi government wake up from its deep slumber and act?" he asked. "National security strategy cannot be centered on the prime minister's personal propaganda machinery and instead it should be centered around our armed forces and national interests," he said. Surjewala said while the country's brave and valiant armed forces should be applauded for their valour, "the lack of political direction, strategy and policy on part of the Modi government is harming India's interests". He said the disquiet at two ends of the country's border can be gauged by the series of instances which is a serious cause of concern. Reacting to the external affairs ministry's statement, the Congress leader said it does not say a word about the alleged construction of military infrastructure by the Chinese Army purportedly depicted in satellite imagery produced in recent media reports. "The Modi government cannot have multiple stands on the Chinese misadventure. It will only harm India's interests," he said. "The Congress demands the Modi government take the nation into confidence and disclose the measures it has taken as also its policies for the future," he said in a statement. Talking about the western border, he said that in the period since 26 May, 2014, when the Modi government was inaugurated, 304 security forces personnel and 194 civilians have been killed in Jammu and Kashmir alone. Ceasefire violations from across the border in the past 44 months of Modi government, he said, have increased by an alarming 500 per cent as compared to the last 44 months of the the UPA government led by the Congress. He also said there have been 70 reported ceasefire violations till Thursday along the International Border and the LoC by Pakistan in January alone. New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency on Saturday dispatched a team to visit the blast site in Bodh Gaya where a small explosion took place in a flask at a tea shop. Two bombs were also found from the vicinity of the Kaalchakra ground, where the Dalai Lama has been holding discourses, during a combing operation by a police team, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Patna Zone, NH Khan had said on Friday. The NIA has dispatched a team including a superintendent of police-ranked officers and an explosives' expert to the site, the agency spokesperson said in a statement. "It is said that the blast happened in a flask kept under a generator at a tea shop opposite the ground. The police found some wires coming out. Later, searches were conducted in the vicinity by the police and two objects suspected to be improvised explosive devices were recovered," the NIA spokesperson said. He said on receiving the information, a team of NIA officials, including an SP and one explosives' expert, have been dispatched to visit the site. The Tibetan spiritual leader had arrived in Bodh Gaya on 1 January and he is likely to stay there for a month. A host of key personalities, including Bihar Governor Satya Pal Malik, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Hollywood actor Richard Gere, have visited Bodh Gaya recently to get the blessings of the Buddhist monk. In 2013, the Maha Bodhi temple, situated at the place where the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment, was rocked by a series of explosions in which five people, including two monks, were injured. Seventeen people are feared dead in a blaze which broke out at firecracker factory in Delhi's Bawana area, according to several media reports. Ten fire tenders have been pressed to the spot. Quoting a fire official, ANI reported that the fire has now been contained. The fire is under control now. The fire had broken out around 3.30 pm and was contained around 7. We have contained the fire on the second floor.: Fire Officer pic.twitter.com/A3FFUsxCeq ANI (@ANI) January 20, 2018 The Delhi Fire Service received a call about the fire at the factory around 6.20 pm. CNN-News18 quoted chief fire officer Atul Garg as saying that five to six people are still inside the building. The police have so far confirmed nine deaths in the fire. The rescue operations are underway as more people are suspected to be trapped inside the factory. According to an official, there is a rubber factory on the second storey above the firecracker factory. #SpotVisuals Seventeen killed in a fire which broke out at a plastic godown in Bawana Industrial Area #Delhi pic.twitter.com/GBDRjacBg1 ANI (@ANI) January 20, 2018 North Delhi mayor Preety Agarwal rushed to the spot. "The factory falls in the Delhi State Industrial And Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) area. Agarwal has rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation," a senior NDMc official said. I received information about the incident on phone at around 9 pm & we immediately rushed to the spot. Situation is under control now: North #Delhi Mayor Preety Aggarwal pic.twitter.com/QqeLqtgNtP ANI (@ANI) January 20, 2018 Meanwhile, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal posted a tweet saying that he was keeping a close watch on the rescue operations. The Delhi government has reportedly ordered an investigation into the blaze. V sad to hear abt large no of casualties. Keeping a close watch on rescue operations https://t.co/yHwQAH0bKi Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 20, 2018 According to ANI, Union health minister JP Nadda has directed the health secretary to provide immediate assistance to victims and also requested the AIIMS trauma centre to be on alert. In a tweet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he was "deeply anguished" by the incident. Deeply anguished by the fire at a factory in Bawana. My thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives. May those who are injured recover quickly: PM @narendramodi PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 20, 2018 Congress leader Ashok Gehlot also offered his condolences. Saddened to hear about the death of many people due to fire in #Delhi's #Bawana Industrial Area. My condolences to the grieving families who lost their loved ones in this unfortunate incident....may the injured recover soon. https://t.co/ZbJfr5WmH3 Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) January 20, 2018 On 16 January, a factory in Delhi's Udyog Nagar was gutted in a fire. According to Hindustan Times, the fire fighting operations went on for close to three hours. However, no casualties were reported. Following the Kamala Mills tragedy in Mumbai which claimed 14 lives on 29 December, 2017 officials in Delhi had stepped up measures to ensure that fire and safety regulations are in place. The New Delhi Municipal Council had also asked restaurants to abide by trade license conditions, fire safety norms and sitting capacity regulations or be ready to face cancellation of permits and sealing of premises. With inputs from PTI Ranchi: Former Bihar Chief Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Yadav appeared in a special CBI court of Ranchi in connection with another fodder scam case over fraudulent withdrawal from a treasury in Ranchi. Besides Lalu Yadav, other accused in the case also appeared in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court. The case relates to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 139.35 crore from Doranda treasury of Ranchi. On Saturday, the court recorded statements of the CBI witnesses. The court has instructed the accused to be present in the court again on January 23. Jailed Lalu Yadav's trial is going on a day-to-day basis in two cases of the fodder scam in the CBI courts of Ranchi. The Supreme Court in May last year had directed completion of the trial in nine months. Lalu Yadav was convicted on 23 December last year in a fodder scam case related to fraudulent withdrawal from Deoghar treasury and he was awarded three-and-half years' imprisonment on 6 January. In the first fodder scam case, he was convicted in 2013 and awarded five years' imprisonment. While the RJD chief stands convicted in two cases, the judgement in the remaining three is likely to be delivered soon. Ukraine has called on UNESCO to take urgent measures to prevent the threat of destruction of the Khan's Palace in Bakhchisaray, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has reported. "The critical situation around the Khan's Palace in Bakhchisaray has become the main topic of a special meeting of the National Commission of Ukraine for UNESCO, which was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on January 19," the ministry said on Friday, January 19. The event was chaired by the head of the national commission, Serhiy Kyslytsia, and attended by Ukrainian Deputy Culture Minister Tamara Mazur, head of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Refat Chubarov, representatives of the concerned ministries and departments, experts of the Ukrainian National Committee of ICOMOS, the Ukraine National Blue Shield Committee, and ICCROM Ukraine. The participants in the meeting stated that the situation in the field of culture in Russian-occupied Crimea causes deep concern and indignation over the actions of the Russian occupation authorities, which in fact are carrying out a massive, well-planned attack on unique multiculturalism on the Crimean peninsula. "Such aggressive actions are vividly evidenced by the so-called 'restoration work' on the territory of the monument of national importance of Ukraine, an integral part of the cultural heritage of the Crimean Tatar people - the Khan's Palace in Bakhchisaray, which poses a real threat to the destruction of the historical and cultural value of this monument that was put on the tentative list for inclusion in UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2003," the meeting participants said. Following the discussion of the problem, the participants decided to take additional measures to mobilize international efforts, primarily through UNESCO, to preserve the Khan's Palace in Bakhchisaray. "Go to a porn website and witness the tremendous brutality that is being shown towards the women. Group sex is happening on the screen repeatedly with women being shown with their hands and feet being tied, enjoying orgasm after orgasm with multiple men. Young, vulnerable minds who watch these sites for long periods can end up with serious personality and perceptual disorders." This is the opinion of Dr Rajesh Kumar, heading the Society of Promotion of Youth and Masses and working with juvenile delinquents, rapist and murderers at the Tihar jail. Kumar was commenting on the sharp increase of rape cases in Haryana, often committed by school boys between the ages of 14 and 16. He said, "The time has come for us to introduce porn filters in order to deny young people access to pornography. With free data streaming into their homes from their mobiles, they are downloading information 24x7 which is distorting their lives." He further said, "They do not know the difference between a friendship and a relationship with a girl. In my interactions with RSS leaders, I have requested them to put a block on porn sites as this is distorting the minds of the youth. If China can ban Google, surely the time has come for our government to put a ban on pornography." Kumar also believes parents are no longer attending to the needs of the growing child. He said, "Both parents are busy earning, the schools are not imparting a culture-based value education, especially those schools that are catering to the poorer sections of our society. The moot point then is: Who is going to prove a role model for these young boys ?" "When I asked convicted rapists in Tihar jail (where his organisation is presently working) why they committed these crime, they expressed a sense of regret. Their narratives were so different and society needs to pay greater attention to these," Kumar added. Certainly, the statistics about crimes against women suggest that it is time all members of society step in to address this serious problem. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) states that while 2014 saw 9,019 crimes being committed against women in Haryana, by 2015, the number had gone up to 9,511 and by 2016, it had risen to 9,838. But the alarming rise of rape cases in 2018 in Haryana shows a society imploding from its very roots. Take the statistics. Eight rapes in six days, one more heinous than the other. Haryana tops other states in having the highest number of gangrapes in India. An 11-year-old Dalit girl was gang-raped by two neighbours in a village in Panipat district on the night of 13 January. After the gangrape, the girl was murdered and then her assailants allegedly committed necrophilia for over four hours. The two accused, identified as Pardeep Kumar (27) and Sagar (22), were arrested and booked for the murder and gangrape under various sections of POCSO Act. One day later, a 50-year-old man was arrested for allegedly mutilating the private parts of a 10-year-old girl by inserting a wooden object. This happened near Pinjore. On 16 January, a 15-year-old boy allegedly raped a three-and-a-half-year-old girl in a colony in Hisar district. On 18 January, a 20-year-old married woman was raped by two men at a village in Fatehabad district who the woman alleged were her neighbours. And in yet another horrific reminder of the December 2012 gangrape, a minor girls brutalised body, with her private parts mutilated and liver ruptured, was found in Haryanas Jind. Her body was found near a canal in Budhakhera village of Jinds Safidon town on 13 January. Police said the victim has been identified as a resident of Jhansa village in Kurukshetra. She went missing on 9 January. The body was found without any clothes in the lower parts. It was sent to Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Rohtak, for postmortem and Dr SK Dhattarwal, who heads the forensics department, pointed out that the "damage to her private parts seems to have been done after she was drowned and murdered. This was the work of more than one person who failed to sexually assault the victim while she was alive." In Gurugram, a 24-year-old man was arrested for abducting and raping a college student on 15 January. She was abducted by two men, who forced her into a car and then raped her while driving it around. In a similar incident, two men were arrested for abducting and raping a woman in a moving car on Saturday. These incidents have triggered a nationwide outrage, putting the spotlight back on crimes against women in India and how government after government has failed to stem the wave of violence. Jagmati Sangwan, state chief of AIDWA working out of Rohtak, also blames excessive pornography as being a key factor in school kids committing these crimes. "Growing crime, especially rape and sexual crimes being committed by the young, are happening only because these kids have free access to pornography. There is no one around to monitor their viewing and this combined with patriarchy has let hell loose, especially against young, vulnerable women," said Sangwan. At the nationwide level, she questioned the steps the central government had taken to control these viewership habits. "There is big money at stake here. Porn websites attract large amounts of advertising and money is changing hands at many levels," Sangwan maintained. Psychologists also confirm that excessive pornography viewing has an adverse impact on a child/adolescent mind. Clinical psychologist Dr Pulkit Sharma pointed out, "Pornography viewing by young adolescents, and I believe even by adults, is harmful because it makes them treat women as sex objects. Youngsters can be very impulsive and while most of us keep our impulses under check, this is not the case with these people who also can combine extreme narcissism with a complete lack of empathy for others." The unequal sex ratio between men and women has created a scarcity of marriageable women and sociologists believe that is also part of the problem. The Haryana BJP leaders, when they came to power, had promised they would 'import' brides from Bihar. Unfortunately, large number of unemployed men find there are no women available for them to marry. Enakshi Ganguly, co-director of HAQ, feels that as a society, we continue to address the symptoms but not go to the root causes of why society is witnessing increasing levels of violence against women. "After the Nirbhaya case, we tightened the law, looking at it from the victims point of view. But we also need to know what is going on in the minds of these boys who are committing these crimes." "The older answer of blaming patriarchy is not enough. Nor is it enough to invest in technologies and try and put CCTV cameras everywhere. We need to understand what is happening to our boys and how we can help them during their adolescent years," said Ganguly. Police incompetence in Haryana is matched only by the political incompetence of the chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar whose skills as competent administrator are in serious question. The breakdown of official machinery during the Jat agitation in February 2016, in which 30 lives were lost, showed a lack of intelligence failure. Khattars conspicuous softness towards the Dera Sacha Sauda followers because the BJP is beholden to Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for its Haryana victory was shocking, given that Singh is now being tried for committing rape by the women in his Dera. The only silver lining is that the women of Haryana are determined to fight for justice as has been shown in the Varnika Kundu case. Kundu was not intimidated when she went ahead and insisted the police file an FIR against Vikas Barala who is the son of the Haryana BJP president Subhash Barala. United Nations: Pakistan's "mindset" that unleashes terrorist attacks on India and Afghanistan must change, India has told the security council. Only by changing the terror mindset can peace come to Afghanistan, India's Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin said on Friday during a high-level council meeting dealing with Afghanistan. "Terrorism and externally induced instability pose the gravest threat to Afghanistan's peace, stability and prosperity," he said. "And the growing arc of terrorist violence endangers our entire region." New Delhi has been working with regional and international partners to bring security, peace and development to Afghanistan, he said. To further these objectives and promote peace, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stopped over in Lahore in December 2015 on his way back from inaugurating the Indian-built parliament house in Afghanistan, he said. But "a heinous and barbaric terrorist attack" was launched on the Pathankot airbase in a week's time by "the very same mindsets which attack the spirit of Afghanistan every day," he said. "These mindsets differentiate between 'good' and bad terrorists," he said. "These mindsets refuse to see reason in peace. They are mindsets that are reluctant to join hands in moving the region forward to build a shared future for our people and our youth." "These mindsets," Akbaruddin declared, "need to change." The high-level council meeting was presided over by Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov and focused on regional cooperation to promote development and security in Afghanistan. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was among those attending the session. Terrorism has taken a huge toll on Afghanistan, Akbaruddin said backing up his assertion with World Bank statistics. Afghanistan recorded a 9.6 percent annual economic growth rate from 2003 to 2014, but it has fallen to 2.2 per cent in 2016 as terrorism increased and it was 2.6 percent last year, according to the bank. Illustrating how terrorism impacts development, he said that a disproportionate amount of resources are diverted from the aid projects to protecting them rather than building more projects. The New Development Partnership between India and Afghanistan cover education, health, agriculture, infrastructure, renewable energy, drinking water supply and human resource development, he said. The recent visits by Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Dr. Abdullah Abdullah have given the partnership a boost, he added. India pledged a $1 billion package for Afghanistan last year. New Delhi: India's entry into elite nuclear groups in the recent past has reaffirmed the country's strict non-proliferation commitments, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday. His remarks come in the backdrop of India becoming a member of the 'Australia Group' (AG), a move that is expected to raise New Delhi's stature in the field of non-proliferation and also help it acquire critical technologies. "I thank Australia and other members of the Australia Group for export control for supporting India's entry in it," Modi tweeted. He said over the last two years, India's membership of the MTCR, Wassenaar Arrangement and Australia Group reaffirmed the country's "strong non-proliferation credentials also our commitment to global peace and security". India is now a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), the Wassenaar Arrangement (WA) as well as AG, three of four non-proliferation regimes. The only one remaining is the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). A bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, will hear on Monday the plea seeking an independent probe into the the death of special CBI judge BH Loya, according to CNN-News18. Judge Loya was hearing the case of the staged shootout of Sohrabuddin Sheikh. Justice Arun Mishra's bench not to hear #JudgeLoya case anymore. #CJIDipakMisra assigns it to a new bench, headed by himself. The case will be heard on Monday now. pic.twitter.com/MHRYTcvJmC News18 Courtroom (@News18Courtroom) January 20, 2018 The supplementary cause list issued on Saturday listed the petitions by social activist Tehseen Poonawala and Maharashtra-based journalist Bandhuraj Sambhaji Lone before the bench of Chief Justice of India, Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice DY Chandrachud. The order passed by the court on Friday said it an "appropriate bench" would hear the petitions filed by Congress leader Tehseen Poonawalla and Maharashtra journalist BS Lone. The four senior Supreme Court judges who held an unprecedented press conference airing their concerns over allocation of cases to benches, had specifically mentioned the judge Loya case. Earlier, the two petitions were being heard by the bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra. However, the bench recused itself from hearing the matter on 17 January after the bench directed that all the documents furnished by Maharashtra government to the court pertaining to the death of judge Loya be shared with the petitioners seeking independent probe. Loya, who was hearing the sensitive Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case, had allegedly died of cardiac arrest in Nagpur on 1 December, 2014, when he had gone to attend the wedding of a colleague's daughter. The issue of Loya's death had come under the spotlight in November 2017 after media reports quoting his sister had termed the circumstances surrounding his death suspicious. However, Loya's son had on 14 January said in Mumbai that his father died of natural causes and not under suspicious circumstances. The court had earlier termed as a "serious matter" the issue of Loya's death and had asked the Maharashtra government to file certain documents, including the autopsy report. The counsel for the petitioners had told the court that this was a case of an alleged mysterious death of a judge, who was hearing a sensitive case, and an independent probe was required. In his plea, he had claimed that the circumstances revolving around the death of the judge were "questionable, mysterious and contradicting". The other plea filed by the journalist has submitted that a fair probe was needed into the mysterious death of Loya, who was hearing the Sohrabuddin encounter case in which various police officers and BJP president Amit Shah were named as parties. A PIL seeking probe into the judge's death was also filed before the Bombay High Court on 8 January by the Bombay Lawyers' Association. With inputs from agencies A day after a member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) was hacked to death by a three-member gang in Kerala's Kannur district, the police has reportedly arrested four Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) activists in connection with the murder. Four SDPI activists have been arrested by police in Kannur in connection with the murder of #ABVP activist Shyam. #Kerala ANI (@ANI) January 20, 2018 The arrested SDPI activists have been identified as Muhammed, Minikkol Salim, Neeveli Ameer, and Shahim, according to The Times of India. Police sources told the newspaper that the four were arrested in Wayanad, after they fled there following the murder. However, ABVP had alleged that Popular Front of India (PFI) was behind the killing and demanded that the outfit be banned. ABVP state secretary Shyam Raj said the "terror" face of PFI has come out in the open once again with the killing of Prasad. Prasad, an ITI student, was going to his house at Koothuparamba on his motorcycle when the unidentified gang came in a car and attacked him at Kommeri around 5.30 pm, the police said. The student tried to flee but the gang chased and hacked him with machetes, seriously injuring him. Though locals rushed him to the government hospital at Koothuparamba, he died on the way, the police said. The BJP has called for a hartal on Saturday to protest the murder. With inputs from PTI A minor girl was allegedly gang-raped by three men on Friday afternoon in a moving car in Faridabad, making it the ninth rape to be reported in the media in seven days in Haryana. #BREAKING -- Another incident of gang rape in Haryana, a minor girl allegedly gang-raped by 3 men yesterday afternoon in moving a car in Faridabad. The girl was walking to the fields with her aunt when a few men in a car abducted her; case has been registered #StopThisShame pic.twitter.com/IFOHWAuS4s News18 (@CNNnews18) January 20, 2018 According to CNN-News18, the girl was walking to a field with her aunt when the men abducted her. A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. The incident took place at Sohna Road, reported India Today. While the three accused men have been named in the FIR, their identity has not yet been revealed in media reports. The accused are also believed to be from the same village as the victim. This incident comes after media reports of three rape cases in Haryana on Thursday. In one of the most recent incidents of rape, a 20-year-old married woman was allegedly gang-raped by two men at a village in Fatehabad district. The woman, in her police complaint, alleged that she was raped by her neighbour and another person on Wednesday. She alleged that the two accused barged into her house when she was alone. The men allegedly threatened her with dire consequences if she reported the matter to anyone. The woman got married six months ago, the police said. The Opposition Congress on Wednesday demanded the dismissal of the Manohar Lal Khattar government in Haryana, alleging a complete breakdown of law and order in the state. A Congress delegation, led by former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, submitted a memorandum to the governor on Wednesday and sought the imposition of President's Rule in the state. With inputs from PTI Mumbai Police arrested Kamala mills director Ravi Surajmal Bhandari, Fire Brigade officer Rajendra Baban Patil and Utkarsh Vinod Pande, the owner of the hookah company Nirvana, in connection to the Kamala Mills compound fire. The arrests were made over a fortnight after the Kamala Mills compound blaze, which claimed the lives of 14 people and injured another 55. This action occurred after an inquiry report by the Mumbai municipal commissioner confirmed the theory that flying embers from hookah served illegally at Mojo's Bistro was the trigger for the fire. The report also proposed criminal action against the owner of the premises, owners of both the restaurants and concerned architects and interior decorators. A preliminary report by the Mumbai fire brigade had also suggested that flying embers from hookah at Mojo's Bistro started the blaze. Yug Pathak, one of the co-owners of Mojo's Bistro where the fire first erupted, surrendered to the Mumbai police on Tuesday and was formally arrested. Earlier, Yug Pathak, son of a retired DGP level IPS officer KK Pathak, who is Tuli's partner in the pub, was arrested. The three owners of the 1Above pub Kripesh Sanghavi, Jigar Sanghavi and Abhijit Mankar where most of the 14 deaths took place, were also arrested on 10 January. Two managers of 1Above Kevin Bawa and Lisbon Lopez have also been arrested in the same case, taking the total number of arrests in relation to the fire to ten so far. With inputs from agencies The camera can be a bitch. Between awkward pats on the back and other places (US President George W Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel), marooned hands struck in the air (Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin) and pullbacks from the touch (Donald Trumps hand pats and backslaps), VIP greetings have been placed under the microscope often enough. But Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ripped the circumspection of protocol to shreds and his hugs have now become a subject of debate. His greeting of Frances Hollande went viral for its sheer invasion of the person. With Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu visiting India, we look forward to more hugs from PM Modi! #Hugplomacy pic.twitter.com/M3BKK2Mhmf Congress (@INCIndia) January 14, 2018 Should a leader maintain a certain decorum and restraint, or, go for broke as Modi does? In many parts of the world 'touching' each other is considered an impertinence and an imposition. We Indians are a touchy feely people. We hug at births, deaths, marriages (mandatory). We even hug if we meet for lunch, departing after lunch and in between to express our appreciation for an anecdote or joke. Knee-slapping, thigh bashing are our way of showing affection and they are sexless actions. We even touch strangers' children without a thought a familiarity that offends others. I have witnessed an American lady at an airport threatening to call the police because this elderly gentleman was fondling her child. It took a lot of explaining to convince her that the elderly gentleman meant no harm. Indians lie in each other's laps in public and walk hand-in-hand without it being a gender thing, lope arms over each others shoulders and even hold fingers (as opposed to hands) while chatting. Culturally, it is no big deal till it is pointed out. Because then it loses its innocence and turns ugly. Prime minister Modi only exemplifies what is a common conduct for 1.2 billion Indians. Choking Israels Benjamin Netanyahu with a bear hug last week probably eclipsed his 'lift and raise' wrestling hold that probably had UK's David Cameron wondering if he was being taken a hostage. No one would have dared to touch Indira Gandhi or particularly desire to embrace or be embraced by Manmohan Singh. Narasimha Rao abhorred it and Chandra Shekhar never came close. Lal Bahadur Shastri was not just the type and Jawaharlal Nehru was far too formidable for any familiarity of that sort. What happens is that hours or minutes later, the photograph of the moment becomes an editorial indictment and can be mocked. Was Obama being snubbed, was the clumsy handshake between Trump and Japans Shinzo Abe indicative of a frost and other similar interpretations. The awkwardness becomes a joke, an illustration of the pent-up anger, frustration or enmity that marks the occasion and the combatants. Modi roars past all this and it is now a cause to worry if, indeed, he is causing discomfort to his guests. In the upcoming week, with ten chief guests at the Republic Day parade, there is potential for an orgy of hugging. Not all ten inscrutable orientals are going to be comfortable with an effusive welcome. They are far too taciturn and distant. Modi might be advised to pull back a bit. But then again, that is his style so why cramp it? Hug away prime minister, thats the desi welcome. India understands. Just dont explain yourself or justify it. Thats where it goes wrong. Take heart, you trumped Trump and his little pitty patty handclasp with your overwhelming magic circle. Jammu: The Opposition National Conference and Congress members on Saturday staged a walkout from the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly over the alleged failure of the government to protect the lives of the border residents in the ceasefire violations by Pakistan. Three civilians, two BSF personnel and an army jawan, were killed and over 40 others injured in the heavy shelling by Pakistan along the International Border and Line of Control (LoC) in the Jammu region since Thursday. Soon after Speaker Kavinder Gupta took the chair, the Opposition members started shouting slogans against the Centre and state government and staged a walkout to protest the killings in Pakistani firing. BJP legislators, led by state president Sat Sharma, raised anti-Pakistan slogans, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), attempted to pacify the Opposition by promising a detailed statement on the ceasefire violations after the Question Hour. "A comprehensive report is being prepared to inform the House," relief and revenue minister Javaid Mustafa Mir said, adding that he had already directed the home commissioner to prepare a report. National Conference's Ali Mohammad Sagar criticised the statement of Union minister Jitendra Singh and said the Opposition raised the ceasefire violations issue thrice in the House yesterday and had sought a statement from the government. Singh, the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) had on Friday said, "Kashmir-centric Pakistan apologists owe an explanation to the nation and that there can be no pardon for them when they continue to shamelessly speak on behalf of Pakistan even on the day when the heavy civilian casualties have been inflicted on the borders by unprovoked Pakistani firing." Sagar alleged that the union minister tried to "mislead" people over the ceasefire violation by "baseless statements". "The government was apologetic for not issuing any statement on the issue on Friday," he told reporters. Congress legislature party leader Nawang Rigzin Jora also criticised the statement of the Union minister and blamed the alleged "inconsistent policy" of the Centre for the frequent ceasefire violations. "This government, both at the Centre and state, is confused. The state government, in particular, is in chaos and involved in infighting. In such a situation when we do not have a stable government in the state and Centre is indulged in flip-flops, Pakistan will continue the shelling to its benefit," he said. "Where has the 56-inch chest gone? Our people are getting killed and displaced daily and the BJP leaders are doing politics over the miseries of the people," Congress legislator Wakar Rasool told reporters outside the House. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday defended his trademark hugs with world leaders, saying he was unaware of laid down protocols as he is a common man and this has become his strength, as his openness was liked by the world leaders. Modi also said his basic nature has been "to convert adversity into opportunity". Days after being mocked by the Congress over his hugs, Modi said in a TV interview had he been "trained", he too would have followed the laid down protocols of shaking hands and "looking left and right" with world leaders. "I do not know all the protocols as I am a common man. The openness of this common man is liked by the world. Friendly relations come in handy," he said in the interview to Zee News. He further said, "Had I been trained like others...I too would have followed those protocols of looking right and left, had shaken hands. But I am an ordinary person...I only try to ensure that no harm ever happens to my country (due to this)." A few days ago, the Congress had posted a tweet mocking Modi for hugging world leaders, evoking a sharp reaction from the BJP that slammed it as "immature" and demanded an apology. "When I became the prime minister, there was criticism that Modi neither knows nor understands anything which is outside Gujarat...," Modi said. "Everybody used to ask me how will I conduct my foreign policy. And in a way, this criticism was right because I did not have any experience. I got the benefit of not having experience. I did not have any baggage," he said. Asked how he feels when he stands next to world leaders, he said, "My only feeling is that it is not Narendra Modi who is standing there but the representative of 1.25 billion people". Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Saturday said elaborate arrangements have been made to deal with the situation arising after the intense firing by Pakistan along the borders over the past few days. In different cross-border firing incidents along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border since Thursday, nine people, including two Army and as many BSF jawans, were killed and 46 injured. The health department has made elaborate arrangements to deal with the situation and adequate doctors (specialists) and paramedics along with necessary life saving drugs and equipment have been kept available round the clock in all health institutions, Health and Medical Education Minister Bali Bhagat said. "In addition, 197 Ambulances, including critical care ambulance have been deployed to meet the situation," Bhagat said. Making a suo-moto statement in the Legislative Assembly, he said all injured have been admitted in the Government Medical College Hospital and other local hospitals where they were undergoing treatment. He said the authorities have already issued an alert for the population living along the borders to move to the safer places in view of the constant firing along the border. Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh thanked the Centre for increasing the quantum of ex gratia and other reliefs especially for the cross-border firing victims. Islamabad: Pakistan on Saturday again summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh to condemn "unprovoked ceasefire violations" by India, which it said had killed five civilians and injured 22 others over the past three days. The Foreign Ministry said Indian forces continued firing along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border on Saturday, which killed an elderly civilian and injured two girls. "The number of casualties at international border has also risen due to unprovoked and indiscriminate firing by the Indian forces. Four more innocent civilians were killed, while 20 were injured on 18 and 19 January", the statement added. On Friday too, the Indian Deputy High Commissioner had been summoned by the Foreign Office to protest the deaths of a civilian and injuries to nine others in cross-border firing. Pakistan and India had declared ceasefire along the LoC and International Border in 2003. Both, however, routinely accuse each other of violating the ceasefire. New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear on Monday the plea for an independent probe into the circumstances leading to the death of Special CBI court judge BH Loya who was hearing the case of staged shootout of Sohrabuddin Sheikh. The order passed by the court on Friday said it would be listed on Monday for hearing by an "appropriate bench". The matter was mentioned in the morning before the bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra. The allocation of Judge Loya's matter to a relatively junior bench was one of the bone of contention raised by four rebel judges in their unprecedented press conference on 12 January. The bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra on 17 January recused from hearing the matter after the bench directed that all the documents furnished by Maharashtra government to the court pertaining to the death of judge Loya be shared with the petitioners seeking independent probe. The case came into limelight as BJP president Amit Shah was one of the accused in the case. Shah was later discharged by the Special CBI court trying Sohrabuddin Sheikh case. Badaun: A 32-year-old pregnant woman was allegedly raped by some unidentified men when she had gone to relieve herself in the field in Kachula village of Uttar Pradesh, police said on Saturday. The incident took place on Friday early at 5.00 am. The accused had allegedly tied her hands and feet and also stuffed a cloth in her mouth, Senior Superintendent of Police Chandraprakash said. The SSP said that when the woman did not return home after a long time, her family members started searching for her. Later, they found her in a nearby forest in an unconscious state, following which the family members informed the police and the woman was then admitted to a hospital, he said. The woman was sent to Bareilly for treatment and her medical examination will also be conducted, the SSP said. Her statement would be recorded on Saturday, he said, adding that the police have launched a search operation for the suspects. Arnia border: Blood-splattered compounds, smashed window panes and demolished roofs are all that are left of houses in border hamlets which have been battered in Pakistani firing and shelling in the last three days. A smell of gunpowder lingers in these villages whose residents are living in increasing fear. Nine people, including five civilians, have been killed and 47 injured in ceasefire violations over last three days. "We were living in the shadow of death. Mortar bombs were raining on our houses and we thought we would die any moment but the police brought us out from the Sai Khurd village in Arnia," Ratno Devi told PTI. In Sai Khurd, several houses were damaged and some animals killed in shelling, Devi said, adding that a woman, was killed while her husband and son were injured in the village. Ratno Devi, who along with six family members left home and took shelter in the house of her relatives in the outskirts of Arnia belt, said, "The government should stop firing from Pakistan." The firing and shelling were so heavy that 82 mm mortar shells landed much beyond Arnia town which is 5 km away from the International Border (IB) in Jammu district. Farmlands have craters due to mortar bombs and have turned into live minefields. In Jhora farm in RS Pura, 150 khullas or mud houses of Gujjars were burned down in the shelling. Several bovines were killed and injured due to mortar bombs and bullets in these villages. Police vehicles have been pressed into service and people living in border hamlets evacuated. "The border hamlets have virtually turned into war zones. Pakistan is targeting civilian areas intensely. There has been huge damage to houses and a loss of cattle," Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) RS Pura, Surinder Choudhary, said. Chanchalo Devi said the firing and shelling by Pakistan was haunting them. "Only three months back, Pakistan caused huge damage and and again we are facing death. How long will we keep living in fear. The government should give us safe alternatives," she said. Chanchalo Devi said she and her husband had woken by the sounds of mortar shells in Arnia's ward number 13 and they immediately tried to shift to a neighbour's house as their own house is made of mud. "When we were about to cross the lane to move to our neigbour's house when a shell burst and injured both of us and our neighbour Darshan Lal," she said in a hospital. Desh Raj of Vidhipur said his family lived in a room without food and water until they left home to escape the shelling and firing. Arnia town, which was once considered to be safe from Pakistani firing and shelling, was also hit by several mortar bombs. Several of the houses in Korotana, Sai Khurd, Mahasha Kote, Pindi, Suchetgarh, Jhora farm, village were hit by bullets and splinters of mortar shells which tore through the roofs and walls of houses. The villagers claimed the government had failed to construct bunkers despite the tall claims made by it for several years. "The border people would not have died or been injured had the government constructed bunkers or given us plot at a safe place as per a promise made several years ago. They have not fulfilled the promise," Sudershan Singh of Arnia said. Today, three people, including an Army jawan, were killed and six injured in firing by Pakistani troops along the International Border (IB) and Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu division. Yesterday, a 17-year-old girl and a BSF jawan were killed while six people, including five civilians, injured in ceasefire violation in three sectors of Jammu and Samba districts. The Pakistani troops targeted around 45 border outposts (BoPs) and around 50 village in five sectors of R S Pura, Arnia, Ramgarh, Samba and Hirnagar along a 40-km stretch along the IB. SDPO Surinder Choudhary, who led a police team for rescuing and shifting those injured to a hospital, said, "We have also evacuated border villagers to safer places. Pakistan cannot be trusted". Chennai: After a hiatus of six years, Tamil Nadu government on Friday hiked the fares of buses under state run transport corporations and private entities approximately by 20 to 54.54 percent, saying it was inevitable. Significantly, the government also announced a fund for accident compensation and prevention, besides a panel to go into restructuring of bus fares in future. Effective from tomorrow, the fare has been hiked for buses across categories viz moffusil, city, ordinary, express, deluxe, bypass-non-stop, ultra deluxe, air-conditioned and Volvo modes, an official release said. While the minimum hike is in moffusil ordinary category, where the fare of Rs 5 for 10 km would now be Rs 6 (20 percent hike), the highest is in Volvo buses, where the fare of Rs 33 for 30 km will now go up to Rs 51 (54.54 percent hike). In town buses the fare has been hiked from a minimum of Rs 3 to Rs 5 and the maximum from Rs 12 to Rs 19. The government cited a host of factors for the hike, including increase in fuel price and maintenance, annual increment in salaries, pension and purchase of new buses to increase efficiency. Defending the hike, it said the last time fares were increased was on 18 November, 2011 when diesel cost Rs 43.10, whereas the price now was Rs 65.83. The government also cited data to claim that the fares, despite the increase, was lesser than in neighbouring states, including Andhra Pradesh. A recent interim direction of the Madras High Court in a transport related petition was also cited to support the decision to effect a hike in fares. The government quoted the interim order as saying, "data furnished in the supporting affidavit shows that the present bus fare is inadequate to meet,even the operational cost." The court had also said "with the existing funds and resources, maintenance cost, debt, loss and such other economic factors ...the need to revise bus fare, appears to be inevitable, though it may cause inconvenience." The government said that since 2000 till date, Karnataka had hiked the fare 16 times, while Andhra Pradesh and Kerala had done so eight times. In the past seven years, the Tamil Nadu government gave Rs 12,059.17 crore subsidy to State-run transport corporations to help them tackle the fund crunch. These corporations have so far incurred a recurring loss of Rs 20,488 crore, the government said. "Though the increase in fare was avoided so far,it is now inevitable so as to tackle the fund cruch and to continue to give the people a good transport service," the release said. In a significant step, the government said an integrated 'Accident prevention, compensation and toll fee fund' would be set up, under which speed governors would be installed in long distance express buses as part of accident prevention efforts. Private transport entities will be permitted to establish similar funds. Unlike neighbouring states, the fare in Tamil Nadu presently does not cover insurance and toll fee components. Henceforth, the fare will cover an integrated component of accident insurance and toll fee as well, it said. From a minimum of Rs 1 (upto Rs 25 fare) a maximum of Rs 10 will be levied (for fares above Rs 501) for this purpose. Defending its decision, the government said since timely compensation for accidents was not provided, as many as 652 State-run transport corporation buses were under court attachment proceedings. Also, the state transport corporations spent an average of Rs 12 crore per month towards toll fee. A new accident compensation fund will ensure that victims (or their kin in case of death) would be provided compensation ranging between Rs 2.5 to Rs five lakh immediately, it said. For those injured, it would be between Rs 10,000 to Rs two lakh depending upon the nature of injuries and duration of hospitalisation. For those who suffer permanent disability or head injury, the compensation will be Rs five lakh, it said. The government said restructuring of fares in future would be done by a committee of senior government officials based on computation involving indices covering fuel price hike,changes in maintenance and repair cost and increment in salaries. There are eight State run transport corporations in Tamil Nadu with 22,509 buses, employing 1,40,615 personnel. Workers of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) owing allegiance to 17 trade unions,including those affiliated to DMK and Left parties, had gone strike on January 4 after failure of talks with the government on wage revision. While unions wanted a 2.57 times hike, the government offered only 2.44, resulting in a stalemate. The strike severely crippled public sector bus services, causing immense hardship to public, including office-goers in cities though the government tried to maintain services by roping in temporary drivers and private buses. The AIADMK backed union, besides some others, had not participated in the protests. the unions had called off the strike on 11 January after the Madras High Court appointed an arbitrator to settle their wage dispute with the government. Jammu: Tension gripped people living close to the international border and the Line of Control (LoC) on Saturday in the Jammu region as authorities ordered closure of schools. "All schools within five kilometre radius of the LoC and the international border shall remain closed for three days," officials of the provincial administration said in Jammu. Four persons including two troopers and two civilians were killed on Friday in widespread ceasefire violation by Pakistan troops. Two civilians including a woman and a youth were killed and 24 others including two Border Security Force (BSF) troopers and 22 civilians were injured in Pakistan shelling and firing on the international border. A BSF head constable was killed on Friday in Samba sector while an army soldier was killed in Sunderbani sector of the LoC in Rajouri district. Over a dozen cattle have also been killed in indiscriminate shelling by Pakistan Rangers on the international border. Over 20 outposts of the BSF were targeted by Pakistan rangers in Kathua, Samba and Jammu districts on the international border on Friday. Migration of civilians started on Friday evening in RS Pura, Ramgarh and Suchetgarh areas close to the international border. Authorities have made arrangements in makeshift camps for border residents although this migration has been from isolated places so far not involving a large number of border villagers so far. New Delhi: The Election Commission "helped" the AAP by delaying its recommendation for disqualifying 20 of the party's MLAs for holding offices of profit and enabled it in sending three candidates to the Rajya Sabha, the Congress alleged on Saturday. Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken also tried to suggest that the BJP had a role in the delay but offered no evidence. "The Election Commission on the instance of the BJP delayed its recommendation by a month and helped the Aam Aadmi Party. Had the recommendation come before the Rajya Sabha election, the AAP would have split due to internal rift," Maken claimed. For the second day in a row, Maken attacked the AAP after the Election Commission recommended that 20 AAP legislators be disqualified for holding offices of profit. On Friday, Maken had demanded Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's resignation on moral grounds. On Saturday, he said the AAP faced opposition from within over its nominees for the Rajya Sabha and the party would have possibly split had the Election Commission's recommendation been announced in December, 2017 when the party had decided the nominees. "We want to ask Arvind Kejriwal about the connivance between him and the BJP, which was behind the delay in disqualification recommendation," he said. The AAP leadership's decision to send two new faces to the Rajya Sabha, along with party leader Sanjay Singh, was resented by its senior leader Kumar Vishwas. Maken also claimed that the 20 MLAs, who were appointed as parliamentary secretaries, enjoyed facilities such as office space and remuneration. He gave copies of Delhi government's chief secretaries communication with the Election Commission, saying the MLAs were allotted rooms in the Assembly. "IT department informed that Dwarka MLA Adarsh Shastri, who was parliamentary secretary to IT minister, was paid Rs 15,479 for attending a meeting," he said citing the papers. According to highly-placed sources, in its opinion sent to President Ram Nath Kovind, the Election Commission has said the MLAs, by occupying the post of parliamentary secretaries between 13 March, 2015 and 8 September, 2016, held offices of profit, and were liable to be disqualified as legislators. Once the president accepts the opinion, by-elections will have to be held for the 20 Assembly seats. It is not surprising that the Election Commission recommended disqualification of 20 MLAs of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for holding 'office of profit'. It was already signalled when the President of India refused to give assent to an amendment to the Delhi Members of Legislative Assembly (Removal of Disqualification) Act, 1997, to exempt parliamentary secretaries from being termed as an office of profit. Ideally speaking, the amendment proposed by the Delhi Assembly should have been accepted by the president. Because the proposed amendment was very much in accordance with Article 191(1)(a) which empowers the legislature of a state to make laws to declare any office as the office of non-profit and thus not to disqualify its holder even from retrospective effect. It has happened in the past on many occasions and also was also held by the Supreme Court in its numerous decisions. For instance, the Supreme Court in Kanta Kathuria vs Maneck Chand Surana (1970) case held the power of Rajasthan Legislative Assembly to remove the disqualification retrospectively by Section 2 of Rajasthan Legislative Assembly Members (Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1969. It was also the case with Office of Profit Amendment Act, 2006. Two points can be made here. One, the president by denying assent to the proposed amendment by the Delhi Assembly has denied the power what is constitutionally vested in the legislative assemblies of the states. Second, the president acted in denial of his power by referring the matter to the Election Commission as the president is now bound to act in accordance with the majority opinion of the Election Commission as per the provision of Article 192(2). Given the above context, the Election Commission was left with no choice except to test the merit of the case in the light of certain yardsticks already put in place by the Supreme Court in its very first case on office of profit in Ravanna Subanna vs GS Kageerappa in 1954 to determine whether the office of parliamentary secretary is an office of profit under the government. It was further reiterated with several other additions by the Supreme Court in Guru Govinda Basu vs Shankari Prasad Ghoshal in 1964, Umrao Singh vs Darbara Singh and Others in 1969, Kanta Kathuria vs Maneck Chand Surana in 1970, Surya Kant Roy vs Imamul Hai Khan in 1975, Madhukar GE Pakakar vs Jasciant Chabbildas Rajani and Others in 1976, Satrucharala Chandrashekhar Raju vs Vyricherla Pradeep Kumar Dev in 1992, and AK Subbaiah vs Ramakrishna Hegde and Others in 1993. These yardsticks include: whether the government has the right to exercise full control over the office in terms of appointment, removal or dismissal and determining duties and functions; whether the functions of the office are carried out for the government; whether the office enables the holder to wield influence or power by way of patronage, and whether the government pays any remuneration other than compensatory allowances. However, the compensatory allowances are excluded from the purview of pecuniary gains only when these allowances do not bring the holder of the office under the influence of the government (Shibu Soren vs Dayanand Sahay, 2011). In the Jaya Bachchan case in 2006, the Supreme Court has gone beyond the test of direct pecuniary gains while incorporating the capability of the office to yield a profit or gain in any form. Nevertheless, the Supreme Court in Divya Prakash vs Kuttar Chand Rana (1975) case held that if a person appointed to a post in an honorary capacity without any remuneration, though the post carried remuneration, the person did not hold an office of profit. Notably, India as a parliamentary democracy adopted the principle of fusion of power instead of separation of powers. And for this reason, it is difficult to maintain a fine balance between the Legislature and the Executive. Therefore, the members of our Constituent Assembly also did not discuss the office of profit in great detail. The suggestion to take away the parliamentary prerogative by putting the disqualifications only in the Constitution by BN Rao, advisor to the Drafting Committee was not given heed. Similarly, the proposal of KT Shah on 19th May 1949 in the Constituent Assembly to disqualify any person who accepts any office or post carrying a salary... shall be deemed forthwith to vacate his seat was not accepted. In fact, unlike the provisions dealing with office of profit in relation with the president [Article 58(2)], vice-president [Article 66(4)], governor [Article 158(2)], the power to exempt the offices held by legislators as the offices of profit was leniently left to the wisdom of the Parliament and legislatures of the states. It can be safely argued here that the issue of office of profit is more of moral character than legal. The issue of office of profit was also debated on 9 March, 1950, in the Interim Parliament which was pointed out by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in his communication with Jawaharlal Nehru in following words: You will recall that when the question came up about granting disqualification on account of holding an office of profit under the government, the question arose about their holding office as members of various committees, boards, etc, appointed by government.... As for the future, we might exempt those who might be appointed as members by the government with the consent of the speaker. Thereafter, our Parliament enacted three acts in 1950, 1951 and 1954 merely to exempt certain offices from disqualification. These acts were finally replaced by the Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1959, which provided an exhaustive list of offices exempted from disqualification based on the Bhargava Committee recommendations in 1958. It was since then amended further a number of times (1960, 1977, 1993, 1999, 2000 and 2006) to expand the list of exempted offices that too without any serious attempt to define what is 'office of profit'. The state governments too have added to the already growing lists. The 2006 Amendment Act has the unique distinction of having been returned for reconsideration for the first time in the parliamentary history of India by the then president APJ Abdul Kalam before being passed again and enacted. In his book Turning Points, Kalam argued in following terms: In the proposed Office of Profit Bill, I did not find a systematic approach towards deciding the question of what constituted an office of profit. Instead, exemption was given to only the existing offices which were occupied by MPs... He further states: "I suggested that the Bill should clearly mention the criteria for exempting a particular office from the provisions of the Office of Profit Bill which should be fair and reasonable and applicable in clear and transparent manner across the states and Union territories." In every sense, it was certainly a marvellous example of a President using his constitutional authority with independent judgment and without succumbing to the dictate of the Cabinet. It may appear opportunistic or travesty to constitutional morality, the law to prevent disqualification arising from the office of profit has always been the convenience of the Parliament and state legislature. AAP was unfairly denied this opportunity. Whatever may be the reason, the loss for AAP now is more moral, less legal and extraordinarily political. The author is an associate professor and head of the Department of Political Science at Maulana Azad National Urdu University in Hyderabad. Who is afraid of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Karnataka? The Congress isn't. But the BJP should be. In the last one month, Adityanath has made two noisy visits to Karnataka, accusing the Congress government of being anti-Hindu and reminding people that the state was the abode of Lord Hanuman. He is sure to descend on Karnataka, again and again, to campaign for the BJP in the Assembly elections to be held in the next three months. Adityanath was a "star campaigner" in last months Assembly elections in Gujarat where he addressed 35 rallies. If the BJP is to be believed, he transported audiences there into such a phantasmagorical world that they voted for the party without question. He is sure to be a "star campaigner" in Karnataka as well and wave his magic wand. But therein lies the problem. In Karnataka, his campaign may have the opposite effect. Karnataka's voters aren't ready and willing to fall for Adityanath's Hindutva claptrap. A little understanding of the history of elections in Karnataka and a peek into the mind of the state's average voter would make it amply clear that Karnataka is not Gujarat. It's difficult to believe that BJP president Amit Shah, who is to elections what Einstein was to physics, is unaware of this. Shah can't possibly forget that the BJP lost badly in places visited by Narendra Modi, then chief minister of Gujarat and a "star campaigner" in Karnataka during the state's previous Assembly elections in 2013. But just a year later, during the Lok Sabha elections, when he made four visits and addressed a dozen rallies, the BJP won 17 of the state's 28 Lok Sabha seats. There is a lesson for the BJP to learn from this. In 2013, voters wanted to throw out the state's BJP government because of corruption scams involving its chief minister BS Yeddyurappa, as also infighting, political instability, moral policing by its cadres, and several other reasons. Even Modi was of no help though he was popular among a section of the voters in Karnataka by then. At that point, most voters saw no sense in returning BJP to power. But a year later, it made enough sense for them to have Modi as the prime minister. This dual voting voters choosing one party at the Centre and another at the state government level is very typical of Karnataka. So, if the BJP is unlucky enough to lose the upcoming Assembly election, it can hope to do well in the Lok Sabha polls next year. Yogi is not Modi As for the Assembly election campaign, the BJP leaders must know that Yogi Adityanath is not Narendra Modi. Unlike Adityanath, Modi talks about jobs, roads and water. That's the reason why he drew huge, cheering crowds in Karnataka in 2013, though the party lost the election. And that's the reason why he bagged most of the parliamentary seats in the state the next year. Even now, a mention of Modi's name draws satisfied smiles from most people in Karnataka, though the novelty of having him as prime minister has dimmed and his government's performance has fallen woefully short of expectations. He is still the man they trust more than any other leader. Some BJP insiders hint at a hidden strategy behind deploying Adityanath in Gujarat and Karnataka. They imagine that Adityanath's Hindutva complements Modi's development pitch, to supply a potent combination that can sweep voters off their feet even before they know it. But it's doubtful whether this cocktail will get Karnataka voters on a high. The BJP seems to overestimate the role Hindutva could play in Karnataka. Hindutva was only one part of the BJP's growth story in the state. The rise and fall of BJP in Karnataka Year of election Assembly seats won (Total: 224) Vote share % 1983 18 7.93 1985 2 3.88 1989 4 4.14 1994 40 16.99 1999 44 20.69 2004 79 28.33 2008 (Forms government) 110 33.86 2013 40 19.97 The steep rise in the BJP's tally in 1994 was not just triggered by communal polarisation that came after the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition, but the blatant minority appeasement and corruption of successive Congress governments and the unseemly theatrics of the many avatars of the Janata Parivar also helped the BJP's growth. Besides, the upper caste Lingayats switched their loyalty to the BJP after chief minister Veerendra Patil, who belonged to the community, was unceremoniously sacked by Rajiv Gandhi from the airport in 1990. And in 2013, the BJP lost despite a spurt in the number of Hindutva-related incidents in the election run-up. Caste matters more than religion The departure of Yeddyurappa from the party, along with his Lingayat vote bank, also significantly contributed to the party's lowest ever performance in 2013 in four elections. Caste thus plays a larger role in Karnataka's politics than religion. Though Karnataka has more Muslims (12.92 percent of the population according to 2011 Census) than Gujarat (9.67 percent), it's a communally less sensitive state. Of Karnataka's 224 Assembly constituencies, 35 have more than 20 percent Muslim voters. Yet, the talk of Hindutva or Muslim-baiting can whip up emotions more in Gujarat than in Karnataka because of that state's border with Pakistan and its long history of Hindu-Muslim clashes. Adityanath's brand of Hindutva does catch the fancy of some people in Karnataka, but it stops short of setting the state on fire. He may swing some votes in a limited fashion in some areas, but not in a way that can tilt state-wide electoral scales. This doesn't mean Siddaramaiah can get away with Hindu baiting. He can't. Siddaramaiah's miscalculation Though firebrand Hindutva has few takers in Karnataka, the idea of Hindu identity has many. Siddaramaiah has been taking his policy of appeasing minorities to ridiculous levels. His recent claim that the"Ram" in his name establishes his Hindu credentials cuts little ice with voters who see him as protecting the interests of Muslims alone, with backward classes and Dalits thrown in. If BJP leaders hope that Adityanath can consolidate the Hindu vote for the party, they can save themselves that trouble. With his unmistakable tilt towards minorities, Siddaramaiah is already consolidating the Hindu vote for the BJP. The BJP doesn't need an Adityanath to come here to do that job and mess things up. Shyam Prasad, a 26-year-old Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parsihad (ABVP) activist was ruthlessly murdered on Friday in Keralas Kannur district, while he was returning home on his motorcycle. As per the BJPs account, this is in a series of 84 killings of BJP-RSS workers, in Kannur district alone. Political violence under Left-communist regimes is not an unusual phenomenon. In fact, it is as common as elections in a democracy. That is why we see ideological cousins of the CPI and CPM fighting in the jungles of Central India, against the authority of the Indian state, and against the rule of law imposed by the Indian Constitution, for over four decades now. The other state with a communist government, Tripura, has also seen political killings of at least seven BJP members. It should be a matter of concern for all the citizens of this country as to why such violence happens only under communist regimes. To answer this question, we also need to contextualize this in the global history of communist thought and its perpetuation. The Left in its entire history has used violence as a tool of state machinery, accession of power and perpetuation of its thought. Joseph Stalin, who for the first time created a communist state, and is considered to be the tallest communist leader of all times, had himself orchestrated numerous mass killings and genocides which can only be compared to the killings by Nazi Germany. There is a reason why whenever the Left argues against an adversary, especially the Right, the term Fascism is referred and not Nazism. This is so because Communist Russia was an ally of Nazi Germany for the initial part of World War II. It was not just a simple military alliance cemented by the German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact, 1939, but also an alliance of the methodology of killing. When the Soviet communists invaded Poland from the west, in collusion with Nazi Germany, they massacred people in thousands. One such incident is Katyn massacre where 82,000 people were murdered and buried in mass graves of Katyn forests of Poland. Later in the war, Stalin was so pained by the attack of Nazi Germany on his country, when Germany violated the pact, that he didnt speak anything for seven days and went into a state of shock. Another tall leader of communist thought, Mao Zedong of China, took communist lunacy to another level. He is believed to have murdered 1 million people, just to carry out land reforms in his country. Maos communist way of handling a famine was: When there is not enough to eat, people starve to death. It is better to let half of the people die, so that the other half can eat their fill. He caused the death of an estimated 50 million (5 Crore) people under his regime. Hence, it is important that we place the Indian Left and communist thought in the history they actually belong. Killing of a human being is not even a proper impediment, if it is in the way of the larger agenda of communism. All the talk of tolerance, syncretism and freedom to speech and expression, is not the true depicter of the communist thought. The Left is not the forbearer of the liberal constitutional values it claims to be, it never was in its entire history, anywhere in the world. The truth is manifested in the bloody violence that is unleashed from time to time even in our own country, but we choose to ignore it. In any other country following the model of a liberal democracy, like that of India, such amounts of indiscriminate killings would have been a cause of national furore and probably emergency. In India, ironically, we have become used to it. The Union Home Ministry, which is also accountable for upholding rule of law within the country, has also not risen to the occasion to take decisive action in this matter. It is ironical that the party ruling in the Centre has its party members being slayed in scores in one of the states, just because another party is in power there. Kerala is reeling under a textbook condition to be put under Presidents rule, because of the breakdown of constitutional machinery in the state. It can only be hoped that the Union government takes an urgent cognisance of the same, and restores the faith of the people in the administration. Raghav Pandey is a research fellow with the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Bombay. He can be reached at raghav10089@gmail.com, Twitter: @raghavwrong Puducherry: The AIADMK on Saturday said it would seek disqualification of ruling Congress and DMK legislators in Puducherry "for holding office of profit," in view of the Election Commission's decision to disqualify 20 AAP MLAs in New Delhi on similar grounds. Addressing reporters in Puducherry, the party's legislature wing leader A Anbalagan said the 'office of profit' axe has fallen on 20 AAP MLAs in New Delhi with EC sending its recommendation to the president, suggesting their disqualification. "The development in New Delhi is directly applicable to Puducherry where the legislators belonging to the ruling Congress and its ally the DMK are holding 'office of profits' such as chairmen of government-owned undertakings and Parliamentary Secretary," he alleged. Anbalagan said AIADMK will give 15 days time to the MLAs "to relieve themselves of posts of chairmen and parliamentary secretary so as to remain only as legislators as my intention is not to disturb them." The party would send a petition to ECI after the lapse of 15 day-deadline, he added. While one Congress legislator is the parliamentary secretary to Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, two DMK members and five belonging to the Congress had been appointed chairmen of statutory bodies in Puducherry. The Election Commission had on Friday recommended to the President the disqualification of 20 MLAs of Aam Aadmi Party for holding office of profit, setting the stage for their ouster from the New Delhi Assembly. Questioning the move to associate Puducherry BJP President V Saminathan with the inauguration of a passport office in Karaikal, the AIADMK leader said, "Narayanasamy had not registered protest against the inclusion of the name of BJP president in both the official invitation and also the plaque erected at the venue of the function." External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had unveiled the plaque of the Post Office Passport Seva Kendra in Karaikal on Friday. Anbalagan also claimed that there were several lapses in the protocol to be adopted in a government function. Guwahati: To help the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) make inroads in the four northeastern states that will go to polls this year Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram the party's ideological parent Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is set to hold a massive rally in Guwahati on Sunday. About 35,000 swayamsevaks (volunteers) from across the North East will converge in Guwahati for the programme. It's for the first time that the Hindu nationalist body is organising an event of this magnitude in the North East. Since 1994, the region has seen RSS gatherings in smaller cities like Dibrugarh and Shillong, but these never witnessed crowds of over 3,000 to 4,000. Sunday's rally, being organised in coordination with Luitporiya Hindu Sammelan, is an ambitious programme which was being planned since two years. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and senior leaders such as joint general secretary V Bhagaiah, Krishna Gopal Sharma and Dattatreya Hosabole will speak at the rally. Other national leaders such as Akhil Bharatiya Sharirik Pramukh in-charge Sunil Kulkarni and Saha Sampark Pramukh (public relations chief) Sunil Deshpandey will also be present. The programme is scheduled to begin with the 35,000-strong volunteer force singing 'Ami Luit Poriya Hindu' (we're Hindus of Brahmaputra valley). Briefing the media, RSS spokesperson for Assam, Sankar Das, said the purpose of this rally is to convey the Sangh's ideology and vision to the people of the North East. He said people harbour misconceptions about the RSS and the organisation wants to dispel these notions. He added that they want to make the Uttar Assam Pranth (a local division of the RSS) stronger. Eminent politicians, heads of village bodies, 20 titular tribal kings from the Karbi, Naga, Khasi, Hajong, Tiwa, Garo, Jayantiya, Mising and Hajong communities and more than 10 chiefs of different satras of Assam will be among the dignitaries attending the rally. (Satras stand for institutional centres associated with Vaishnavism, a sect in Hinduism) Hailing the record gathering expected, Das said the success of the event would boost the morale of the swayamsevaks and encourage others to join the organisation. He said 12,000 swayamsevaks would arrive in the morning by trains and about 23,000 would be brought by other means of transport. To arrange food for these volunteers, 300-odd RSS workers visited more than 30,000 households in Guwahati over three months, requesting them to donate food packets. About 25,000 households agreed to provide five packets each, amounting to a total of 1.25 lakh food packets. On Sunday, these packets will be collected between 7 am and 10 am from 300 pockets of Guwahati. Sangh's first foray in North East The RSS became operational in the country's North East in the mid-1940s when it set up its first base in undivided Assam, which then comprised the present-day states of Mizoram, Nagaland and Meghalaya. For administrative purposes, the Sangh's northeastern arm is divided into two parts: Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, along with the southern parts of Assam, fall under the Dakshin Assam division. Northern parts of the state, along with Meghalaya and Nagaland, make up the Uttar Assam division. This became deeper in 1994, when Radhika Mohan Goswami, a prolific writer from Assam, met Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, popularly known as 'Doctorji', in Varanasi and evinced an interest in working for the organisation. Following that meeting, other locals from Assam such as Prafulla Bora, Keshav Deo Baawri, Shankarlal Tiwari and Girish Kalita also became associated with the Sangh. The RSS currently has 903 divisions running in 730 different places. Despite its presence in the region for more than 70 years, it wasn't until the recent Assembly elections that the Sangh's political unit BJP came to power in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. With elections in Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram and Tripura round the corner, the party is going all-out to woo voters. The author is a Guwahati based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters Kolkata: The three-day Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) central committee meeting began in Kolkata on Friday to firm up the party's political and strategic resolutions which are expected to be adopted in Hyderabad party congress in April. According to party sources, two draft resolutions are likely to be considered in the meeting. One draft is expected to favour the adjustment with the Congress to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and it also proposes that the party should be open to a UPA-1 like political adjustment when the party had extended support to the Congress government at the Centre from outside. It is also learnt that the other draft is against any adjustment with any party and proposed the unity of the Left parties in the country to fight against the BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Varanasi: People wearing black clothes were not allowed to attend a public rally in Varanasi to be addressed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. According to a police officer, the move was to prevent any protests from "troublesome elements". The police, however, did not explain why even media persons were also stopped from entering the premises. Shah and Adityanath are in Varanasi to attend an event named 'Yuva Udghosh' which is an attempt by the party to connect with 17,000 first time voters. Angry youngsters said they found the move objectionable as they were humiliated and barred from attending the event. Over thirty students have also been detained and barred from attending the event, an official confirmed. State BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey and State Organisational Secretary Sunil Bansal are also attending the high-profile event. Heavy security arrangements have been made at the venue of the event as Congress workers are learnt to be preparing for a massive protest against the BJP leaders, accusing them of letting down the people of Varanasi. Anti-BJP pamphlets were distributed by Congress workers on the Sigra square on Friday evening. The pamphlet holds Shah responsible for Justice Loya's death and also referred to him as a 'tadipaar' (Barred from entering the city). Owing to the apprehensions of protests, massive security arrangements have already been made and 12 Assistant Superintendent rank officials, 35 Deputy Superintendents, seven SHO's, 350 Sub Inspectors, 2,128 constables and nine companies of Provincial Armed Constabulary have been deployed for the event. tech2 News Staff In a rather unexpected twist, Samsung is now under investigation for intentionally slowing down older phones in order to sell new ones. Apple was recently caught deliberately slowing down iPhones with aging batteries. The uproar that immediately followed forced Apple to issue a statement apologising to users and offering a no-questions-asked $29 battery replacement program (Rs 2,000 in India) for all iPhones for a year. Apple CEO Tim Cook also confirmed that the next iOS update would give customers an option for disabling battery-related throttling. In Apples case, the decision to slow down iPhones was a sound one from an engineering perspective. Batteries deliver a certain amount of power to a phones components. As the batteries charge and discharge over time, they lose their ability to retain or deliver their designed power. When such a battery is under stress when a phone is running a demanding application, say its unable to deliver sufficient power and the phone reboots. Apples solution to the problem is to throttle the performance of the device to match the power delivery capabilities of the battery. Contrary to what one might expect, this move enhances the longevity of the product, keeping it slow, but usable. To get the device back to peak performance, one must simply replace the battery. This seems like a commendable move on Apples part, especially since no other device manufacturer appears to have even considered the possibility of optimising performance to battery capabilities. However, Apple took heavy flak for not coming clean about this measure. Customers were not informed that this was happening, and neither were they told that replacing the battery was a viable option. Apple is currently under investigation and facing several lawsuits over the issue because its not clear if Apple used aging batteries as an excuse to get consumers to upgrade their devices. When it was first revealed that Apple was indeed slowing down older iPhones, Samsung, LG and several other manufacturers quickly and gleefully issued statements saying that their phones werent being throttled in any way. However, it now looks like at least in Samsungs case, that might not be true. According to Slashgear, the Italian Antitrust Authority (Autorita Garante Della Concorrenza E Del Mercado) are investigating Samsung for deliberately slowing down older devices to get users to upgrade to newer models. Samsung and Apple both now stand accused of exploiting the shortcomings of some components to reduce the performance of their products over time and induce consumers to purchase new versions of the same, quotes Slashgear. Samsung issued a statement stating that they take various steps that ensure extended battery life. They also stated that they do not reduce issue updates that deliberately reduce CPU performance over the life of a phone. According the Authority, Samsung and Apple issued updates that negatively impacted the performance of their respective devices while neglecting to inform customers of the consequences. Beijing: Beijing on Saturday said it had dispatched a warship to drive away a US missile destroyer which had "violated" its sovereignty by sailing close to a shoal in the disputed South China Sea. The USS Hopper sailed within 12 nautical miles of Huangyan Island on the night of 17 January without alerting Beijing, the foreign ministry said, referring to the shoal by its Chinese name. Also known as Scarborough Shoal, the ring of reefs lies about 230 kilometres from the Philippines in the South China Sea, where Beijing's claims are hotly contested by other nations. The US vessel "violated China's sovereignty and security interests", and put the safety of nearby Chinese vessels "under grave threat", foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said. China's defence ministry said in a separate statement that a Chinese frigate "immediately took actions to identify and verify the US ship and drove it away by warning" it. The USS Hopper recently entered the US Navy's 7th Fleet area of operations, where the ship is on an "independent deployment", according to a statement released earlier this month on the Navy's website. Its mission in Asia involves "security cooperation, building partner capacity, and performing routine operations within the area". News of the encounter follows Friday's release of a new US national defence strategy that says America is facing "growing threats" from China and Russia. China is a "strategic competitor using predatory economics to intimidate its neighbours while militarising features in the South China Sea", the document says. China's defence ministry dismissed those claims on Saturday, saying "the situation in the South China Sea has steadily stabilised," in comments attributed to spokesman Wu Qian. But it added, "the United States has repeatedly sent warships illegally into the adjacent waters of the South China Sea islands and reefs." Beijing asserts sovereignty over almost all of the resource-rich South China Sea despite rival claims from Southeast Asian neighbours and has rapidly built reefs into artificial islands capable of hosting military planes. China seized Scarborough Shoal in 2012 after a brief stand-off with the Philippine navy. The shoal is also claimed by Taiwan. Washington: President Donald Trump marked the first anniversary of his inauguration on Saturday with his government in shutdown, accusing Democrats of taking Americans hostage with their demands and saying they "could have easily made a deal." As the clock struck midnight, in the absence of an agreed spending plan, federal services began to come to a halt or be scaled back. Essential services and military activity will continue but many public sector workers will be sent home without wages and even serving soldiers will not be paid until a deal is reached to reopen the US government. "Democrats are far more concerned with Illegal Immigrants than they are with our great Military or Safety at our dangerous Southern Border," Trump wrote in an early morning tweet. This is the One Year Anniversary of my Presidency and the Democrats wanted to give me a nice present. #DemocratShutdown Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018 "This is the One Year Anniversary of my Presidency and the Democrats wanted to give me a nice present," he added. Vice President Mike Pence had earlier raised the issue of soldiers' salaries after meeting with US military personnel on a stopover in Shannon Airport in Ireland ahead of a three-country tour of the Middle East. "You have troops headed down range to Kuwait for six months and they are anxious about the fact that they aren't going to get paid right away," he told reporters. "It's unconscionable." A deal had appeared likely on Friday afternoon, when Mr Trump seemed to be close to an agreement with Democratic Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer on a measure to prevent the expulsion of undocumented migrants who arrived in the country as children. But no such compromise was in the language that reached Congress for a stop-gap motion to keep the government open for four more weeks while a final arrangement is discussed and Republicans failed to win enough Democratic support to bring it to a vote. The White House lashed out at Schumer, blaming him for the shutdown and doubling down: Trump's spokeswoman Sarah Sanders declared that he would never negotiate an immigration deal until Congress agrees to resume normal government spending. "Every American knows the Republican Party controls White House, the Senate, the House it is their job to keep the government open. It is their job to work with us to move forward," Schumer told the Senate, after the 50 to 49 vote. Schumer added he had also offered to discuss the possibility of building a wall along the border with Mexico, a key campaign pledge made by Mr Trump that is anathema to many Democrats. "Even that was not enough to entice the president to finish the deal," he said. Democrats accused Republicans of poisoning chances of a deal and pandering to Trump's populist base by refusing to fund a program that protects 700,000 "Dreamers" undocumented immigrants who arrived in the US as children from deportation. Republicans have a tenuous one-seat majority in the Senate but would have needed to lure some Democrats to their side to get a 60 vote supermajority to bring the motion forward. They fell ten votes short. There have been four government shutdowns since 1990. In the last one in 2013, more than 800,000 government workers were put on temporary leave. Donald Trump the mentally stable genius president of the United States of America has thrown Pakistan into the lap of Xi Jinping and given Beijing a golden opportunity to further increase its influence in Pakistan by "freezing" $2 Billion military aid to the Islamic republic. In Pakistan, "Beijing is fast replacing Washington DC... they (China) will move quickly to fill in this vacant space... they have done this in past, said a high-level source in the diplomatic community in New Delhi, adding that Washington DC is rapidly losing space to Beijing at the military headquarters in Rawalpindi. Currently, China supplies 63 percent of Pakistan's all military hardware while the US share has come down to 19 percent. Five years ago, both the countries were on equal footing, competing with each other. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), military hardware purchases by Rawalpindi has turned China into the third largest exporter of arms worldwide. Pakistan tops the list accounting for 35 percent of China's military exports with Bangladesh coming a close second. China quickly supplied the J-7, JF-17, and JF-31 multi-role fighter aircrafts and set up there manufacturing facilities in Pakistan after Washington DC stopped the supply of F-16 fighter aircrafts to Pakistan following intense lobbying by New Delhi in Capitol Hill. Now there are reports that Pakistan Air Force is in talks with China to buy 30 to 40 of the new Shenyang FC-31 stealth fighter jets, which is likely to give it an edge over the Indian Air Force. Pakistan Air Force also operates four Chinese-origin ZDK-03 (KJ-200) AWACS Airborne Warning And Control System. Wuhan-based China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) will provide the Pakistan Navy with eight modified diesel-electric advanced Yuan-class attack submarines, four of which will be built by the Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KSEW) and will be fitted with air-independent propulsion (AIP) systems. There are reports that Pakistan Navy personnel have made sojourns on board the advance Shang-class nuclear attack submarine, which docked in Karachi. Some analysts say it's only a matter of time before Pakistan acquires a nuclear-powered attack submarine on lease from China. Pakistan Navy has four Chinese frigates and has ordered four more improved F-22P Zulfiquar-class frigates from China Shipbuilding Trading Corporation. The Chinese foreign ministry spokesman was very quick to defend Islamabad from the charges made in a tweet by US president Donald Trump. Spokesperson Lu Kangs comments that "China defends countries that make anti-terrorism efforts in a just and fair way" is contrary to its posture at United Nations where Beijing has blocked Massod Azhar being declared as a terrorist. The fear of Islamic terrorism (in Pakistan) influencing the pro-freedom movement in Muslim majority Xinjiang province in China is forcing Beijing to have a cosy and cordial relationship with the likes of Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed, who have never looked at and spoken about the atrocities committed on Uygur Muslims in the Xinjiang province. This clearly indicates that Beijing is slowly and steadily moving in to take "control and nurture" the "terror infrastructure" in the region. Successfully bringing together the two acrimonious neighbours and a possible agreement to extend the CPEC from Pakistan into Afghanistan has raised the hackles of Pentagon which saw Kabul drifting into the arms of Beijing. After committing $55 billion for CPEC, Chinese state-owned companies are now moving in to spend another $100 billion to set up mining and manufacturing industries in the region, showing Trump that $2 billion per year aid is peanuts. China is turning Gwadar into a de-facto military base at a very fast pace by building infrastructure and housing facilities for its forces. China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) does not want to dock submarines and ships at Karachi which it is too busy, unsafe and is turning into a hotbed for terrorists. Two fast patrol boats have been supplied to Pakitan Navy by China and two more will join soon to protect Gwadar. This strategically important base will increase close cooperation between the two militaries and further expand the Influence of PLA on Pakistan's armed forces personnel. It's also important to note that soon after Trump announced the withdrawal of military aid to Pakistan, for the first time in Pakistan, the ruling and opposition politicians and the military spoke in one voice. The response from Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Foreign Minister Khwaja Asif, Imran Khan of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Bajwa was unanimous and clear that Pakistan does not want "aid" from Trump, and as an alternative, it will go to Jinping for "help". The statement by Bajwa that "Pakistan will not seek resumption of aid but expect honorable recognition of our contributions, sacrifices and unwavering resolve in (the) fight against terrorism for peace and stability in the region" has now sealed the fate of Americans. There are reports that General Joseph L Votel, Commander, US Central Command (CENTCOM), and an unnamed senator from the US failed to influence the Pakistan Army chief in a long telephonic conversation as Pakistan army remained on very high alert against any misadventure by the Americans. The statement by Pakistan Defense Minister Khurram Dastgir saying intelligence and military cooperation with the United States has been suspended after it froze military assistance, means that now Pakistani air bases cannot be used by the CIA to launch drone strikes on militants. The ISI has also reduced cooperation with CIA as Langley perceives it is a very unreliable partner. Recently United States Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Alice Wells, and senior officials from the US National Security Council (USNSC) got a cold reception in Islamabad. Wells' Pakistan visit, first from a senior US government official following the US president's Twitter outburst against Pakistan earlier this month, turned out to be a complete failure as the visitors were told that Islamabad and Rawalpindi do not need US dollars. Besides, with the central bank of Pakistan allowing yuan to be used for bilateral trade and investment activities, the Chinese Yuan is likely to replace the US dollar for transactions in the strategic CPEC. "Pakistan is standing up and saying no to Uncle Sam as there is full financial and military support from a new emerging superpower (China)," said a high-level military official summing up the whole scenario in the region. Now Jinping is all set to replace Trump as the Big Daddy in both Islamabad, the political capital of Pakistan, as well as its military capital Rawalpindi. Washington: US president Donald Trump will meet British prime minister Theresa May in Davos next week on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum meeting, the White House said. Trump is scheduled to travel next week for the first participation by a US president to this meeting of world economic leaders in nearly two decades. "President Trump looks forward to having a bilateral meeting with UK prime minister May in Davos next week to further strengthen the USUK Special Relationship," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said. Sanders's statement in this regard indicated that there has been no change in Trump's Davos travel plan in view of a government shutdown beginning Saturday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also scheduled to attend the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos. The two leaders are unlikely to have a meeting in Davos mainly because of their different days of attendance at the forum meeting. Kabul: Four gunmen attacked Kabul's landmark Intercontinental Hotel on Saturday and started shooting at guests, officials said, in an assault that is still underway. "Four attackers are inside the building," an official at the National Directorate of Security (NDS) spy agency told AFP. They are "shooting at guests", he said. Another official said the attackers were armed with small weapons and rocket-propelled grenades when they entered the hotel, which often hosts weddings, conferences and political gatherings. "They are now on the third and fourth floors fighting with our forces. We don't know the details of casualties yet but they set the kitchen on fire," interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told AFP. The fourth floor of the hotel is also on fire, the NDS official said. Ministry of interior spokesman Najib Danish confirmed that several attackers have entered the hotel. "We don't know the details yet but our forces are in the area to bring them down," Danish said. There was no immediate information on casualties in the latest attack on the state-owned 1960s hotel, which is not part of the global InterContinental chain. Some of the occupants inside the hotel are hiding on the second floor, a security source said. A guest hiding in his room in the hotel told AFP he could hear gunfire. "I don't know if the attackers are inside the hotel but I can hear gunfire from somewhere near the first floor," he said without giving his name. "We are hiding in our rooms. I beg the security forces to rescue us as soon as possible before they reach and kill us." Electricity was cut after an initial explosion at the hilltop hotel, a counterterrorism source said. The Intercontinental was last targeted in June 2011 when a suicide attack claimed by the Taliban killed 21 people, including 10 civilians. Security in Kabul has been tightened since 31 May when a massive truck bomb ripped through the diplomatic quarter, killing some 150 people and wounding around 400 others mostly civilians. No group has yet claimed that attack. The Islamic State group has claimed most of the recent attacks in the Afghan capital, but authorities suspect that the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani Network has been involved in some of the assaults. The deadliest of the recent attacks happened at a Shiite cultural centre on 29 December when a suicide bomber blew himself up, killing more than 40 people. Cairo: US Vice-President Mike Pence headed for Egypt Saturday to begin a West Asia trip overshadowed by anger in the Arab world over Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Pence had been due to travel to the region in December but controversy over president Donald Trump's decision to move the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem saw many planned meetings cancelled. While the deadly protests that erupted in the Palestinian territories at the time have subsided, concerns are mounting over the future of the UN aid agency for Palestinians (UNRWA). Washington has frozen tens of millions of dollars of funding for the cash-strapped body, putting at risk operations to feed, teach and heal hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees. The Palestinian leadership, already furious over the Jerusalem decision, has denounced the US administration and had already refused to meet Pence in December. But the vice-president's press secretary, Alyssa Farah, said he would still meet the leaders of Egypt, Jordan and Israel on the high-stakes four-day tour. Pence will arrive in Cairo on Saturday for talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi before travelling to Amman for a one-on-one meeting with King Abdullah II on Sunday. Key security partners The leaders of both countries, the only Arab states that have peace treaties with Israel, would be key players if US mediators ever manage to get a revived Israeli-Palestinian peace process off the ground, as Trump says he wants. They are also key intelligence-sharing and security partners in America's various covert and overt battles against Islamist extremism in the region and Egypt is a major recipient of aid to help it buy advanced US military hardware. Sisi, one of Trump's closest allies in the region, had urged the US president before his Jerusalem declaration "not to complicate the situation in the region by taking measures that jeopardise the chances of peace in the Middle East". Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Egypt's highest institution of Sunni Islam, cancelled a meeting with Pence in protest at the Jerusalem decision. The head of Egypt's Coptic Church, Pope Tawadros II, did the same, saying Trump's move "did not take into account the feelings of millions of Arab people." After Jordan the custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem Pence will head to Israel for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. He will also deliver a speech to parliament and meet President Reuven Rivlin during the two-day visit. Pence can expect a warm welcome after Trump's decision on Jerusalem, which Israelis and Palestinians alike interpreted as Washington taking Israel's side in the dispute over the city. Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967 and later annexed east Jerusalem in a move never recognised by the international community. Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its united capital, while the Palestinians see the eastern sector as the capital of their future state. The international community considers East Jerusalem illegally occupied by Israel and currently all countries have their embassies in the commercial capital Tel Aviv. 'Matter of years' The State Department has begun to plan the sensitive move of the US embassy to Jerusalem, a process that US diplomats say may take years to complete. This week reports surfaced that Washington may temporarily designate the US consulate general in Jerusalem as the embassy while the search for a secure and practical site for a long-term mission continues. This could prove just as controversial as building a new embassy, however, as the building currently serves as the US mission to the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. And the facility sits astride the "Green Line" that divides Jerusalem. A senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has yet to make a decision on either a permanent or interim location for the mission. "That is a process that takes, anywhere in the world, time. Time for appropriate design, time for execution. It is a matter of years and not weeks or months," he said. Pence himself a devout Christian will visit the Western Wall, one of the holiest sites of Judaism in Jerusalem's Old City, and pay his respects at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial. Lima: Pope Francis strongly condemned corruption in Latin America as a "social virus" infecting all aspects of life, in stern remarks to Peru's president and high-ranking political leaders, several of whom are embroiled in the region's biggest graft scandal. Hours after decrying the destruction of Peru's Amazon, the pontiff warned President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and other leaders gathered that another, more subtle form of environmental degradation is also pervading society: Corruption. "How much evil is done to our Latin American people and the democracies of this content by this social virus," the pope said. "Everything being done to combat this social scourge deserves our utmost attention." The remarks come less than a month after Kuczynski narrowly avoided impeachment over $782,000 in payments Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht made to his private consulting firm over a decade ago when he served as a minister. Odebrecht has admitted to paying hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes to officials throughout Latin America in exchange for lucrative public works contracts. The bribery scandal has ended the careers of some of Latin America's most prominent politicians and in Peru two former presidents stand accused of accepting money from Odebrecht while a third is under investigation. Peru has been jolted in recent weeks into a new period of uncertainty following Kuczynski's near ouster and the subsequent pardon of former strongman Alberto Fujimori from a 25-year prison sentence. The pardon sent thousands of Peruvians into the streets in protest and reopened wounds from a bloody chapter in Peru's history. While some Peruvians credit Fujimori with stabilising the nation's economy and defeating Maoist guerrillas in the 1990s, others condemn him for having permitted grave human rights abuses. Fujimori was convicted for his role in the deaths of 25 Peruvians in addition to having sanctioned the use of military death squads. In the weeks since his release, angry Peruvians have staged multiple protests and scrawled graffiti with phrases like "Fujimori never again" on buildings around the capital city. Kuczynski told the pope he hoped his visit would serve as "a push toward peace and dialogue". The president dodged impeachment after Fujimori's lawmaker son, Kenji Fujimori, and a small group of lawmakers from his party surprisingly abstained from voting in what many Peruvians believe was a quid pro quo to release the former president from jail. Both Kenji Fujimori and his sister Keiko Fujimori, a two-time presidential candidate, were on hand for the pope's remarks on Friday. Keiko Fujimori has been under investigation into whether she received money from Odebrecht during her campaign. Francis called for a greater culture of transparency between the public and private sectors and society in his speech, saying, "No one can be excluded from this process." Yangon: Rohingya militants on Saturday hit out at a repatriation plan for refugees from Bangladesh to Myanmar set to begin next week, saying it aims to trap the Muslim minority in long-term camps while their ancestral lands are seized. Bangladesh and Myanmar have agreed to send back around 7,50,000 refugees who arrived since October 2016 over the next two years, a process set to begin as early as Tuesday. But the deal has been pilloried by many Rohingya refugees who say they do not want to return to Rakhine after fleeing atrocities including murder, rape and arson attacks on their homes. Rights groups and the UN say any repatriations must be voluntary with safety assured in a state where communal hatred still runs sky high. Concerns are also mounting about conditions in Myanmar, where hundreds Rohingya villages have been razed by soldiers and Buddhist mobs, with fears huge numbers of Rohingya will be coralled for the long-term in camps. In a statement circulated on Twitter the Arakan Rohingya Salavation Army (ARSA) said the "deceitfully and crookedly (repatriation) offering" will lock Rohingya in "so-called temporary camps... instead of allowing them to resettle in their own ancestral lands and villages". Citing the tens of thousands of Rohingya IDPs languishing in camps in state capital Sittwe since communal violence in 2012, ARSA said Myanmar's intention is to distribute Rohingya lands to industrial and agricultural projects. The aim is to "ensure a Buddhist majority" in Rakhine meaning Rohingya "will never be able to settle down" in their own homes, the statement on @ARSA_Official handle said. Most Rohingya are denied citizenship in Myanmar as well as free movement and other basic freedoms. They are officially described as "Bengalis" -- Muslim interlopers to a predominantly Buddhist land despite many living there for generations. The group has been driven out in successive waves since the late 1970s. The latest followed deadly co-ordinated attacks by ARSA in late August which sparked an army crackdown that sent 655,000 Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh. They carried with them a cascade of accounts of rape, mass murder and torture. Beyond admitting its troops were involved in shooting dead 10 captured suspects, Myanmar's army has cleared itself of any wider wrongdoing. What the UN and US has described as "ethnic cleansing", the military says is a proportionate response to an attempt by Muslim militants to take over Rakhine. The state-backed Global New Light of Myanmar on Saturday carried photos of one of the reception camps for refugees at Taung Pyo Letwe, in Maungdaw, showing basic wooden structures closed off by high wire fences. The same outlet has this week carried several pages of colour headshot photos of the alleged 1,000 or more wanted "ARSA Terrorists". The photos, which include women and young men, with their names and 'father's names', have been circulated to Bangladeshi authorities urging them to handover the suspects. Dhaka is unhappy at the slow pace of the returns negotiated by Myanmar -- with only a few hundred likely to be processed each day. Washington: The Trump administration's first defence strategy seeks to maintain a balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region and prepare America for a power competition with Russia and China, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis has said. Unveiling the new defence strategy, Mattis told a Washington audience great power competition not terrorism is now the primary focus of America's national security. As a result, he sought to increase the lethality of the American military. In an apparent reference to Russia, he warned against "threaten[ing] America's experiment in democracy". "If you challenge us, it will be your longest and worst day," he warned during his speech at the John Hopkins. "We will continue to prosecute the campaign against terrorists, but great power competition not terrorism is now the primary focus of US national security," he said. "This strategy is fit for our time providing the American people military required to protect our way of life, stand with our allies, and live up to our responsibility to pass intact to the next generation those freedoms we enjoy today," he said. Rogue regimes like North Korea and Iran persist in taking outlaw actions that threaten regional and even global stability, he said, adding that oppressing their own people and shredding their dignity and human rights, they push their warped views outward. And despite the defeat of the Islamic State's physical caliphate, violent extremist organisations like the Lebanese Hezbollah, IS, and Al Qaeda continue to sow hatred, destroying peace and murdering innocents across the globe, the defence secretary asserted. "We face growing threats from revisionist powers as different as China and Russia, nations that seek to create a world consistent with their authoritarian models pursuing veto authority over other nation's economic, diplomatic, and security decisions," he said. As part of the defence strategy, he said the US is going to build a more lethal force, will strengthen traditional alliances while building new partnerships with other nations. Asserting that "everything we do must contribute to the lethality of our military", Mattis said changing US forces' posture will prioritise readiness for war fighting for major combat, making it strategically predictable for the allies and operationally unpredictable for any adversary. The 14-page unclassified version of the national defence strategy said that one of its objectives is maintaining favourable regional balances of power in the Indo-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and the Western Hemisphere. "A free and open Indo-Pacific region provides prosperity and security for all. We will strengthen our alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific to a networked security architecture capable of deterring aggression, maintaining stability, and ensuring free access to common domains," the strategy said. Without specifically mentioning India, Japan or other countries in the region, the strategy says with key countries in the region, the US will bring together bilateral and multilateral security relationships to preserve the free and open international system. China, it said, is leveraging military modernisation, influence operations, and "predatory economics to coerce neighbouring countries" to reorder the Indo-Pacific region to their advantage. As China continues its economic and military ascendancy, asserting power through an all-of-nation long-term strategy, it will continue to pursue a military modernisation program that seeks Indo-Pacific regional hegemony in the near-term and displacement of the United States to achieve global preeminence in the future. The most far-reaching objective of this defence strategy is to set the military relationship between our two countries on a path of transparency and non-aggression, the strategy said. "Concurrently, Russia seeks veto authority over nations on its periphery in terms of their governmental, economic, and diplomatic decisions, to shatter the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and change European and Middle East security and economic structures to its favour," it said. The use of emerging technologies to discredit and subvert democratic processes in Georgia, Crimea, and eastern Ukraine is concern enough, but when coupled with its expanding and modernising nuclear arsenal the challenge is clear, the strategy said. Johannesburg: First, there was outrage in Africa at US president Donald Trump's vulgar comment about the continent. Now some governments and tourism operators are humorously exploiting it to promote Africa's many attractions. Trump referred to African nations as "shithole countries" last week during a meeting in Washington, according to several participants. The president denied using that language. The Gondwana Collection, a private tourism operator in Namibia, has released a video featuring the southern African nation's wildlife and natural beauty. A narrator mimicking Trump's voice and repeating his remark invites people to visit "Africa's No 1" such country. He also reminds listeners of an earlier gaffe when Trump met African leaders and referred to a country called "Nambia," which doesn't exist. "You can fight the negative with the negative, or you can give some pushback with the tongue-in-cheek approach," Gys Joubert, Gondwana Collection's managing director, told The Associated Press. "We like the fun side of life. We are glad that we could create and share and send a few smiles around the world." Elsewhere in southern Africa, a Facebook page promoting Zambian tourism includes an image of a vehicle in a rugged setting and a slogan welcoming visitors to "(asterisk)(asterisk)(asterisk)(asterisk)hole Zambia." "Where beautiful vistas and breathtaking wildlife are our trump card!" says an accompanying post. It says it does not represent "the opinions of the official Zambia Tourism Agency, but that of an independent marketing site." Botswana's government, which also relies heavily on wildlife tourism, has posted images on Twitter of elephants and other animals drinking in the wild of what it calls a "waterhole country." BOTSWANA is a waterhole country. Images by visitors. #MyWaterholecountry pic.twitter.com/JeouSIkMzg Botswana Government (@BWGovernment) January 13, 2018 Botswana last week summoned the US ambassador to clarify whether the country really was held in such poor regard after years of good relations with the United States. Africa was the world's second-fastest growing region in tourist arrivals in the first 10 months of 2017, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization. This week Huaweis Honor brand launched the Honor 9i smartphone, Samsung launched the Galaxy On7 Prime, Meizu introduced the M6s with side-mounted fingerprint sensor, OPPO launched a mid-range A83 smartphone and lots more in our weekly roundup. Huaweis Honor brand this week launched the Honor 9 Lite smartphone in India. It was introduced in China last month and packs a 5.65-inch full HD+ full-screen display with 18:9 aspect ratio, is powered by Kirin 659 SoC, similar most other mid-range Huawei and Honor phones, but this runs on Android 8.0 (Oreo) with EMIUI 8.0 out-of-the-box. It comes with a 13-megapixel front and rear cameras along with a secondary 2-megapixel rear camera to capture depth information for portrait shots. It has a metal frame, glass back, has a fingerprint sensor on the back that can unlock the phone in 0.25 seconds and packs a 3000mAh battery. It is priced at Rs. 10,999 for the 3GB RAM with 32GB storage version and the 4GB RAM with 64GB storage version costs Rs. 14999. It will be available exclusively from Flipkart and Honor Store starting from January 21st. Samsung launched the Galaxy On7 Prime smartphone in the country. It has a 5.5-inch 1080p 2.5D curved glass screen, is powered by Octa-Core Exynos 7870 processor, runs on Android 7.1 (Nougat) and has 13-megapixel front and rear cameras. It features a metal unibody design and comes in two variants, one with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage and the other variant has 3GB RAM and 32GB storage. It has dedicated dual SIM slots and the fingerprint sensor is embedded into the home button. It comes with Samsung Mall app and Samsung Pay Mini. The Samsung Galaxy On7 Prime comes in Black and Gold colors, is priced at Rs. 12,990 for the 3GB RAM with 32GB storage version and the 4GB RAM with 64GB storage version costs Rs. 14,990. It will be available exclusively from Amazon.in online starting from today, January 20th. OPPO launched A83 in the A series in India. It was introduced in China last month, has a 5.7 HD+ full-screen 2.5D curved glass display, is powered by MediaTek Helio P23 SoC with 3GB RAM, comes with a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera with support for A.I beauty technology as well as face unlock to unlock the phone quickly. It has dedicated dual SIM slots along with a microSD slot and packs a 3180mAh battery. It doesnt have a fingerprint sensor. It comes in Black and Gold colors, is priced at Rs. 13,990 and will be available from Flipkart and Amazon.in. Meizu just announced M6s that is also called S6 in China. It packs a 5.7-inch HD+ 18:9 display and is the first smartphone to be powered by Samsung Exynos 7872 Hexa-Core SoC with Mali-G71 GPU. It has a 16-megapixel rear camera with dual-tone LED flash and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera. It has a Super mBack fingerprint sensor on the right side that can unlock the phone in 0.2 seconds and is also customizable to perform several actions. There is a Halo button below the display that has pressure sensor to perform the same mBack actions. It has a unibody metal design and packs a 3000mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging that can charge from 0 to 30% in 15 minutes. It comes in Champagne Gold, Matte Black, Moonlight Silver and Cobalt Blue colors, is priced at 999 yuan (US$ 155 / Rs. 9925 approx.) for the 32GB storage version and the 64GB storage version costs 1199 yuan (US$ 186 / Rs. 11909 approx.). It is already available in China. HTC announced HTC U11 EYEs, in the U11 series in Taiwan. It has a 6-inch full HD+ 18:9 display with Corning Gorilla Glass protection and is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 with 4GB of RAM. Like the original U11 and U11 Plus, this feature Edge Sense technology for squeeze interaction, but this runs on Android 7.1 (Nougat). It has the same 12MP HTC UltraPixel 3 on the back Optical image stabilization (OIS), dual LED flash and f/1.7 aperture and the main highlight of the smartphone are the dual 5-megapixel front cameras to for HDR Enhancement and Bokeh Mode to blur the background. It has a fingerprint sensor on the back and also comes with Face Recognition Unlocking. It has a glass back and packs a 3930mAh battery with support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging capabilities. It is also dust and water-resistant with IP67 ratings. It comes in Red, Silver and Black colors, is priced at NT$ 14,900 (US$ 504 / Rs. 32020 approx.), available for pre-order in Taiwan and ships from February 1st. Xiaomi introduced new 50-inch 4K HDR TV in the series. It has PatchWall, a UI layer on top of the Android OS thats based on deep learning AI technology. It can curate content based on recommendations. It also have Dolby and DTS Audio. It also comes with multi purpose Mi Remote Control, which also has infrared in addition to Bluetooth to work with most appliances such as setup box. It has Mi Touch that replaces traditional navigation buttons so you can use gestures to control your TV. It also has Speech Recognition for voice control. The Xiaomi Mi TV 4A 50-inch is priced at 2399 Yuan (US$ 372 / Rs. 23,830 approx.), and is available in China. Fitbit announced Ionic, its first smartwatch, Flyer, its latest Bluetooth wireless headphones with with durable, sweatproof design with hydrophobic nano-coating and Aria 2 Wi-Fi Smart Scale for the Indian market. All these were introduced back in August last year. These are priced at Rs. 22,990, Rs. 9,990 and Rs. 9,990, respectively and will be available in the Indian market from February. China-based Transsion Holdings TECNO Mobile launched Tecno Camon i in India. It has a 5.65-inch HD+ 18:9 FullView display, is powered by quad-core MediaTek processor and runs on Android 7.0 (Nougat) with the companys own HiOS on top. It has 13-megapixel front and rear cameras with LED flash, and the rear camera has quad LED flash. It has a unibody metal design, features a fingerprint sensor on the back, comes with dedicated dual SIM and a microSD card slot and packs a 3050mAh battery. It comes in Champagne Gold, Midnight Black and City Blue colors, is priced at Rs. 8999 and will be available from offline stores. Karbonn launched Titanium Frames S7, latest budget smartphone. It has a 5.5-inch 1080p 2.5D curved glass screen, is powered by a quad-core processor with 3GB RAM, runs on Android 7.0 (Nougat) and comes with 13-megapixel front and rear cameras with LED flash for both. It features a fingerprint sensor on the back, packs a 3000mAh battery and comes with a metallic finish on the back. It comes in Black, Champagne and Red colors, is priced at Rs. 6999 and is available exclusively from ShopClues. Motorola launched Motorola Sphere+ Bluetooth Speaker with integrated Bluetooth headphones in India. The speaker offers 2 x 8W (16W) watts of power and bass porting for a deep, rich listening experience. You can dock the headphones on the speaker base to charge, while transitioning seamlessly from one to the other so the music never stops. It comes in Black and White colors, is priced at Rs. 12,999 and is available from retail stores. LG introduced X4+, the companys smartphone in the X series in Korea. It has military grade durability with MIL-STD-810G that can withstand impact, vibration, high temperature, low temperature, thermal shock, and humidity and also has a dedicated digital to analog converter (DAC) for Hi-Res 32-bit 192 kHz audio listening. It packs a 5.3-inch HD screen, is powered by Snapdragon 425 SoC, runs on Android 7.0 (Nougat), has a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front camera. It also comes with LG Pay, has aluminum back with fingerprint sensor below the camera and packs a 3000mAh battery. It comes in Moroccan Blue and Lavender Violet colors, is priced at 300,000 won (US$ 282 / Rs. 17,980 approx.) and will be available through all the three major carriers in Korea later this month. TAG Heuer announced the Connected Modular 41 Android Wear smartwatch which is the successor to the Modular 45 launched last year. The smartwatch will obviously run on Android Wear platform, but the version isnt clear. The Connected Module 41 measures 41mm in diameter and come in seven standard models. It is priced at $1200 (Rs. 76,085 approx.) and is already available to purchase online in selected markets. Ulefone introduced Armor 2S, a cheaper version of it. It packs that same 5-inch 1080p display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection, has dust and water proof body with IP68 certification so that it can survive 1.5-meter depth in the water for an hour or 1-meter depth in concrete for 24 hours and packs a 4700mAh battery with fast charging. It comes in Dark Gray,Golden,Green and Red colors, is priced at $199.99 (Rs. 12670 approx.) and is available from online retailers. This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices. Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) announced last September it was on the hunt for a location for its second headquarters and has narrowed down its list of finalists to 20 cities. In two separate FOX Business interviews the Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto make the case for their respective cities would be best for Amazons second headquarters. We are really kind of soul sisters to Amazon, think about how theyve grown in the last 10 to 15 years, thats us. Weve created more jobs in America then any city in the United States, we know how to keep costs low, our cost of doing business is 12% lower than the medium, Rawlings told Stuart Varney on Varney & Co. According to the company, the winning city would get up to 50,000 high-paying jobs and $5 billion in investments. Amazon also expects to create tens of thousands of indirect jobs in the surrounding community as a result. The accessibility of Dallas and the technological advantages it has over all the other competitors are two reasons the mayor said will put the city above the others vying for the e-commerce giants attention. If you want to get to any place in America go to either coast and back in the same day nonstop to any place in the world, its an easier place to do business here. Plus weve got more technology than a lot of those cities on the list, Rawlings said. The Pittsburgh mayor argues that his city is one of the most cost-effective cities to do business. Once the eighth largest city in the nation, Pittsburghs greater metropolitan area currently stands as the 26th largest in the U.S. The median household income in Pittsburgh is $40,715, compared to $45,215 in Dallas, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Education level is also a factor in Amazons search with 91.4% of Pittsburgh residents being high school graduates or higher, while only 75.3% of Dallas residents are high school graduates or higher. We are one of the most affordable cities in America and are able to provide greater cost savings than the large subsidies other states are putting up. In Pittsburgh we have one of the lowest average home costs in the country around $100,000 and thats a quality home. The Midwest is the west coast of the east coast, but we dont have the costs and the expenses that come with it, Peduto told FOX Business Liz Claman on Countdown to the Closing Bell. While the Pittsburgh mayor believes that its colleges and research companies will out shine the other states. We have a talent pool in the city that is being fueled by our universities and the research companies from around the world that have basically created a North American global innovation center within Pittsburgh, he said. We have five separate companies that are experimenting on our streets right now with autonomous vehicles, predictive analytics, artificial intelligence and basically anything regarding robotics were back on the global stage. According to online bookie PaddyPower, Dallas has a 20-to-1 chance of winning Amazons bid while; Pittsburgh has an 8-to-1 shot and the leading city is Boston with a 3-to-1 chance of landing Amazon. The Trump administration's promise to exempt Florida from an offshore drilling plan is not a formal action, an Interior Department official said Friday in a statement that Democrats said contradicted a high-profile announcement by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. Zinke has proposed opening nearly all U.S. coastline to offshore oil and gas drilling, but said soon after announcing the plan that he will keep Florida "off the table" when it comes to offshore drilling. Zinke's Jan. 9 statement about Florida "stands on its own," said Walter Cruickshank, the acting director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, but there's been no formal decision on the five-year drilling plan. "We have no formal decision yet on what's in, or out, of the five-year program," Cruickshank told the House Natural Resources Committee at a hearing Friday. Zinke's announcement about keeping Florida off the table, made during a Tallahassee news conference with Florida Gov. Rick Scott, will be part of the department's analysis as it completes the five-year plan, Cruickshank said. Democrats seized on the comment to accuse Zinke of playing politics by granting the Republican governor's request to exempt Florida while ignoring nearly a dozen other states that made similar requests. Florida Sen. Bill Nelson called Cruickshank's comments "stunning" and said they confirm what he and other Democrats had suspected that Zinke's statement was "nothing more than a political stunt" to help Scott run for Nelson's Senate seat. Scott is a friend and ally of President Donald Trump, and Trump has urged him to run for the Senate. Zinke's promise to take Florida off the table was "just empty words" until he takes formal steps needed to publish a new draft plan that excludes Florida, Nelson said. Heather Swift, a spokeswoman for Zinke, called the claims by Nelson and other Democrats false. "Cruickshank simply said BOEM will finish the legally-required analysis of the planning areas, as is always done for all planning areas," she said in an email. Scott said Friday he did not see Cruickshank's comments but was confident the Trump administration will not allow drilling in Florida. "Secretary Zinke is a man of his word. He's a Navy Seal. He promised me that Florida would be off the table, and I believe Florida is off the table," Scott told reporters Friday. Zinke announced plans two weeks ago to vastly expand offshore oil drilling from the Atlantic to the Arctic and Pacific oceans, including in more than a dozen states where drilling is now blocked. The five-year plan would open 90 percent of the nation's offshore reserves to development by private companies. The plan has drawn bipartisan opposition by coastal state governors from California to New Hampshire, with at least 11 governors formally asking Zinke to remove their states from the plan. Seven governors from Massachusetts to North Carolina submitted a joint request for exemptions this week. "Like Florida, each of our states has unique natural resources and an economy that is reliant on tourism as an essential driver," the governors wrote. The letter was signed by Republican leaders of Massachusetts and Maryland and Democrats from Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, Virginia and North Carolina. By exempting Florida but not other states, Zinke showed he is "more concerned with politics than proper process when it comes to making key decisions that affect our coastal communities," said Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington state, the top Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Zinke's action may violate the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which governs drilling in U.S. coastal waters, Cantwell said. The law requires formal notice and a comment period before taking regulatory action. Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., a member of the natural resources panel, told Cruickshank that the Interior Department has not offered "a single reason why Florida is more unique than California or Virginia or South Carolina or other coastal states." Oil industry groups have praised Zinke's plan, while environmental groups say it would harm America's oceans, coastal economies, public health and marine life. Nelson said this week he is blocking three Trump nominees for high-level Interior jobs to protest the drilling proposal. ___ Associated Press writer Gary Fineout in Tallahassee, Florida contributed to this report. In an ideal world, everyone would leave their retirement savings untouched until they retired. However, we live in the real world, and sometimes you need to dip into your nest egg early. In fact, nearly a third of Americans who participate in a 401(k) plan have taken money out at some point before retirement, according to a 2014 study from financial services firm TIAA-CREF. The problem is that taking money from your 401(k) or traditional IRA can be costly. The IRS imposes a 10% early distribution penalty on money you withdraw before you reach age 59 1/2, and you're also subject to income taxes on the money you take out (unless you're withdrawing from a Roth 401(k) account). For small withdrawals, these costs may not be too burdensome. But if you need tens of thousands of dollars, the penalty alone can drain your bank account. However, there are ways to take money from your tax-advantaged savings account without facing a penalty. The easiest is to simply wait until you turn 59 1/2, but if you don't have that kind of time, there are other options. Why withdrawing from your retirement savings should be a last resort First, it's important to note that while you can withdraw your funds from a 401(k) or IRA penalty-free, it doesn't necessarily mean you should. Even if you withdraw a relatively small amount, it can have a significant impact on your long-term savings goals. For example, let's say you currently have $50,000 in your 401(k), you're contributing $100 per month, and you're earning a 7% annual rate of return on your investments. Here's how withdrawing $5,000 from your 401(k) would affect your savings over time, assuming you continued to contribute $100 per month: In other words, that $5,000 withdrawal would cost you nearly $40,000 over 30 years, and that's not including any penalties or income taxes you may need to pay. That being said, if you've weighed all your options and decided you need to withdraw money from your 401(k) or IRA, there are a few situations in which the penalty is waived. Keep in mind that only the penalty is waived -- not the income tax. However, avoiding the 10% fee can soften the blow to your wallet. 1. Buying your first house If you're buying your first house, you can withdraw up to $10,000 for a down payment without paying the 10% penalty. Unfortunately, 401(k) withdrawals are not eligible for penalty-free withdrawals for homebuyers, but you can withdraw money from an IRA without facing any fees. With an IRA withdrawal, the maximum lifetime withdrawal limit for homebuyers is $10,000, and while you don't necessarily have to be a first-time homebuyer, you cannot have owned a home during the last two years. If you don't have an IRA, you can roll over money from a 401(k) into an IRA to get around the penalty. But because you can't roll over funds from your current employer, it will need to be a 401(k) from a former employer. If that's not an option for you, you can borrow from your 401(k) instead. You can take a loan of up to $50,000 or half of the vested balance of your 401(k), whichever is less (unless half of the vested account balance totals less than $10,000, in which case you can borrow up to $10,000). Most employers require that you pay the loan back within five years, and if you leave your job before the loan is paid off, you'll likely need to pay it in full within 60 to 90 days of leaving. Finally, you will need to pay interest on the loan, but that money is deposited back into your account. 2. Paying for certain medical expenses Medical bills are costly, and not everything is covered by insurance. Fortunately, if you're faced with a high bill that insurance won't cover, you can use some of your 401(k) or IRA funds to pay for it penalty-free. There's a catch to this, though: The penalty is only waived for expenses that exceed 10% of your adjusted gross income and aren't covered by insurance. In addition, you have to make the withdrawal in the same year that the medical expenses were incurred to avoid paying the 10% penalty. 3. Paying for health insurance premiums Even if you're unemployed, you shouldn't forgo health insurance. The average cost of a routine adult physical examination is about $200 without insurance, according to Blue Cross Blue Shield, and more expensive medical expenses, such as an emergency room visit or MRI, can cost thousands. After you've been unemployed for at least 12 weeks, you're eligible to withdraw 401(k) or IRA funds penalty-free to pay for health insurance premiums. If you have a spouse or dependents, you can use those withdrawals to pay insurance premiums for them as well. 4. Paying for college As with buying a home, 401(k) withdrawals used for college expenses are subject to the 10% penalty fee. However, in an IRA, there's no penalty on distributions for qualified higher-education costs. You can withdraw the full amount of your qualifying higher-education expenses from an IRA. The money doesn't just have to go toward your own college costs, either; it can also cover the expenses of your spouse, child, or grandchild. Qualifying expenses include tuition, fees, books, supplies, room and board, and more. Taking money from your retirement fund should never be your first resort, but it's a possibility if you have no other options. While you'll need to work a little harder to catch up on your savings after making a withdrawal, avoiding the 10% penalty can help ensure those withdrawals won't derail your retirement goals. The $16,122 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $16,122 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after. Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The 401(k) is one of the greatest gifts to retirement savers, but millions of people are collectively leaving behind billions of dollars in nearly free money. As many as 25% of savers aren't fully maximizing the benefit of their employer match on their 401(k)s, leaving as much as $1,336 on the table each year, according to a report by retirement account manager Financial Engines. 401(k) matches add up to real money Most 401(k) plans have some kind of matching program wherein employers match employee contributions to a 401(k) with extra cash on top. A prototypical match is 50% of all contributions on up to 6% of the employee's pay. Thus, under this system, an employee who sets aside 6% of his or her salary would receive another 3% of this salary in his or her employer 401(k), boosting the savings rate to 9%. In terms of dollars and cents, this means that someone who earns $50,000 would contribute $3,000 (6% of pay), and thus score a free $1,500 (3% of pay) from his or her employer through the matching program. Why you should always max out your employer's 401(k) match Maxing out your employer's match is the financial equivalent of giving yourself a raise. The average potential match in the United States was 3.57% of employee pay, according to a 2010 report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's roughly equal to an extra paycheck once a year. People who max out their employer's match get the equivalent of an immediate risk-free return on their investment. Assuming your employer matches your contributions at a rate of 50%, you could be missing out on a 50% return on your money by contributing too little to your 401(k). Consider this scenario: Sally started working in 2007, earning a salary of $50,000 per year, which has since increased at a rate of roughly 2% per year. Since day 1, she's set aside 6% of her pay in her 401(k), which her employer matched at a 50% rate. She invested her money in an S&P 500 index fund, letting the stock market work its magic for her. Today, her 401(k) balance stands at nearly $99,800, more than three times what she has contributed from her salary, thanks to rising stock prices and her employer match, which is responsible for a third of the gains over time. A boon in bull and bear markets Sally really benefited from a bull market in stocks, but her employer match significantly reduced her risks during the 2008 downturn, which occurred shortly after she started investing. Her account balance only briefly declined to less than her cumulative contributions, all thanks to the buffer provided by her employer match. In effect, the employer match nearly eliminated the downside of investing in the stock market by papering over the losses she (temporarily) endured in the financial crisis. If you do just one thing to improve your finances in 2018, look at your 401(k) to double check that you're investing at least enough to get the full benefit of your employer's match. You could be missing out on thousands of dollars in free money every single year. The $16,122 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $16,122 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after. Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies. Jordan Wathen 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. Late Friday night, the majority of the federal government shutdown when Congress hit an impasse on an interim spending bill that would have kept it temporarily operating because of largely partisan immigration disputes, leaving Democrats and Republicans eager to dodge the blame and marring the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trumps presidency. Its a Schumer shutdown without any question, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) told FOX Business Neil Cavuto. Every facet of the deal, the Democrats want. The one thing they do not want, is that they do not want the president in the position to make progress on the DACA issue on his timeline. So instead of dealing with the DACA issue before March 5, which weve all committed to doing, [Schumers] decided to make it a campaign issue and make us the demons. What happens next depends on Congress, which is in session on Saturday and will likely begin voting on different versions on the plan, Scott said, adding that he believes Congress will be able to pass a budget by now and the end of February. One such solution came from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) who proposed a continuing resolution, or C.R., that would extend the budge through Feb. 8, instead of the rejected Feb. 16 date. Through his suggestion, which earned him the approval of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Graham proposed to open debate on immigration, disaster relief, military and government spending. In light of these realities, Im hopeful there will be overwhelming bipartisan support for the February 8 proposal, Graham wrote on Twitter. In the meantime, federal employees will either be furloughed or will work without pay. The Internal Revenue Services, and the Environmental Protection Agency, will both be shutting down, along with tours of the Capitol. Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security checks will remain unaffected, and VA hospitals will remain open. The Senate voted 50 to 49 to block the bill (which needed 60 votes to pass), with most Democrats joined by four Republicans casting no votes against it. Democrats wanted to include provisions for the nearly 700,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, known as Dreamers, who were once protected by the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. While Republicans are also eager to provide Dreamers a path to legal status, theyre demanding significant concessions in return. I do realize, that without any question paramount to the presidents priorities, is making sure border security is infused into whatever deal we make on DACA, Scott said. Last week, a meeting between Trump and a bipartisan group of senators seemed to hint at a potential deal on immigration, but any thawing tensions were short-lived thanks to reports the next day that the president had allegedly used a vulgar term when referring to immigrants from Haiti and African countries. Adult actress Olivia Lua was found dead at a California rehab facility Thursday morning, making hers the latest in a series of tragic deaths to plague the adult film industry. LA Direct Models, Luas agency since April 2017, confirmed the 23-year-old's death in a statement, the New York Daily News reported. Much comment has been recently made on the number of adult stars having passed in the last year and with great sadness we must inform that the list has grown longer. We learned today that Olivia Lua passed away this morning may she rest in peace, the statement read. Luas family and friends were deeply concerned over the number of prescription drugs she was taking, and it is believed she died from mixing the drugs with alcohol, according to the agencys statement. The night before her death, Olivia tweeted a photo of herself with the caption I feel it everywhere, nothing scares me anymore. LA Direct Models acknowledged in its statement that this is the second porn actress at the agency to have tragically died. We at Direct Models obviously can barely believe we are issuing a notice such as this, not once but twice, in such a short space of time. Olivia Nova, who also worked at Direct Models, was found dead on Jan. 7 in Las Vegas at age 20. The Las Vegas Metro Police Department released a report confirming that she died after contracting sepsis from a severe urinary tract infection that spread to her kidney, Metro reported. The adult film industry has seen three other actress deaths recently. August Ames, 23, hung herself in December after she was labeled homophobic for refusing to have sex on camera with men who had done gay porn. Porn actresses Turi Luv, 31, and Shyla Stylez, 35, have also died. Luv, whose real name is Yurizan Beltran, died in December of a drug overdose. Recently retired from the adult film industry, Stylez died in her sleep in November. Fox News Diana Falzone contributed to this report. A couple of months before the 2016 election, and in the crucible of then-candidate Donald Trumps contretemps with a Muslim Gold Star family, I wrote a piece headlined Five Reasons a Sane Person Might Still Vote for Trump. Here we are, a year into the Trump presidency, and those five reasons still explain why I would again vote for President Trump. He is on the right side of these critical issues and is actually moving forward on promises he made on the campaign trail. That is rare. One: The economy. Even his critics have acknowledged that President Trumps economic agenda has unleashed the animal spirits of American capitalism. An acceleration in growth, continued job gains and a booming stock market are the direct results of the GOP tax cuts and the presidents rollback of excessive red tape. Federal agencies have withdrawn or delayed 1,579 planned regulatory actions. Rules already rescinded impacting restaurants, communications companies, power plants, finance, health care, oil drilling and many other sectors are estimated by the White House to be saving nearly $600 million annually. That number is sure to grow. Businesses are celebrating the loosening of red tape and the GOP tax reform law, which reduced corporate tax rates from 35 percent to 21 percent. CEOs of more than 170 large and small firms across the country have promised one-time bonuses or pay hikes to more than 2 million workers. Some have also announced beefed-up capital spending plans. This was the aim of the GOP tax bill; this immediate outpouring of benefits has exceeded expectations. The Trump agenda has boosted business optimism, which has led to an upturn in capital investment. Spending by companies, which had been flat during most of the Obama era, grew 6.2 percent in the first three quarters of last year. As even the unfriendly New York Times has reported, increased capital spending is linked to rising productivity, which is essential to higher wages. Two: ObamaCare. Democrats have fallen in love with ObamaCare now that the GOP has to manage it. In reality, while the health-care law has made insurance accessible to millions who could not afford it otherwise, middle-class Americans are increasingly finding that health care coverage is unaffordable. The Obama administration front-loaded the law, in part by offering generous subsidies to insurance companies to tamp down premiums, but the country is now feeling the real impact of President Obamas legacy legislation. President Obamas promise that his legislation "will cover every American and cut the cost of a typical family's premium by up to $2,500 a year" did not materialize. Notably, ObamaCare did not rein in the steady increase in health-care costs. The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that last year the average worker paid $5,714 for a family health-insurance plan 30 percent of the total $18,764 cost. Five years earlier a family shelled out $4,316, or 27 percent of the total $15,745 cost on average. Bottom line: health-care costs have continued to rise faster than incomes. Republicans have struggled to repeal and replace ObamaCare. By eliminating the individual mandate they have now begun to dismantle its financial superstructure. This will pressure legislators to come up with new ideas to actually save people money like turning more of the system over to the states, and reforming Medicaid. Democrats know the current system is unsustainable; their answer is to double down and give the government an even greater role. That is exactly the wrong approach. I count on the Trump White House and Republicans in Congress to pursue free-market solutions that could meaningfully alter the trajectory of spending. Three: Education. When explaining to my liberal friends why I could not vote for Hillary Clinton, I often cited her opposition to charter schools. That often shut down the conversation. Being in bed with the teacher unions, who routinely shell out millions for Democratic candidates and work to turn out the vote, means standing by the status quo in our public education system. That system that is failing our children, and especially our children of color. That is the grossest liberal hypocrisy. High school is supposed to prepare kids for college. In 2016, ACT results indicate that just 38 percent of students who took the test were college ready in at least three out of the four subjects included: math, science, reading and English. Thats an appalling statistic, and only covers the 64 percent of the countrys young people presumably the most able who took the test. Thats not good enough. President Trump appointed Betsy DeVos, a champion of school choice, to head the Education Department signaling that his White House would challenge the unions grip on our bloated education system. Secretary DeVos has been subjected to the vilest hate campaign, mainly because she has been willing to spend millions of her own dollars searching for alternatives that might give low-income and minority children a leg up. Upward mobility, which Democrats pretend to care about, starts with a decent education. Four: The Supreme Court. The death of Justice Antonin Scalia imperiled the moderate balance of the Supreme Court. For conservatives alarmed by President Obamas overreach and the leftward drift of judges placed in lower courts over the past eight years, the appointment of a conservative on the court was essential. Neil Gorsuch was a brilliant choice. It is highly likely that another opening will occur in the next few years. We look to the Trump White House to again choose a capable and responsible candidate. Five: Dissatisfaction with government. Under President Obama, Americans became increasingly dissatisfied with the performance of the federal government. No wonder. Because of massive regulations, increased bloat and intrusions of every sort, public satisfaction with the way the U.S. is being governed fell from an all-time high of 59 percent in 2002 to 33 percent in 2016 near the end of President Obamas second term, according to a Gallup Poll. It has since fallen further, to 28 percent last September. State and local governments fared better in the Gallup Poll. Indeed, in 2016, 62 percent of Americans said they trust state government to handle problems and 71 percent said they trust local government to handle problems. The Trump agenda includes sending more power back to the states. This makes sense on so many levels, but Democrats love federal control. We have not seen much follow-through on this notion; we hope it will influence policy more visibly in the years to come. These are all critical issues. President Trump is on the right side of every one. Would I vote for him again? In a heartbeat. The sky is falling, the sky is falling! Chicken Little shouted in the classic childrens story dating back to the early 1800s. And now we have the 2018 version: The government is shut down! The government is shut down! OK, let me give you some breaking news: The sky didnt fall on Chicken Little. And the federal government didnt really shut down as is cease all operations Saturday morning when Congress failed to approve a spending bill to keep it operating. In fact, the federal government never shuts down completely. Although the shutdown officially began the moment Friday turned into Saturday at midnight, the federal government continues providing many crucial services without interruption. A partial government shutdown is not a good thing, of course. It represents a failure of our elected leaders to do the most basic part of their jobs, as required under the Constitution. And it wastes billions of dollars. Despite the failure of Congress to fund continuing government operations, a vast number of government functions are continuing and will continue during the misnamed shutdown. If past practice is followed, federal employees will be paid retroactively for their missed paychecks after the shutdown ends meaning hard-working taxpayers will be paying furloughed government workers to sit at home and do nothing. Dont blame furloughed federal workers for taking money for nothing. Theyre not even allowed to volunteer their time to stay on the job. Blame a dysfunctional Congress, which cant even pass an annual budget and lurches from crisis to crisis to pass short-term spending bills just to keep government up and running. Can you imagine any business operating like this? Despite the failure of Congress to fund continuing government operations, a vast number of government functions are continuing and will continue during the misnamed shutdown. This includes all services deemed essential for national security and public safety such as the military and law enforcement as well as mandatory government payments such as Social Security and veterans benefits. Federal spending is governed by the Constitution, federal law, Justice Department legal opinions, and planning memoranda issued by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Article I of the Constitution says that the Treasury Department cant spend money unless it has been appropriated by Congress. The federal Antideficiency Act (ADA) makes it illegal for federal officials to spend money in excess of congressional appropriations and prohibits the government from accepting voluntary services. However, the ADA also contains an exception that allows funds to be spent for emergencies involving the safety of human life or the protection of property. In a series of legal opinions by the Department of Justice, that exception has been broadly interpreted to allow spending by government agencies on what are considered essential functions. This includes continued employment of federal employees who are necessary to carry out those essential functions. In a 1981 memorandum, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) lays out examples of the many government functions of federal agencies that can continue during a funding lapse: National security, including the conduct of foreign relations essential to the national security or the safety of life and property. Benefit payments and the performance of contract obligations under no-year or multi-year appropriations or other funds remaining available for those purposes. Medical care of inpatients and emergency outpatient care and activities essential for the safe use of food, drugs, and hazardous materials. Air traffic control and other transportation safety functions. Border and coastal protection and surveillance. Protection of federal lands, buildings, waterways, and other property of the U.S. Care of prisoners and others in federal custody. Law enforcement and criminal investigations. Emergency and disaster assistance. Activities essential to the preservation of the money and banking system of the U.S., including borrowing and tax collection. Production of power and maintenance of the power distribution system. Protection of research property. In a 2011 memorandum, OMB provided other examples where federal agencies would continue to function during a so-called government shutdown, such as when federal law expressly authorizes an agency to obligate funds in advance of appropriations. This includes, for example, a Civil Warera law that allows the Defense Department to contract for necessary supplies, or another federal law authorizing the Bureau of Indian Affairs to continue to contract for goods and supplies. Critical military operations continue, as does funding that enables the president to carry out his constitutional duties including as commander-in-chief and in the area of foreign relations. A 1995 Justice Department opinion confirmed that essential government benefit payments continue, because they operate under indefinite appropriations provisions that do not require passage of annual appropriations legislation. This means that government checks for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and benefits to veterans and others will continue to be paid. Airports will keep running, as will federal prisons, and the Border Patrol will still patrol our borders. A shutdown is not the end of the world. There have been numerous funding gaps and government shutdowns, such as the one in 2013 that lasted for two weeks during the Obama administration. In 1995, when the government shut down for five days after Bill Clinton vetoed a continuing resolution, so many federal employees continued to work as essential personnel that only 800,000 out of a total of 4.465 million federal employees were furloughed less than 18 percent. Trump OMB Director Mick Mulvaney points out that Obama weaponized the shutdown in 2013 for political purposes by closing down popular attractions such as national parks and monuments to cause as much frustration as possible to taxpayers. He vowed that the Trump administration would not do that. Of course, that doesnt mean a shutdown is good policy or that Congress should not fulfill its duty to appropriate necessary funding, particularly for our military and needed social programs. But holding appropriations hostage in an attempt to extort an amnesty deal for illegal aliens is neither good governance nor good politics. Hurting law-abiding citizens and taxpayers in favor of illegal aliens who have violated our laws makes no sense. Melania Trump, who on Saturday marks the end of her first year as first lady, has conducted herself with grace and dignity. Shes had to navigate an onslaught of detractors and a hostile media that follow her every move, looking for any opportunity to undermine her efforts and diminish her position. The first lady carries herself with an understated elegance and, known for her privacy, shes measured in her words and actions. Since she chooses to stay below the radar most of the time she doesnt give her critics much material to work with. But have no fear, theyll resort to schoolyard antics. We saw a lot of that this year. It didnt take long after the election results were in for a barrage of designers to begin announcing they would refuse to dress the first lady. Among them, Sophie Theallet, who said: As one who celebrates and strives for diversity, individual freedom, and respect for all lifestyles, I will not participate in dressing or associating in any way with the next First Lady. Liberals never seem to get the irony of demanding diversity, freedom and respect while refusing to give the same things in return. The street has two lanes, but they think they own both. Liberals never seem to get the irony of demanding diversity, freedom and respect while refusing to give the same things in return. The street has two lanes, but they think they own both. Then there was stiletto-gate, an absurd debate about the first ladys choice of shoes. Otherwise known as much ado about nothing. Mrs. Trump became front-page news and lit up Twitter when she left the White House wearing high heels to get on Air Force One to go to Texas with President Trump to assess damage from Hurricane Harvey. Never mind that when the plane landed she walked off wearing sneakers. The vultures saw their window of opportunity to attack and went for it. In a world where major newsworthy events are happening every day, news outlets picked the first ladys shoes as the big event worth highlighting. Mrs. Trump has also been criticized for her anti-cyberbullying campaign because her critics think its at odds with the presidents Twitter habits. The first lady has said of her initiative: It is never OK when a 12-year-old girl or boy is mocked, bullied or attacked. It is terrible when that happens on the playground and it is absolutely unacceptable when its done by someone with no name hiding on the internet. The first lady is her own person, and no matter your opinion of the presidents tweets, those on the other end of them are not children. Entertainer Chelsea Handler, always good for a hysterical tirade, also went after the first lady, accusing her of not being able to speak English. Newsflash to Handler: Mrs. Trump speaks five languages. The only language Handler speaks is the feminist fiction that she and her liberal Hollywood friends unleash on anyone who disagrees with them. Her attempt at trying to make Mrs. Trump sound unintelligent missed its target, but ricocheted back and found a new one. Perhaps Handler could learn a few things about grace from the first lady. Melania Trumps critics also took the opportunity to use this years White House Christmas decorations to bash her, something somewhat unprecedented. Phrases like house of horrors were used to describe the decor. The New Yorker referred to Mrs. Trump as a wicked queen, and she was repeatedly criticized for wearing a coat while decorating the Christmas tree. One hallway in the White House was decorated in all white and lined with trees. The first ladys detractors compared it to The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Blair Witch Project, and The Shining. She was even criticized at one point during the White House Christmas festivities because she was caught interacting with predominantly African-American children. The Trump administration is supposed to be racist, so Mrs. Trumps haters needed to change that narrative. Their answer: accuse her of staging the encounter. Mrs. Trumps first year as our countrys first lady has been a success. Shes kept her composure despite unprecedented attacks against her husband, her son, and herself by a media intent on making news instead of reporting it. Through it all shes kept a low profile while holding her head high. All the intolerant women on the left could learn a lot from Melania about dignity and respect if they stopped talking long enough to listen. Much has changed since President Trump took the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2017. But one thing has remained constant the anger and vitriol directed at the president from the left, many Democrats, many in the media, and even some folks who call themselves Republicans. Few presidents have been so demonized and denounced. The president has been accused of being incompetent, a racist, mentally ill, senile and corrupt. Investigations of his alleged collusion with Russia to win the election go on and on and on with no end in sight. The resistance to President Trump has gotten so hysterical that Jen Statsky, a writer and comedian who has written for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon; Parks and Recreation and Broad City even tweeted that if you support Trump you should have your children taken away, etc etc. Now that weve arrived at the one-year mark of the Trump presidency, Ive done some soul-searching regarding my support of the man elected by the American people to lead our nation. As a black woman, a mother and a veteran, am I doing the right thing to continue backing President Trump? Is he really as awful even evil as his critics claim? Are his ideas half-baked and dangerous? Is he harming the nation I love? And what does my support for President Trump say about me? By backing a man so hated by some am I compromising my integrity and values? Can I be pro-Trump and still be a good person? When I looked at the presidents policies and not just his tweets I decided that yes, I could be pro-Trump and still live my life with integrity. When I looked at the presidents policies and not just his tweets I decided that yes, I could be pro-Trump and still live my life with integrity. Let me tell you why. First, as a black woman, I believe President Trumps overall impact on the black community has been positive. Like many people who joined me in voting for Donald Trump in 2016, Ive attended several of his campaign rallies. I have never been more warmly welcomed. My children had surrogate parents, uncles, aunts and cousins for a night, and were enveloped in the excitement and pride of being an American. Beyond these personal anecdotes, however, are real markers that show President Trumps impact on the black community. The December unemployment rate for black Americans fell to 6.8 percent the lowest level in 45 years. Thats one full percentage point meaning that roughly 480,000 more jobs are now held by black Americans. This is not just a statistic it is about changed lives. Additionally, the spread between black and white unemployment, measured as the black rate minus the white rate, fell to 3.1 percent, also the lowest on record. Would I like the black jobless rate to drop to the level of the white jobless rate? Of course I would! I have no doubt that President Obama wanted this as well. But under President Trump we are moving in the right direction, and I hope the unemployment gap between the races continues to shrink. Couple this with the tax cuts signed into law by President Trump that are designed to incentivize companies to invest in the U.S., create more American jobs and lift stagnant wages; a booming stock market; and over a 100 companies giving bonuses and other benefits as a result of those tax cuts and widespread deregulation undertaken by the Trump administration. All of this makes for a strong economy that is good for everyone. As one old saying goes, you cant have employees without employers and as another saying goes, a rising tide lifts all boats. Second, as a military veteran, I see that President Trumps impact on veterans has been positive. There are over 20 million veterans. Tragically, an average of 22 commit suicide every day. As a veteran, this horrible statistic is very painful for me. While we have done our fair share of haggling over health care and tax reform, the VA has not been stymied. Secretary of Veteran Affairs David Shulkin has made important progress and managed to rise above the partisan divide. Veterans are getting their benefits faster. The backlog of veterans waiting more the 125 days to get a decision on their disability benefits has fallen from 611,000 to about 86,000. The G.I. Bill has become the Forever G.I. Bill, allowing veterans to now pursue educational opportunities with government financial aid with no timing restrictions. Furthermore, under President Trump, a new law now makes it possible to drain the VA of employees whose poor performance and mismanagement led to poor treatment of vets. The VA still has problems. But I see significant progress. These policies are good and are a reflection of decisive leadership. Finally, as mother, I believe President Trumps impact has been positive for my children. National security matters just as much to me as making sure I lock every door before going to bed each night. As I demand to know who is entering my home, I think its only reasonable to demand that we know who is entering our country. Ive read President Trumps 70-point immigration plan. As a mother, I do not understand what is so un-American about terminating the outdated catch-and-release of those who have been charged with a crime that resulted in the death of another person. Ive spoken to a mother who lost her only child in a fatal car accident involving an illegal immigrant who had prior drunk driving convictions. As a mother, I do not have a child to spare. So I feel no shame in supporting President Trumps plan to expand the grounds on which an illegal immigrant can be deported to include those convicted of multiple drunk-driving offenses. What is so wrong about making sure known gang members do not receive immigration benefits? Why should we financially support that? I believe each of the 70 points, including building a wall on our southern border, are reasonable and necessary. They are the first of many steps to Make America Safe Again. Remember, we dont lock our doors at night because we hate the people on the outside of our home. We lock our doors at night because we love the people on the inside of our home. To do anything less is to be derelict of our first duties protecting the family and preserving our nation for the next generation. Looking at all the above issues, Ive come to the conclusion that yes, I can be a good person and support President Trump. Is he perfect? Am I happy about everything he says and tweets and does? Of course not like all human beings, he has his flaws. But elections are not about picking perfect people. They are about picking the best person running for an office to fill that office. And looking back at President Trumps first year in office, I remain convinced that he was the better candidate for president in 2016. Heres my assessment of President Trump as we mark the first anniversary of his inauguration Saturday: I have known nine presidents, beginning with President Richard Nixon. Of those nine, the only one who was as effective as President Trump in his first year was President Ronald Reagan. That judgment may surprise a lot of people, because the opposition in the news media and among the left-wing resistance has been so strong and one-sided that they have consistently misrepresented and maligned President Trump and his administration. This effort has produced a distorted, minimized view of what has been accomplished by this remarkably energetic and controversial commander-in-chief. To understand the current distortions, remember what a year ago was like. In January 2017, it seemed amazing that this businessman-publicist-marketer defeated 16 other Republicans for the GOP nomination and then defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the presidency. It seemed equally extraordinary that Donald Trump carried Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin in the presidential election. These were states that had consistently voted for Democratic presidential candidates in recent years. One could have made a lot of money betting on the entire trifecta going to Trump. So, in a highly polarized world of intense media hostility with overwhelmingly negative coverage of President Trump, how can we assess his first year? These achievements sent the left into a state of shock. The day after President Trumps inauguration, they organized mass rallies in Washington and other cities across the country. Left-wing protestors promised resistance to the so-called imposter, who they simply could not accept as president of the United States. At the rally on the National Mall, Madonna proclaimed: I have thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House. The crowd loved it. Professor Allen Guelzo, the Henry R. Luce Professor of the Civil War Era and Director of Civil War Era Studies at Gettysburg College, commented that the last time we saw this depth of hostility and contempt for a president was after the election of Abraham Lincoln. The slave owners of the South absolutely loathed him. One year after President Trumps inauguration, the lefts hostility toward him is even worse. The White House press corps reaction to White House physician Dr. Ronny Jacksons briefing on President Trumps annual physical was a perfect example of this hostility. The medias antagonistic (and just plain stupid) questions proved the propaganda war against Trump was not going away. Dr. Jackson a highly respected Navy rear admiral, who served as a physician in both the Bush and Obama White Houses clearly and explicitly reported to the media that President Trump was in excellent physical health for his age and that he had completed a flawless cognitive exam. Yet the White House press corps doggedly repeated ludicrous questions, clearly seeking to undermine the doctors assessment and skew his report to fit the phony narrative that the president is unfit for office. This Trump Derangement Syndrome that the media unfortunately suffer from has become a major barrier to accurate coverage of the Trump presidency. So, in a highly polarized world of intense media hostility with overwhelmingly negative coverage of President Trump, how can we assess his first year? The best way is to look at results and measure them against what candidate Trump said he would try to accomplish. Trump promised to appoint conservative judges to the federal courts. He received advice from Leonard Leo, executive vice president of the Federalist Society. He also benefitted from remarkable leadership in the Senate by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. R-Ky. And then President Trump nominated and won confirmation for Neil Gorsuch for a seat on the Supreme Court. Gorsuch is a justice dramatically more conservative than anyone Hillary Clinton would have appointed. Additionally, in Trumps first year in the White House, 12 federal appellate court judges have been approved by the Senate. As Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, pointed out, no other first-year president has seated this many appellate court judges in the 228-year history of the appellate courts. President Trump is also now, without question, the all-time champion of rolling back red tape, as he has taken on the Washington bureaucracy and deregulation. Under President Trump, Congress has eliminated 14 Obama-era regulations through the Congressional Review Act. The current estimate is that the Trump administration is repealing 22 regulations for every new one it has created. This is a major contribution to economic growth and a big plus in implementing campaign promises. President Trump promised a new, smarter, lower-risk strategy to enable the military to do its job and defeat ISIS. ISIS has lost virtually all its territory at minimum risk. This is yet another promise kept. Iran and North Korea must be considered works in progress. Neither problem has been solved but neither has imposed its will up to now. Announcing that the American Embassy in Israel would be moved to Jerusalem is another campaign promise on which the president followed through, and it doesn't seem to have caused any major disruption in the Arab world. President Trumps instincts for rebuilding the American military are right, but he has not yet solved the problem of getting Congress to pass the stable funding stream the military must have. On the other hand, the president methodically waged a disciplined 11-month campaign to get the large tax cut he believes the American economy needs if it is to grow faster. The response of the American business community to the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has been more positive and more visible than anyone could have hoped. President Trump is also making good on his pledge to make better trade deals for America. Saudi Arabia alone signed as much as $400 billion in contracts with American companies during the presidents visit to Riyadh. As a result of President Trumps economic leadership, the new normal of less than 2 percent annual economic growth is rapidly being replaced by estimates in the range of 3.5 to 4 percent. At the same time, the black unemployment rate is down dramatically, and CEO and small business confidence are up dramatically. The first year has seen some disappointments. Failing to repeal ObamaCare was painful. Not getting started on infrastructure has been disappointing. Failing to develop conservative solutions for poverty in America has been unfortunate. Allowing symbolic language and arguments about race to drive people apart has been counter to the promise inherent in President Trumps Inaugural Address. However, on balance, it is fair to say President Trump has already achieved so much that he rivals Reagan as an effective, focused leader. We are incredibly fortunate to have him in the White House as our nations 45th president. A member of the U.S. mens figure skating team got his costume in a twist because Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to lead the U.S. Olympic delegation to South Korea in February. Adam Rippon, the 2016 U.S. mens figure skating champion, had an outburst telling USA Today he would prefer not to shake the vice presidents hand before the opening ceremony. Click here for a free subscription to Todds newsletter: a must-read for Conservatives! Mr. Rippon is believed to be the first openly gay Winter Olympian and he took great umbrage at the vice presidents devout Christian faith. You mean Mike Pence, the same Mike Pence that funded gay conversion therapy? Rippon snarled. Im not buying it. Mr. Rippon, the poster child for tolerance and diversity, went on to say the vice president and the Trump administration do not represent his personal beliefs. Americas fast-growing conservative podcast! Click here for the Todd Starnes Podcast! I dont think he has a real concept of reality, Mr. Rippon said. To stand by some of the things that Donald Trump has said and for Mike Pence to say hes a devout Christian man is completely contradictory. If hes OK with whats being said about people and Americans and foreigners and about different countries that are being called s***holes, I think he should really go to church. Sadly, Mr. Rippon did not bother to do his homework before attacking the vice president. It turns out he has long been adamant he never supported conversion therapy. The vice president is proud to lead the U.S. delegation to the Olympics and support Americas incredible athletes. This accusation is totally false and has no basis in fact, the vice presidents spokesperson said. Despite these misinformed claims, the vice president will be enthusiastically supporting all the U.S. athletes competing next month in Pyeongchang. The skater also said he will not be attending a post-Olympic celebration hosted by President Trump at the White House. Lets just hope the snowflake can muster the decency not to stage some sort of protest during the Olympics. Its one thing to embarrass yourself in USA Today its another thing to embarrass an entire nation. I will participate in no form of protest. Im representing myself and my country on the world stage, he reassured the newspaper. What makes America great is that were all so different. Its 2018 and being an openly gay man and an athlete, that is part of the face of America now. Adam Rippon may know how to land a triple axel, but when it comes to civility and grace, hes skating on thin ice. One year ago this weekend, liberal women flowed into our nations capital and other cities across America for a march to protest the inauguration of President Trump. And on Saturday, women and some male supporters again gathered in Washington and hundreds of cities to protest against the president and in support of protection for illegal immigrants and other liberal causes. While the Saturday protests were underway, Congress was trying to figure out how to reach agreement on a spending bill to end the government shutdown that began Saturday morning. Donning pink hats resembling womens sacred body parts suddenly exposed for all to see, protesters last year expressed fury that against all odds a white, male Republican who never before held public office somehow bested their longtime feminist-in-chief Hillary Clinton. How dare he stop Hillary from shattering the glass ceiling! The glass ceiling the protesters had envisioned shattering entirely was instead left in shards that got under their skin deep under their skin. The glass ceiling the protesters had envisioned shattering entirely was instead left in shards that got under their skin deep under their skin. After much public dialogue over the last year, the questions must now be asked: What exactly has the Womens March accomplished and are the protesters capable of turning their angst into action? Will Saturdays protests accomplish anything more, or just serve as a self-affirming feel-good moment for President Trumps opponents? While the Womens March last year certainly served as an outlet for liberals to gather and share their election depression, there was no real call to action. There was no plan for attendees to return to their respective hometowns, run for office, nor do anything differently than they had done before the 2016 election. Quite frankly, without that kind of action the Womens March risks becoming nothing more than annual group therapy. Whether the protesters can now turn their angst into action remains to be seen. Thus far, the Womens March already falls short on tangible results when compared to other recent populist movements. By comparison, the Tea Party movement that sprang in the spring of 2009 accomplished far more in their inaugural year than the Womens March has. In record speed from the moment the movement was invoked on February 19, 2009 from the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to the ensuing raucous Tea Party rallies that played out on the steps of cities from coast to coast Americans watched as their government was taken back by the people. However, the Tea Party movement didnt stop at the rallies. They quickly rolled up their sleeves and got to work, putting aside their differences with their own party and often volunteering at local GOP headquarters, signing up for campaigns, knocking on doors and mobilizing Get Out the Vote efforts. Unlike the Womens March, the Tea Party movements swift action yielded instantaneous results that were impressive; record-breaking, in fact. In 2010, just one year after launching, the Tea Party movement helped Republicans regain control of the House of Representatives. Credit was widely given to the Tea Party, which staged vigorous protests of Congress members town hall meetings back in their home districts, successfully shined a light on House races and made ObamaCare a central issue. In 2014, the Tea Party movement helped Republicans win the U.S. Senate and win the largest Congressional majority in American history. With the staggering loss of 50 seats in Congress, Democrats suffered their largest defeat in decades. And in 2016, in arguably a continuation of the populist revolution, the Tea Party helped put Donald Trump in the White House in what Politico called the biggest upset in American history. The Womens March has no such scalps on the wall. In fact, the movement hasnt yielded any new stars. Whereas the Tea Party movement spawned stars such as Republican Senators Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Joni Ernst of Iowa both leaders in their respective classes today no one has wanted to attach themselves to the Womens March. However, leaders of the Womens March may have realized their risk of falling into political oblivion, because the organization announced new components to Saturdays marches. The protesting women are launching a nationwide voter registration campaign to recruit more women to vote, and aim to affect the midterm elections in November. The strategy just might work as the Womens March has joined forces with Rock the Vote, a movement that registered youth to vote in the 1992 presidential election and impacted the presidential race in favor of the saxophone-playing, boxers-or-briefs-clad Bill Clinton. If the Womens March is able to recruit talented people from Rock the Vote who succeeded in previous voter registration outreach campaigns, the group has a chance to deliver on its promise. If the Womens March is able to recruit talented people from Rock the Vote who succeeded in previous voter registration outreach campaigns, the group has a chance to deliver on its promise. As the new year unfolds and the midterm elections loom, the Womens March has a real opportunity to shift from protest to pragmatism. Whether or not the Womens March can make the transition will determine whether the movement is a force to be reckoned with, or will simply go down in history as a passing fad worth not much more than the cheap yarn from which its pink hats were spun. To share with friends and brethren The Gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (the Everlasting Gospel), and to prepare a people to stand when He returns to redeem His remnant. Also, to share relevant information of current events, and to show how they relate to prophecy; By means of articles, editorials, opinions, scripture readings, and poetry. Disclaimer Endrtimes does not necessarily endorse or agree with every opinion expressed in every article/video posted on this site. The information provided here is done so for personal edification; It's up to the reader to separate truth from error, and to examine everything (like the Bereans) from a Biblical perspective. Let the Holy Scriptures be you guide! - - - FAIR USE NOTICE: These pages/videos may contain copyrighted () material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available to advance understanding of ecological, POLITICAL, HUMAN RIGHTS, economic, DEMOCRACY, scientific, MORAL, ETHICAL, and SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES, etc. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior general interest in receiving similar information for research and educational purposes. The deadline arrived without a deal. The U.S. government shut down at midnight Friday after Congress failed to overcome a partisan divide over immigration and spending. In a late-night vote, Senate Democrats joined to block a bill that would have kept the government running until mid-February. A flurry of last-minute negotiations failed to produce an agreement. Democrats tried to use the Friday night funding deadline to win concessions from Republicans, including an extension of DACA, an Obama-era program protecting some young immigrants from deportation. The program is set to expire in March. Republicans sought more time for talks, but Democrats refused. The shutdown is only the fourth government closure in a quarter-century. It will only partially curb government operations. Uniformed service members, health inspectors, and law enforcement officers are set to work without pay. But Social Security and most other safety net programs are unaffected. If no deal is brokered by Monday, hundreds of thousands of federal employees are set to be furloughed. The White House and Capitol Hill will be working with skeleton staffs, but some government agencies, like the Environmental Protection Agency, have said they were able to shift funding around to keep most workers on the job. National parks and federal museums will be open, but with potentially reduced services. Earlier Friday night, President Donald Trump seemed pessimistic that a deal could be reached in time. "Not looking good for our great Military or Safety & Security on the very dangerous Southern Border," the president tweeted. "Dems want a Shutdown in order to help diminish the great success of the Tax Cuts, and what they are doing for our booming economy." Negotiations, however, continued through the evening, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., working to pass a resolution to keep the government open, White House sources said. Earlier in the day, demonstrators were seen protesting in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in the Russell Senate Office Building. Democrats refused to back a short-term spending bill unless it includes protections for illegal immigrants brought to the country as children. "Republicans who control the House, Senate, and WH are on the verge of making #TrumpShutdown a reality because they refuse to protect DREAMers and provide long-term certainty for our military, the opioid crisis, CHIP, and other key issues," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi tweeted late Friday night. During the day Friday, Schumer met with President Trump at the White House as part of an effort to avert the imminent shutdown. That meeting came as the White House coined a decidedly Trumpian phrase in the battle to assign blame for the standoff, branding it the "Schumer Shutdown." A senior White House official told Fox News that the Trump-Schumer meeting was productive, but there was no deal yet. Still, the president labeled the meeting "excellent" in a tweet. "Making progress," Trump wrote, adding that a "four week extension would be best!" We had a long and detailed meeting," Schumer said in a statement. "We discussed all of the major outstanding issues, we made some progress, but we still have a good number of disagreements. The discussions will continue. According to a White House source, Schumer arrived in the Oval Office and presented the president with a list of demands on domestic issues that went well beyond just DACA. The president listened to Schumer and appeared perplexed as Schumer rattled off his agenda items, the source said. The president told Schumer he wasnt going to get all of those demands in a spending bill. Schumer, the source said, did appear open to considering a continuing resolution that would keep the government funded for five days. The official White House position is still a 30-day extension. Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney on Friday accused the Democrats of opposing a bill that contains nothing they are against. They dont oppose anything in the bill, but they are opposing the bill, Mulvaney said, pointing to popular measures in the bill such as funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Democrats seemed to be aware of the importance of messaging, with Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., taking to the Senate floor with an image declaring the logjam a "Trump Shutdown," quoting a tweet from President Trump from May saying "our country needs a good 'shutdown.'" Markey blasted Republicans complaining about the threat of a shutdown, telling them to "spare me your crocodile tears." The Republican-dominated House of Representatives passed a one-month bill Thursday night by a vote of 230-197 that broke down largely along party lines, with 11 Republicans voting no and six Democrats voting yes. Senate Democrats have said that Democrats want any spending bill to include a fix for DACA. Trump repealed the order in September, and gave Congress a deadline of March to come up with a legislative fix. Unless we pass the #DreamAct, I wont support another short-term funding bill, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., tweeted Thursday. Our Dreamers have waited far too long for a chance to be a part of this countrys future. Republicans had hoped to back Democrats into a corner by attaching a six-year CHIP extension to the bill. But Democrats have so far refused to budge. Republicans have repeatedly put the blame firmly on Democrats positioning on DACA as the reason for the looming shutdown. Apparently they believe the issue of illegal immigration is more important than anything else, than the government services the American people depend on, McConnell said. President Trump has repeatedly urged Congress to keep the government open, warning that a shutdown will harm the U.S. military. The White House announced that Trump would not travel to Florida, as previously scheduled, until the continuing resolution is signed. Should Congress miss the Friday night deadline, it is far from clear if the government will actually shut down immediately. Fox News is told that the Trump administration will not weaponize the shutdown, closing various monuments and national parks, to create a "show" as critics say the Obama administration did in a 2013 closure. Fox News Chad Pergram, Peter Doocy, Mike Emanuel, Kristin Brown, Serafin Gomez, John Roberts and the Associated Press contributed to this report. The Russian lawyer at the center of a controversial, 2016 Trump Tower meeting with members of then-candidate Donald Trumps inner circle dismissed the dossier shared with the FBI at the height of the presidential campaign - and which the FBI relied on in its Russia probe - in an exclusive interview with Fox News. But she also conceded she had not read the entire document. Speaking via Skype from Moscow, Natalia Veselnitskaya told Fox News the unverified dossier, which contains salacious claims about President Trumps activities in Russia, should not be treated as evidence. "It's like some low level, yellow type of gossip." Natalia Veselnitskaya "For me it's a really unacceptable document," Veselnitskaya said. "I couldn't read this through the end, because it's the kind of papers that make you just want to get in the shower after." Veselnitskaya became famous last year after it was first revealed that she met at Trump Tower with the president's son, Donald Trump Jr., his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and others on June 9, during the presidential campaign. Although the dossier was not directly related to that meeting, it was commissioned by Fusion GPS, the founder of which Veselnitskaya met with before and after the Trump Tower session. The Russian lawyer said she was stunned when Buzzfeed posted the unverified dossier online a year ago. "It's like some low level, yellow type of gossip, she said in an interview that first aired on Fox News Channels Special Report. It's just too much." For at least three years, Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson worked for Veselnitskaya's client, Prevezon -- a Russian-owned real estate corporation that was sued by the U.S. government over money-laundering allegations. A resulting civil forfeiture case was settled for $6 million last year. Ongoing congressional inquiries are looking into Fusions activities during the election and the role the dossier may have played in the FBIs application for warrants from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to track members of Trumps team. It is noteworthy that at the same time Simpson was paid for the Prevezon work, Fusion GPS also was paid more than $1 million from the Democratic National Committee and the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton for the dossier authored by former British spy Christopher Steele. Steele was paid at least $168,000 by Fusion GPS for the project, which included briefing about a half dozen American media outlets, as directed by Simpson. In an email to Fox News, Veselnitskaya called the Steele memos a collection of "anonymous, paranoid rumors" and she expected more professional work from Simpson. "I can say that now, because I know Glenn and how he can work with information, I can't even call it the word dossier for this, Veselnitskaya told Fox News in her interview. It's not a dossier. It's just some kind of hodge-podge nonsense." The FBI should not have relied on the unverified dossier in any way for its Russia counter intelligence investigation, Veselnitskaya said. "I think that any special agency should check information they receive, but what happened? Veselnitskaya said. They couldn't find facts." According to the transcript of Simpson's August 2017 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, unilaterally released by ranking Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Steele initially met with the FBI in early July 2016, and again in September in Rome, for what was described by Simpson as a full debrief. "[Steele] said, Hey, I heard back from the FBI and they want me to come talk to them and they said they want everything I have, to which I said okay, Simpson recounted. He said he had to go to Rome, I said okay. He went to Rome. Then afterwards, he came back and said, You know, I gave them a full briefing." Simpson he did not know whether Steele turned over hard copies of the dossier memos. During the same congressional testimony, Simpson claimed Steele suggested the FBI had a corroborating source inside the Trump campaign for the Russia allegations. Simpson later retracted the statement, saying he was referring to intelligence from the Australian ambassador. June 9, 2016 is a critical date in the investigation into alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Veselnitskaya had flown to New York for Prevezons court hearing, which Simpson attended. Simpson was being paid for work on the dossier, while being paid to work on behalf of Prevezon. The billing went through two separate American law firms, which is practice. Such a billing practice is sometimes employed to help shield banking transactions, according to experts. New revelations from another congressional committees interview of Simpson, his November 2017 testimony before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), show Simpson admitted to investigators that he used the same translator, Ed Baumgartner, for the Prevezon case and Trump dossier project. In the House interview, a transcript of which was released this week, Simpson stated that Fusion GPS charges clients $50,000 per month, though he claimed not to know much about his company's billing records. Simpson and Veselnitskaya attended the June 9 Prevezon court hearing in lower Manhattan, after which Veselnitskaya travelled uptown to Trump Tower for the meeting. In addition to Trump Jr., Kusher and Manafort, the meeting was attended by former Russian military officer-turned U.S. citizen Rinat Akmetshin, Russian businessman Ike Kavaladze, Veselnitskaya's translator, Anotoli Samochornov, and the man who organized the meeting, British publicist Rob Goldstone. Trump Jr. released emails suggesting Goldstone brokered the meeting, promising dirt on Clinton. Asked if Goldstone lied to secure a meeting that wound up focusing on sanctions the U.S. had placed on Russia, Veselnitskaya said, "I don't think he lied. I think he just exaggerated. I don't how it he came up with this idea, but he decided to use this way to get Donald Trump Jr. interested in meeting with me." Veselnitskaya told Fox News the Trump Tower meeting lasted about half an hour and centered around the 2012 Magnitsky Act, a law that punishes Russian officials including Prevezons boss - with tough sanctions following the 2009 death Sergei Magnitsky in a Russian prison. A tax lawyer in Moscow, Magnitsky was working with American businessman Bill Browder to expose a $230 million dollar fraud in missing investment monies in Russia. "My meeting was not tied at all with Hillary Clinton or anyone involved with any Democrats and not at all with the presidency or election, Veselnitskaya said. My meeting was totally banal, simple, regarding all the crimes committed by Browder's group in our country and continues to be manipulated in the U.S.A." In his sworn testimony before Congress in 2017, Browder was asked by Feinstein if Veselnitskaya had "ever worked for the Russian government." Browder answered, "Yes, she has worked directly for the FSB, the FSB being the successor to the KGB." Veselnitskaya shrugged off Browder's accusation. "The Democratic block insists that I was some kind of an agent of the Kremlin, spy, and so forth, a Kremlin lawyer," she told Fox News. Veselnitskaya said Kushner's participation in the Trump Tower meeting was limited. "He came after the start of the meeting and left before it ended," Veselnitskaya said. "So we didn't even look each other in the eye." She said her contact with the president's daughter, Ivanka Trump, after the meeting has been overblown by Democrats and the media. "There was a girl - pretty blonde, who walked through the elevator bank where I was standing after leaving my meeting with Donald Trump Jr., Veselnitskaya said. Who was that girl? Was she Ivanka Trump? Was she just a pretty young lady? I don't know. I didn't meet or talk with her, didn't greet or introduce myself, didn't exchange any pleasantries...nothing." Simpson and Veselnitskaya deny they ever discussed the Trump Tower meeting, despite having meals and working together before and after. While NBC reported last November, that Veselnitskayas talking points for the meeting came from information provided by Fusion GPS, she told Fox News she wrote the notes herself. In his House testimony, Simpson seemed to acknowledge there was some connection. I am in the information business, so when people commission research from you, it becomes their property when you are finished with the research, when you give it to them, Simpson said. So, if they decide to go and use it for something else, I mean, that is just beyond my control. Though she has direct knowledge of the Trump Tower meeting, Veselnitskaya said Special Counsel Robert Mueller has not contacted her for his probe into alleged Trump-Russia collusion. A spokesman for Mueller declined to comment. Newly elected Alabama Sen. Doug Jones, in his most high-profile vote since taking office, was one of five Democratic senators to vote overnight with Republicans on a spending bill to avoid a government shutdown. Jones election to the Senate last month marked the first time in 25 years that Alabama voters picked a Democratic senator. The election results sparked much political speculation about whether Jones would vote with Republicans or fellow Democrats, considering that Alabama is one of the countrys most conservative-leaning states and gave President Trump more than 62 percent of its vote in 2016. While Jones vote this weekend might suggest an intent to represent his electorate or win a 2020 re-election, he made clear from the start of his improbable special-election win that his top priority upon arriving on Capitol Hill would be to keep alive the Children's Health Insurance Program, which the GOP spending bill did for several years. Because of CHIP and the many families in Alabama and around our country that would be put in jeopardy by a government shutdown, I felt compelled to vote yes, Jones said in a statement posted on his Twitter account. Jones won last month by less than 2 percentage points over Republican candidate Roy Moore, a conservative firebrand whose campaign was severely damaged in the closing months by allegations of sexual misconduct as a young man. The Republican leaders of the GOP-controlled Senate failed overnight to get the 60 votes needed to move forward and pass a temporary spending bill to keep the government fully operational past Friday midnight. Republicans have a 51-to-49 member majority in the Senate. The vote was 50-49. Arizona GOP Sen. John McCain did not vote because hes home recovering from cancer treatment. The four other Senate Democrats who voted for the bill were Sens. John Donnelly of Indiana; Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota; Joe Manchin of West Virginia; and Claire McCaskill of Missouri. All four are up for re-election this year in states that voted for Trump in 2016. Jones, who has the seat left open after Republican Jeff Sessions became attorney general, is up for re-election in 2020. In his victory speech last month, Jones effectively avoided any talk about how hed vote in Congress but made clear that he won with bipartisan support. And he urged the GOP-controlled Congress to fund CHIP before he arrived in January. The Alabama Republican Party was straightforward after Jones win about how it wanted him to vote. During this campaign, we heard Mr. Jones repeatedly say he would talk about kitchen table issues and that he would reach across the aisle to work with Republicans, said party Chair Terry Lathan. While these issues werent discussed and no other Democratic Senator has worked with the Republicans, all eyes will be on his votes. Alabamians will watch the issues he will support or try to stop. We will hold him accountable for his votes. She also fired a warning shot at Jones -- pointing out that essentially 60 percent of elected offices in Alabama are held by Republicans, which means a strong slate of candidates in upcoming elections. Day One of a government shutdown, filled with increasingly angry finger pointing from both Democrats and Republicans, appeared to produce little Saturday in terms of a potential solution for the impasse on how to fund the government. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell insisted that a vote to break a Democratic filibuster on a short-term spending bill to reopen the government would happen by 1 a.m. Monday. "I asked for consent to move up a vote on this bipartisan solution and end this craziness. The Democrats objected," McConnell said late Saturday, Roll Call reported. "That won't work forever. If they continue to object, we cannot proceed to a cloture vote until 1 a.m. Monday. "But I assure you," McConnell added, "we will have the vote at 1 a.m. Monday, unless there is a desire to have it sooner." After ending talks Saturday, the Senate planned to reconvene at 1 p.m. Sunday, Roll Call reported. The shutdown kicked in late Friday into Saturday after Senate Democrats blocked a 28-day resolution to keep the government open. The bill would have funded the government, and included a six-year extension of funding for the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP). But Democrats rejected it, as it did not include a legislative fix for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. 'Happy anniversary, Mr. President. You wanted a shutdown. The shutdown is all yours.' Nancy Pelosi That Obama-era program, which offered protection for illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, was repealed by President Donald Trump in September, with a March deadline for Congress to come up with a fix. While separate bipartisan immigration talks had been underway, Democrats demanded a DACA fix as part of the continuing resolution (CR) -- requiring Republicans to try in vain to cobble together the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. The subsequent 50-49 vote broke largely along party lines, with five Republicans voting no, and five Democrats voting yes. On Saturday, although both the House and the Senate were in session, both sides seemed more focused on pushing their respective narratives about who was to blame for the crisis. When McConnell, R-Ky, addressed lawmakers Saturday evening, he urged his Democratic counterpart, Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, to withdraw his filibuster so that members could pass the short-term spending bill and reopen the government. McConnell said the shutdown was not a crisis, but rather a manufactured crisis by the Senate Democrats. Through Day One, Democrats pointed fingers at Republicans, arguing that they could not blame Democrats for the shutdown at a time when the GOP has control of the House, the Senate and the White House. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., took aim at Trump, saying he had earned an F for "failure in leadership." She said Republicans are "so incompetent and negligent that they couldn't get it together to keep the government open." Happy anniversary, Mr. President, Pelosi said. You wanted a shutdown. The shutdown is all yours. Schumer said on the Senate floor that in a White House meeting Friday, he offered Trump funding for a border wall with Mexico in exchange for a DACA fix. He claimed that Trump seemed open to a deal but that the president made further demands hours later that Schumer said were "off the table." Republican leadership can't get its tumultuous president on board with anything, Schumer said. The breakdown of compromise is poisoning this Congress and it all comes down to President Trump. Republicans, for their part, blasted Democrats for what they saw as holding the government hostage over illegal immigration. White House Legislative Affairs Director Marc Short accused Democrats of having a 2-year-old temper tantrum. Trump accused the Democrats of holding our Military hostage over their desire for unchecked illegal immigration. What's more, the White House pushed back against Schumer's account of the Trump meeting. Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said at a briefing that Schumer had in fact offered only $1.8 billion in funding for the wall, far short of the roughly $20 billion Trump wanted. Mulvaney said Schumer still told Trump that he was giving him everything he wanted. Does it even become profitable to work with someone like that? Mulvaney asked reporters. A sign of the bitterness of the blame game came from the White House comments line, where a voicemail blamed Democrats for users being unable to use the line. Thank you for calling the White House, unfortunately, we cannot answer your call today because congressional Democrats are withholding government funding, including funding for our troops and other national security priorities, hostage to an unrelated immigration debate. Due to this obstruction, our government is shut down, the voicemail said. As evening rolled around, there seemed to be little sign of a break. Fox News was told that a Senate Democratic caucus meeting resulted in a caucus more unified and locked in, with Democrats only willing to support a CR that would fund the government for a few days. On the Republican side, Fox News was told that there was a good chance McConnell would try a vote on a CR that would fund the government to Feb. 8 -- less time than the initial 28-day CR. The White House also buckled in, saying it would not negotiate on DACA until the government was funded. The White House position remains the same, that we will not negotiate the status of 690,000 unlawful immigrants while hundreds of millions of taxpaying Americans, including hundreds of thousands of our troops in uniform and border agents protecting our country, are held hostage by Senate Democrats, Short said. Fox News Joseph Weber, Ed Henry, Chad Pergram, Jenny Buchholz and The Associated Press contributed to this report. On the one year anniversary of her husband's inauguration, first lady Melania Trump tweeted a short sentiment of her time in the White House. This has been a year filled with many wonderful moments. Ive enjoyed the people Ive been lucky enough to meet throughout our great country & the world! she wrote Saturday. Over the past year, Melania Trump has kept a relatively low-profile, though the first lady has focused on her anti-cyberbullying campaign shortly after President Trump entered the White House. Speaking at the United Nations in September 2017, Trump advocated for children and addressed cyberbullying. When we join together as parents caring for children, whether they live in our own families, across the street, across the nation, or across the globe, we claim our responsibility to the next generation to ensure they are prepared to accept the torch of leadership for the world of tomorrow," the first lady said during the speech. We must teach each child the values of empathy and communication, she also said, adding that children "are the core of kindness, mindfulness, integrity and leadership." Additionally, the first lady, along with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, visited a middle school in Michigan in October of last year. She spoke to students about bullying and encouraged them to treat each other with respect and compassion. And in November of last year, Trump also visited children in Alaska on her way home from Asia after joining President Trump for most of his first presidential trip to Asia. The first ladys tweet comes amid a government shutdown that began at midnight Friday night. Congress failed to reach an agreement on immigration and spending, leading to the shutdown that has extended into Saturday. The town manager of a small northern Maine community is under fire for promoting white separatist views and making comments critical of Islam, it was reported Saturday. Jackman Town manager Thomas Kawczynksi, 37, says he is the leader of New Albion, a racial segregationist movement that wants to preserve the white majority of northern New England and Atlantic Canada. I am not a white supremacist. I am not a racist, Kawczynski told the Portland Press Herald. What gets me in trouble sometimes is I am a white person who is not ashamed to be white. He told the paper he opposed Islam because it was not compatible with Western culture. The paper interviewed the pastor of First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Portland who said that what Kawczynski was doing was awful. Hes going against everything that is American and what we stand for, the Rev. Christinia Sillari said. He needs to be stopped. Wow, American Civil Liberties Union of Maine legal director Zachary Heiden said in The Bangor Daily News, calling Kawczynski's views shockingly racist. The Bangor Daily News reported Friday that Kawczynski frequently shared his political views on the far-right website GAB and his personal Facebook page. The paper quoted Kawczynski as calling Islam the scourge of Western civilization. Kawczynski told the paper he doesn't run Jackman town affairs in a way that discriminates against anyone. The town, near the Canadian border, has 860 residents. In 2016, he served as town chair for Donald Trumps presidential campaign in a town in New Hampshire, the paper reported. Two members of the Jackman Board of Selectmen told Maine Public Radio they were unaware of Kawczynksi's viewpoints. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The court commuted four other death sentences to life imprisonment in the same case Egypts Court of Cassation upheld Saturday death sentences passed down on three defendants over the murder of a high-ranking police officer in rural Kerdasa town in September 2013 in the aftermath of Islamist president Mohamed Morsis ouster. The court commuted four other death sentences to life imprisonment in the same case. It also confirmed 10-year jail sentences on five others. The defendants were convicted of the September 2013 murder of police officer Nabil Farag as well as the attempted murder of other police officer during a subsequent raid by security forces on terrorist hideouts in Kerdasa. They were also convicted of possessing arms and explosives manufactured to use against the state. Saturdays ruling comes following an appeal against death sentences passed down in the case on seven defendants in September 2016. Kerdasa is known to be a stronghold of the banned Muslim Brotherhood group. Search Keywords: Short link: President Trump blamed Democratic lawmakers for a government shutdown Saturday, accusing them of holding our Military hostage over their demand that a short-term spending bill include protection for illegal immigrants brought to the country as children. Democrats are holding our Military hostage over their desire to have unchecked illegal immigration, he tweeted. Cant let that happen! Earlier in the day, he blasted Democrats for playing Shutdown politics instead of working to make a deal with their counterparts across the aisle. They could have easily made a deal but decided to play Shutdown politics instead, said Trump, who on Saturday officially marked his first year in office. Congress overnight failed to reach an agreement on a temporary spending bill to keep the federal government from running out of money. It has resulted in the temporary shuttering of at least some agencies and services and furloughing some non-essential employees. The GOP-led House passed a temporary spending measure earlier this week but it failed in the Senate, where the Republican Party has just a 51-49 member majority. House and Senate members remain on Capitol Hill this weekend. The House is holding a rare Saturday session, but procedural moves in the Senate will likely mean no final resolution until at least Monday. For those asking, the Republicans only have 51 votes in the Senate, and they need 60, Trump said in another tweet Saturday. That is why we need to win more Republicans in 2018 Election! We can then be even tougher on Crime (and Border), and even better to our Military & Veterans! Republicans have said the stalemate is essentially the result of Democrats wanting the temporary bill to include protections for illegal immigrants brought as children to the United States, considering Trump is winding down Obama-era protections from deportation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Democrats have said Republican proposals have also come up short on funding for such concerns as the opioid crisis and hurricane disaster relief for Puerto Rico. Trump on Saturday also tweeted: This is the One Year Anniversary of my Presidency and the Democrats wanted to give me a nice present. #DemocratShutdown." Fox News Adam Shaw contributed to this report. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Friday that it would revoke an Obama-era legal guidance that discouraged states from defunding organizations, such as Planned Parenthood, that provide abortion services. According to officials who spoke with Reuters, HHS will implement new regulations aimed at protecting health care workers civil rights based on religious and conscience objections. HHS said the changes were necessary after years of the federal government forcing health care workers to provide services like abortion, euthanasia, and sterilization. The Obama-era guidance restricted states ability to take certain actions against family-planning providers that offer abortions, according to a statement by HHS. Medicaid is funded by both state and federal taxes. But under federal law, Medicaid is prohibited from funding abortion services. Abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood receive funding for abortions from other sources. Critics derided the HHS measure as the Trump administrations latest effort to dismantle President Barack Obamas legacy. Friday's HHS announcement coincided with the 45th annual "March for Life." The event is held every year by pro-life protesters on the anniversary of the 1973 Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion across the country. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the latest version of President Trump's controversial travel ban that affects residents of some majority-Muslim countries. The ban applies to people from Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. It also placed limits on people from North Korea and Venezuela. Since the president signed an executive order in January 2017 establishing a ban on travel of people from Muslim-majority nations, it has been a point of contention and challenged in court. Heres a look at the bans journey through the legal system. June 26 Supreme Court upholds ban In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court issued its first substantive ruling on a Trump administration policy on June 26, upholding the travel ban. The court said the president has substantial power to regulate immigration. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion, which was joined by his four conservative colleagues. The sole prerequisite set forth in [federal law] is that the President find that the entry of the covered aliens would be detrimental to the interests of the United States. The President has undoubtedly fulfilled that requirement here, Roberts wrote. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who dissented, said "a reasonable observer would conclude that the Proclamation was motivated by anti-Muslim animus." April 25 Supreme Court hears oral arguments In the last case the justices will hear until October, oral arguments on the travel ban will be delivered before the Supreme Court on April 25. This is the first time the justices are considering whether it violates immigration law or the Constitution. People waited for a seat inside the courtroom for days ahead of the hearing. A decision is expected by June. April 10 Chad removed from travel ban The Trump administration removed Chad from the travel ban because the African country had improved its identity-management and information sharing practices enough, press secretary Sarah Sanders said. It had been included on the list because of an office supply glitch that prevented it from supplying homeland security officials with recent samples of its passports. It was also unable to adequately share public safety and terror-related information with U.S. officials who screen foreigners seeking to enter the country, officials said. March 30 More than a dozen states back lawsuit against ban Washington, D.C. and 16 states backed Hawaiis lawsuit against the travel ban with an amicus brief filed with the Supreme Court. President Trumps discriminatory ban both hurts the families caught up in the chaos of his draconian policies, and undermines our states residents, institutions, businesses and economies, New York Attorney Gen. Eric Schneiderman said in a statement. Jan. 19 Supreme Court announces it will rule on the travel ban The Supreme Court announced on Jan. 19 that it will rule on Trump's controversial travel ban. The justices plan to hear arguments in April and issue a final ruling by late June. Dec. 4 Supreme Court OKs full enforcement of Trump travel ban Handing the White House a huge judicial victory, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Trumps travel ban affecting residents of six majority-Muslim countries. Lower courts had said people from those countries with a "bona fide" relationship with someone in the United States could not be prevented from entry. Grandparents and cousins were among the relatives courts said could not be excluded. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor said they would have left the lower court orders in place. Oct. 17 Federal judge temporarily blocks travel ban U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson granted a request from Hawaii to temporarily block a version of Trump's travel ban, which was supposed to take effect at midnight ET on Oct. 18. Hawaii argued that the revised ban which included citizens from Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria and Yemen, and some Venezuelan government officials and their families was a continuation of Trump's "promise to exclude Muslims from the United States." "Todays dangerously flawed district court order undercuts the Presidents efforts to keep the American people safe and enforce minimum security standards for entry into the United States," the White House said in a statement. "The Department of Justice will vigorously defend the Presidents lawful action." Oct. 10 Supreme Court dismisses one case The Supreme Court didnt take action on a case that originated in Hawaii pertaining to Trumps travel ban and a ban on refugees. However, it did dismiss another case that originated in Maryland. That case involved a ban that has since expired and been replaced with a new one by the administration. Oct. 5 Justice Department asks Supreme Court to drop travel ban case The Department of Justice asked the nations highest court to dismiss the case challenging the administrations travel ban. The administration argued the case should be dismissed because it was regarding a previous travel ban that is now moot. Sept. 24 Trump signs new travel ban As Trumps original ban was set to expire, the president unveiled new restrictions on travel to the U.S. from certain countries citizens. The revised ban included citizens from Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. It also included some government officials from Venezuela. Sept. 12 Supreme Court lifts restrictions The Supreme Court blocked a lower courts decision that would have allowed refugees to enter the country under certain conditions, blocking a ruling that said a resettlement agency counts as a bona fide relationship. Sept. 7 Appeals court limits travel ban The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld a lower court ruling that would allow for more refugees to enter the country despite the ban. The federal court ruled that refugees working with a resettlement agency would be considered to have established an approved bona fide relationship with a contact in the U.S. WHO DOES TRUMPS TRAVEL BAN BLOCK FROM ENTERING THE US? It also expanded the scope of a bona fide relationship to include other family members, such as grandparents and other relatives. July 19 Supreme Court allows for strict enforcement of refugee ban The Supreme Court, temporarily, allowed for the administrations travel ban to keep a strict enforcement on its ban of refugees. It did, however, leave in place the court order that made it easier for travelers from the six Muslim-majority countries to enter the U.S. and allowed a previous expansion of bona fide relationships to stay. July 13 Federal judge expands scope of travel ban U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson, in Hawaii, ruled that a bona fide relationship certain travelers need before entering the U.S. could be expanded to include grandparents and other relatives. The Justice Department filed an emergency request with the Supreme Court for clarification. June 29 Travel ban goes into effect After the Supreme Courts ruling, the Trump administration issued guidance on who would be allowed into the country and who would be barred. June 26 Supreme Court allows for travel ban to continue The Supreme Court announced it would allow Trump to forge ahead with a limited version of his travel ban. Trump hailed the decision as a victory for national security. HAWAII GETS CHANCE TO MAKE CASE FOR FIGHTING 3RD TRAVEL BAN The court said it would hear arguments in October, but until then, the ban on travelers from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen could be enforced if the visitors lacked a credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States. May 25 Travel ban blocked by federal court The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Virginia blocked the travel ban from being implemented. It had begun to hear the case earlier in May. We remain unconvinced [the ban] has more to do with national security than it does with effectuating the Presidents promised Muslim ban," the court said at the time. March 30 Trump administration appeals ruling The Department of Justice filed an appeal with the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to challenge the ruling against the travel ban. March 29 Federal judge continues to block travel ban U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson granted a request to continue to halt the travel ban. March 16 Another federal judge temporarily blocks the order Sitting in Maryland, U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang temporarily halted the executive order. The injunction was not as comprehensive as the one issued earlier in Hawaii, but it did contend that the ban was discriminatory toward Muslims. The order did not change the previous injunction in Hawaii, but rather just reinforced it. March 15 Federal judge blocks travel ban U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson prevented the travel ban from being implemented just before it was set to take effect. Watson granted the state of Hawaiis request for a temporary restraining order. Trump called the decision an unprecedented judicial overreach. March 8 Hawaii sues to block the travel ban The state of Hawaii sued in an attempt to halt the Trump administrations travel ban from going into effect. Lawyers said the new executive order is resulting in the establishment of religion in the State of Hawaii contrary to its state Constitution. Lawyers also argued that the ban would damage Hawaiis economy, educational institutions and tourism industry; and it is subjecting a portion of the states citizens to second-class treatment and discrimination, while denying all Hawaii residents the benefits of an inclusive and pluralistic society. March 6 Trump unveils new travel ban Trump signed a new executive order which barred travel from six predominantly Muslim countries for 90 days removing Iraq from the new ban. The new order also exempted permanent residents and current visa holders from the travel ban. Syrian refugees were still included in the new order but only for 120 instead of indefinitely. Feb. 15 Trumps travel ban gets a defender Texas Attorney Ken Paxton split with other states and defended the travel ban as he filed documents with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit asking to reconsider a decision blocking the ban. Paxton argued that the order is a legal exercise of presidential authority. Feb. 13 Federal judge grants injunction against ban A federal judge in Virginia granted an injunction to prevent the administration from implementing the ban. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema said the ban was unconstitutional as it had a religious bias. Feb. 9 Travel ban is again blocked The travel bans suspension was upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in a unanimous decision. MUSLIM ADVOCATES, LEGAL ORG FILES SUITS OVER TRAVEL BAN Those judges were Michelle Friedland, appointed by former President Barack Obama; Richard Clifton, appointed by former President George W. Bush; and William Canby, appointed by former President Jimmy Carter. The court began to hear arguments from the Justice Department and lawyers from the states of Washington and Maryland in opposition to the ban on Feb. 7. Feb. 6 Justice Department asks federal court to intervene The Justice Department filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit asking it to intervene and reverse a previous judges decision to halt the travel ban. Sixteen attorneys general filed an amicus brief in support of the lawsuit against the travel ban. Those included: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Feb. 3 Judge declines to extend injunction against travel ban U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton did not extend a temporary injunction against the administrations travel ban. But U.S. District Judge James Robart in Seattle did issue a temporary block of the ban on the same day. The state has met its burden in demonstrating immediate and irreparable injury, Robart said as he ruled in favor of lawyers from the states of Washington and Minnesota. Feb. 1 Administration tweaks travel ban The Trump administration tweaked its travel ban to exempt legal permanent residents of the U.S. AFGHAN GIRLS ROBOTICS TEAM ARRIVES IN US JUST IN TIME They no longer need a waiver because if they are a legal permanent resident, they wont need it anymore, then-White House press secretary Sean Spicer said of green card holders. Jan. 30 Senate Republicans save travel ban from Democrats Senate Republicans squashed an effort by Democrats to overturn the executive order. When Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. sought a vote on legislation to reverse the ban, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., objected. Trump also fired acting Attorney Gen. Sally Yates on this day when she refused to defend the travel ban. Jan. 29 Temporary stay issued on travel ban A Boston federal court temporarily put Trumps travel ban on hold for one week. The ruling stipulated that previously approved refugees, valid visa holders and lawful permanent residents or travelers from the seven countries included in Trumps order could not be detained or removed from the U.S. because of the executive order. Jan. 28 Federal judge issues emergency injunction against ban A federal judge in New York issued an emergency order blocking, in part, the executive order. U.S. District Judge Ann Donnellys ruling temporarily barred the U.S. from deporting people who arrived with a valid visa or who had already completed a refugee application. As dozens of people were detained after their planes landed in the U.S., massive protests erupted at airports nationwide. Jan. 27 Trump signs executive order barring travel from seven Muslim-majority nations Trump signed an executive order which immediately barred entry into the U.S. for the citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The order, dubbed Protection the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States, also halted the U.S. refugee program for 120 days, but indefinitely barred all Syrian refugees from entering the country. Fox News' Barnini Chakraborty, Bill Mears and The Associated Press contributed to this report. WARNING: ARTICLE CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES A dolphin was found washed up on an Australian beach after apparently choking to death on a large octopus. A study published in Marine Mammal Science stated Gilligan, the name scientists gave to the dead male Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, was the first known cetacean to die from asphyxiation by octopus, Nahiid Stephens, the leader of the study, called the dolphin greedy for swallowing the large octopus whole. Stephens is a pathologist employed at Murdoch University in Perth, Australia. "It really was a huge octopus, I just kept pulling and pulling and thought, 'My God! It's still coming,'" Stephens told National Geographic. The pathologist said one of its tentacles was 4.2 feet long. DISABLED HEDGEHOG RECEIVES HYDROTHERAPY TREATMENT Stephens did a post-mortem on Gilligan in Aug. 2015 to find out what happened to the cetacean and found the clever octopus was able to latch on to the dolphins larynx which stopped him from breathing correctly. Gilligan was discovered with some of the octopus hanging out of its mouth. "That octopus might have been, in theory, dead, but the sucker was still functional," Stephens said. Kate Sprogis, of Murdoch University, said octopus is not easy prey to just swallow. Sprogis said she watched dolphins eating octopi and saw the cetaceans were able to break up the mollusks by tossing it in the air, tearing it apart into small pieces. "It's quite energetically demanding for the dolphins, Sprogis said. She believes octopi may be highly nutritious. RACCOON CAUGHT BREAKING INTO TENNESSEE CELL PHONE STORE Sprogis said these dolphins, unlike Gilligan, broke up the octopus which allowed them to eat and digest it properly. He (Gilligan) obviously didn't toss it enough, and got a bit cocky and swallowed it," Sprogis said. Stephens said Gilligans death helped scientists to learn about animals and their biology. "These opportunities dont come up that often," Stephens said. "So the more we can visualize these individuals after the unfortunate, tragic event of their death, the better it is." Passengers on a British Airways flight left in shock after their pilot was removed from the cockpit amid fears he was drunk. The Sun newspaper reported Saturday that police rushed on the plane and headed straight for the cockpit. The first officer was cuffed and led away. Airline workers reportedly alerted police before the 11-hour flight from Gatwick to Mauritius on Thursday after smelling booze. Sussex police told the Associated Press that a 49-year-old man from west London was arrested on suspicion of performing an aviation function when the level of alcohol was over the proscribed limit. The flight departed several hours late after another crew member joined the flight. The airline apologized for the delay and said in a statement Saturday that it was "taking this matter extremely seriously and are assisting the police with their inquiries." The Associated Press contributed to this report. A woman with a history of sneaking aboard planes slipped past security at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport this week and was flying to London when the airline realized she didn't have a ticket. Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi says Marilyn Hartman was flown back to Chicago on Thursday night and taken into custody once she arrived. She's charged with felony theft and a misdemeanor count of criminal trespassing. Guglielmi says Hartman this week got through a federal Transportation Security Administration checkpoint at a domestic terminal without a ticket before taking a shuttle to the international terminal. A day later she boarded a British Airways flight. The 66-year-old Hartman has attempted several times to board planes without a ticket. In 2016, she was sentenced in Chicago to six months of house arrest and placed on two years of mental health probation. Lawmakers from California have proposed a bill that would compel companies making more than $1 million to turn over half their tax-cut savings to the state in order to fund programs that support low-income and middle-class families. Assembly members Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento, and Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, have proposed an Assembly Constitutional Amendment that would enact a tax surcharge on California companies, in order to help people who have been negatively affected by the GOPs tax overhaul, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Critics of the tax overhaul have argued that a tax-heavy state like California will be hurt by declining revenues that pay for social programs, the Chronicle reported. The tax surcharge is a way of compensating for an anticipated loss in state revenue. Trumps tax reform plan was nothing more than a middle-class tax increase, Ting said in a statement. It is unconscionable to force working families to pay the price for tax breaks and loopholes benefiting corporations and wealthy individuals. This bill will help blunt the impact of the federal tax plan on everyday Californians by protecting funding for education, affordable health care, and other core priorities. In order to pass, the bill needs approval from two-thirds of the California Legislature from which the Democrats have recently lost their supermajority, the Chronicle reported. From there, the bill would be signed by Gov. Jerry Brown before going to the voters for final approval. Click here for more from the San Francisco Chronicle. Correction: An earlier version of this article misspelled Kevin McCartys name as McCarthy. Authorities in Florida say a woman arrested for killing and dismembering her ex-boyfriend may be linked to another, 10-year-old case. The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports that 67-year-old Nelci Tetley is a person of interest in the 2007 case of Michael Scot Louis, whose chopped-up body was found in garbage bags along the Tomoka River. Tetley was arrested Thursday and charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of 55-year-old Jeffrey Albertsman. Daytona Beach police officers found Albertsman's body six months ago. He'd been shot in the head, and his arms and legs were missing. Albertsman's arms and legs were found about 10 miles from where Louis' body was discovered a decade earlier. It was unclear if Tetley had retained legal counsel. ___ Information from: Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal, http://www.news-journalonline.com It's been nearly 11 years since retired FBI agent Robert Levinson disappeared while investigating a cigarette smuggling ring on Kish Island off the coast of Iran in the Persian Gulf. When the Obama administration negotiated the release of five American hostages in January 2016 coinciding with the implementation of the landmark nuclear deal, Levinson was not among them. In 2011, his captors released a proof of life video. "Please help me get home. 33 years of service to the United States deserves something. Please help me," pleaded Levinson. One of Levinsons sons wonders why his father was not among the Americans released two years ago. My father was left behind and in an agreement where there was a prisoner swap in the culmination and finalization of the Iran nuclear deal, said David Levinson in an interview with Fox News. His family had high hopes when President Trump announced that unless all the Americans were released from Iran the Islamic republic would face new sanctions. We are hoping that if President Trump, if he's listening, can apply the appropriate pressure because we know that if he makes this a priority, his skills in negotiation, his willingness to push for these issues can bring him home, Levinson added. In July days after the two-year anniversary of the nuclear deal with Iran, the White House issued a statement, American Citizens Unjustly Detained in Iran. Levinson was named along with three other Americans, Xiyue Wang and Siamak and Baquer Namazi. "President Trump is prepared to impose new and serious consequences on Iran unless all unjustly imprisoned American citizens are released and returned," according to the statement. After testifying to Congress last year alongside the families of other American hostages, Levinson's wife, Christine, appealed directly to the Iranian government. "Bob I will continue to do everything I can to bring you home alive so our family can be whole again. We love you and miss you every day," she said while seated next to her son, David Levinson, in a video for the Iranians. The family maintains a Facebook page urging anyone with information to come forward. Still imprisoned Robert Levinson is just one of nearly 20 known American hostages who remain in captivity or imprisoned by hostile regimes. Siamak Namazi, an Iranian-American businessman, was nabbed while visiting his family in October 2015, three months after the Iran nuclear deal was signed. His father, Baquer, a former UNICEF diplomat, was arrested in February 2016 after the Iranian authorities granted him permission to visit his son in the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran. "My father, Baquer Namazi, was lured back to Iran from a brief trip abroad by the promise of seeing Siamak, but instead he was also detained," said another son, Babak, during congressional testimony last July. Now both are behind bars. Namazi's father is 81 years old. Iran also detained Xiyue Wang, an American grad student from Princeton who was conducting research for his Ph.D. dissertation. His wife, Hua Qu, and 4-year-old son live in New Jersey and are trying to remain strong thinking of him suffering in Iran's Evin Prison. "He has done nothing wrong. He is completely innocent. This is a tragic mistake for him and my family," Qu said in an interview with Fox News from China. He is a history nerd. He is not a spy." He was doing this research only because he grew a long standing respect for Islam and his love of history, she added. I hope the U.S. government can bring Iran to a dialogue to resolve my husbands case as quickly as possible to bring him home ... before my sons fifth birthday. Qu said she receives daily calls from prison, where he has been held for over 18 months. She said her husband complains of bed bugs and is deprived of sleep because of the very poor conditions. More than a dozen others There are more than a dozen other Americans held in North Korea, Turkey, Afghanistan, Syria, Mali, and Yemen and Venezuela. Gholamrez "Reza" Shahini, Karan Vafadari and Nizar Zakka are three other Americans being held in Iran. North Korea is still holding a 62-year old missionary from Virginia, Kim Dong Chul, and two American professors, Kim Sang-duk and Kim Hak Song, who were teaching inside the rogue communist regime. In Turkey, American pastor Andrew Brunson of North Carolina is being held by the Turkish government along with a NASA scientist arrested on vacation, Serkan Golge, who was arrested in July 2016. In Afghanistan, American University professor Kevin King is still being held by the Taliban. American writer Paul Overby was captured three years ago. Journalist and former U.S. Marine Austin Tice is thought to be held by the Syrian regime. He's been missing nearly five years. In Mali, aid worker Jeffry Woodke was taken hostage by Al-Qaeda in 2016. And Danny Burch, an oil worker from East Texas, was abducted at gunpoint in Yemen in September. Pleading for help Laurie Holt's son, Josh, a Morman missionary from Utah, is imprisoned by the Venezuelan government on trumped-up charges of weapons smuggling. I'm very dizzy and I can't think and my stomach hurts me, superbad, I really don't know what to do, her son told his mother in a recorded telephone call. Joshs mother is pleading for help and made a video appeal to President Trump after he was elected. "President Trump, my son's only crime was being an American citizen," she said. Her 25-year old son went to Venezuela to get married. He and his wife have been held by the authorities as a political bargaining chip for more than a year. His mother spoke recently to Fox News Channels Shannon Bream. "Josh sounds like he's on his deathbed to me. That is not my Josh, it's his voice but he is pleading for help and I don't know how else to get him, I hope that to go to the public and put the pressure on our government to do something, do something more than what you have done so far, because obviously, it's not working," she said. The case has the attention of Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. "So far we've struck out we are doing everything we possibly can to get him out of there. His parents are wonderful, humble people. We're still working on it, but we've had a lack of success, he told Fox News this week on Capitol Hill. Data remain classified The U.S. government will not publically disclose the number of American citizens being held hostage and the data remain classified over security concerns. Some of the cases have not been made public. The State Department says it has successfully aided the release of nearly 200 hostages since 2015. The U.S. government currently has less than 20 active cases that fall under the authority of PPD 30 (Presidential Policy Directive --Hostage Recovery Activities put in place in June 2015), said State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert. The Americans are being held by terrorist groups, criminal organizations, as well as regime states. After James Foley was executed by ISIS in a gruesome video released to the public in August 2014, then-President Obama ordered a review of U.S. hostage policy, which led to the directive a year later. But some officials working the hostage issue for years are frustrated that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has not named a new hostage envoy. The position has been vacant for nearly a year. Two Americans and two Canadians who were kidnapped in Nigeria's north-central Kaduna state on Tuesday have been freed and are in good condition, police said Saturday. Police and a special anti-kidnapping squad rescued the foreigners in the Kagarko local government area Friday night after a massive manhunt, state police commissioner Agyole Abeh said. "No ransom was paid. It was the efforts of the police through the directives of the Inspector General of Police that led to their release," he said. One suspect was arrested in connection with the kidnapping and police were on the trail of remaining suspects, Abeh said. The foreigners have been taken to the capital, Abuja, Kaduna state police spokesman Mukhtar Aliyu said. "They are in good condition but due to trauma they have to undergo medical observation." Aliyu said. Gunmen ambushed the foreigners Tuesday as they traveled from Kafanchan in Kaduna state to Abuja. Two police escorts were killed in what police called a "fierce gun battle." The Americans and Canadians have not been publicly identified. Aliyu earlier said they are investors setting up solar stations in villages around Kafanchan. Kidnapping for ransom is common in Nigeria, especially on the Kaduna to Abuja highway. Two German archaeologists were seized at gunpoint last year less than 100 kilometers (60 miles) northeast of Abuja and later freed unharmed. Sierra Leone's deputy high commissioner was taken at gunpoint on the highway in 2016 and held for five days before he was let go. Victims typically are released unharmed after ransom is paid, though security forces have rescued a few high-profile abductees. A number of bandits, including herdsmen, have been arrested. Egyptian President Adbel-Fattah El-Sisi told US Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday that only negotiations based on a two-state solution can end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, six weeks after President Donald Trump's announcement that the US recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital. El-Sisi made his comments during Pence's brief visit to Cairo at the start of a three-nation Mideast tour that includes stops in Jordan and Israel. In a meeting with Pence, El-Sisi affirmed Egypt's "firm position on the Palestinian issue," pointing out that the "settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will only be achieved through negotiations based on the two-state solution," El-Sisi's spokesman Bassam Rady said. The Egyptian leader added that "Egypt would spare no effort to support this." Pence told reporters after the meeting that El-Sisi described his opposition to Trump's decision as a "disagreement between friends," Reuters quoted him as saying. Pence assured El- Sisi that the United States was committed to preserving the status quo regarding holy sites in Jerusalem and had come to no final resolution on boundaries for the two parties, according to Reuters. El-Sisi reiterated Cairo's support for the right of the Palestinian people to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital. During the talks, Pence pledged firm US support for Cairo's fight against extremists. "We stand shoulder to shoulder with you and Egypt in fighting against terrorism," Pence was quoted as saying. The US VP pointed to President Donald Trump's efforts to strengthen ties with Egypt in his first year in office, "after a time when our countries seemed to be drifting apart," according to Reuters. El-Sisi hailed longstanding strategic ties between Cairo and Washington, saying they are "one of the pillars of stability in the Middle East." The Egyptian president discussed the tough economic reform measures the Egyptian government is implementing to shore up the country's economy, inviting major US companies to take part in key development projects being carried out. Pence left Cairo to meet Jordan's King Abdullah II, a close US ally who has rejected Trump's move on Jerusalem, in Amman on Sunday. Pence is traveling to Israel later on Sunday. He told reporters that Washington "is deeply committed to restarting the peace process in the Middle East." Trump's December decision to move the US embassy in Israel prompted an outcry from Palestinians, Middle East leaders and the wider international community, setting off protests in the occupied territories and across the region. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has warned that the United States can no longer play any role in future peace negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis. Officials from Arab countries and several world powers have insisted that the final status of Jerusalem should only be determined through negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis. Search Keywords: Short link: Despite previous reports that a Canadian billionaire and his wife died in a murder-suicide, a private investigation has reached another conclusion: that Barry and Honey Sherman were allegedly killed in a double-homicide. Barry Sherman, 75 and the CEO of a generic drug company called Apotex, and his philanthropic wife, Honey Sherman, 70, were found dead in their home north of Toronto in December. The CEO was allegedly worth nearly $5 billion at the time of his death, according to the Toronto Star. Shortly after, Toronto police began investigating their deaths as a possible murder-suicide. Now, the Toronto Star is reporting the Shermans may have been murdered in a contract killing, citing new evidence from a private family investigation that included a second autopsy that was conducted shortly before the funeral. Both Shermans died by ligature neck compression a first autopsy of the bodies concluded. And initial reports said that the couple died by hanging. But the new autopsy determined that mens leather belts were reportedly used strangle the couple and also determined that they did not die by hanging. The couple were reportedly found seated at the side of the pool at their house. They were facing away from the pool, according to the Toronto Star. The remaining end of each belt tied around their necks was then looped around a low railing that surrounds the pool, in order to hold the couple in place, according to the paper. The second autopsy of their bodies determined that each persons wrists were possibly tied together at some point, according to the Toronto Star, though their hands were not bound at the time the bodies were found. Sources also told the Star that the couple were most likely strangled before being tied to the railing. Despite the evidence from the familys private investigation, the Shermans deaths continued to be classified as suspicious, Mark Pugash, a spokesman for the Toronto Police Department, told the Toronto Star. He declined to comment further on the private investigation findings. Security forces battled four gunmen who stormed the popular western-style Intercontinental Hotel in the Afghan capital Kabul Saturday and seized hostages as staff and guests fled and the building erupted in flames. Afghan ministry spokesman Najib Danish told reporters the hotel came under attack around 9 p.m. local time but could not provide additional details. Nasrat Rahimi, a deputy spokesman for the Interior Ministry, confirmed that there were four attackers. One was killed by Afghan security forces and three others are still battling the forces from inside the hotel, he added. He only said three people are reported wounded so far, but that the number of casualties might rise. Hotel manager Ahmad Haris Nayab, who managed to escape unhurt, said the attackers had managed to get inside and people were fleeing amid bursts of gunfire on all sides, Reuters reported. The wire service reported that there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, the latest in a long series to have hit Kabul. U.S. officials in Kabul told Fox News the hotel was on fire as security forces and the gunman exchanged gunfire. They said that based on initial reports, there were no U.S. troops or civilians hurt in the attack. "We are aware of the fire and developing security situation at the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul," said Capt. Tom Gresback, a U.S. military spokesman in Kabul. "Afghan National Defense and Security Forces are leading the response efforts. According to initial reports, no Resolute Support or USFOR-A members were injured in this incident." Local media reported "insurgents" had entered the building and were holding people hostage. TOLONews reported heavy gunfire was ongoing. An official at the Afghan spy agency told Agence France Presse that the attackers were "shooting at guests." A guest hiding in his room in the hotel told AFP he could hear gunfire. "I don't know if the attackers are inside the hotel but I can hear gunfire from somewhere near the first floor," he said without giving his name. "We are hiding in our rooms. I beg the security forces to rescue us as soon as possible before they reach and kill us." More than 100 IT managers and engineers were on site when the attack occurred, Ahmad Waheed, an official at the telecommunications ministry, said, according to Reuters. On Thursday, the U.S. embassy in Kabul issued a warning to U.S. citizens, saying ``We are aware of reports that extremist groups may be planning an attack against hotels in Kabul,'' Reuters reported. This is the second time the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul has been attacked. In 2011, eight Taliban insurgents stormed the hotel, setting off explosions and exchanging gunfire with authorities for hours until pressure from Afghan snipers and a NATO helicopter forced three of the remaining bombers to blow themselves up. Eleven Afghan civilians -- all Intercontinental workers -- were killed, along with two policemen. Thirteen others were wounded, but none of the hotels guests were killed. Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Across the world, people were coming together and hitting the streets on Saturday -- the one-year anniversary of President Trumps inauguration -- marching against his policies and in support of the #MeToo movement against sexual assault and harassment. Protests in New York, Washington, D.C., and Rome were among the more than 200 such actions planned for the weekend. As people gathered in Washington for demonstrations, House and Senate members remained on Capitol Hill this weekend in hopes of reaching a spending agreement and ending a nascent government shutdown. President Donald Trump Tweeted midday Saturday showing his support for the Womens March, encouraging participants to celebrate the historic milestones and unprecedented economic success and wealth creation that has taken place over the last 12 months. In Rome earlier Saturday, dozens of activists gathered to denounce violence against women and express support for #MeToo. They were joined by Italian actress and director Asia Argento, who was one of the first women to come forward with allegations against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. (She alleged that the now-disgraced Hollywood producer sexually assaulted her in the 1990s.) WOMENS MARCH WILL FOCUS ON VOTER REGISTRATION, ELECTING MORE WOMEN, ORGANIZERS SAY People also gathered in Osaka, Japan; Frankfurt, Germany; and Kampala, Uganda, for boisterous demonstrations. Last year in Washington, at least 470,000 people attended the womens march there and in the areas surrounding it, The New York Times reported. The rally was likely the largest single-day demonstration recorded in U.S. history, The Washington Post reported. This year, organizers in New York said nearly 85,000 people had registered to march. Scheduled speakers included Ashley Bennett, a Democrat who was elected Atlantic County, N.J., freeholder last November. Bennett defeated Republican incumbent John Carman, who had mocked the 2017 women's march in Washington with a Facebook post asking whether the women would be home in time to cook dinner. Womens March Global, the organizers of last years march in D.C., said this year they would be holding a major rally in the Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas. Linda Sarsour, one of the four organizers of last years march, said they decided to hold the rally in Las Vegas because its a strategic swing state. The rally last year focused on peoples response to Trumps White House win. This years rally will focus on voter registration, and on inspiring more women to run for public office. Bob Bland, one of the organizations national co-chairs, echoed Sarsour, stating that Las Vegas was a strategic place in which to hold the rally. It was more important for us to create an event somewhere strategic to reflect the work that needed to be done in 2018. And Nevada is an example of a battleground state that went for Hillary Clinton and went blue in 2016 for the first time, she told NPR. PUSSY HATS BEING DROPPED FROM WOMENS MARCH ANNIVERSARY EVENTS In addition to the Womens March co-chairs, Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood; Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev.; Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga.; Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas; Alicia Garza, co-founder of Black Lives Matter; and actress Marisa Tomei are slated to speak at the Vegas event. Peggy Taylor, a New York City tour guide, told The Associated Press she was discouraged to have to march again in order to get her point across. "I'd be lying if I said that I'm not dispirited and discouraged over having to march yet again to register our opposition to this disastrous first year of the Trump presidency," Taylor said. "I know that we have a long slog ahead of us to undo the damage that this man has inflicted, she continued. Ann Dee Allen of Wisconsin participated in the New York City protest. I feel differently about it this year, Allen told The New York Times. Last year, I just felt kind of angry and impassioned. This year, I feel like Im in it for the long haul. Fox News' Madeline Farber and the Associated Press contributed to this report. next Image 1 of 2 prev Image 2 of 2 Spain's maritime rescue service says it has saved 56 migrants trying to make the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean Sea from Africa to European shores. The service says two boats were intercepted by its search craft Saturday morning. One boat was carrying 23 men in the Strait of Gibraltar. A second boat with 33 men of sub-Saharan origin was located east of the Strait near Alboran Island. Europe's border watchdog said Friday that 22,880 migrants had arrived in Spain last year by sea, up from 10,231 in 2016. It also warned it expects the number of migrants using the western Mediterranean route to Europe to increase this year. The International Organization for Migration says 2,583 migrants entered Europe by sea this year through Wednesday, and 199 others died en route. next Image 1 of 2 prev Image 2 of 2 Former Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic, considered the main architect of a decade of bloody wars in the Balkans, is not the first person who comes to mind when thinking about subjects for a possible musical. And it may not even be a full musical, but a drama that mixes theatrical forms. Its author describes it as "a documentary drama with singing." Belgrade playwright Jelena Bogavac says the aim of "Lift: The Slobodan Show" is not to deliver historic truths about Milosevic the man who drove Serbia into international isolation and died while on trial for genocide at a U.N. war crimes court but to tackle an important period in Serbia's history. She says the project deals with Milosevic's era in power as well as the lives of ordinary people in the former Serbian province of Kosovo, where he waged a bloody crackdown against ethnic Albanian separatists in 1998-99. It will combine historic events, personal moments between Milosevic and his wife Mirjana Markovic and real-life stories of the actors, most of who come from Kosovo. "By speaking about Sloba and Mira, we sought to frame up a problem of all our generations, being born, growing up and growing old as a result of the 1990s," Bogavac told The Associated Press. Though still in its early stages, the project already has stirred public interest in Serbia, where people remain divided over Milosevic's historic role and where his ex-allies have returned to power. It will be directed by Nenad Todorovic, a Serb from Kosovo. Set to open in the Kosovo Serb town of Gracanica in March, the play is likely also to raise controversy there. Serbia does not recognize Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence and ethnic tensions there still persist. More than 10,000 people died in Kosovo during the conflict, mostly ethnic Albanians. Apart from the warmongering, Milosevic's rule in Serbia in the 1990s also brought sharp economic decline, international sanctions and a crackdown against political opponents. Bogavac says she wanted to contrast the "authoritarianism" of Serbia's political scene at the time with the couple's "melodramatic" love for one another. "The turn of a drama into, not satire but a political tragedy, is what is so interesting here theatrically," she said. The tale of Milosevic and his wife is seen through both historic situations and private conversations. While focused on the late 1990s during the bloodshed in Kosovo, the play also relates to the period after Milosevic's ouster in a popular revolution in 2000 and his subsequent U.N. war crimes trial, where Milosevic died of a heart attack in 2006. It does not deal with Serbia's wars under Milosevic in Croatia and in Bosnia, where over 100,000 people were killed in years of fighting in the early 1990s. With weeks of rehearsals ahead, the cast ran through the script Friday in a Belgrade cafe, including a scene in which Milosevic realizes he is going to be arrested in 2001. Actor Dejan Cicmilovic said the audience shouldn't expect him to copy Milosevic's looks or voice but rather his character. "Playing historic individuals carries a lot of responsibility," he said. Ivana Kovacevic, who plays Milosevic's wife, fled her home in Kosovo's capital of Pristina in 1999, when NATO bombed Serbia to end the bloodshed in Kosovo. "The text seems tragi-comical, but there is so much more underneath," Kovacevic said. "The period of the 1990s that we are playing is full of emotions, unfortunately many more bad ones than good ones ... that period left me without my home, my friends and many of my dreams." Turkey's military says it has retaliated against fire into Turkey from across the border in a Kurdish-controlled enclave in northwest Syria. A brief military statement said Saturday the military responded to two days of "harassment" by attacking refugee and shelters in the enclave of Afrin allegedly belonging to a Syrian Kurdish militia group that Turkey considers to be a "terror" organization. The military did not provide details. Turkey has vowed to launch a ground operation into Afrin to eradicate the threat from the group it says is an extension of Kurdish rebels fighting inside Turkey. It has been massing troops and tanks at its border. Turkey's defense minister said Thursday the offensive into Afrin had "de facto" started, in reference to sporadic Turkish military shelling of the area. A U.S. Navy warship sailed close to a contested reef west of the Philippines this week, drawing the ire of Beijing which issued a statement Saturday accusing the U.S. of trespassing in its territorial waters. China has laid claim to the reef for more than five years. The incident took place Wednesday, two days before Defense Secretary Jim Mattis unveiled a new strategy calling China and Russia the biggest threats to the U.S., not terrorism. Mattis said the U.S. military advantage over Beijing and Moscow is eroding. A U.S. official confirmed the operation to Fox News saying it was merely innocent passage when the USS Hopper, a guided-missile destroyer, sailed within 12 nautical miles of the uninhabited reef, Scarborough Shoal. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said expressed dissatisfaction with the U.S. action and China would take necessary measures to firmly safeguard its sovereignty, the South China Morning Post reported. Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said a Chinese missile frigate moved to identify and verify the U.S. vessel and warned it to leave the area, according to the Associated Press. We hope that the U.S. respects Chinas sovereignty, respects the efforts by regional countries and do not make trouble out of nothing, Wu said. "The United States conducts routine and regular FONOPs (Freedom of Navigation Operations), as we have done in the past and will continue to do so in the future, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Nicole Schwegman said Saturday. We have a comprehensive FONOP program under which U.S. forces challenge excessive maritime claims across the globe to demonstrate our commitment to uphold the rights, freedoms and lawful uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all nations under international law. FONOPs are not about any one country, nor are they about making political statements. FONOPS are designed to comply with international law and not threaten the lawful security interest of coastal States." Twelve nautical miles from land is the internationally recognized territorial limit for all nations. But since the international community doesnt recognize many claims by China in the South China Sea, including its claim to the Scarborough Shoal, the U.S. demonstrates its displeasure with China by conducting freedom of navigation operations with Navy warships. Unlike some of Chinas man-made islands elsewhere in the South China Sea, Scarborough Shoal is uninhabited and does not have a runway or any military fortifications. But the intelligence community has been watching the island for years as Chinese survey teams and dredging equipment have been seen lurking around the reef. The South China Sea has crucial shipping lanes, rich fishing grounds and potential oil, gas and other mineral deposits. China claims virtually the entire South China Sea and has carried out extensive land reclamation work on many of the islands and reefs it claims, equipping some with airstrips and military installations. The United States does not claim territory in the South China Sea but has declared it has a national interest in ensuring that the territorial disputes there are resolved peacefully in accordance with international law. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The case against a Richmond man charged with shooting into a van in an apparent road rage incident advanced to Caroline County Circuit Court on Friday. Khaliyl Vernoid Williams faces four felonies stemming from a Nov. 12, 2016, incident on U.S. 1 in Caroline, according to court records. The 20-year-old Williams has been incarcerated without bond since his arrest in October, nearly a year after the reported incident. On Friday in Caroline General District Court, the victim, a Maryland man, testified that he was driving his van on U.S. 1 near State Route 207 when he and another car, a black sedan, nearly crashed. He said the car, with four or five people in it, pulled up to him after the near crash and the driver cursed at him and he cursed back. The man said he then sped off, but the car caught up to him. That, he said, is when the driver started firing a gun at him. "I could have been killed," the man said. He said there were "bullet holes from back to front" of his van after the encounter. He added that one bullet was pulled from a seat in the van. The man said the van was totaled but he continues to drive it. After the gunshots were fired, the man said the other car sped off. No arrests were made initially. But, just less than a year later, on Oct. 10, a Henrico County police officer stopped a car being driven by Williams. During a search of the car police found a gun. Ballistic tests matched the gun to shell casings found at the scene of the road rage shooting. The victim also identified Williams in a photo lineup, according to a detective with the Caroline Sheriff's Office. The evidence led to Williams' arrest on charges of maliciously shooting at a car, assault, destruction of property and using a firearm in a felony. Fredericksburg's annual gun give-back event, which was postponed due to weather, has been rescheduled for Jan. 27. Area residents can voluntarily turn in unwanted guns between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Fredericksburg Police Headquarters, 2200 Cowan Blvd. The guns should be unloaded and stored in the trunk of their vehicle. An officer will meet them in the parking lot and retrieve the weapons. No questions will be asked. City Councilman Chuck Frye Jr. approached the city about creating a program because he had lost friends to gun violence. Over the last four years, 131 firearms have been collected at the event. All firearms turned over to the police will be either rendered safe and destroyed or donated to the Virginia Department of Forensic Science for research purposes. Ammunition will not be accepted. Although members of the Orange County School Board were hoping Dr. Brenda Tanner might stay at least one more year, the popular superintendent of schools will retire June 30 after four years at the helm. We were all hoping she would stick around for quite some time. We all really dont want her to leave, said Sherrie Page, chair of the school board and District 2 representative. However, Page said, she appreciated Tanners decision to give the current board the opportunity to select the next superintendent. With three seats up for grabs in the next election, Page said Tanner made it clear she wanted the job of selecting her successor to fall to an experienced board. Page lauded Tanner for her role in ensuring that all nine of the countys public schools are fully accredited and meet or exceed state benchmarks in Standards of Learnin scores. She also praised the superintendent for spearheading the 3E Program (Engaged & Energized Education) and helping strengthen Orange County High Schools career and technical education program. Tanner, 64, said she considered a one-year extension of her contract. But once she decided to retire this year, she let members of the board know quickly: I did not want to wait any longer because I wanted to give them as much time as possible to develop a plan and put it in place. The board accepted her retirement at its meeting on Jan. 8 and will now begin the process of choosing her successor. With the school board scheduled to meet Tuesday afternoon, after deadline, Page said she and her fellow representatives would be deciding whether to hire the Virginia School Board Association to coordinate the search. She said the board also would decide whether to poll school staff, parents and the community on the qualities they would like to see in the next superintendent. In the days after Tanners retirement plans became official, school board members joined Page in expressing their admiration for Tanner. District 1 representative Carol Couch said, I have observed that she works long hours every day, is always out in our schools, out in our community explaining issues, listening to others about their concerns. She reacts quickly and nips problems in the bud. She sets goals and works with many players, making each feel appreciated and valued. She leads by example, she teaches and explains to improve understanding; she is always professional. Commenting on Tanners legacy, Couch said, As Dr. Tanner is the first female school superintendent Orange County has ever had, I think her legacy will be to both men and women in our community that a woman can be a strong effective leader, inspiring women to leadership roles and making men more accustomed to female leadership. Jim Hopkins of District 5 said Tanner has raised the bar as to what is expected of a superintendent. She leads by example and keeps the focus on what is best for the students. Dr. Tanner has the unique ability to successfully manage hundreds of employees and at the same time establish a meaningful relationship with the students. District 3 representative and vice chair Judy Carter offered a particularly telling anecdote about the superintendent she rated as the best of the five she has gotten to know during her 20 years on the school board. Carter was dropping off her grandson at the high school on a recent day when classes began two hours late due to the extreme cold: Tanner was standing out in front of the high school, just by herself, wrapped up in coat and gloves, greeting students. It was cold outside. But she wanted to greet those students. Carter said Tanner continues to push for higher salaries for teachers and has organized an effective team of leaders. She has pulled us together, the whole system, everybody. She listens to people. She doesnt sit in her office and chitchat. The children know her when she walks into a classroom. Born in Fredericksburg, Tanner grew up on a farm in Gladys, the second of four children. Inspired by her first-grade teacher whom she adored, she decided at the age of 6 to pursue a career in education. She went on to earn a degree in elementary education from Lynchburg College and graduate degrees in education from the University of Virginia. After teaching elementary school in various Virginia school districts, she began a career in administration that led her to Madison County, where she served as superintendent of schools for six years before retiring. She came out of retirement to take the post in Orange County. Summing up her primary motivation throughout her career, she said, Im deeply passionate about children; I had parents that were passionate about children. I absolutely love children. I absolutely will do anything possible to improve their lives. I think that shows up in the work that I do. Tanner said she has not made firm plans for her retirement. However, she and her husband, Russell James, a businessman who served as dean of work force at Germanna Community College before his retirement, are looking forward to having more time to travel. For now, however, she is busy with a myriad of duties in the Orange County Public Schools, including budget planning. Im not packing up just yet, she said. There is always something to do. The committee also said it will oversee the performance of NGOs in general under the new law passed in November 2016. Alaa Abed, head of the Egyptian parliament's human rights committee, said in a statement on Saturday that the committee will supervise the performance of NGOs and civil society organisations participating in the monitoring of Egypt's presidential elections, which are scheduled for March. "I agreed with the committee's members affiliated with the majority, opposition, and independent blocs that sub-committees should be formed to take charge of supervising the performance of all NGOs and civil society organisations, which will be licensed by the National Elections Authority (NEA) to monitor the ballot in all stages," said Abed. "We know that some NGOs that wish to monitor the poll aim to convey a negative image about Egypt to the outside world." "We have documents that show that some of these NGOs come not to observe the poll in an objective way, but to convey a negative picture of Egypt in return for the foreign money they obtain," said Abed. "Parliament's human rights committee is authorised by the constitution and the new NGO law to oversee the performance of these suspected NGOs and civil society organisations to ensure that practices directed by some of them to export a negative view of Egypt will not be repeated," Abed said. "At the same time, the committee will also be keen to see that state authorities completely abide by the law and the constitution throughout all the stages of the upcoming presidential election," said Abed, adding that "we are confident that the poll will be marked with integrity and transparency and convey an honourable picture of the political conditions inside Egypt." Abed argued that the NGO law (passed by parliament last November and ratified by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi last May) gives parliament and its human rights committee the prerogative to supervise the performance of NGOs in general. "Parliament and the Human Rights Committee have all the powers necessary to oversee the implementation of the new NGO law (law 70/2017) on the ground and to see to what extent all NGOs and civil society organisations go in line with this law," said Abed. As a result, said Abed, the sub-committees formed will also take charge of supervising and following the performance of NGOs under the new law. "I agreed with the committee's members that the committee should intervene at once to correct any deviations inside NGOs and discipline those who might violate the law," said Abed. Abed's statement came just few hours after the NEA announced that it will accept applications from candidates seeking to stand in Egypt's upcoming presidential election between 20 and 29 January. NEA head Lasheen Ibrahim said in a press conference Saturday that hopeful candidates can register between 9am and 6pm at the commission's headquarters in downtown Cairo's Qasr Al-Aini Street. "In order to be eligible to stand, hopeful candidates must be endorsed by at least 20 MPs, or 25,000 eligible voters drawn from a minimum of 15 governorates, with at least 1,000 endorsements per governorate," said Ibrahim. "The NEA has authorised 390 public notaries across Egypt to certify the required endorsements." NEA spokesperson Mahmoud El-Sherif said 29 local and foreign NGOs have so far expressed interest in monitoring the poll. "The requests are being reviewed," said El-Sherif, adding that "the NEA is also keen on having as many local and international media outlets as possible participate in covering the ballot. The NEA said that local and foreign correspondents wishing to cover the poll can register with the State Information Service until the end of 22 January. El-Sherif also indicated that the NEA is in the process of counting the number of judges who will be tasked with supervising the poll. "This goes in line with the constitution and the principle of a judge for every voting box," said El-Sherif. Search Keywords: Short link: It is rare that a professional organization argues in favor of any intervention that has been overwhelmingly proven to reduce its income source. But the health care community has adopted a solid consensus in favor of water fluoridation, realizing that the lack of fluoride in community water may lead to a public health crisis mainly affecting the less privileged. The U.S. Surgeon General, the American Medical Association, the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Public Health Service and the World Health Organization are among the groups that endorse water fluoridation as a means to reduce tooth decay. Despite the overwhelming evidence that water fluoridation is a safe and effective means of accomplishing this, there is a small minority of people who argue for its removal. Their argument is that community water fluoride is responsible for maladies ranging from bone fractures, to types of cancers to autism. They use non-peerreviewed articles as evidence to support their views, and have created vehicles with important-sounding names, such as the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology. Of course, this phenomenon is not new. On Tuesday, however, the Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors will hear arguments against a proposal to remove fluoride from community drinking water. Community water fluoridation is the most cost-effective health measure for preventing decay. First, it saves money for families who would otherwise pay for more frequent fillings, crowns and other dental treatments. The lifetime cost of a single decayed molar can exceed $6,000. Even families with dental insurance can face significant out-of-pocket expenses when they need dental procedures. Second, fluoridation saves money for taxpayers. For example, a Texas study confirmed that the state saves $19 per child, per year, in Medicaid costs for children because of the cavities that were prevented by drinking fluoridated water. Fluoridation has played a key role in helping reduce tooth loss among adults by at least 40 percent. A 2013 study showed that adults born before fluoridation became widespread and resided in fluoridated areas for at least three-quarters of their lives had 30 percent less decay than those who resided in fluoridated communities for less than one-quarter of their lives. The CDC named water fluoridation one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century. In 2013, the deans of Harvard Universitys three leading health institutions issued a statement calling fluoridation an effective and safe public health measure for people of all ages. Indeed, numerous studies and reports have reinforced the safety of fluoridated water. As experts at the Society of Toxicology have explained, medical scientists have agreed that small concentrations of fluoride have health benefits that vastly exceed any hypothetical health risk. A 2015 report by the Water Research Foundation examined nine common concerns that critics raise about fluoridation. These water experts concluded that a balance of scientific studies showed that none of these issues poses a risk to public health at [fluoridation] levels. U.S. fluoridation practices are held to high standards of quality and safety. These additives quality and safety are ensured by Standard 60a set of guidelines developed at the request of the Environmental Protection Agency. In Spotsylvania County, adding a smidge of fluoride to the level that is already present in the water has helped prevent cavities for every resident using the public water supply. That includes adults, the elderly and children in the entire county. In over 70 years of community water fluoridation in the U.S., and more than 3,000 research projects and publications on it, there has never been a single adverse health effect associated with community water fluoridation. We call upon the Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors to continue to safeguard the health and well-being of its citizens by continuing to support the fluoridation of our drinking water. AFTER decades of failed attempts, a bipartisan effort by members of Virginias congressional delegation to pass legislation granting long-overdue federal recognition to six Virginia Indian tribes has finally succeeded. The Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 2017 passed unanimously in the House last May after being reintroduced by Rep. Rob Wittman, R1st District. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner pushed the bill over the finish line in the Senate last week by forcing a vote. It now heads to President Trump for his signature. The bill grants historic recognition to the 4,400 or so members of six of Virginias 11 state-recognized tribes: the Chickahominy, the Eastern Chickahominy, the Upper Mattaponi, the Rappahannock, the Monacan, and the Nansemond. Federal recognition will give the tribes legal standing, allowing them to repatriate cultural artifacts and to apply for funding and other benefits in housing, education and health care from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Since these first contact Virginia tribes made peace with England long before the United States was founded, there are no federal treaties or other government-to-government documentation required by the Bureau of Indian Affairs for federal recognition. Many tribal documents were lost during the Civil War, and Virginias infamous Racial Integrity Act of 1924 led to the mass destruction of birth, marriage and land records also required for federal recognition. In 2016, Virginias Pamunkey Indian Tribe, which counts Pocahontas as a member, was the first Virginia tribe to be granted federal recognition under the BIAs administrative procedures. The NAACP and the Congressional Black Caucus had opposed federal recognition because the tribe previously prohibited intermarriage. But the six tribes named in the bill were unable to meet BIA requirements, so they pursued a legislative option instead. According to the text of the bill, in 1943 former Indian Affairs Commissioner John Collier asked Richmond NewsLeader editor Douglas S. Freeman to help Virginia Indians obtain proper racial designation on birth records; Collier stated that his office could not officially intervene because it had no responsibility for the Virginia Indians, as a matter largely of historical accident, but was interested in them as descendants of the original inhabitants of the region. Other opposition to federal recognition of Virginia Indian tribes centered on issues that did not directly address this historical accident. For example, former Rep. Frank Wolf, R10th District, opposed recognition because he feared it would open the door to casino gambling in the commonwealth. But the bill specifically prohibits the newly recognized tribes from conducting gaming activities. Wittmans bill was named after the late Thomasina Elizabeth Jordan (Red Hawk Woman), a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. Jordan, an orphan raised by her grandparents in Massachusetts, was a Harvard-educated and internationally recognized American Indian activist, founder of the American Indian Cultural Exchange and the first American Indian to serve in the Electoral College. A pro-life Republican who lived in Alexandria, Jordan was appointed chairperson of the advisory Virginia Council on Indians by governors George Allen and Jim Gilmore, where she helped several Virginia tribes achieve state recognition. Locally, the Virginia Indian Patawomeck Tribe of Stafford County gained state recognition in 2010 after Las Vegas entertainer Wayne Newtona member of the tribe who was raised in Fredericksburg and whose ancestor was purportedly given a peace medal by George Washingtontestified on a bill before the General Assembly sponsored by former House Speaker Bill Howell of Stafford. But the Patawomecks and three other tribes recognized by the commonwealth were not included in the just-passed bill. Its been 242 years since the founding of the United States, more than enough time to address the historical accident and bureaucratic obstacles that prevented federal recognition of Virginias first contact tribes. President Trump should sign the bipartisan bill forthwith. The bill grants historic recognition to the 4,400 or so members of six of Virginias 11 state-recognized tribes: the Chickahominy, the Eastern Chickahominy, the Upper Mattaponi, the Rappahannock, the Monacan and the Nansemond. Trumps fake presidency imperils the whole country The American presidency has finally hit rock bottom. Donald Trump continues to lie repeatedly and to embarrass the country globally with his lack of class or common decency. As for the Christians who support him, remember that Jesus taught, It is easier for a camel to pass through a needles eye than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Trump is quite possibly the anti-Christ spoken of in the New Testament. The Republicans at his latest meeting on immigration are simply too cowardly to speak up, or, like Trump, they are morally bankrupt. This fake president has done everything to prove to us that he is totally without scruples, a narcissist and totally unworthy of holding public office. His pronouncements on climate change are evident that, while he claims to be a genius, his actual IQ is somewhere below room temperature. Trumps presidency imperils all of us. If only our political leaders had the courage and character to invoke the 25th Amendment before this clown leads us all to the brink! As Donald would like to say, Make American White Again. Dave Siler Spotsylvania 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. Turkey's military fired into a Kurdish-run enclave in north Syria for a second day on Saturday, one day after the country's defense minister announced an operation to "cleanse" the Kurdish militia in control of the enclave. The military targeted shelters in Afrin with artillery fire in response to two days of "harassment" from the Syrian side of the border, it said in a statement. It said the shelters belonged to the People's Protection Units, or YPG, which Turkey says is an extension of an outlawed Kurdish rebel group that it's fighting inside its own borders. Turkey has vowed to launch a ground operation into Afrin to eradicate YPG forces there. It has been massing troops and tanks at its border. Any operation would entail considerable military and political risk for Ankara. Russia keeps military observers in Afrin and has lately firmed up its ties with the YPG. Syria's government in Damascus says it will shoot down any Turkish jets on raids in the country. The YPG is estimated to have between 8,000 and 10,000 fighters in Afrin. Turkey could also face blowback from the Kurdish insurgency within its own borders. A ground offensive or continued shelling would also exacerbate the poor humanitarian situation in Afrin, which is now home to at least 800,000 civilians, including many who arrived fleeing the fighting in other parts of Syria. Turkey's military and intelligence chiefs traveled to Moscow on Thursday to discuss Turkey's planned intervention. Russia has not removed its observers from Afrin. Turkey's Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli announced Friday an offensive into Afrin had "de facto" begun, in reference to sporadic Turkish military shelling of the area. Also on Saturday, Syrian government forces and supporting militias attacked a rebel-held air base deep inside what was once opposition territory in northwest Syria. Video broadcast by the Lebanese TV station Al-Manar, which is run by the militant group Hezbollah, an ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, showed plumes of smoke rising from the base as government forces shelled it from the perimeter, the channel said. Pro-government forces reached the base earlier this month but pulled back 10 days ago to fight off a counter-offensive by rebels and al-Qaida-linked insurgents. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said pro-government forces had surrounded Abu Zuhour base in Idlib province from three sides. Rebels took over the base in 2015 but have not been able to use it as an airfield because they do not have an air force. Search Keywords: Short link: The Syrian army and allied forces captured Abu al-Duhur airport in Idlib province from insurgents on Saturday, a Hezbollah military media unit said. They had pushed into the military air base hours earlier, pressing their offensive in Syria's largest rebel stronghold, said the media unit run by Lebanon's Hezbollah, which fights along the Damascus government. Search Keywords: Short link: Winter has finally arrived here in Ryedale. Like most of the UK, weve had our first proper snow. I managed to get the oilseed rape sprayed with Bifenox on a frost just before the snow fell and I noticed the Clethodim appears to have done a fantastic job with the grass weeds and volunteers. The crop is forward, but none the worse for that. However, I am struggling to get a future value for the 2018 harvest; does anyone really know whats happening in the oilseed rape market? See also: Read more from our arable Farmer Focus writers On the whole, wheat and barley look really well, despite the wet autumn. We have probably had enough rain now and could do with a cold snap to allow us to move some farmyard manure. After that, Im hoping an early spring will get some semi-drowned wheat moving. In the meantime, with Christmas a fading memory, we have to get on with the routine of cold and wet, as any farmer with livestock knows all too well. Thought-provoking To break the drudgery this year, we have decided to repair our dryer system but with it all being outside exposed to the elements, this long-delayed job is no-ones favourite. But this time of year is not all bad, as there are lots of opportunities to learn, and top of the list for me has been the AHBD Monitor Farm initiative. The speakers weve had have been amazingly high quality on a range of topics soil issues, cultivation practices, fixed-cost analysis all good stuff. Where else can you find such interesting, thought-provoking and practical discussion? And youve already paid for it, so if you havent yet found your local Monitor Farm, make the effort to look it up; I dont think youll be disappointed. While I have been tied up with my dryer system, others have managed to escape the winter flurries by heading inside for this years Oxford Farming Conference. Once again it has provided plenty to talk about. After viewing it online, I did a double-take as the supposed grim reaper of agriculture, Defra secretary Michael Gove, blew some sugar in our ears. He talked about a government that cares about farmers and aims to reduce red tape, supporting high standards, reward conservation and laying a smooth path to Brexit transition. The future sounds bright but lets just wait for the detail. Richard Wainwright farms 510ha in Ryedale, on the southern edge of the North Yorkshire Moors. With soil types ranging from heavy clay loam to limestone brash, the family partnership grows winter wheat, winter barley, oilseed rape, spring beans and rotational grass leys. The farm also runs a large beef fattening unit. Farmers looking to invest in new drills or cultivation kit were given plenty of options at Lamma 2018. Both big names and lesser-known brands were on display and weve rounded up some of the highlights below. See also: Lamma 2018: Tractors and sprayers on show Drills Sly Boss This year was the first time Lincolnshire firm Sly Agri had properly shown its Boss no-till disc drill at Lamma. However, when owner George Sly brought one of the machines angled disc coulters to the show last year, it was enough to secure his first sale to a farmer in Essex. So far thats the only machine operating in the UK, but Mr Sly is running the demo machine (pictured below) at his farm in Lincolnshire and has been setting up a series of trials. The machine itself is based on a coulter design by Australian firm Boss, which has been modified for European conditions. The rest of the frame is manufactured in France and various specs are available, including twin hoppers for seed and fertiliser (or two types of seed) and a front liquid fertiliser tank. Sly has also developed its own liquid fertiliser metering system thats controlled by a tablet via Bluetooth. The 6m demonstrator machine pictured is running twin tanks and has 32 coulters at 18.7cm spacings. As it stands, it costs about 75,000. Farmet drill Farmers looking for an alternative to the popular Horsch Pronto drill might be interested in the Czech-built Farmet Falcon 6, imported by Essex dealer Brocks. Like the Horsch, it has a twin row of cultivating discs at the front and a set of double-disc seed coulters at the rear. However, the drill can also be customised, adding a strip-till cultivator or set of tines in place of the discs. The 6m demonstrator drill pictured is running the standard disc setup, with an extra row of fertiliser placement discs. As it stands it has a list price of about 90,000. Brocks also offer the Farmet Triton, which does a similar job to Vaderstads Topdown. Lemken Azuirt 9 Drill specialist Lemken was showing its Azurit 9 precision maize drill to UK farmers for the first time. Bolted together in Germany, the new drill places seed in two rows at alternate spacing, with the added bonus of dropping a trail of fertiliser in between the seeds. The company claims this allows adjacent seeds to feed from one fertiliser line. The Azuirt can also be connected to the rear of the firms Solitair cereal drill when the toolbar has been removed. This allows the standard 3t hopper to be used for fertiliser, while the 200kg Azuirt hopper can hold the maize seed. Drilling speeds of up to 18kph should be achievable, with the drill available in 3m, 4m and 6m-wide models. Optional 50cm, 75cm and 80cm-row spacing is also available, along with manual depth and pressure control for each seeding unit. Theres a tramline feature and Isobus connectivity, too. Lemken reckons the eight-row version will be the most popular in the UK this has a list price of 62,312. HE-VA Optimal seeder There was plenty of interest on the Opico stand as it showed a 5m version of the Optimal seeder from HE-VA, which is another tool in the struggle against blackgrass. The seed-bed is prepared by the low-disturbance sub-soiling legs, which have compaction busting points on the bottom. A following V-profile roller then packs down the soil to create a bed for seed. A disc is used to slice the soil surface before the seeding leg behind, with the HE-VA double-disc coulter placing the seed at the required depth, leaving no seed on the surface before being pressed down by a following rear wheel. Theres an option to spread slug pellets at the same time using the HE-VA twin multi-seeder, all controlled from the same box. Sizes start at 3m. For the widest 5m version youll be paying 34,952 (ex VAT). Cultivators Claydon Terrablade Band-sowing specialist Claydon has built a tractor mounted to a hoe to remove weed competition in the empty space between rows of crop. The new toolbar can be mounted on the front or rear linkage of the tractor, with speeds of up to 6kph achievable. The company says this job would normally be labour intensive and done by a rouging gang before harvest to remove weeds that may contaminate a seed crop. After trials with chemical company Agri, a 10% increase was seen when using the hoe as well as sprays, compared with applying chemical control methods alone. Travelling through the crop in the spring, the hoe slices the head off the weed at about 1cm below the surface and chops through the roots so there is little hope of it surviving. If it does get going again, it should be easily outcompeted by the crop, were told. Available in 3m, 4m, 4.8m and 6m models, an RTK guided system will achieve the most accurate results, but steering by eye is also possible. A 6m version costs 8,214, with a smaller 3m model costing 6,453. Vaderstad Ferox Vaderstad fans had a new lightweight tine cultivator to eye up at this years Lamma show. Called the Ferox, it sits somewhere between the Swedish makers shallow-working NZA and heavy-tined Swift in terms of its soil-bashing ability. That means it has five or six rows (depending on the model you choose) of middleweight pigtail tines that work to depths of up to 12cm and vibrate to help break up the soil and flick crop residues around. For those looking to do some additional levelling theres the option of front and rear cross boards with hydraulically adjustable aggressivity. Theres the choice of a finishing harrow or crumbler roller to complete the job. Its available in 5m, 6m and 9m working widths, which have 20,030, 24,000 and 37,790 starting prices, respectively. The firms other cultivator news includes a redesigned crosscutter disc for the Carrier. These have ultra-wide wavy edges meaning they will chop and mix across the entire width of the machine, even when working at shallow depths. They can also travel at speeds of 20kph. Sumo Vaxio After a takeover in 2015 by Elsham Wold Estates (which also owns Pipers crisps and Lincoln & York coffee), Yorkshire-based Sumo underwent an internal restructure and has reappeared with a fresh-faced look and a brand new cultivator. Aimed at pinching sales from Vaderstad Topdown and Horsch Terrano buyers, the new Vaxio is the second attempt by the firms engineers at a primary/secondary all-round cultivator, which it says sits between the shallow-cultivating Mixidisc and hefty Trio. The 4m model at Lamma is the only one built so far and is set for testing this spring. It has two rows of meaty 20in discs at the front, followed by a further two rows of subsoiling legs, alternately spaced at 300mm centres. Quick-release points are used for swift changing, with the model on show having hydraulic auto-reset legs and adjustable pressure if the going gets tough. Behind this is a row of levelling discs and a redesigned Tilso-made packer that is claimed to put more pressure through the ridges than the barrel, unlike the firms other options. The operator can independently lift the front rows of discs, legs or the levelling discs out of work when they arent needed, changing a min-till cultivator into a set of discs or solely a subsoiler from the cab. Proposed widths are 3m, 4m, 5m and 6m and as yet there is no word on price. Sumo reckons the 4m model demands about 250-horses up front. Baertschi Oekosem Yorkshire farmer-cum-machinery dealer Andrew Manfield had a versatile rotary strip-till cultivator from Switzerland on show. Unlike many machines of this type that tend to work the ground with tines, the Baertschi Oekosem has a combination of fixed deep working legs and rotary blades to create strips of loose, fine seed-bed. Its designed to work directly into stubble and the leg can be pushed down as deep as 10in. Various working and row widths are available, depending on the task in hand, up to a maximum of 6m. It can also accommodate an array of different seeders and fertiliser applicators for direct planting. To see what it can do, Mr Manfield has been running various trials with the 3m machine in conjunction with the Stockbridge Technology Centre. One of these has involved band sowing oilseed rape with strips of white clover in between. When the OSR was cut, he then used RTK guidance to replant with wheat, leaving the clover in place. Its still early days, but he hopes the clover will provide some nitrogen to the crops, improve moisture retention and reduce pesticide inputs. A 3m Oekosem needs a tractor of about 150hp on the front and costs between 25,000 and 30,000, depending on specification. Ovlac EuroDisc Spanish firm Ovlac is continuing to expand its tillage range by landing a new disc cultivator on UK soil. The implement has two rows of huge 24in discs set at a 21deg angle, which the firm claims is an ideal position for soil mixing. Each disc has a sealed bearing, which sits on the inside rather than outside of the disc, meaning it isnt exposed to the trash thrown up by the next-door disc. Apparently, this will limit dirt getting inside and causing a bearing to fail. Options range from 2.5m models for vineyards and orchards up to a sizeable 9.1m unit for larger acreages. A leaf spring auto-reset system is standard with two discs on each spring. This lets each pair of discs move independently from the rest of the row, which is handy when covering different soils. Its recommended forward-speed is about 12kph. Halse of Honiton imports the machine and a 4m model will cost 30,400. Russian Chief of the General Staff of the armed forces Valery Gerasimov and his U.S. counterpart Joseph Dunford have discussed the situation in Syria by phone, RIA news agency reported on Saturday, citing the Russian Defence Ministry. Details of the call have not been disclosed. The talks took place after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said earlier on Saturday a military operation in Syria's Kurdish-controlled Afrin region had begun after cross-border shelling by the Turkish army. Search Keywords: Short link: Kristina Duggan's and Joni Ricks-Oddie's leads in the District 3 and 9 races, respectively, also remained comfortable on Friday, Nov. 18. This log includes incidents in which there might have been a public disturbance or a risk to the public. Information comes from the Corvallis Police Department and the Benton County Sheriffs Office. It does not include all calls for service. The status of incidents might change after further investigation. Locations are approximate. People arrested or suspected in crimes are considered innocent until proven otherwise. Corvallis Police Department THURSDAY, JANUARY 18 BURGLARY: Police arrested John Albert Herriges, 40, for his alleged involvement in two burglaries at coffee shops. The first burglary occurred on Nov. 22 at Coffee Culture, 2499 NW Kings Boulevard. An employee reported she had arrived to open the shop and realized the exterior power panel had been opened and the power turned off to the business. She also noticed a sliding window was off its track. Police reviewed surveillance footage, which revealed a man with a short beard and mustache and a receding hair line. The second burglary occurred on Nov. 23 at Dutch Bros, 1500 SW Third St. The owner reported the cover to the buildings electrical panel had been found on the ground when the store was opened. The owner provided still shots of video footage to the police. Herriges faces two counts of second-degree burglary and one count of third-degree criminal mischief. Taoist meditation group: The group will meet at 9 a.m. Sunday at the First Alternative Natural Foods Co-op north store, 2855 NW Grant Ave. in Corvallis. The event will feature Taoist Quiet Sitting meditation, also known as "Preserving the Light of the One." Information: docneedlestcm@gmail.com. Worship set: First United Methodist Church, 1165 NW Monroe Ave. in Corvallis, will hold worship at 9:30 a.m. Sunday. Those attending will discuss how to bridge gaps between people that arise when they disagree. Baha'i devotions: "The Spiritually Learned, Part 1" is set for 9:45 a.m. Sunday at 5006 SW Hollyhock Circle, Corvallis. Religion is capable of profoundly influencing social relationships. Advances in social relationships derive from the application of spiritual law demonstrated through kindness, trustworthiness, temperance and acting according to moral principles, for example. These qualities will be related in a dramatic reading. The event is open to all. Movie screening: Calvary Baptist Church, 800 34th Ave. SE in Albany, will host a free showing of the acclaimed new movie "All Saints" at 6 p.m. Sunday. The film, starring John Corbett, is based on a true story. Bible studies: Beginning Monday, mid-valley churches will open their doors to women of all faiths for the winter Community-Wide Bible Studies sponsored by the Albany-based Mid-Valley Women of Christ. Benton and Linn county Bible study locations include Adair Village, Albany, Brownsville, Corvallis, Harrisburg, Lebanon, Philomath, Sweet Home and Tangent. Fifty class times will gather women from more than 325 different churches as they explore a study of the life of King David titled The Longing in Me by Sheila Walsh. Participants can purchase a $10 companion workbook through the host churches and participate in small group discussion. Classes offer hospitality, teaching, homework discussion and prayer at each location. Child care is offered at several locations. Registration is available at www.midvalleywomenofchrist.org. For more information, write to info@midvalleywomenofchrist.org. Hebrew study: "Introduction to Biblical Hebrew" is set for 4:30 p.m. Jan. 28 at Trinity Baptist Church, 72 E. Elmore St. in Lebanon. The event is sponsored by Am HaSefer Oregon. Donations will be accepted. Financial class offered: Financial Peace University will be offered at 6 p.m. nine Mondays, starting Jan. 29, at Crowfoot Baptist Church, 699 Cascade Drive in Lebanon. Financial expert Dave Ramsey created the class, which is designed to provide families and individuals with practical tools to gain control of their finances and set themselves up for long-term financial success. Registration is available at www.fpu.com/1054708. Russia will support Syria diplomatically and will demand in the United Nations that Turkey halt its military operation in Syria's Afrin, a member of the upper house of the Russian parliament's security committee told RIA news on Saturday. "It is not only Syria that will demand this operation to stop. Russia will support this demand as well and will provide Syria with diplomatic assistance," RIA quoted Franz Klintsevich as saying. Search Keywords: Short link: Over 200 break-ins : Bonn serial burglar had help of accomplices Bonn The police in Bonn have caught a serial burglar: The 34-year-old man from Bonn is thought to have broken in over 200 times into apartments and houses in the region. He may have had help of accomplices, who the police are currently searching for. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken The police in Bonn have caught a serial burglar: The 34-year-old man from Bonn is thought to have broken in over 200 times into apartments and houses in the region. He may have had help of accomplices, who the police are currently searching for. The damage caused during the burglaries is well over 100,000 Euro. Fur coats and champagne, gold jewellery and money, even a coffee machine, the culprit took. In the end, DNA traces led to the man - and a large control operation with hundreds of police officers. The investigations in regard to possible accomplices continue. The 34-year-old already has a certain legend status in Bonns police headquarters. To have caught the pane stacker - as the officers call him - is considered one of the greatest success stories in the fight against break-in crime. And thats all thanks to our investigators, praised police president Ursula Brohl-Sowa. 42 burglaries can be proven to be committed by the man through DNA proof. Every day, that list grows: Experts of the state criminal police agency (LKA) keep checking the genetical fingerprint of the 34-year-old with other finds. When the investigation team Pane began its work last summer, there were several break-ins following the same pattern. The culprit always got in via the back of the house, concealed from view, says Mark Patrick Luck, who is heading the investigation team. Every time the man destroyed the window pane nearly without making any sound, to get into houses. He worked very accurately, says Luck. The broken glass pieces he carefully set aside and piled them neatly - which gained him the nickname pane stacker. He fine-tuned his method with every break-in. He built tools with which he opened shutters and others to break glass without making a sound. He was climbing obstacles of up to five meters. Balconies he reached by using a grappling hook. Profiler on the job We started at zero, and had no clues at first, says Luck. Thats why the Bonn team asked the LKA experts for help - highly specialised profilers, who usually work on murder cases. The guess of the investigators was right: DNA traced found at crime scenes in Bonn, Rhein-Sieg-Kreis and Kreis Neuwied were matching, stemmed from one person. But who? We spoke with residents and possible witnesses, but nobody had any hint towards the identity of the culprit, reports Luck. Thanks to the burglary radar, in which the police mark all previous crimes, they knew all the areas the culprit was using for his break-ins. We knew he would strike again, but not when. So it happened that undercover police officers mounted surveillance at an area in Ippendorf while the pane stacker struck in Bad Honnef. For weeks, the investigation team was moving in the dark. Until they decided to go for a radical measure: For 12 days they mounted surveillance at locations where he broke in before. Current situation and forecast : Rhine levels on the rise again in Bonn and Cologne Bonn/Cologne The river levels are rising again in Bonn and Cologne, apparently. Since the flooding at the start of the year, the Rhine is reaching a higher level again. The main reason behind this: The rainfall over the last few days. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken The river levels are rising again in Bonn and Cologne, apparently. Since the flooding at the start of the year, the Rhine is reaching a higher level again. The main reason behind this: Rainfall. Since the flooding at the start of the year, the river level in Bonn is rising again. Currently the Rhine level is about 5.86 meters. For this weekend, the forecast suggests it could rise to 6.50 meters. Due to expected rainfall, during the coming week, disruptions due to flooding can be anticipated. At a level of 7 meters, slip roads to the Rhine in Beuel will be closed, at 7.15 meters the stops Bad Godesberg Fahre and Bad Godesberg Rheinufer will be cancelled. What happens at which river level? Please refer to this article. In the region around Bonn, the forecast for the Rhine level has been indicated as rising. In Eitorf, the level rose slightly already. in Koblenz, the water is rising too and the tributaries in the region will at least keep their current high level. The Rhine is said to be at a level of 5.93 meters in Cologne already, expected to rise to 7 meters on Sunday. At the start of the year, riverside roads and meadows were flooded at a level of 8.80 meters, larger residential areas were not affected though. The Poet of the Piano, Polish composer Frederic Chopin, is part of the international musical consciousness; he is timeless with all his poetry and melodies, honesty and humility The media is expected to discuss news or provide analysis that is linked more or less directly to current events. In this context, writing about Frederic Chopin might seem surprising. Why now? But I would say, why not? Chopin is no stranger to the Egyptian audience and many pianists include the composers work in their recitals or dedicate whole evenings to him. On 22 January, indeed, Mohamed Shams will feature some Chopin, alongside Beethoven and Liszt, in his recital at the Cinema Zamalek. But Chopin is an artist one needs no excuse to bring up. He is part of the international musical consciousness and he lives within the souls of many people; he is timeless and always present. Chopins music rises above time and space, where the beauty of melodies and harmonies are but a translation of the deepest emotions. The Poet of the Piano, as he is often referred to, Chopin was born on 1 March 1810 according to his family though the certificate of his baptism points to 22 February in the same year. Again, according to the family records, Chopins first, semi-public performance took place on 3 May 1818, while he was in his eighth summer. In May 1829, Chopin left his native Poland for Vienna, a city where people only liked the waltzes of Strauss and Lanner, as he wrote in a letter. Over two years later, in October 1831, he moved to Paris where he lived years of plenitude and where during a soiree with friends in April 1837, he met the French writer Georges Sand (Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin) with whom he had a love affair. In 1847 Chopins health began to deteriorate; his relationship with Sand was also drying up. Chopin died on 17 October 1849. Timid by nature, and given to avoiding big crowds, Chopin used music as the channel through which to express love, passion, ardour, grief, sorrow, joy, fear, envy, pity and dozens of timeless emotions. A renowned Polish poet and Chopins contemporary, Cyprian Kamil Norwid, wrote of him, Born a Varsovian, a Pole in his heart, and in his talent a citizen of the world. What I would add to this sentence is a citizen of the world filled with emotions of all shades and colours. His compositions were in part nurtured by his native Poland but his relations with music extend in many directions beyond geographical and national borders. One of Warsaws landmarks is a bronze monument created by Wacaw Szymanowski in 1907 and placed in the citys Royal Baths Park (azienki Park). The monument depicts the composer lost in thought under what ought to be the windblown weeping willow a tree that characterises the countrys rural areas, its meadows and pastures whose branches loosely imitate the pianists hand. The metaphor aims to capture the deep nostalgia of Chopins longing for his homeland, a feeling shared by Poles longing for their composer. Such mutual nostalgia has always been very strong. So much so that, before his burial at Pariss Pere Lachaise cemetery, Chopins heart was removed from his body and transported to the church of the Holy Cross in Warsaw, to be kept there. One story has it that this had been the composers own request, because he was afraid of being buried alive, or because he wanted his heart to rest in his lost paradise: Poland. Whatever the reason, lets blame this rather unconventional move on the melancholia running through Romantic souls. Scientists believe that the sample DNA of the organ could serve some valuable findings such us providing more detail about Chopins health conditions and death, but in 2008, the Polish Ministry of Culture ruled out any encroachment on the pickled heart. On Preludes and Sonata no. 2 Like many prodigies, Chopins life was rather short, but he lived long enough to leave us with plenty of great music and universal emotion. Poetic honesty emanates from all of his works, with each carrying its own unique combination of melody and harmony. The dramatic feel in Scherzo No. 2 op. 31, the heroism of the Polonaise Op. 53 (hence its name, heroic), the radiance of the Grande Valse Brillante Op. 18, the piercing longing in Waltz No. 7 Op. 64 no. 2, the sparkling Fantasie Impromptu Op. 66; the conflicting thoughts in Ballade op. 23 in G minor are but a few of the colours on display. Chopin offers the same fulfilling journey through emotions in both individual pieces and in compact form, as is the case with his 24 Preludes Op. 28, one of my favourite displays of feelings. For piano students they are a great exercise and for accomplished pianists they test the performers intimacy with Chopins style. A happy agitation resides in the opening Prelude no. 1 in C major, recalling the more tormented no. 8 in F-sharp minor or its fearful, tense sibling, a very brief Prelude no. 14 in E-flat minor. It is no. 14 that recalls the final movement of Chopins sonata no. 2 Op.35 in B-flat minor, but let us return to this. The perfect musical nuance comes in Prelude no. 2 in A minor, which Alfred Cortot named a painful meditation, the distant deserted sea, but arent those two images somehow contrasting? They probably miss the complexity of chagrin that Chopin forged. The sun emanates from no. 3 in G major, where the pianist can showcase the finesse of the left hand, before moving to the famed no. 4 in E minor, in which melancholy is more soothing than upsetting. No need to analyse all 24 Preludes, of course. But whenever we listen to the whole set, we end our walk with the ambiguity of no. 21 in B-flat major, the rebellious no. 22 in G minor, a laid-back fairyland if I may paraphrase Cortot apparent in no. 23 in F major. We eventually reach the magnum opus, the Prelude no. 24 in D minor, a key often linked to death for instance Mozarts Requiem carries the same key. In Chopins prelude, however, death is not sorrowful, but a thoughtful reconciliation with inevitability. Just like all Chopins works, the Preludes are rich in contrasts and textures, conflicting thoughts on the one hand and unified concepts on the other. They capture life, nature and people, all summarised in a few bars. This does not mean that Chopin imitated emotions, or actions; he was only inspired by them, they all nurtured him as he translated them into music. But one of my most recurrent thoughts about Chopin concerns the values of life and death. Maybe it was Chopins weak health that infused his music with this ability to see so many layers of life while being aware of the eventual dark curtain. This however does not mean that to Chopin life ends with death, as the ethereal existence continues, expressed through torment or hope. A story of lifes continuum is so beautifully captured in Chopins sonata no. 2 Op. 35, famed for its third movement, the poignant funeral march (Marche Funebre). The sonata was played at Chopins funeral at Pere Lachaise in 1849. I like to look at this sonata as a reflection on the stages of life, which as you might expect lead to an end or a closure. It is a somewhat evolving frame of mind. The first movement (Grave Doppio Movimento) brings many passions to the fore: the energy, the curiosity and youthful elasticity, balancing them with occasional gloomy moods. The spring of life and its confusions are all here. The second movement, Scherzo carries a noble strength as the piano sings of emotional maturity and wisdom. Such pure serenity, however, does not give way to inertia, since every now and then the music awakens us with its vitality. It is in the third movement that the presence of death is evident, whether as a fait accompli or as something still approaching, crippling the soul long before the body has surrendered. Death is present not because it is a Marche Funebre, but because it is death playing on the keys of our emotions. The lento segment is a lyrical weeping over the inevitable final curtain. I feel that even if death comes in the third movement, its true realisation comes with the Finale-Presto, the brief anxiety which raises more questions than it provides answers. The real and piercing unknown comes after the last note is played. Silence. Once we realise the journey has ended, the soft reverberation gradually thins in the air while we are still trying to savour its beauty. Silence embraces the subtle emotional discharge but the audience hardly ever waits before showering the pianist with a sparkling ovation, leaving little room for the emotions to depart at their own slow pace. Chopins music teaches us a lot about the composer, his home country moulded into universal casts and ourselves as humans: our longings, hopes, fears and joys. Chopin is not only a list of Ballades, Etudes, Polonaises, Scherzos, Waltzes, Mazurkas, works for piano and orchestra, violin, cello and voice, etc. While these express their own colours and Chopins genius, at the end of the day what you find in this work is simply music all you hear is Chopin, the one and only, with all his poetry and melodies, honesty and humility. Take what you will the composers gift is sure to make you richer. This article was first published in Al Ahram Weekly For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Search Keywords: Short link: The event will be held at the library on Sunday, 21 January, in the presence of Muslim clerics, Coptic priests, writers, intellectuals, and statesmen The Great Cairo Library in Zamalek will host the launch of Eriter Hamdy Rizk's latest book "Kiralayson ... in love of the Copts." The event will be held at the library Sunday, 21 January, at 6:00pm with a large audience of Muslim clerics and Coptic priests alongside writers and intellectuals and statesmen, including Minister of Religious Affairs Mokhtar Gomaa, former Minister of Culture Helmy Namam, head of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Mostafa El-Fiki, and president of Cairo University, Mohamed Osman El-Khosht. Discussion of the book will be chaired by renowned TV host Mofeed Fawzi. The book is published by Rose El-Youssef Foundation. The writer documents the status of Copts in Egypt between 2011 and 2018. In January 2011, a major Coptic church in Alexandria was the target of a bombing. In January 2018, the largest Coptic cathedral was opened in Egypt's new administrative capital. Search Keywords: Short link: xspraise at 20-01-2018 01:30 AM (4 years ago) (m) The Nigerian community in South Africa has alleged that a 27-year old man, Ebuka Okori, was killed by the police in Durban in the early hours of Friday 19th January, 2018. The Nigerian community in South Africa has alleged that a 27-year old man, Ebuka Okori, was killed by the police in Durban in the early hours of Friday 19th January, 2018. According to Mr Bartholomew Eziagulu, the Chairman of the Nigerian Union chapter in Kwazulu Natal Province of South Africa, the victim was a native of Umunze in Orumba North Local Government of Anambra. He said that an eyewitness informed the union that two police officers in mufti forcefully gained access to the victim`s house at Campbell Street in Durban at 2.am on Friday. According to him, the officers immediately demanded money from Okori. South African police beats Nigerian to death When he refused, he was handcuffed, taken outside and shot dead. The officers took away his cell phone, e-passport and other valuable documents. The relative of the victim was tortured and robbed of his belongings while a third victim, a South African, was also robbed, he said. Eziagulu said that the Okori`s brother escaped from the house and called for help. The Metro Police around the vicinity swiftly intervened and picked the vehicle number of the assailants, he said. Eziagulu said that police detectives and another special police team which investigates complaints against their colleagues had been assisting to arrest the culprits. Mr Adetola Olubajo, the President of the Nigerian Union in South Africa, said that the national secretariat had been informed about the incident. He said that the union was monitoring the situation and had informed the Nigerian Mission and the South African police. According to Mr Bartholomew Eziagulu, the Chairman of the Nigerian Union chapter in Kwazulu Natal Province of South Africa, the victim was a native of Umunze in Orumba North Local Government of Anambra.He said that an eyewitness informed the union that two police officers in mufti forcefully gained access to the victim`s house at Campbell Street in Durban at 2.am on Friday. According to him, the officers immediately demanded money from Okori.When he refused, he was handcuffed, taken outside and shot dead. The officers took away his cell phone, e-passport and other valuable documents. The relative of the victim was tortured and robbed of his belongings while a third victim, a South African, was also robbed, he said.Eziagulu said that the Okori`s brother escaped from the house and called for help. The Metro Police around the vicinity swiftly intervened and picked the vehicle number of the assailants, he said.Eziagulu said that police detectives and another special police team which investigates complaints against their colleagues had been assisting to arrest the culprits. Mr Adetola Olubajo, the President of the Nigerian Union in South Africa, said that the national secretariat had been informed about the incident. He said that the union was monitoring the situation and had informed the Nigerian Mission and the South African police. Post Reply I am Victor, I write reportage on sport news and latest metro happenings in Nigeria. Posted: at 20-01-2018 01:30 AM (4 years ago) | Hero bohlah at 20-01-2018 01:49 PM (4 years ago) (m) 40-year-old Nigerian returnee from Libya, Omo Harry, has narrated the bizzare and unfortunate things himself and other Nigerians faced while they were trapped in Libya on their way to Europe. 40-year-old Nigerian returnee from Libya, Omo Harry, has narrated the bizzare and unfortunate things himself and other Nigerians faced while they were trapped in Libya on their way to Europe. In an interview with Vanguard, Omo who recently returned to Nigeria, narrated how his friend, Deniss girlfriend, Rita, whom they all embarked on the journey to Europe in April 2016, was raped to death because she could not afford the money needed for her to continue her journey from Libya to Euope. Omo said Rita was handcuffed and boys took turns to rape her. She died when one of the boys tried to penertate her. Her corpse was abandoned for two days before it was removed. Her boyfriend watched the men take their turns to have sex with her. My friend, Denis, said I could travel to Europe if I could raise at least N500,000. He told me that he was also trying to raise same amount for an agent that would facilitate it. I had to sell all my property , including the parcel of land I acquired at Ogudu Bale area of Ogun state. But I could only raise N350,000 at the end. Denis was able to raise N300,000 while his girlfriend, Rita, had N250,000. The agent said he would complete the money but that we would pay him the balance when we got to Libya. When asked how, he said he would introduce us to someone , who would get us a job and that after paying his balance, we would proceed to Europe. We bought gala, garri and bread and also bought two bags of sachet water as advised by the agent and left Lagos for Kano. On arriving the border between Kano and Niger, the agent told us to bring N7000 out of the money with us. As we approached the border, a Customs officer came, collected the money from us and asked us to wait until he gave the directive for us to cross thorough a bush path. Finally, we arrived Qatrun, the first state in Libya . We were taken to a connection house . In that connection house were tranke which are camps where migrants who do not have the needed amount to continue the journey are kept. On the first day at the tranke, we were welcomed with good food. But at night, they began a roll call and separated those who had completed payment from those who hadnt . Of course, myself, Denis and Rita were in the disadvantaged group. At this point, the agent was nowhere to be found. In fact we were all confused as to what to do next . At this connection house, the head is called Capon. We also had OC Torture . The Capo collects relatives number and demand money for captives to continue their journey. It was at that point that I got to know that Rita did not tell her parents she was traveling. When she was given the phone to speak with her mother, we overheard her crying. Ritas parents sent N150,000, which covered three of us. We thought we were free, not knowing that the horror had only just begun. Sabha connection house. Speaking further, he said From Qatrun, we were moved to Sahba , in Western Libya, where the main tranke called Ali ghetto is located. It is close to the University of Sahba . It was a place of no return . From there , you are expected to pay another sum to cross to another connection house in Inias, from where you will embark on the sea trip to Europe. When they demanded for more money, Rita said she would like to go back home. But they insisted that she must pay before going back. Immediately we got there, they collected our international passports and tore them. They said they dont allow people to embark on the sea trip with anything except the clothes on them. In my excitement, I called my people in Lagos and they sent N150,000. Unfortunately, it could only take me , as Denis and Rita did not have money to cross the second huddle. Instead of leaving them behind, I kept my money and decided to wait until their relations could send money to them. Ritas parents called to say that they had no money. Immediately the call was received, Rita was chained to an iron rod where White Libyans came and took turn to rape her. This continued for two weeks without food . In one of the instances, Denis stood up to challenge one of the men but he had his ear chopped off with a hot iron rod that was plugged to a socket.. On the day she died, five boys first came , had their turns with her and left. At that point, she could only stare into space. Ten minutes later, another set of young men came to have their turn. It was when the third person was on her that she was discovered to be motionless. Her body was there for two days before it was removed Omo also narrated how Libyan men would come to where the illegal migrants are kept, pay some money to take any strong black man they see who would have sex with them. The black men would after segxwally satisfying them, will then be brought back in the morning. Omo said he always feigned he was sick whenever the Libyan men came to pick any of the illegal male immigrants for gay sex. In an interview with Vanguard, Omo who recently returned to Nigeria, narrated how his friend, Deniss girlfriend, Rita, whom they all embarked on the journey to Europe in April 2016, was raped to death because she could not afford the money needed for her to continue her journey from Libya to Euope.Omo saidSabha connection house.Speaking further, he saidOmo also narrated how Libyan men would come to where the illegal migrants are kept, pay some money to take any strong black man they see who would have sex with them. The black men would after segxwally satisfying them, will then be brought back in the morning. Omo said he always feigned he was sick whenever the Libyan men came to pick any of the illegal male immigrants for gay sex. Post Reply I have been reporting on latest news from Nigeria for almost 10 years now. I report on every possible news area I come across, but always ensure my reports are compiled with dignity and fact to uphold my personal values and duty as a journalist Posted: at 20-01-2018 01:49 PM (4 years ago) | Addicted Hero xspraise at 20-01-2018 08:04 PM (4 years ago) (m) A Nigerian in the United States, Osa Alohaneke, faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life in jail, after he was convicted by a court in Fort Bend County, Houston for the 2015 stabbing to death of his fiancee, a Cameroonian. A Nigerian in the United States, Osa Alohaneke, faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life in jail, after he was convicted by a court in Fort Bend County, Houston for the 2015 stabbing to death of his fiancee, a Cameroonian. After deliberating for some 13 hours, a jury late Friday afternoon convicted 59-year-old Osa Alohaneke in the slaying of Evelyne Ebane Epiepang, 52. Alohaneke looked down and showed no emotion when the verdict was read in court. Prosecutors alleged that Alohaneke used a kitchen knife to attack Epiepang, his fiancee, and her friend, Veronica Taku. Alohaneke, who was living at the time in a section of southwest Houston that lies in Fort Bend County, was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Jurors acquitted Alohaneke of the assault charges. Epiepang was stabbed more than 30 times and died as she called 911 operators for help. Screams echoed in the courtroom for more than four minutes when prosecutors played the 911 call for jurors last week. When police arrived, Alohaneke was on the phone with an attorney, his hands covered in blood. Blood was splatted on his arms up to his elbows, Assistant District Attorney Amanda Bolin told jurors during her closing arguments. His mission was pain and devastation and he accomplished his mission, Bolin said. Defense attorney Eric Ashford pointed to what he said were weaknesses in the case against Alohaneke, many of which he alleged were caused by a haphazard investigation by the Fort Bend County Sheriffs Office. Was this case taken seriously by investigators? They didnt even do the forensic analysis needed to determine the murder weapon, Ashford told jurors. Ashford told jurors that detectives took several knives from the scene but that no testing was done to figure out which was used in the killing. In addition, the attorney said, detectives took Alahonekes clothes when he was arrested but never tested them for blood or DNA. Neither were fingernail scmolestings were taken from the victim. Also, he noted that detectives took Alahonekes phone but that jurors were never shown text messages as proof he was involved in the attack. Ashford also attacked the credibility of Taku, the only witness to the killing. She had testified she saw Alohaneke turn white like a ghost after the murder. This could have been a hallucination, Ashford told jurors. But did detectives investigate Takus mental status? No, during testimony they said they didnt think it was important. Jurors now begin the penalty phase. Alohaneke faces a sentence of up to life in prison. After deliberating for some 13 hours, a jury late Friday afternoon convicted 59-year-old Osa Alohaneke in the slaying of Evelyne Ebane Epiepang, 52.Alohaneke looked down and showed no emotion when the verdict was read in court.Prosecutors alleged that Alohaneke used a kitchen knife to attack Epiepang, his fiancee, and her friend, Veronica Taku.Alohaneke, who was living at the time in a section of southwest Houston that lies in Fort Bend County, was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Jurors acquitted Alohaneke of the assault charges.Epiepang was stabbed more than 30 times and died as she called 911 operators for help. Screams echoed in the courtroom for more than four minutes when prosecutors played the 911 call for jurors last week.When police arrived, Alohaneke was on the phone with an attorney, his hands covered in blood. Blood was splatted on his arms up to his elbows, Assistant District Attorney Amanda Bolin told jurors during her closing arguments.His mission was pain and devastation and he accomplished his mission, Bolin said.Defense attorney Eric Ashford pointed to what he said were weaknesses in the case against Alohaneke, many of which he alleged were caused by a haphazard investigation by the Fort Bend County Sheriffs Office.Was this case taken seriously by investigators? They didnt even do the forensic analysis needed to determine the murder weapon, Ashford told jurors.Ashford told jurors that detectives took several knives from the scene but that no testing was done to figure out which was used in the killing. In addition, the attorney said, detectives took Alahonekes clothes when he was arrested but never tested them for blood or DNA. Neither were fingernail scmolestings were taken from the victim. Also, he noted that detectives took Alahonekes phone but that jurors were never shown text messages as proof he was involved in the attack.Ashford also attacked the credibility of Taku, the only witness to the killing. She had testified she saw Alohaneke turn white like a ghost after the murder.This could have been a hallucination, Ashford told jurors. But did detectives investigate Takus mental status? No, during testimony they said they didnt think it was important.Jurors now begin the penalty phase. Alohaneke faces a sentence of up to life in prison. Post Reply I am Victor, I write reportage on sport news and latest metro happenings in Nigeria. Posted: at 20-01-2018 08:04 PM (4 years ago) | Hero Islamists come in all shapes and sizes. Some are very well educated and hold senior jobs. Others are not educated at all and might suffer from poverty or unemployment. Some believe in gradual change. Others cannot wait for instant and dramatic change. Some believe they can endure living with non-Islamists until further notice. Others believe that it is time for further notice. The Islamists are neither a homogenous group, nor do they share common social, economic or even psychological backgrounds. But one thing they have in common is that their ultimate dream is an Islamic state. And despite the fact that the term Islamic state has several definitions, characteristics and shapes, for them most differences can be overridden until the dream starts to become true. The Machiavellian rule that the end justifies the means has probably never been applied more smartly or efficiently than by the Islamists, especially those residing in the West. The peaceful, law-abiding, love-for-all and hatred-for-none Islamists living in London, New York, Vienna, Berlin, The Hague, Melbourne, Paris, Cologne and other cities in the West are not the norm in their home countries. There are huge differences between the Islamists residing over there and their counterparts living here. And what lies beneath the smooth, loving faces over there is not always a reflection of what lies beneath their plans and ultimate goals. A friend who has extensive experience abroad and mingling with Islamists who have migrated from their Muslim and Arab homelands seeking better lives once wrote a post on Facebook shedding light on the extremism of some Muslim communities living in the West. Even though he started his post by expressing bewilderment as to why religious extremism attracts some Muslims in Europe and the United States, his words carry a great deal of the answer. The extremism of some Muslims living in the West has always surprised me, not only when it comes to their appearances and rituals, but also with regards to the way they apprehend religion, he wrote. He went on to recount memories of attending Friday prayer in Holland in the 1990s, at which the imam elaborated on the necessity of all females, young children included, abiding by the Muslim dress code. My friend was shocked at the aggressive and radical tone with which the man spoke and the way he seemed to mesmerise his audience. The sermon was filled with the spice that the radical religious discourse uses: establishing a caliphate, applying Sharia Law, conquering apostate governments, the Jews and America, and of course suppressing and dominating women, he wrote. What is said behind the closed doors of some mosques and Islamic centres in many countries remains unknown to outsiders. And if known, the effect of such words can be underestimated. It is true that most countries in the West have now woken up to the nightmare of the Islamic State (IS) group banging on their doors from within, realising that a culture of terror wearing the mask of religion is home-grown, yet the dangers of the Islamists may still be underestimated. The thin line that separates freedom of expression on the one hand and hate speech on the other may be blurred in many countries of the world that strongly adhere to human rights. I remember a few years ago I witnessed a debate in London when a group of Ahmadi Muslims living in Britain decided to build one of the biggest mosques in Western Europe in a suburb of the UK capital. Many local residents expressed objections, fearing changes in the architectural spirit of the place. Others were worried at the growing Muslim community and a change in the London they knew. A third group lobbied against the mosque, reflecting standard Islamophobia. At the time, many human rights groups and individuals lobbied for the right of the Ahmadi Muslims to have their mosque as long as the architecture abided by the law. The word law is critical. What many in the West fail to understand when it comes to why the Islamists are more dangerous in their homelands and why some countries such as Egypt have decided to get rid of their rule has to do with law and democracy. The idea of democracy marketed by the West as the optimum for all human communities is based on a system where laws, rather than individuals, rule. The rule of law in a democracy protects the rights of citizens, maintains order and limits the power of government. The West has taught us that all citizens are equal under the law in a democracy. No one may be discriminated against on the basis of their race, religion, ethnic group or gender. But in a system where religion rules, it is followers of that specific religion who rule. And it is those followers, and more specifically those who exercise authority within the hierarchy of the governing religion, who decide who gets what, when and where. Does this sound like the Middle Ages? It should. No matter how much the Islamists get radicalised in the West, or even what sort of terrorist activities they perform if recruited or attracted to IS and other groups, they still get judged according to the rule of man-made law, not divine law as interpreted by specific theologians at a specific time. While many countries in the West are starting to immunise themselves and their younger generations, including Muslim migrants, against radicalisation and their becoming involved in acts of terror, these same countries are still pushing us to include the Islamists in our newly developing democracies. They cannot grasp the idea that democracy and Islamism or any other sort of mixture between religion and politics do not mix. Efforts to make us believe that mild Political Islam should be part of the political process in Egypt reflects either a lack of understanding or a deliberate plan to turn the country over to chaos. UK diplomat Sir John Jenkins, formerly British ambassador to several Arab countries and head of a committee assigned by the British government to prepare a report on Muslim Brotherhood activities in the UK, complained that the mission to reach an accord among discordant approaches towards the Brotherhood was beyond his capabilities. Jenkins was asked in March 2014 by then British prime minister David Cameron to lead a review into the Muslim Brotherhood in the UK. The report, delayed for months amid disputes about how strongly it should say the Brotherhood was linked to terrorism, assessed views in the Muslim Brotherhood about violence and the use of terrorism in the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and other national chapters. Jenkins concluded that it was not possible to reconcile such views with the claim made by the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in its evidence to the review that the Muslim Brotherhood has consistently adhered to peaceful means of opposition, renouncing all forms of violence throughout its existence. The report showed that the Muslim Brothers have engaged politically where possible, but they have also selectively used violence and sometimes terror in pursuit of their institutional goals. Their public narrative notably in the West have emphasised engagement not violence. But there have been significant differences between Muslim Brotherhood communications in English and Arabic, it said. A few weeks ago in an article in the Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, Jenkins warned of overreacting towards IS and Al-Qaeda, while turning a blind eye to the real issues. He was referring to the ability of the Political Islam ideology to mobilise small groups that include activists who might get involved in various political practices, such as incitement to revolutionary violence or even ousting regimes. But despite what the veteran diplomat and authority on Islamism warned against and documented in his report, many Western countries are still defending the mixture of politics and religion in countries that have been plagued by Political Islam. The Islamists over there might be doves, but over here they are more like vultures. *This article was first published in Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: Conduct a review of existing statutory and regulatory laws (including anti-fraud rules and other consumer protections) to make sure current state laws consider evolving financial technologies. Allow the creation of trust organizations or limited liability corporations, termed Digital Currency LLCs (DCLCCs) designed to work within the existing LLC laws, but with a specific sub-chapter of rules. This would include: Permitting DCLCC governance to be provided in whole or in part through the technological architecture of the system. Allowing the assignment of the roles of members and managers to participants nodes, miners, etc. Granting limited liability protection to these participants, and authorizing the limitation of their agency authority with respect to the system. Granting authority for the kinds of counter-hacks that the Ethereum system has carried out when under attack. Creating governance procedures for innovations and changes in the currency architecture. In Vermont, a legislator has introduced a bill that aims to push the small state to the forefront of financial technology and attract businesses involved in cryptocurrencies and blockchain.The bill, introduced by state Sen. Alison Clarkson, would allow distributed ledger startups to create limited liability companies that would be taxed by the state in any coin of its making at a low rate.Perhaps the most surprising of the proposals is the requisition of a study to determine how Vermont could create an e-residency program. The bill specifically asks state officials to examine Estonia's e-residency program, which allows anyone, anywhere, to virtually become a citizen of the state.The move would put the state on a path following Estonia's digital transformation program, which tcharacterized as the most " ambitious projects in technological statecraft ," in the world. Estonia allows its e-citizens to digitally sign documents and contracts; encrypt and transmit documents securely; establish a company online, enable companies to administer a company from anywhere in the world; apply for third-party services like e-banking and remote money transfers; access online payment service providers and declare Estonia taxes online.Clarkson sees the bill as a continuation of technology-friendly policy in the Green Mountain State.We have a history of passing innovative laws for business, Sen. Clarkson said.Vermont passed two blockchain-related bills in 2016 and 2017. The first bill passed by the Vermont Assembly allowed for authentication of an object, such as artwork, precious stones or high-value footwear, through blockchain technology. The bill establishes that blockchain data is admissible evidence in court. Blockchain technology could be used to supply a notarization of authenticity legally.The second bill passed in the spring of 2017 allowed the state to modify its money transmission rules with a definition for virtual currency, allowing money transmitters to hold digital currencies as a kind of "permissible investment," but with the caveat that this can be done "only to the extent of outstanding transmission obligations received by the licensee in identical denomination of virtual currency.The existing Vermont legislation on blockchain technology and other aspects of e-finance have given Vermont the potential for leadership in this sector of technology, she said. We have been busy putting the enabling legislation in place to build fluency in financial technology.It's a rural state with a population of about 600,000 that is losing workers due to outmigration and retirement, and whose economic indicators and job creation show a decline since 2012 . So , she thinks, the legislature is very interested in getting recognition as the first state to encode legal enhancements for virtual business.Our legislation is fairly forward-looking to advance economic development, she said. We desperately want to attract young workers. (This bill) might attract them to be here physically.Clarkson and her husband, Oliver Goodenough, who wrote a financial report to accompany her bill, both admit that they were a little more than inspired by the Estonia model.While our state may not have Silicon Valley or Wall Street, it is already a moderate tech hub, said Goodenough, a law professor at the University of Vermont.magazine ranked Burlington among the top 10 metropolitan areas for innovative technology development.Estonia has shown the world that its ideas can disrupt business; disrupt what it means to be a state; and too, that the small, former Soviet Union captive can begin to dominate innovation in the Council of the European Union.Vermont hopes to emulate Estonia's state-level disruption within the United States by adopting a model that will foster financial technology laws to enhance participation in Vermonts economy as virtual citizens.As currently written, Clarkson's bill would:This section of the bill would also allow for taxation "in the form of its digital currency ... equivalent to $0.01" whenever a new unit of cryptocurrency is created, traded or transferred.It would also allow for trust frameworks to prevent identity theft, allow the application of blockchain technology for insurance and e-banking and create the first legal structure in the U.S. for the governing of autonomous agents for example, an artificial intelligence that controls securities or commodities corporations.Clarkson fully expects most of her proposals to pass in the springtime. Because the state is small, she said, it can be very nimble.Our legislature is fairly forward-looking, and they are looking to promote economic development, she said. (TNS) Amazon.com Inc. said Thursday that Los Angeles and 19 other places are the finalists for the $5-billion second headquarters the giant online retailer plans to build.The largest concentration of contenders is in the Northeast; Los Angeles is the only finalist west of the Rocky Mountains.Amazon said it narrowed the list from 238 proposals across the United States, Canada and Mexico. It was somewhat surprising that Los Angeles made the final 20 because the companys headquarters is in Seattle and there was speculation it might avoid setting up a second base on the West Coast.The list includes Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Boston; Chicago; Dallas; Denver; Indianapolis; Los Angeles; Miami; New York; Philadelphia; Toronto; Washington; Pittsburgh; Raleigh, N.C.; Nashville; Newark, N.J.; and Columbus, Ohio. It also listed northern Virginia and Marylands Montgomery County both near Washington, D.C. as potential sites.Amazon said that in the coming months, it would work with each finalist location to dive deeper into their proposals, request additional information and evaluate the feasibility of a future partnership before making a final decision later this year.Amazon did not elaborate on why each of the 20 places made its final list.The company announced its plan for a second headquarters in September. It said the new facility would be home to as many as 50,000 high-paying jobs.The announcement immediately set off a race among cities that hoped to attract Amazon and the enormous economic benefits the facility would bring.Among the cities that did not make the final list are Irvine and San Diego.Irvine Mayor Donald Wagner congratulated the remaining contenders. I particularly want to wish Los Angeles, one of the finalists, all the best, he said in a statement.The entire Southern California region would benefit by the selection of Los Angeles and we offer our cooperation to Mayor [Eric] Garcetti and his team as the bids move forward, Wagner said.Los Angeles, which has suffered an exodus of corporate headquarters in the last two decades because of the area's relatively high business taxes and housing costs, would welcome Amazons presence.L.A. is the perfect place for a company like Amazon to find talented workers, and an environment that nurtures growth and innovation, Garcetti said in a statement in September.The online retailing giants new campus would deliver an economic boost well beyond the $5 billion in construction costs and added jobs Amazon said would stem from its HQ2. In addition to Amazons direct spending, there also would be the indirect benefit created by spawning more business for suppliers, nearby vendors and others.When Amazon issued its request for a proposal from bidders, the company said it would give priority to areas with more than 1 million people that are within 45 minutes of an international airport.Amazon also said its looking for an area that has a highly educated labor pool and a strong university system.The e-commerce titan also made it clear that its looking for incentives, such as tax breaks. In its proposal request to bidders, Amazon said "the initial cost and ongoing cost of doing business are critical decision drivers in making its selection.One area that has disclosed its incentives is New Jersey and its city of Newark, which made the cut. Combined, the state and city are preparing to offer up to $7 billion in tax breaks and other incentives.Los Angeles also is going to have to play ball in that regard, said Lloyd Greif, head of the investment bank Greif & Co. and a former chairman of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.Its worth reaching for the brass ring on this one, Greif said. Amazon is not here today and gone tomorrow. Amazon is only guaranteed to grow bigger over time.Amazon launched the search for its second headquarters because its Seattle headquarters, spread across 33 buildings, is brimming with 40,000 workers. The companys remarkable growth lifted its sales to $136 billion in 2016, and it has since expanded further, acquiring Whole Foods Market Inc. last year.We expect HQ2 to be a full equal to our Seattle headquarters, Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos said in September.Washington and its suburbs probably made the final list for several reasons, including that its the political center of the United States, and for a company of Amazons size, policy is obviously very important, said Adam Ozimek, senior economist at Moodys Analytics.Site-selection experts also tell us that companies tend to locate where the CEO lives, and we know Bezos has a home in Washington and he owns the Washington Post, Ozimek said.Californias Silicon Valley, meanwhile, was shut out of consideration. Despite the regions huge technology industry, their costs are so extremely high in terms of land and the cost of living, Ozimek said. These are really, really expensive places, and that really hurt them. Whether just an unlucky year or a result of a warming climate, 2017 with its three hurricanes and devastating wildfires, was the costliest for weather/climate related disasters with an estimated $306 billion price tag.So how do we pay for it, and if its a trend, how do we continue to pay for natural and man-made disasters that seem to be increasing either in number or intensity?The country is really not prepared to deal with large-scale disasters, and we keep repeating the same mistakes in response or failure to prepare, said Irwin Redlener, director of Columbia Universitys National Center for Disaster Preparedness.Redlener said the nation needs a serious conversation at the political and budgetary levels, on resilience and how to fund these and future disasters.The nation endured 16 weather- and climate-related disasters that cost $1 billion or more each in 2017, resulting in 362 deaths. A common refrain is Get used to it, as trends suggest more of the same.Redlener said that science is increasingly providing the evidence that global warming is the cause of more frequent and intense storms and that the question of global warming is being resolved. But thats not going to be the impetus for increased resiliency or funding.Science rarely prevails over ideology in politics, Redlener said. Thats the sad fact of it, and scientists keep thinking, Oh, Ill do this research and publish it, and everybody will be convinced. Just doesnt ever work that way.Rob Dale, regional planner at Ingham County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management in Michigan and a former meteorologist, shies away from calling recent events the new normal. He says weather is random and often the results of storms on populations of people involve luck or unluckiness.My concern is when we say this is the new normal, next year we might not get any hurricanes that make landfall and Im afraid people will stop doing what they need to be doing. He said his bigger concern is people building where they shouldnt.Regardless of where or why, it comes back the fact that were using a method for recovery funds thats probably not going to be effective regardless of future [climate] changes, Dale said. Weve got too many people living in cities, that it just takes one tornado [to do a lot of damage]. And if that city gets hit [there can also be] a lot more damage to a neighboring city that has lower population.Redlener said it will take advocacy and hardcore politics to get new strategies for investing in resilience, but he doesnt see that in the current political dynamic. I think were going backward. Were going to have to pay for them, but were in an environment where weve just done a trillion and a half dollars of tax cuts to corporations and the well-off individuals.The damage from Hurricane Harvey in Texas may exceed $150 billion, the tab in Florida from Irma will be in the tens of billions and the damage in Puerto Rico will be at least $150 billion. Redlener said the bills will get paid somehow, but that there will be pushback and that will lengthen the recovery processes.Redlener cited as examples of failure to prepare properly, the recovery effort in New Orleans after Katrina, where levees were rebuilt to withstand Category 3 storms. Why not build up to level four or five? Redlener asked. It was all about money and politics.He called the inability to send the military and Department of Defense into Puerto Rico to help was a failure. FEMA and the Department of Health and Human Services have worked hard, but the problems are too big for them. A costly fix (TNS) PORT ORANGE, Fla. Something must be wrong with the traffic signals.To Kimberly Dotson, it's the only way to explain why she's forced to stop so frequently and for so long through several red and green light cycles at the same intersection on Dunlawton Avenue."I sit at the light waiting to go and it will change (red again) after only letting three cars through," she said. "That tells me the timing is off. Three cars is not enough."The problem that frustrates Dotson and many other motorists who pack the east-to-west corridor stems from outdated technology. Conventional traffic lights the standard in Volusia, everywhere in Flagler County and 90 percent of intersections throughout the country operate based on signal timings that could have been set years ago and don't adapt to rush hour, economic growth along a roadway or traffic lulls. That's why you sometimes sit at a red light even though no cars are approaching the intersection and why a turn signal only stays green for a few seconds.The good news: A better system that's rapidly spreading throughout the state is, coming, eventually, to Dunlawton and State Road 44 in DeLand.They are called adaptive, or "smart," traffic signals, and the devices are already in place along International Speedway Boulevard in Daytona Beach and U.S. Highway 17-92 in DeLand. They will be installed along two of Volusia's busiest roadways by 2020. State and local officials say they improve the flow of traffic and eliminate the situation that Dotson sees day in, day out."I hope people see the difference," said Lois Bollenback, the executive director of the River-to-Sea Transportation Planning Organization, the local body that prioritized the traffic light upgrades. "I think people will see that their blood pressures are a little lower."It's unclear when State Road 40 in Ormond Beach another congested east-west corridor or Flagler County will see the improvements, but Bollenback said the planning board will continue to study the need."We are trying to put together a plan to see: Where can we have the biggest benefit and where can we go next?" she said.On average, travelers spend 36 hours per year in traffic tie-ups. For urbanites, the number is much higher. Collectively, Americans spend nearly 4.2 billion hours sitting in backups, according to the Federal Highway Administration.It leaves many wondering: Why don't traffic lights adjust to actual conditions?Now they can. Studies show that adaptive signal control improves average performance metrics (travel time, control delay, emissions, and fuel consumption) by 10 percent or more. In systems with extremely outdated signal timing, and in places with heavy traffic, the improvement can be 50 percent or more, according to the Federal Highway Adminstration's website.That website also says that the technology, while effective, is used on less than 1 percent of all signalized intersections, with cost being one of the main reasons for the slow rollout. The systems along ISB and 17-92 cost $2.08 million but also included other improvements to the highways. The implementation along Dunlawton and S.R. 44 is estimated to cost roughly $1.9 million."The costs are highly variable, and depend on numerous factors," Florida Department of Transportation district spokesman Steve Olson said. "There are several different types of adaptive systems that all have different installation and operational requirements."In Florida, smart traffic signals began appearing in the early 2000s, first in Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. By 2015 the year the devices were installed on ISB newspapers throughout the state had reports of "new signal systems" coming to roadways.These systems are implemented on a case-by-case basis, FDOT officials said, and there are no plans to put adaptive signal systems on all state roadways.According to the Federal Highway Administration, the hardware can determine which lights should be red and which should be green by receiving and processing data from strategically placed sensors.For Port Orange City Councilman Scott Stiltner, a retired police officer, Dunlawton traffic is the top complaint he hears from constituents. He's unsure if the new lights will untangle the snarls, but he's hopeful it will at least help motorists get where they need to go a lot quicker.Look at "the time it takes from point A to point B when they go on Dunlawton, especially between Clyde Morris and Wllliamson (boulevards)," he said. "There are so many major intersections in such a short artery of highway."It's so bad that Port Orange resident Joe Sauer uses a network of backroads to avoid Dunlawton whenever possible. Sometimes though when he goes out to eat or shop he winds up stuck, in more ways than one."You really see it heavy around 3:30 in the afternoon," he said of the traffic. While frustrating, "there's nothing you can do about it." Michael Mattmiller has resigned his post as Seattles chief technology officer, and his last day with the city will be Feb. 2. Mattmiller, who has served in his position for the past four years, announced his resignation Friday in an email to employees of Seattles Information Technology Department. Tracye Cantrell, who is serving as Seattles IT chief of staff, will take over as acting CTO while the city conducts a national search for Mattmillers replacement.In the letter, Mattmiller praised the department for all that it had accomplished in his time there, citing a host of efforts such as creating a consolidated technology department; consolidating the citys technology infrastructure into modern data center facilities; redesigning Seattle.gov to better connect the public to services; upping the citys investment in open data work; and instituting a privacy program that has brought national awareness to how municipal data can be collected and shared responsibly. He also praised Seattles work toward making its community more digitally equitable , noting that the citys Digital Equity Action Plan has increased the number of households with computing devices, access to the internet, and digital skills. And our efforts to create more consistent cable and broadband regulation have resulted in the construction of a fiber-to-the-home network now serving 70 percent of Seattle homes and in 98 percent of homes having access to one or more gigabit broadband providers. In a press release, the city also announced that Mayor Jenny A. Durkan and staff would be conducting a search for a permanent replacement, and praised Mattmiller for his contributions. In the same press release, Durkan also announced the resignation of another city leader, Dylan Orr, the director of the office of labor standards. This marks a total of nine major department head changes in the 52 days that Durkan has held office, according to local media Michael has led one of our largest departments and aimed to make Seattle one of the most innovative cities on the frontline of emerging technology, Durkin said in the release. Indeed, Mattmiller has been one of the more prominent tech leaders within major American cities over the past four years, regularly being recognized for his leadership and the work his department has done. It has been a privilege to work with you and to serve the city the past four years, and I continue to be honored by all 750 of our Seattle IT employees who choose to work in mission driven service to our public, Mattmiller wrote. Mayor Durkan brings an exciting vision for the city, and I know she and the cabinet will do great things in the years to come. While I will miss seeing everyone on a daily basis, I will be cheering on your efforts from West Seattle and look forward to staying in touch. This article is a kind of mental exercise on a subject that is surfacing frequently in many forums and is often greeted with censure in varying degrees of vehemence. The idea is already out there on the Arab and Israeli tables, in any case. Now it appears to be the only alternative to the two-state solution to the Palestinian question which has prevailed since the partition resolution of 1948 to the Oslo Accords of 1993. There is no sign of the implementation of two-state solution on the horizon. Even if it did happen it would be like a surgical operation with a lot of blood loss. Both the Palestinian and the Israeli sides have people who find this solution unjust and who hold that the solution can only be reached by controlling all the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean to establish a Palestinian state or to legitimise the Israeli state that already controls this expensive piece of real estate. Such a notion is what our Sudanese brothers call silent words. Its advocates leave much unsaid. The Palestinians do not mention where the Israelis will go and the Israelis do not mention what will happen to the Palestinians in the end. All this has given rise to the idea of a single state for both the Palestinian and the Israeli peoples. According to opinion polls, there is a minority of opinion on both sides that support this idea. Most are young people who hope to see a solution to the conflict in some foreseeable future and who do not want to experience what their parents and grandparents went through. The notion of a single state is not new. It was espoused by the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organisation) in its original charter that called for the establishment of a single, democratic state for Jews, Muslims and Christians alike. From a practical standpoint, there already is a single state Israel that enjoys security, strategic and economic control or, in short, sovereignty over the land from the river to the sea, albeit with some codified concession of sovereignty to the Palestinian National Authority in Gaza and in Areas A and B in the West Bank. Theoretically, there are 1.6 million Palestinians who are treated as Israelis. With 13 MPs, the Palestinians make up the third largest parliamentary bloc in the Knesset and they take part in the formulation of Israeli policies from their position in the opposition. Incidentally, the Israeli Arabs, as they are called, refuse to become part of any independent Palestinian state and prefer to fight for equal rights with the Jews in the Israeli state in which they are treated as second class citizens. In addition to the foregoing, the long years of occupation have created a range of interactions that have generated an intensive mutual dependency. In addition to close security cooperation, there is a market in labour and economic activity, a single currency (the shekel) and numerous other activities that have resulted from the encroachment of 500,000 Jewish settlers into the Palestinian territories as well as the ongoing process of the Judaicisation of Jerusalem. The result is that there are 12 million people, half of whom are Palestinians and the other half of whom are Jews, who have been interacting for the past seven decades, in war and peace and in dispute and collaboration. Such a condition is the translation of a colonising power situated alongside an entity that is not a state, a situation where unmitigated and unequal relations generate varying degrees of oppression depending on antagonising situations. To put an end to this delicate condition, which teeters precariously between conflict and peaceful coexistence, some Palestinian and Israeli groups have proposed a return to the idea of one state with a single citizenship and in which a united Jerusalem would be the capital of all citizens. Palestinians who oppose the idea argue that a state based on full and equal citizenship between Arabs and Jews could never really exist and that a single state for both would merely be an extension of the current one in which, after seven decades, Israeli Arabs remain second class citizens even if they enjoy higher levels of political and economic participation than their fellow Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Israeli opponents, who are more numerous, hold that the Zionist project was and remains the establishment of a state in which the Jews are the majority, which is something that could not be sustained given higher Palestinian population growth rates which would reduce the Jews to a minority. There are other objections. Some believe that the two-state solution is still possible if the new ideas they have conceived are applied. Others hold that the status quo serves Israels purposes perfectly. It gives it the opportunity to create new realities on the ground that will guarantee its permanent superiority, especially given the collapse of major Arab powers such as Iraq and Syria, the chronic Palestinian rift, and developments in the international order that have generated closer relations between Israel and Russia, China and India while Israeli relations with the US have soared to unprecedented heights. Still, all the many objections do not diminish the validity of the idea, which is that the status quo and the ongoing occupation creates a volatile situation with all the conditions for uprisings, resistance and sometimes full-scale war, as has occurred in previous instances when tensions snap in the contradictions between a national liberation movement and a colonial power. If the two-state alternative to the status quo is unavailable or impossible, then the one-state alternative could be approached from perspectives that make it possible to deal with the various objections on both sides. For example, the majority/minority question could be dealt with by means of constitutional weights that would render vital matters subject to a right to veto on the part of the minority or to a two-thirds majority vote or some mixture between the two. Consensus democracy can create a framework that permits for all ethnic and religious groups to exercise their rights and participate in the state. If such a solution to an over century-long conflict appears idealistic, overly optimistic and, moreover, in contrast with the current balances of power, especially as there is no one in the Israeli political elite prepared to discuss the subject, there is the confederal solution. This would give each side its state but would also permit for a single capital for both in Jerusalem. Perhaps this is the path to a single state of a new sort. This situation ensures that the Palestinian presence in Israel and the Israeli settlement presence in the West Bank can act with respect to their respective political concerns, while the economy and security form a bond sufficient to manage their affairs and while the majority in Israel is ensured for the Israelis and the same applies to the Palestinians in the State of Palestine. In sum, it is a kind of partition into two political entities, but in the framework of a broader state that guarantees security and prosperity to both peoples. Once again, the above is no more than an effort to work out some ideas in response to Saeb Ereikats suggestion that the one-state solution might be the alternative if the two-state solution fails. However, this effort will probably require more deliberation and study, which takes as its starting point an unacceptable status quo. *This article was first published in Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt is retaining its leading role in the international community. The effectiveness of this role is demonstrated through the countrys contribution to forging multi-party relations and its non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council and the UN Human Rights Council. Egypt is also a signatory to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Building on these successes, Egypts chairmanship of the Group of 77 and China at the UN is another achievement of Egyptian diplomacy. On 12 January, Egypt took over the chairmanship of the G77 and China (G77/China) from Ecuador during a handover ceremony at UN headquarters in New York. This indicates the confidence of member countries in Egypts capability to lead the group, which Egypt also chaired in 1972-1973 and 1984-1985. The group was founded by the Joint Declaration of the Seventy-Seven Developing Countries in 1964 at the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTADs) first major North-South conference on development questions. The G77/China thus represents the developing countries within the United Nations system, and its membership has grown to 134 plus China as a participant non-member. It aims to promote the rights of developing countries to sustainable economic development and a fair multilateral trading system through enhancing their joint negotiating capacity on all major international economic issues and fostering South-South cooperation. Over the years, the G77/China has played a major role in supporting multilateralism and sustainable development. Egypt is one of the main actors in the Middle East region, and as such it will lead the negotiations of the G77/China in the coming years through fostering the solidarity of the developing countries and integrating economic, social and environmental development. In addition, Egypt has taken steps towards promoting the UN Agenda 2030 for sustainable development. In spite of various economic and political challenges, Egypt has proven its capability to cope with obstacles. It has taken a leading role in settling disputes in the Arab and African regions through mediation and preventive diplomacy. Egypt and China are two major powers in the group. China is now the second-largest economy in the world and one of the major powers in promoting multilateralism, its diplomacy being based on mediation and reconciliation of conflicts and disputes. In addition to its non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council and the UN Human Rights Council, Egypts membership of the African Union (AU) Security and Peace Council makes it a focal point between the UN and the AU. Egypt shares a vision of using peaceful means for dispute settlement, promoting multilateralism and supporting the developing countries in attaining sustainable economic development as well as eradicating poverty. Ties between Egypt and China are consolidating economically, politically and socially in alignment with the UN Agenda 2030. Egypts presidency of the G77/China will deepen the stance of the developing countries on issues related to climate change mitigation, international trade negotiations, maintaining the security of food, energy and water, alleviating poverty, building the capabilities of youth and sustaining economic development. In the light of an international economic order that emphasises the multilateral trade system and the multilateralism of the international order, there is a vital necessity to maintain and boost the unity of the developing countries in the years ahead in order to adopt better policies in the international economic field and deepen South-South cooperation, thereby constructing mutually beneficent relationships with the rest of the world. Strengthening such cooperation at all levels is crucial to achieving comprehensive peace and sustainable economic development. *This article was first published in Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Mr vice president, it has been announced that soon you will be visiting Egypt, the cradle of religions, the originator of monotheism and the refuge of prophets. Egypt is where Joseph lived, Moses was born and the Holy Family sought refuge. Later, the Prophet Mohamed instructed his followers to treat the Copts of Egypt well. Egypt taught the world at a time when most of the countries of today did not even exist. Today, it is confronting tremendous challenges. Enemies from inside and out, governments, organisations and others insist on hindering its progress. But Egypt will defeat them all, as it has done to all its invaders in the past. It has been announced that the purpose of your visit is to strengthen the relationship between our two countries, to support peace efforts, and to combat the terrorism that threatens the whole world and from which no country is immune. Egypt with its police force and army is relentlessly resisting various forms of terrorism to protect not only its land, but also the whole region and the world at large from terrorist atrocities. It is for this reason that I am sending you this message, which is based on the four following assumptions. First, we assume and hope that you understand that the era of a single pole has come to an end, and no power today can possibly imagine that it alone can control the world. All countries need to collaborate together in the interest of all peoples. Second, we assume and believe that you know that true democracy does not only mean equality among individuals, but also equality among countries. All of them stand on the same footing. They are all important, and each has its own culture, independence and sovereignty that must be respected and not transgressed. I believe that the first human right is the right to be different but to remain equal. Third, we assume that you are well aware that our interests are reciprocal. We need you, and you need us. Therefore, coordination based on mutual respect is in the interest of both of us. Fourth, we assume that you can differentiate between global issues that are of concern to all and the internal problems of each country separately, which are the concern of its government and its people. Thus, you will understand the huge difference between the problem of Christians in the Middle East that has been dealt with by eminent thinkers and has a history covered by serious research and the issue of the Copts of Egypt which is a purely Egyptian national issue that exclusively concerns Egyptians. No one has the right to interfere in it, just as no one has the right to interfere in issues of racism in Western countries, or the incomplete rights of women, or the treatment of those detained in sites of detention. Fifth, the Egyptian Copts who live inside Egypt are the ones who know the facts of the situation and how to handle it. Their requests are discussed with the government and the presidency with a view to achieving the common goals of peace, equality for all, speedy trials and the quick punishment of the guilty. Your government has declared its goal of fighting terrorism and expressed its appreciation of what Egypt is doing to achieve that goal. In this respect, we wish to bring to your attention the following points, which you may consider as proposals or advice to achieve peace and combat terrorism. You need to assess the Egyptian situation and differentiate between human rights that mean protecting convicts alone and the basic concept of human rights that means the protection of the interests, rights, safety and dignity of millions of innocent people. You well know that Egypt is currently fighting two battles: an inevitable military battle to protect its citizens and defend its land and heritage and another battle of ideology that seeks to rectify false concepts. This challenge Egypt is qualified to meet supported by its institutions. Supporting Egypt in its battles is one of the most successful means of combating terrorism and protecting the world from its evils. Any bargaining regarding military aid to Egypt, or the postponement of delivery or repair of equipment, is against your declared intentions and not becoming of you or us. Huge sums of money are paid by your government, institutions and organisations to non-governmental organisations that claim they promote peace and seek to protect human rights, but in reality use of these funds to provoke unrest and increase tensions that serve the goals of groups doing evil. Would it not have been better and wiser to direct such funds to reducing the suffering of the people by providing them with additional educational and health services? Why is this money not used to provide the police with more protective equipment as well as bullet-proof checkpoints and other materials which we know that you and your agencies have in abundance? Governments and organisations that politically, materially and financially support terrorist gangs and provide them with arms, shelter and refuge are the major constraints to achieving peace. Therefore, the serious combating of terrorism necessitates that you reconsider your stand vis-a-vis such countries, organisations and gangs, punishing them and depriving them of aid. But some of the countries that take your country as a role model and receive huge funds from you continue to support terrorism with your aid. I invite you to follow in the footsteps of Egypt and support the call for the protection of the common Islamic-Christian heritage and confront the damage done to Islam as a result of the wrong acts and attitudes of some of its followers who do not abide by its teachings. Your call for peace obliges you to support the campaign that endeavours to explain to the whole world that terrorist acts have nothing to do with the teachings of Islam, which respects Christianity and Christians, believes in the miracles of Christ and honours the Virgin Mary. A true Muslims belief in Islam would not be complete unless he believed in all the holy religions that preceded Islam. A true Muslim respects Christian holy sites in Jerusalem and safeguards them. Correcting the wrong ideas and opinions about Islam is no longer the responsibility of Muslims alone, but the responsibility of all peace-lovers. In the same way, correcting wrong ideas and opinions about Christianity is not the responsibility of Christians alone, but that of all those who believe in peace and coexistence. Your recent decision to offer up the Christian holy site of Jerusalem against the principles of justice refutes all your previous statements as well as the agreements you have signed. It is huge blow to your credibility. It jeopardises peace and is against the interests of your citizens whose protection should come before the interests of Israel. You have isolated your country from the world and all those who believe in justice, peace and the principles advocated by Christianity by using your veto at the UN Security Council and threatening to punish countries that did not support your unfair decision in the UN General Assembly. In this way, you lost your status as a mediator of peace and the admiration and respect you used to enjoy. We hope that you will contribute to correcting this mistake that jeopardises peace by supporting a UN resolution recognising the State of Palestine. Only then will you regain your status and respect and be able to protect your people from the horrors of your decision. Only then will Christians and Muslims in the East and West, as well as all Egyptians, feel that the dignity and safety of the Holy Land has been maintained. May God guide you and your president to the right decisions. *This article was first published in Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: In 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn into office for an unprecedented fourth term. In 1953, Dwight D. Eisenhower took the oath of office as president of the United States; Richard M. Nixon was sworn in as vice president. In 1969, Richard M. Nixon was inaugurated as the 37th president of the United States. In 1977, Jimmy Carter was inaugurated as the 39th president of the United States. In 1981, Iran released 52 Americans it had held hostage for 444 days, minutes after the presidency had passed from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan. In 1993, Bill Clinton was sworn in as the 42nd president of the United States. Actress Audrey Hepburn died in Switzerland at age 63. In 2001, George Walker Bush became Americas 43rd president after one of the most turbulent elections in U.S. history. In 2013, President Barack Obama was sworn in for four more years in a simple Sunday ceremony at the White House; a public ceremony took place the next day. In 2017, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States, pledging emphatically to empower Americas forgotten men and women. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NORWALK Golden armor, boldly colored beadwork and what appear to be strips of leather mingle with powertools on Ronell Howards dining room table. Until Feb. 15, when the new Marvel superhero movie Black Panther begins showing in theaters, the room has been converted to a costume work area. Its the Cornerstone Community Church pastors first foray into cosplay, but she said that after seeing the trailer, she knew she had to go all out. She plans to attend the movie dressed as Okoye, a female warrior in the film. Listen to that music, she said, replaying the trailer, scored by Grammy award-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar. The two-minute clip shows a glimpse of Wakanda, a fictional African country that, like Atlantis, had long kept its location and advanced civilization hidden from the world. Arent you hype? Black Panther, the first black superhero in mainstream comic books, appeared in July 1966 coincidentally, three months before the Black Panther party was founded, but long after an all-black battalion in World War II became famously known by the name. He was given his first series in the 70s, which Howard can still remember reading as a middle-schooler growing up on Staten Island. Following along the journeys of TChalla, the king and protector of Wakanda, she felt a sense of possibilities unfolding. I had a very limited world view, being this American girl living in New York on Staten Island and a really pretty segregated neighborhood, she said. Part of what Black Panther opened my eyes to was another possibility for a black girl ... When youre 12, 13, youre not in control in a lot of your own destiny. So this possibility was really exciting. She already has plans to see the movie five times with friends in multiple cities. But on opening night, she is going alone. So I can take it all in, she said. Howard is not the only person excited by Black Panther. The film broke pre-sale records the first day tickets went on sale, according to Fandango. And Anthony Hill, U3Media CEO and WNLK radio host, has been working various community groups to bring 100 children many the same age as Howard during her first encounter with the Black Panther to a free screening of the movie. Hill said he had been scrolling through Twitter one day when he began coming across the hashtag #blackpantherchallenge. In Harlem, New York resident Frederick Joseph had raised money for children in the neighborhood to see the movie, and had called on others to do the same in their communities using the hashtag. Celebrities and local organizers piled on. Snoop Dogg promised to organize a similar screening in Los Angeles, tweeting, its important they see the hero on screen, and Jemele Hill ESPN SportsCenter tweeted about the Harlem campaign, saying, When it comes to community involvement, some get overwhelmed because the problems seem so massive. But do what you can, where you can. But Hill couldnt find a single one for children in Connecticut. There was nothing, he said. Hartford is doing one for adults. New Haven is doing one for adults. But not for children. So he called every theater he could think of from Bridgeport to Stamford about the possibility of getting a screen for a showing. Many demurred, not willing to give up a screen on opening weekend for what promises to be a blockbuster movie, Hill said. But Bow Tie Cinemas in Norwalk agreed and arranged for a viewing on its biggest screen at 542 Westport Ave., at 10:15 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 17. Hill is working with YLTRAPPED, an organization supporting female teenagers; ACHIEVE, a before- and after-school program for kindergarten through eighth-grade children; Takes a Village, an organization supporting millennial parents; and HELPtouchHEAL, a nonprofit providing free counseling and support to those battling cancer. Together, they have secured a red carpet, a selfie station, snacks and gift bags for the children, who will have a question-and-answer session following the film, unpacking their reactions with a panel of high schoolers. What Im hoping theyll take away is that a comic book can have a representation of life, Hill said. Hill believes the movie is especially important given the current political conversation. It represented an advanced African nation. And us taking care of each other, people of color, he said. I have a 13-year-old son. And hes very impressionable he sees and hears movies and music and he asks questions, hes curious ... Im constantly trying to remind him that not everything he sees on TV is real. But on the flipside, some of the things he sees are attainable. He and the other organizers are currently looking for a Black Panther costume for someone to greet the kids in before the screening. But he has to look no further for an Okoye. I think it sounds fun, Howard said of meeting the kids dressed as the leader of the Dora Milaje, the Black Panthers personal bodyguards. As she surveyed her materials a plastic helmet, cut and assembled to create shoulder armor, and foam painted to create a surpringly convincing faux leather she estimated that completing the costume would take another 40 to 50 hours. Two or three hours a day, plus a few Saturdays, she said. Its going to look DIY but top shelf DIY. Howard recalled someone asking her what would happen if the movie wasnt that good. I said, Shut your mouth, she recalled, laughing. Then, more seriously: Im depending on the superhero mechanism that Marvel has to pull it off. She sighed, looking over an image actress Danai Gurira dressed as Okoye. In it, Gurira wears golden neck rings and gazes directly at the camera, ready for whatever will come. Ah. She looks so strong. She looks so strong. Those interested in sponsoring children for a free screening of Black Panther can contribute at www.gofundme.com/100-kids-go-see-black-panther or make a tax-deductible donation at www.helptouchheal.org. rschuetz@hearstmediact.com; @raschuetz Maybe time for that juice cleanse? Photo: Konstantin Postumitenko/Getty Images/iStockphoto Happy Friday. Our government appears headed for a shutdown, and it seems like comforting news stories are at a minimum these days. And this report from California will probably not do anything to change your mind: A Fresno man so obsessed with raw salmon that he ate it almost every day says he has now sworn off sushi for good after suffering an experience that you might call, at the very least, traumatizing. Really, theres just no delicate way to phrase this, so here it is: He witnessed a five-foot, six-inch tapeworm wiggle out of his body. Since 2017, the CDC has warned that wild-caught Pacific salmon in both North America and Asia could carry tapeworm larvae. The working theory is that one of those is what worked its way into the salmon mans stomach. Sacramentos CBS affiliate lays out, in unnecessarily excruciating detail, the scenario that resulted: According to the mans doctor, the self-proclaimed sushi lover pulled a massive tapeworm from his own body before arriving for treatment. Oh dear. And, yes, the scene played out just the way you might think: The tapeworm reportedly began to leave the mans body while he was sitting on the toilet. Shocked by the terrifying scene, Bahn says the man kept pulling until the invader was all the way out. Clearly, the sushi lover in question is nothing if not a quick thinker, and so it may not surprise you to learn that he also kept the tapeworm, so he could take it to the hospital. And what happened after that? He grabs it, and he pulls on it, and it keeps coming out. He picks it up and looks at it. And what does it do? It starts moving, Dr. Bahn said. Have a nice weekend, everyone! Haiti - News : Zapping... Earthquakes : Claude Prepetit tries to reassure... Following several earthquakes in recent weeks and in front of the concern of the population, geologist Claude Prepetit, Director General of the Bureau of Mines and Energy, wanting to be reassuring he affirmed that the number of earthquakes has not increased in Haiti contrary to some perceptions, saying that "It is rather the seismic monitoring network has become more reliable." See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/article-23292-haiti-flash-2-seismes-en-haiti.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23223-haiti-flash-new-earthquake-in-haiti.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23212-haiti-flash-earthquake-off-les-cayes.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23068-haiti-flash-earthquake-in-the-north-west.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23037-haiti-flash-seismic-shock-at-the-border.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22979-haiti-flash-quake-in-petit-goave.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22096-haiti-security-new-earthquake-of-3-88-in-the-department-of-nippes.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22015-haiti-security-an-unknown-seismic-fault-under-the-central-plateau.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21992-haiti-flash-earthquake-of-43-in-the-central-plateau.html Clerks announce an unlimited strike In a document sent to the Ministry of Justice, the clerks notify the Minister Heidi Fortune, the slogan of unlimited strike of clerks until their demands are met from Monday, January 22, 2018. Clerks who had already mobilized in 2017 regret that no agreement was signed despite several talks. They demand better working conditions, the payment of salary arrears of 2012, a wage adjustment, debit cards, vouchers and insurance cards... Jovenel Moise at the Cuban Embassy This week President Jovenel Moise went to the Embassy of Cuba on Wednesday, January 17, 2018, to participate in the celebration of the 59th anniversary of the triumph of the Cuban Revolution "My presence reaffirmed the unity and solidarity between our peoples and our governments," he said. IDB financing for waste management ? On Friday, a meeting was held at the Town Hall with the communities of Cap, of Quartier Morin and Limonade on the preparation of a financing protocol with the consultants of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) on waste management and some water. Senator Fethiere seeks the Presidency of the Defense Commission Unsurprisingly, North Senator Jean-Marie Ralph Fethiere is seeking the position of Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on "Defense and the Haitian Army" saying "We all know that without peace and public safety, no lasting progress can be made in the economic and social life of the Nation. The security must accompany if not precede an environment conducive to economic and social development in our country. Our vision is that of a professional army, able to defend the territory, at all levels." Inauguration of a restaurant within the FAES Thursday, the General Directorate of Economic and Social Assistance Fund (FAES), inaugurated a restaurant within the institution to allow employees to have at least one hot dish during office hours. The Director General Charles Ernest Chatelier and the members of his cabinet gave the example by tasting a dish while congratulating the cooks for the quality of the food. This initiative was greeted by employees who believe that the 25 gourdes claimed per meal are a godsend. They hope, among other things, that this restaurant will continue for the good of all. HL/ HaitiLibre House Republicans Announce Session Agenda to Make Hawaii More Affordable, Accountable, and Accessible News Release from House Republican Caucus HONOLULU, HAWAII (January 19, 2018) The Minority Caucus released their bill package today highlighting bills and resolutions that will make Hawaii more affordable, accountable, and accessible. "Our charter schools are unique, creative, and out-of-the-box; they have different ideas. Weve seen the trend in our state towards school choice as the charter school enrollment increased by 5%. HR 5 will help make our government more accessible to students and families who are seeking different public modes of education," said Representative Andria Tupola, Minority Leader. Representative Cynthia Thielen (District 50) used an acronym to describe HB 1732, "I'd like to take BITE out of food, Better If Tax Eliminated. Your family loses about $650 a year from taxes on food. We are standing with working families to keep their hard-earned money." "We are introducing a bill that will offer equal opportunity for everyone in our state to have their voices heard whether they live on the neighbor islands or in rural areas," said Representative Lauren Matsumoto (District 45). "About 30% of Hawaii's population lives on the neighbor islands and does not have the opportunity to testify in person. Offering audio and video technology to the neighbor islands would increase participation in our government and give us a perspective we have not heard in a long time." For more on the press conference, please see the attached dropbox link. For more on the bill package, please see the attached press packet. The Minority Caucus will be hosting a response to the Governor's State of the State Address on Monday at 11am in the State Capitol Rotunda. Contact Mahealani Kahala for more information. CB: Republicans Want Lower Taxes And Better Public Access To Legislature * * * * * "The Minority Leader's Response to the Governor's State of the State Address" HONOLULU, HAWAII (January 19, 2018) House Minority Caucus will be making remarks following the Governor's State of the State address. WHAT: The Minority Caucus will respond to the Governor's State of the State Address. WHEN: Monday, January 22nd, 2018 About 11:00 am; Following the Governor's Speech WHERE: Hawaii State Capitol, Rotunda (facing the Queen Liluokalani Statue) WHO: Representative Andria Tupola & Members of the Minority Caucus The four-and-a-half-year-old male panda, Hua Bao, and three-and-a-half-year-old female panda, Jin Baobao, were a gift from China for the centenary of the independence of Finland. The vulnerable animals arrived in the country for a 15-year research project agreed upon by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in Helsinki in April, 2017. A pair of giant pandas received a snowy but warm welcome in Finland on Thursday. The male panda was renamed Pyry (Eng. snow squall) and the female panda Lumi (Eng. snow) upon their arrival in Finland. The pandas continued the journey to their final destination, the Ahtari Zoo in Central Finland, immediately after an arrival ceremony at Helsinki Airport. Two veterinarians and zookeepers accompanied the pandas on their 6,500-kilometre flight from Chengdu, China, to Helsinki, Finland, according to a press release from Ahtari Zoo. Zookeeper Anna Palmroth tells that the flight went smoothly. The flight went smoothly because pandas are calm in the presence of familiar people. The pandas were naturally also given something to eat and drink during the journey. We had packed them a lunch of their favourite treats, meaning bamboo stems, carrots, apples and panda cakes, she tells. The Ahtari Zoo has over the past three spent over eight million euros on building a 6,000-square-metre house for the panda couple. The public will have the first opportunity to admire the giant pandas on Saturday, 17 February. Aleksi Teivainen HT Photo: Markku Ulander Lehtikuva Congressmen serving the Mountain Empire blasted the Senate on Saturday after the government began a partial shutdown. I joined my House Republican colleagues in fulfilling one of Congress most basic duties, which is to keep the government open, said U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee. It is uncon-scionable that Senate Democrats prefer shutting down the government instead of funding our troops and providing a long-term solution for childrens health care. Roe said the Schumer shutdown, referring to U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, is bad for America and East Tennesseans deserve better. The representative, who serves the citizens of Northeast Tennessee, said, We must put party politics aside and pass a funding bill to reopen the government before we address any addition-al policy matters. U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Virginia, said the Senate has failed to govern. The House of Representatives passed a measure that funded the government for four weeks and provided six years of funding for the Childrens Health Insurance Program, Griffith said. The Senate did not pass this measure, or even amend it and send it back to the House for us to give it due consideration. Instead, senators did nothing. Griffith said the vote reaffirms that the Senates modern filibuster-cloture-hold rule needs to end. The representative, who serves residents of Southwest Virginia, said the rule is damaging to the country and Americans will suffer the consequences. Griffith said Virginians are particularly affected by the Senates refusal to reauthorize CHIP, as the state is almost out of funds for the program. GLADE SPRING, Va. Washington County Sheriffs Office has withdrawn from negotiations to provide law enforcements services to the town of Glade Spring. The two sides have discussed the matter for some time, but county Sheriff Fred Newman sent a letter to Glade Spring Mayor Tony Rector on Friday, informing him of the decision. It was never our intention, when we proceeded with this request, to spark major public concern, debate, or in some instances outrage, Newman stated in the letter. It is obvious by the public comments from members of your council and others that you have a lot more work to do in this area. The Sheriffs Office will not be proceeding in the near future with the proposal, Newman wrote in the letter. Nearly a dozen people spoke against closing the police department Thursday during a public hearing at the Glade Spring Town Hall. The board ultimately tabled action. For the past six months, the Sheriffs Office has been working to establish an agreement with the town to provide law enforcement services. Glade Spring officials, including the mayor, town attorney, police chief and other town employees, were involved in trying to formulate a solution, according to the letter. We were led to believe that this was something that the [Glade Spring town] council members were aware of and to some extent in favor of, Newman wrote in the letter. Glade Spring Town Manager Aaron Sizemore said Friday that the letter was clear, in the intentions of the sheriffs department. Its been great to work with the sheriffs department these past months, Sizemore said. Councilman Mark Finney made a motion to table the decision regarding the contract until a later date at Thursdays public hearing. Councilman Dirk Moore seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously 6-0. The 6-0 vote to table the matter obviously showed there was concern about it, Newman told the Bristol Herald Courier on Friday. We were unaware that members of the public disapproved it. Steve White, a Glade Spring resident for approximately 60 years, spoke about his concerns regarding the police department at the public hearing. This town needs to grow and move forward, and this is not the way for that to happen. Glade Spring Police Chief Ricky Stumbo and Sheriff Newman were not present at the public hearing. Stumbo, who is a member of the Virginia National Guard, is currently at Fort Pickett in Blacksburg for training. He did provide a statement that was read by a member of the public on Thursday. In 2017, the towns police department answered 638 calls pertaining to police services - with the Sherriffs Office also answering about 50 percent of calls, Stumbo said in the statement. Receiving about 1,200 calls for police services in a year would require at least a five-person police department, Stumbo said. As of Thursday, the towns police department consists of the police chief and one officer, Rector said during the public hearing. In the past three years, four police officers have left the towns department. Rector could not be reached for comment on Friday. If the decision to dissolve the towns police department had reached fruition, all town law enforcement would have been dismissed from employment within 31 days of the effective contract date, as stated in the contract. A county sergeant and deputy would have been appointed by Newman to provide law enforcement services to the town. The town also would have had to transfer all police equipment, vehicles, law enforcement records and evidence from its custody to the countys custody. The Sherriffs Office will continue to assist the towns police department and its citizens to the very best of our ability, Newman said in the letter. It was in the best interest of both parties to withdraw, Newman said on Friday. Why do you invest in the Catawba County Chamber of Commerce? To support the economic viability of Catawba County? To take advantage of professional development opportunities for you and your team? To become more involved in the community? As a platform to connect with other business owners and representatives? Like any investment, you expect to yield a return on your investment, your ROI. You may measure your chamber ROI by your business competitiveness success. There are many success stories that our partners can share, but what if I told you your ROI is much bigger, more impactful and more personal? Jim Clifton, the chairman and CEO of Gallup, after conducting a poll of representative individuals across the globe, stated in his book, The Coming Jobs War, that the No. 1 thing people desire in life is a good job. A job equals a paycheck, renewed sense of self, the ability to support oneself and ones family, a boost in self-worth and pride, a source of stability and security, and a key to dreams. Especially if you ask Ayden Audet, Matthew Jolly, Ariel Allensworth, Justin Fox, or Dr. Jeff Isenhour, who have all been impacted by your investment in the chamber. At our Annual Shareholders & Investors Luncheon on Wednesday, Feb. 14, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Hickory Metro Convention Center, you will have the opportunity to hear these five individuals tell their own story about how they have been directly impacted by one of our program of work priorities, made possible by the business communitys continued investment and partnership. Investing in the business community is about investing in people! I encourage you to attend our annual meeting to hear these compelling stories first hand. In addition to our guest speakers, well have the opportunity to recognize some noteworthy individuals including our 2017 Ambassadors and the recipient of our 2017-2018 Community Leadership Award, presented by Duke Energy. This is the highest award given by the chamber in honor of a business or community leader who has gone above and beyond for community and economic development. Reservations can be made by visiting our events calendar located on our website at www.catawbachamber.org or by calling the chamber at 828-328-6111. Lindsay Keisler is president and CEO of the Catawba County Chamber of Commerce. Film-maker Claude Lanzmann has sold 112 passionate love letters sent to him by the legendary French feminist Simone de Beauvoir, Christies said Friday. The director of the acclaimed Holocaust documentary Shoah said he has been forced to part with the correspondence because of a scandalous French inheritance law which means that they must go to her family on his death. The letters, which are filled with the mad passion the couple shared during their seven-year affair in the 1950s, were sent to Lanzmann at Yale University and have never been published. I never planned for these letters to come out or be published, said the 93-year-old, who was the secretary of de Beauvoirs long-term lover, the philosopher and playwright Jean Paul-Satre. The golden couple of French mid-20th century intellectual life had a famously open relationship, in a time when similar love triangles where often the norm. Lanzmann, who was 17 years de Beauvoirs junior, fell in love with her while he was editing Les Temps Modernes, the ground-breaking review the couple founded after World War II, which he still heads. According to Yales library, which for now is only making the letters available in its reading room, most were written while de Beauvoir was travelling with Sartre on their headline-making visits to Russia, China, Japan and Cuba. Lanzmann raged against the French law which he said had forced him to sell the letters to Yale, saying it was crazy that it states that the contents of the letters did not belong to the person they were addressed to. However, he had the right to pass them on, Lanzmann added, in the hope that the purchaser can, if not publish them, then at least conserve them and make them available to historians and researchers. The top American university already holds de Beauvoirs manuscripts and personal archives, and it can now be proud of having all of her letters to me, which Lanzmann called an exceptional, passionate correspondence. Christies did not reveal how much the letters had been sold for. Follow @htlifeandstyle for more Amidst its protest against the release of Padmaavat, Rajput Karni Sena has claimed that director Sanjay Leela Bhansali invited them for a special screening of the period drama. They have, however, turned it down and again asked for a ban on the film. And the Rajputs respond to Bhansali Productions letter. The Rajput Sabha thinks Bhansalis offer is an eyewash @htTweets pic.twitter.com/atu1rCEOHJ Rakesh Goswami (@rakeshgoswamiHT) January 20, 2018 The outfit called the invitation an eyewash and said that the makers do not appear to be serious about the matter. In a letter sent to Bhansali Production by Shree Rajput Sabhas president Giriraj Singh Lotwara, the outfit said the CBFC appointed nine historians and experts to watch the film and suggest changes. However, according to the outfit, only three of them were shown the film. As per the new demands, the film should be shown to the rest six and changes be made to the film to accommodate their suggestions. Earlier Karni Sena Chief, Lokendra Singh Kalvi, urged the people to impose a curfew in cinema halls to stop the screening of the film on Tuesday, i.e. January 16. He also appealed to all the social organisations to come together and protest against its release. On January 18, the Supreme Court put a stay order on ban notifications issued by four states - Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Haryana. In its interim order, the Supreme Court said that all states are constitutionally obliged to maintain law and order and prevent any untoward incident during the screening of the film after permission has been granted by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The periodical film is based on the legend of Rani Padmini, a 13th-century Rajput queen. She has been mentioned several times in Padmavat, an Awadhi poem written by Sufi poet, Malik Muhammad Jayasi in 1540. The historical-drama has run into trouble many times over since its announcement. Several members of Rajput factions have made allegations against Bhansali of distorting historical facts and showcasing Rani Padmani in a bad light. Bhansali was even attacked and thrashed by Karni Sena during one of its filming schedules. Starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, and Shahid Kapoor in lead roles, the film was cleared by CBFC after suggesting five modifications, one being a change in its title from Padmavati to Padmaavat. The film is set to hit theatres on January 25 worldwide. It will be released in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu. Notably, it is going to be the first Indian movie to get a global IMAX 3D release. Follow @htshowbiz for more Actor Shraddha Kapoor, who was present at the inauguration of The Wedding Junction Show here on Saturday, said working with actor Prabhas in Saaho has been a great opportunity for her. After Haseena Parkar in 2017 Shraddhas upcoming projects is bilingual film Saaho with Prabhas and newly announced Hindi release Stree. Talking about Saaho, Shraddha said: I am definitely excited to be able to work with Prabhas. Its the first time I am shooting for a Hindi and Telugu bilingual film. It will also be dubbed in other languages. This is a great opportunity for me. Shraddha and Rajkumar Rao-starrer Stree is currently on floors, and the actor is very excited for the same. This is the first time, I will be part of a horror-comedy film, and that makes it even more exciting. Follow @htshowbiz for more It is safe to say that a visit to the Red Fort tops every tourists itinerary in Delhi. Yet, few are aware of another architectural gem in the capital: The Red Fort Baoli or stepwell, that lies just a few yards away from the monument. It is one among over a 100 stepwells that can be found across Delhi alone. Yet, these architecture and engineering marvels are rarely visited, and often lie hidden in plain sight. Sadly, compared to Indias forts, palaces and temples, there is relatively very little information available about its stepwells. Rani ki Vav in Patan is a UNESCO World Heritage site. (Courtesy: Victoria Lautman ) Dating back to 600 CE, these subterranean stepwells (also known as baolis, vavs or bawadis) can be found across the country, and are unique to the Indian subcontinent. They stand testimony to traditional water-harvesting systems, and an ancient knowledge of engineering and craftsmanship. Built by rich patrons and considered to be sacred water bodies, they were nevertheless secular in function and fulfilled the socio-economic needs of local communities. However, with the passage of time and the advent of modern technology, they faded into oblivion. It was the lack of information available, and an obsession with Indian stepwells that led American author Victoria Lautman to pen one of the few books on this topic. Released last year, The Vanishing Stepwells of India profiles 75 wells scattered across eight states in north and south India, and provides the GPS coordinates. Rudabai Vav in Adalaj, Gujarat was the first well that Lautman visited. (Courtesy: Victoria Lautman) Back in time It all began 30 years ago on my first visit to India, when I encountered the Rudabai Vav in Adalaj, Gujarat. I was astounded by that 500-hundred-year-old subterranean structure. Id never seen or heard of anything like it. The whole experience was extremely powerful, and the memory indelible, says Lautman. It took some more trips to India before Lautman decided to research the topic in earnest. She admits that she bagged the book contract in 2017, and finished the book on a mere three-and-a-half-month deadline. The photographs in the book were also taken by Lautman on a point-and-shoot camera. Over January and February, Lautman will be touring various cities to speak about her book. The many functions of stepwells In The Vanishing Stepwells of India, Lautman describes how the primary purpose of stepwells was to provide water year-round. But stepwells could also be subterranean Hindu temples or Muslim retreats. They were cool shelters during scorching summers, and vital oases along remote trade routes. Socially, they were of importance for women, who led terribly constrained lives. The task of retrieving water was one of the most congenial and communal experiences available to them, says Lautman. Toorji ka Jhalra in Jodhpur; the photo on top is the renovated structure, while the bottom one shows its original state. (K Noor-Priya, in support of JDH Urban Regeneration Project (top) and Victoria Lautman) Interestingly, a quarter of stepwells built were commissioned by royal or wealthy women, often to honour deceased husbands. They were a philanthropic gesture and bestowed as charitable gifts to communities, shares Lautman. There is an element of mystery about Indias stepwells, be it the date when they are built or how they were built. Everything is speculative and even scholars frequently disagree. While we know about the pre-industrial use of manpower, oxen and ramps, the engineers Ive spoken with have differing opinions about how stepwells were constructed. They do, however, agree that building down into the earth is subject to more stress than building above ground, and is therefore more challenging, says Lautman. Out of sight Despite being useful, it was the passage of time that made stepwells obsolete and neglected. Stepwells became untethered from their original purpose - providing water due to the availability of modern amenities like hand pumps, village taps, tanks, and plumbing. Why would anyone negotiate dozens of steps when there was a choice? And as stepwells lost significance, maintenance was no longer a priority, says Lautman. However, its not all bleak. Several stepwells have been restored or are well-preserved, though there are many historically significant ones that are in a state of decay with garbage dumped in them. As examples she cites Rudabai Vav in Ahmedabad and Agrasen ki Baoli in Delhi, that are relatively spotless, while Rani ki Vav in Patan is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Author Victoria Lautman visited over 200 stepwells across India; 75 of which feature in the book. As Lautman aptly sums up in her book, Wherever they are found, be it in a city, village or remote desert, every stepwell is individual, and I would argue that there is no such thing as a bad stepwell. Victoria Lautman will attend events at multiple venues between Jan 20 and Feb 12. Lautman is in-conversation with Divay Gupta of INTACH Architectural Heritage, on Jan 21, 6pm at CMYK, New Delhi; giving a presentation on Jan 22, 7pm, at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi; part of a panel discussion on Jan 26, 3.45pm, at Durbar Hall, Jaipur Literature Festival; in-conversation with writer Dharmendra Kanwar on Jan 27, at Anantaya Decor, Jaipur; giving a presentation on Feb 5, 4.30pm at INTACH Heritage Academy, New Delhi; a presentation on Feb 7, 11am, at School of Architecture, Delhi Technical Campus, Greater Noida; a presentation on Feb 8, 3.30pm at The American Centre, New Delhi; a lecture and presentation on Feb 6, 2pm, at Chitkara University, Chandigarh; and a lecture on Feb 6, at Sushant School of Art & Architecture, Ansal University, Gurgaon. Follow @htlifeandstyle for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON I am not much of a writer, but I am a good storyteller. Author Ashwin Sanghi admits hes learning his craft on the job, but his complex plots, mythology mash-ups and conspiracy theories have readers hooked. The ending of a book should be like a good burp at the end of a heavy meal, says master tale-spinner Ashwin Sanghi, explaining just what he aims for when he crafts his conspiracy fiction novels that weave history, theology, mythology, popular culture, science and philosophy into one action-packed read. His latest, Keepers of the Kalachakra, which will release this January at the Jaipur Literature Festival, has it all: political characters that remind you of real-life politicians, a racy, complex plot and enough improbable twists to keep you hooked. I dont just want to be known as a writer of historical fiction or mythological mysteries Its a worthy successor to his previous bestsellers: The Rozabal Line, Chankayas Chant, The Krishna Key and The Sialkot Saga, collectively known as the Bharat series, in which Sanghi explored such themes as the lost years of Jesus Christ, placed Chanakya and the Kalki avatar of Vishnu in a modern context, and crafted a Kane and Abel-esque saga that leads from Partition to the present day. Sanghi also co-authors the Private crime thriller series with James Patterson (Private India and Private Delhi are out; the next thriller will be set in Bengaluru), featuring detective Santosh Wagh. But how does Sanghi come up with these plots, and how does he keep it all straight in his head? Sanghi has come a long way since his first book, which required four edits. (Prabhat Shetty) Behind the page I never get tired of asking What if, says Sanghi. Over the years, hes made use of various methods to avoid tying himself up in knots. When he was writing Chanakyas Chant, it was index cards. By the time of The Krishna Key, it was Excel spreadsheets; currently Sanghi uses a word processing programme called Scrivener, which allows him to create index cards online and associate it with a chapter. Hes also part of an effort to create the ultimate writing programme, in association with Vikram Chandra, a writing software that will build a certain amount of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the writing process and eliminate flaws in the flow. Sanghi composes each book in his sacred space a windowless basement study, where he sits with a wall of books to the back and left of him, facing a blank wall that holds a whiteboard on which he may sometimes draw a visual flow chart. Sanghi is also a self-help author, with his 13 Steps series, with three published books to date. (Prabhat Shetty) The whole process needs to be quite methodical, explains Sanghi. The first stage is research, when Sanghi does a lot of generalised reading. Keepers of the Kalachakra, for instance, lists 58 books that readers can move on to for deeper understanding, from Sri Yantra The Ancient Instrument to Control the Psychophysiological State of Man to The Golden Age of Indian Mathematics, The Tibetan Book of the Dead, and Spies in the Himalayas. Unless I am open to reading a ton of books, I cannot draw on connections and take creative liberties, says Sanghi. Ultimately the book has to be so interesting that readers should never have to make an effort to turn the page; they should be compelled to do so. Next, Sanghi creates a detailed plot outline. For one of the books in the Private series, the outline was 10,000 words, while the book was 75,000 words, explains Sanghi. The last stage is actually writing the book, which is the easiest part, like filling in a colouring book, says Sanghi. I dont understand when people ask me if I get writers block. Because Ive been through the entire exercise, I never get stuck at this point. The multitasker Sanghis days unfold in a predictable pattern. I dont have a 9 to 5 job, I have a 5 to 9 job, he says. I usually write early morning, from 5am to 9am, in my study. Then, because I am still associated with the family business (M K Sanghi Group, Motors), I go in to work for three to four hours, from noon to around 4pm, five days a week. After getting back home, I spend time with my family, and by 7pm, Im back in the study to do my reading and research. I dont really have a social life, I just occasionally meet close friends, my school and college buddies. He is fiercely disciplined when it comes to his writing. Ive been multitasking for years now; I started working at my dads business when I was 12, and always managed both my studies and work. Today, even if I am jet-lagged, I still get up at 5am to write, he says. Sanghi has developed an eco-system made up of trusted people to work with. I have two youngsters who assist me with research, a Sanskrit expert, a cover design guy, someone to manage my social media, schedule my speaking engagements, load events into my Google calendar and plan my travels. The ecosystem also includes Sanghis aunt, Aparna Gupta, who always reads his first draft. Shes not a regular critic and is not polite, laughs Sanghi. The other person I can rely on is my publisher Gautam Padmanabhan, who looks at the book like a commissioning editor, and tells me if the story works or not. Sanghi has come a long way since his first book, which required four edits. Even now, he doesnt think of himself as a writer. I have taught myself to be a writer as I have written my books, but it has been the greatest learning experience. Dan Browns books are explained so beautifully, a mix of history, theology and philosophy, presented in the form of questions and clues, plus the side narratives, that they are a delicious reading experience. Thats what I have ventured to do. But Im realistic enough to know that I will always be a work in progress. My best book is always my last one, because it was five per cent better than the previous book. But though I may not be much of a writer, I am a good storyteller. Sanghi is part of an effort to create the ultimate writing programme. (Prabhat Shetty) Tales from here and there There are still many conspiracy theories out there for Sanghi to pursue. The Jesus story was the first one to catch my attention, says Sanghi. And Im fascinated by whether the events related in Indian mythology are based on real people. I find the interplay between science and mythology very fascinating. A more modern tale that intrigues Sanghi is that of the events surrounding the death of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose. Id love to give that a fictional bent, he says. The ending of a book should be like a good burp at the end of a heavy meal While the Bharat series books are long-term projects, spanning from two to two-and-a-half years, the Private series take six months to a year to be published. Sanghi is also a self-help author, with his 13 Steps series, with three published books to date (13 Steps to Bloody Good Luck, Good Wealth and Good Marks), which takes him one to three months after the first draft is submitted by his co-author. Why would he even venture into other categories of writing? Even though each of the books in the Bharat series is different, I find it worrying to be boxed in, he says. I dont just want to be known as the writer of historical fiction or mythological mysteries. Your creativity then ends within those boundaries. Also, taking a break from a story and coming back to it enables me to question myself and see if the idea holds interest or not. Ultimately, if one conspiracy theory does not pan out, Sanghi will always have another. Karmically, I know this is not my last life, he says, Maybe then Ill be able to tell all the stories. Ultimately, I want to die telling a story. From HT Brunch, January 21, 2018 Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch A federal court in the US imposed on Saturday a $5-million civil penalty on the North America subsidiary of Indias Dr Reddy Laboratories for distributing prescription drugs in blister packs that were not child resistant, the Department of Justice said. Dr Reddys failed to ensure that children were protected from potentially harmful prescription drugs, said acting assistant attorney general Chad A Readler of the Justice Departments Civil Division. The court in New Jersey imposed the fine after a complaint that Dr Reddy Laboratories (DRL) failed to comply with the Poison Prevention Packaging Act (PPPA) and the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA). Child-resistant packaging is a critical safety measure put in place to protect our countrys children, said CPSC acting chairman Ann Marie Buerkle. In addition to the $5 million civil penalty, the consent decree generally enjoins DRL from distributing household oral prescription drugs in violation of the PPPA and CPSA. The injunction further requires DRL to maintain internal controls and procedures designed to ensure timely, truthful, complete and accurate reporting to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) as required by law. Under the terms of the consent decree, DRL will implement a compliance programme designed to ensure compliance with the PPPA and the CPSA. The Department of Justice filed a complaint in the District of New Jersey on December 18, 2017 on behalf of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. It was alleged that DRL knowingly violated the CPSA with respect to household oral prescription drugs in blister packs that were not child resistant as required by the PPPA. According to the complaint, DRL distributed such prescription drugs until 2012, despite being previously warned by its employees that the blister packs had not been tested for PPPA compliance and that certain blister packs were expected to fail the child test protocol. In addition, the complaint alleged that DRL failed to notify the CPSC immediately, as required by law, that its products were not compliant with the PPPA, that the products contained a defect presenting a substantial product hazard, and that the products created an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death. It alleged that DRL failed to certify that its products were in conformance with the PPPA. In agreeing to settle this matter, DRL has not admitted that it violated the law. I wonder if the six state governments (all BJP ones) that decided to ban Padmaavat are feeling chastened after the Supreme Court struck down their decisions ? They had either announced or proposed a total ban. The Supreme Court deemed this unconstitutional and ordered them to show the film. The Court also warned any other state government from attempting a ban. This amounts to a stinging rebuff and a political embarrassment. The state governments argued that showing the film would lead to a disturbed law and order situation which they would be unable to control. Rather than risk tension and violence they opted to ban the film. This argument was not acceptable because it turns on its head the actual duty and raison detre of the state. Under our constitution, freedom of expression is paramount and the duty of the state is to defend this right whilst protecting the citizenry against threats to law and order. In pleading their inability to defend freedom of expression and protect the citizenry, the state governments were abnegating their primary function. The truth is that if they cannot fulfil what they are there to do they should, in fact, resign. In ordering the film be shown and protection provided, the Court may not have threatened dismissal but it certainly reminded the governments they were in breach of their constitutional duty. What these state governments forgot is that because something causes offence is not a reason to ban it. After all, what is freedom of speech if it doesnt include the right to offend? Indeed, its the duty of governments to protect free speech against the villainy or violence of those who make a habit of taking offence. Governments are elected to uphold democratic values, not buckle under and give in. Sadly, it still doesnt follow that Padmaavat will be screened without violence. The Karni Sena is bound to resort to this to intimidate both distributors and viewers. In fact, its likely that some or many distributors may themselves choose not to screen the film for fear of what might happen to their cinema halls. Many viewers could stay away as well. In fact, what the state governments have ensured, by their pusillanimity and their willingness to justify unconstitutional demands, is to embolden such forces as the Karni Sena. A stronger initial response could have checked them. But that was not to be. I accept enforcing law and order in the face of widespread dissent or protest is not easy in India. I also accept that Congress governments have rarely been better champions of our freedoms. After all, Rajiv Gandhi was the prime minister who chose to ban Salman Rushdies Satanic Verses before the book even reached Indian shores! And, certainly, Amarinder Singhs initial equivocation on Padmaavat is reminiscent of the depressing stand of BJP state governments. But all this only points to a bigger problem. Our politicians are more scared of the challenges they face and less committed to the rights and liberties theyre elected to uphold. So, thank God for the Supreme Court. For all its imperfections and contradictions, it has, in this instance, pronounced in support of the most fundamental right in a democracy free speech. Alas, the initial response of governments in Rajasthan, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh is not reassuring. One says it will seek a review whilst another has questioned the Supreme Court itself. We now need the top court to stamp down this fledgling defiance. I trust it will and swiftly. The views expressed are personal SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The gender gap for child survival under the age of five declined from a high of 17% in 2014 to 11%, shows data from Indias Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report for 2016 released this earlier week, but the sex ratio (the number of girls born per 1,000 boys) at birth showed no improvement. In fact, it fell two points to 898 in 2014-16 from 900 in 2011-13, with Delhi registering the sharpest decline of 12 points. The natural sex ratio at birth favours boys, with 940 to 950 girls born per 1,000 boys. This bias is natures way of balancing the gender gap because boys have a slightly raised risk of death from childhood diseases, which ought to even out the overall sex ratio by the age of six. Indias wider gender gap indicates that illegal sex-selective abortion of unborn girls continues to thrive across the country. Only three states have a child sex ratio higher than 940 Chattisgarh (963), Kerala (959) and Odisha (948). About 7 million girls go missing in India every decade, with the fall in sex ratio corresponding to rising affluence and declining family size. The chances of the second child being a girl drop by 38% in families where the first child is a girl, found a study of physicians who had graduated from a medical college in Nagpur. The sex ratio for a second child was 600 if the older sibling was a girl, 455 for a third child if the family had two daughters, but shot up to 1,000 if the family already had two sons, found the study. Illegal trade Indias Pre-Conception & Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act bans sex-selection and sex determination, but the high demand from parents desperate for a son has led to these services reaching even villages where there are no roads, toilets or safe drinking water. The results are showing, with rural India registering a 7-point decline in sex ratio since 2010-12, as compared to a six-point fall in urban areas, records SRS 2016. The drop in urban India was the sharpest between 2012-14 and 2013-15, when sex ratio registered a 15-point fall, from 905 to 890. With improved healthcare increasing child survival after birth, Indias child sex ratio the number of girls per 1,000 boys at age six dipped to 919 in 2011, down from 983 in 1951, shows Census data. India began recording sharp falls in the number of girls being born after prenatal diagnostic techniques such as ultrasounds and amniocentesis became available in the 1980s in urban India. As unscrupulous doctors offered illegal sex determination services, the child sex ratio dropped 17 points between 1981 and 1991, and another 18 points between 1991 and 2001, as the services percolated to smaller cities, and then towns and villages. India is missing more than 25 million girls since 1991, which is like losing the population of Australia over two decades. The relatively affluent states of Haryana (832), Gujarat (848) and Delhi (857) are among the top five offenders, with Uttarakhand (850) and Rajasthan (857) being the other poor performers when it comes to child sex ratio. Apart from pre-conception procedures that help parents choose the gender of the baby, tests are now available that help determine the sex of the foetus as early as the seventh week of pregnancy. A blood test that analyses foetal DNA found in a pregnant woman can determine the babys gender before eight weeks. The test, available in India, measures DNA fragments from the placenta circulating in the mothers blood to detect Downs Syndrome and two other chromosomal abnormalities in the foetus, but it is also being widely misused to determine the gender of the foetus for the purpose of sex-selective abortion. A strong son preference because of social norms lineage, inheritance issues, increased family earnings, supporting old parents, need for dowry for girls, etc continues to drive the bias against girls. Instead of waiting for people to change, the health ministry must use legislation as a catalyst to change unacceptable social norms by ensuring the laws are implemented firlm and those who break them face stringent penalties. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Whoa! The Prime Minister of UK appointed a Minister of Loneliness this week. Im not kidding, you can check out the news. Considering that over nine million people in Britain have reported feeling lonely and hence depressed, this is quite a leap in understanding the significance of mental health in their country. For us in India, digesting the creation of such a ministry cant be easy, what with nosy neighbours and noisy relatives ensuring little loneliness in desi life. Seriously though, it is a fact beyond argument that being lonely is among the saddest mental states to be in. I have a young man in my team whose otherwise amazing wit has been totally washed out with gloom, after a recent break-up. Then there is this aged lady in the neighbourhood. She lost her husband many years ago, and the only son lives elsewhere with his wife and kids. The woman is so full of life running errands through the day, but every evening I see a gloomy shadow of loneliness engulf her spirit. No matter what age or stage you are in, feeling lonely day after day is rather undesirable, but sometimes beyond our control. But you know what, whether the reason for your loneliness is simply moving out of a certain social circle due to compulsions like studies or job, or a more painful end of companionship due to a breakup or divorce or death, there are ways you can completely cope with it. Lets look at some simple, actionable steps 1.New Connections: No matter how hopeless things seem right now, you still always have the wisdom to understand that the cause of your loneliness need not be permanent. If you or your friends have stopped hanging out for any reason, theres always scope to make new connections. But new connections need not be exact replacements for old associations. It wont do you good to compare new friendships and relationships with those that have ended. Every new friend, every new partner is different, and deserves that you treat them that way. If you get the trick of looking at every new connection like a new opportunity and a new beginning, you are not likely to stay lonely for long. 2.Join a group: A conventional club or an online forum, a group of morning walkers in the park to a singles night at the bar this world is full of places to join a bunch of like minded people. All you need to do is choose them according to your interest areas. And honestly, joining a photography course to a Zumba class to a book club to a music group theres nothing thats now not easily accessible. In the biggest of cities and the smallest of towns. Specific to your ability, location and interest, these groups are aplenty, and within easy reach through social media. A single, new-to-the-city friend of mine recently attended a baking session for a day, and her partner was an 89-year-old former army man. They also had a set of 7-year-old twins attending the same session, and having as much fun. Wheres the time for sitting and crying lonely, she asks. 3.Value animalsand Sunshine: Sounds a bit disjointed but theres immense possibility in having these two things in your life. Pets provide unconditional affection, and theres no better remedy for loneliness than instant and consistent love. Keep one at home if you can, or else visit animal shelters to volunteer, or just watch. It takes away tones of stress from life. Talking of stress staying indoors and lying down in your bed cursing life wont help things. Theres scientific evidence that catching a bit of sunlight everyday works like magic on your physical and mental health. Open those windows, natural light and air heal way better than the best pills in the world. I could go on about things like music and other therapeutic stuff, but you got the drift. This is stuff you already know about. But what matters here is realizing, more than mere acknowledging their power to make things better. The biggest hurdle, to my mind, is the thought that any of the above are things we cant do, for whatever reason. If you make up your mind to, you can chase away loneliness whether you are 20 or 50 or 90 years old, whether you are male, female, transgender, whether you are extrovert or shy, straight or gay, rich or broke. Start today. Sonal Kalra told Chaddha ji about the Ministry of Loneliness and he thought its the name of an escort service. He is the Prime Minister of Stupidity. Mail your thoughts at sonal.kalra@hindustantimes.com or facebook.com sonalkalraofficial. Follow on Twitter @sonalkalra. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Goings-on in the Supreme Court of India have surprised and dismayed many. To have Nos. 2, 3, 4, and 5 (as court reporters and lawyers insist on referring to the second, third, fourth, and fifth senior most judges after the Chief Justice of India) complain in public, in a press conference called for that very purpose, about the highest judicial office in the land, is disturbing, worrying, and casts a shadow over the entire judicial system in the country. Several of us have always known that all is not well in the Supreme Court, just as we have known that not all CJIs have been beyond reproach. Still, despite the frailties and foibles of the CJIs and judges, overall, overwhelmingly, for most Indians, the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions the Supreme Court, is an institution that is incorruptible, wise, unprejudiced, and which always looks out for the greater good as well as the interests of those who usually tend not to have a voice. That perception is now gone. The rift in the Supreme Court is now fodder for the 24x7 news mill. Across TV debates and editorials, politicians, columnists, judicial experts are all airing insinuations, connecting dots, and imputing motives the kind of thing few would dare do with the higher judiciary previously (and not just out of fear of contempt). While the angle of personal antipathy has been ignored (fortunately so; even though theres no love lost between some of the individuals involved, the issues raised dont seem to have anything to do with that), that of political motives hasnt. And so, like many other debates of our times, this one too has been polarised along pro- and anti-Modi lines. Enough has been said about many of these issues over the past eight days since the press conference of the four judges on January 12. This columns focus is going to be on two issues one fundamental, the other, procedural that could prevent the recurrence of a similar controversy if addressed. At the core of the controversy is the way that judges are named to the Supreme Court (and Chief Justices are appointed in the high court). This happens through the collegium, a group of senior judges in the Supreme Court, including the CJI. There have been efforts to reform, even change this process, but the apex court has, inexplicably, maintained that this is the best way of selecting Supreme Court judges and high court Chief Justices. A very senior politician recently told Chanakya that a few years ago he met a former Chief Justice of India who claimed that he (the former CJI) could list all future CJIs till the year 2030. While discounting the obvious exaggeration on part of both the former CJI and the politician who narrated the anecdote, it makes sense to look at the claim closely. Sure, the CJI is traditionally the senior most judge in the court, so it is mathematically possible to name his successor, his successors successor, even his successors successors successor. To do so for any period exceeding a decade, though, will also require inside information on which chief justices of high courts will make it to the Supreme Court, maybe even which judges of these high courts will be made a high court Chief Justice. Chanakya isnt sure this is the way it happens, but this is possible, at least on paper. The same politician mentioned a related issue. Most of Indias top lawyers and judges come from 50-100 families he claimed. This is not a fact, especially given the new crop of professional lawyers that has emerged in India, but there are enough examples to make it appear to be one. Together, the two make the collegium approach to selecting judges seem downright insidious and thats a perception the Supreme Court can do without. All good institutions must have in-built mechanisms to ensure they are not dependent on the honour of their members. The second point this columnist wants to make is on transparency. The Supreme Court roster appears to be a well-kept secret that not even lawyers who have been practising in the court for years are privy to. This document must be made public, perhaps put up on the website of the court. The assignment of important cases, flagged by the Supreme Court registry, could perhaps be made by a group of senior judges including the CJI. In their talks with the CJI in efforts to resolve the ongoing crisis, the four judges have made a similar demand. A better process of selecting judges to the Supreme Court, and a transparent and rules-based approach to assigning cases could have well avoided the occurrence of a crisis such as the current one. Chanakya has already made the point once but it merits repetition: the credibility of institutions is far too important to be left to the nature of men, no matter how honourable they may be. letters@hindustantimes.com SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON That Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu fitted a sizeable part of Bollywood into the same selfie frame speaks volumes. It speaks volumes because in sheer size his selfie hoped to do for Bollywood what the Ellen DeGeneres Oscars selfie did for Hollywood. The selfie had Big B and Benjamin rubbing shoulders with Subhash Ghai, Imtiaz Ali, KJo & Co. It speaks volumes that in a tinsel town where star vanities are often as bloated as the Versace ensembles in which they floated, where it is oftentimes difficult to bring two rival stars on the same stage, leave alone selfie frame, Netanyahu accomplished this mission impossible. It speaks volumes that he made possible what thus far was impossible unwittingly fitting into the same frame estranged ex-lovers Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Vivek Oberoi. With self(ie) centred star vanities making Netanyahus selfie moment sporting many a pout, the Israeli premiers selfie diplomacy was proven beyond doubt. His selfie diplomacy could inspire more face-to-face encounters: EX-FILES: Now that Netanyahu has gotten two Bollywood ex-flames selfie conscious in same frames, his selfie diplomacy could be stretched to other Ex-factors. Starting with who else but Aishwarya and Salman Khan. The selfie caption: Chal Benjie selfie le le re KRISSH & TELL: The real coup could be if Netanyahu-style selfie diplomacy were to do what showmans of the small screen Arnab Goswami, Rajat Sharma & Co couldnt bring into the same frame Hate Story bete noires Hrithik and Kangana. What Arnabs decibel diplomacy and regurgitating gab couldnt grab Kanganas sound n fury fab; or what Rajats Aap ki Adalat couldnt court Krissh and tell; Netanyahus selfie diplomacy could help get this pair framed. The selfie caption: Milaap Ki Adaalat. WAR OF THE POSES: Perhaps, Netanyahus next trip should be to the US White House. Nah, not for bilateral diplomacy driven by self-interest, but lateral diplomacy riding selfie interest. To bring US First Lady Melania Trump and First Wife Ivana laterally into the same selfie frame. War of the roses is history. Enter the War of the (selfie) Poses. The selfie caption: Netanyahus Trump Card. SUDHUISM MEETS SHASHISM: Another shot at selfie diplomacy could be giving two famous isms their day out on Instagram India. Proponent of signature punchlines Navjot Sidhu sharing a selfie moment with a parliamentarian whose English doesnt believe in drawing the line, Shashi Tharoor. Sidhu-isms meet Shashisms. The challenge would lie in captioning the selfie. If this responsibility fell more on Kerala than Punjab, it could spell the birth of a new ism: This farrago of pixelated positioning of parliamentarians-cum-proponents of Indian vocabularys two popular isms, powered further by isms of the skepticism and narcissism kind, could semantically be described as Selfie-ism! PIDI-MAN: Another selfie wed love to see is of two powerful pets sharing the same frame. The Congress and BJD straddle rival benches and never the twain shall meet, but their canines could tread common ground, a la tweet. How about Rahul Gandhis terrier Pidi getting selfie Centre-d with Jay Pandas dalmatian Buddy? Doing what else but tutoring Buddy to tweet on behalf of the master, that being Pidis claim to fame. The selfie caption: Tweet discreet, Left Right Centre! (The author can be contacted at chetnabanerjee@gmail.com) The views expressed are personal A Muslim woman who converted to Hinduism to protest against the oppression of women in Islam has virtually gone into hiding after her decision struck a discordant note among residents of her locality in Haldwani. The case will be handed over to the police, so it does not turn into a law-and-order issue. In an affidavit addressed to the Haldwani city magistrate, the 22-year-old stated that she has converted to Hinduism and changed her name from Shahnawaz to Sunita in protest against the lack of freedom accorded to women in the Muslim community. The district administration is investigating an allegation by Sunitas parents, who reside in the Muslim-dominated locality of Banbhoolpura, that she was coerced into changing her religion. Sunita had alerted the Nainital district magistrate to her conversion on January 7 through an affidavit sent by registered post. The woman claimed in the document that she had to face religious orthodoxy and oppression at every stage of life since her birth in 1995. Sunita signed off the affidavit by stating that she has decided to embrace Hinduism in the knowledge that it will allow her more liberty as a woman. People familiar with the matter said she has been lying low ever since. Neema Aggarwal, a member of the right-wing Rashtra Sewika Samiti, said India is a democratic country where people have the freedom to embrace religions of their choice. Sunita had every right to take up Hinduism if she felt that her lifestyle was being stifled by Islamic religious practices. We firmly stand for individual rights. Samajwadi Party general secretary Shoaib Ahmed said that while the personal choice of an individual was paramount, the administration must also affirm that the conversion was not performed under pressure, coercion or duress. The case has been handed over to the Haldwani police, so it doesnt turn into a law-and-order problem. The police will also investigate if the woman was converted under pressure, said city magistrate Haldwani Pankaj Upadhyay. Conversions are valid only if they are done without inducement or coercion. Haldwani Kotwali inspector KR Pandey said he was still waiting for the case to be handed over, so the probe could begin. The Dehradun police arrested two fraudsters, including a Nigerian, from Delhi for allegedly duping a Dehradun resident. This is the second Nigerian national arrested by the Uttarakhand police in a month. Francis Austin, 28, a resident of Anambra state of Nigeria, and Rodinpuia, 28, from Champhai in Mizoram, were arrested by a special team of the Dehradun police on Friday. A Dehradun court on Saturday sent them to 14-day judicial custody. Sanjeev Kumar Rauthan, a property dealer based in Navada area, complained to the Nehru Colony police on January 9 that a lady claiming to be Melody Burgoyna from England had befriended him over WhatsApp. She, then, assured him of helping to set up a business in England. The woman allegedly told Rauthan that she would arrive in India on January 3. On the same day, Rauthan, who was in Delhi, got a call from another woman saying that Melody was stuck at the customs office in Mumbai and Rs 4.38 lakh were required for her release. I transferred the amount through netbanking to the given account detail but later realised that I was cheated when I was asked to deposit more money, Rauthan said in his police complaint. Dehradun senior superintendent of police Nivedita Kukerti Kumar immediately constituted a special team which traced the accused. Four mobile phones, three bank passbooks, one cheque book, four ATM cards and one laptop were seized from the duo, who were booked for cheating and criminal breach of trust According to the police, the accused claimed that they were only helping the alleged mastermind of the gang whom they identified as Joy from Nigeria. They claimed that it was Joy who used to contact and allure unsuspecting men and got the victims to transfer money to the account details arranged by Francis, who in turn used to get 15% of the total transaction amount, Rajesh Sah, in-charge of Nehru Colony police station, said. We are also checking bank account details and freeze them. On December 16, the Special Task Force of the Uttarakhand police had arrested a Nigerian national from Gurugram in Haryana for a case of fraudulence that was reported in Dehradun. The complainant had approached the cyber crime police station reporting how he was contacted over email and phone by the accused and promised a business partnership. Later on, he was made to deposit Rs 58 lakh in different bank accounts by the accused in the name of investing foreign funds. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Barely a week ago, he received the National Changemakers Award 2018 from the vice chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). On Friday, his name emerged as the reason behind a likely bypoll to 20 assembly constituencies in Delhi. Meet Prashant Patel Umrao, the 31-year-old lawyer who filed the office of profit petition against 20 AAP MLAs after they were appointed as parliamentary secretaries to help ministers with official work in March 2015. Today, my hard work of three years has paid off. I believe that the law will finally catch up with the offending MLAs, said Umrao, who practises in Delhi High Court and Supreme Court of India. Son of a teacher and a housewife from Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh, Umrao has been living in Noida and Delhi since 2009. After his schooling in RSS-run Saraswati Shishu Mandir in his home town, he did his graduation in computer sciences from Ewing Christian College in Allahabad, and later completed a degree in law from Chaudhary Charan Singh University. He has been practising law, mostly family and criminal cases, since 2015. Soon after Umrao made his foray into the legal profession he found himself taking on the newly formed AAP government in Delhi. On June 19, 2015, less than six months after the new government assumed power, Umrao wrote to the Presidents office, questioning the legality of parliamentary secretaries. This was eventually referred to the poll panel which on finally recommended disqualification of the lawmakers on Friday. Umrao said he was inspired to take up the case after reading a book Delhi sarkaar ki shaktiyan aur seemayen (powers and limitations of Delhi government) by former Delhi assembly secretary, SK Sharma. There is a chapter on parliamentary secretaries in the book which talks about how their appointment flouts the law. That is when I thought of challenging it, he said. A member of the Hindu Sena and of the now-disbanded Hindu Legal Cell, Umrao had previously filed an FIR against actor Aamir Khan and director Rajkumar Hirani for allegedly portraying gods in poor light in the film PK. He also sought an intervention of the Supreme Court when Kanhaiya Kumar sought bail. He also filed a complaint against former Censor Board chief Leela Samson for alleged corruption. Umrao is active on Twitter with over 32,000 followers. I am least bothered about whether the AAP government is derailed or not. All I know is law should not be bent, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The possibility of byelections in Delhi, following the Election Commission of Indias (ECIs) recommendation to disqualify 20 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs for holding offices of profit, has charged up the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress that have already got into the poll mode. Senior leaders of both parties huddled at their state headquarters on Friday evening to discuss their course of action. The Congress will launch a mass movement against AAP from Monday to expose its alleged misdeeds, said Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken. Maken said that after Republic Day, his party will reach out to voters of all 20 assembly constituencies where AAP MLAs are facing disqualification. On Friday, all Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) members met at the party office in which former MLAs, MPs, and PC Chacko, the states incharge, also participated. After January 26, the Congress will hold a workers convention and start booth level meetings in all 20 seats, he said. Maken said after last years municipal elections, the AAPs position is vulnerable. The party is ramping up poll preparations and analysed the MCD elections. We found that AAP had even not won any of these 20 seats. We were ahead of AAP in these constituencies, he added. Delhi BJPs core committee also held a meeting to deliberate over the sudden political development. A BJP leader presented in the meeting said it had decided to go hammer and tongs at AAP over the sealing issue. It was decided to take a firm stand against the ongoing sealing drive. We will tell people that the municipal corporations are not responsible for the action. It was suggested by the party that councillors should explain people in their respective wards that sealing is an outcome of the AAP governments failure, he added. Present in the meeting were all seven Lok Sabha MPs and union minister Vijay Goel. However, the BJP leaders failed to reach a consensus on how to take on AAP in view of the ECIs decision on the AAPs MLAs, said another senior leader. Attendees had different opinions. In the present scenario, any suggestion by state unit chief Manoj Tiwari will be followed. We are going to start visits to voters in 20 constituencies, said another member of the core committee. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON At least 17 people were killed after a fire broke out at a firecracker factory in outer Delhis Bawana industrial area on Saturday evening. At least half a dozen people are still trapped inside the building and rescue operations are on. The exact cause of the fire was not immediately known. Officials, however, suspected that a short-circuit could have led to the blaze. The owner of the factory Manoj Jain has been arrested by Delhi Police. Highlights: 11:54am: BJPs Preeti Aggarwal claims video of her telling aides not to speak against Delhi civic body fake, blames AAP. #WATCH: In the aftermath of Bawana factory fire, BJP leader & North Delhi Municipal Corporation Mayor Preeti Aggarwal caught on cam telling her aide, 'iss factory ki licensing hamare paas hai isliye hum kuch nahi bol sakte.' The incident has claimed 17 lives. #Delhi pic.twitter.com/zXfVjNADl2 ANI (@ANI) January 21, 2018 9:17am: BJP MLA Manoj Tiwari on Kejriwal retweeting fake video says CM should apologise for such low-level politics in time of despair, reports ANI. 8am: The owner of the factory Manoj Jain has been arrested by Delhi Police, reports ANI. 12.45am: Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announces Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of the dead and Rs 1 lakh to the injured. 12.40am: 11.55pm: Arvind Kejriwal will visit the site of the fire soon. 11.30pm: Union health minister JP Nadda on Saturday said that the AIIMS and the Safdarjung Hospital were ready to provide all assistance to the injured. The health ministry has also asked the hospitals to keep emergency services ready. I have directed officials of @MoHFW_INDIA to provide immediate support. Union Health Secretary has spoken to Chief Secretary Delhi. AIIMS trauma centre and Burn Unit Of Safadjung Hospital is ready to provide all support . Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) January 20, 2018 10.55pm: Eight people have been brought to us in all six of them had sustained 100% burn injuries and had died on the spot, and two others have been admitted and are being currently stabilized, said a doctor in the Maharishi Valmiki hospital, requesting anonymity. 10:40pm: Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Anil Baijal expressed condolences over the incident. Saddened by the Bawana fire tragedy. Have spoken to officials concerned for necessary action. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. May God give them strength to recover from this tragic incident. LG Delhi (@LtGovDelhi) January 20, 2018 10:26pm: I received information about the incident on phone at around 9 pm and we immediately rushed to the spot. Situation is under control now: North Delhi mayor Preety Aggarwal 10:18pm: Deeply anguished by the fire at a factory in Bawana. My thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives. May those who are injured recover quickly, tweeted PM Modi 10:17pm: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted to say that the government is keeping a close watch on rescue operations. V sad to hear abt large no of casualties. Keeping a close watch on rescue operations https://t.co/yHwQAH0bKi Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 20, 2018 10:16pm: Delhi industries minister Satyendar Jain said the government has ordered an enquiry into the incident. 10:15pm: Delhi Police officials said people who were trapped inside the factory died of burn injuries and asphyxiation. 10:14pm: Chief fire officer Atul Garg said that the control room was informed about the blaze at 6:20 pm. Two prime properties in the heart of Delhi can no longer be used for large commercial projects due to a lack of coordination between government agencies, resulting in a loss of at least 600 crore to the state exchequer, according to senior government officials and documents seen by Hindustan Times. The plots, measuring 11,785 square metres near the Kashmere Gate ISBT and 11,300 square metres next to the Sarai Kale Khan ISBT, are together worth an estimated Rs 250 crore as per the circle rates. They were set aside for redeveloping the inter-state bus terminals and for the state governments Delhi Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (DTIDC) to build two six-floor hotels. The proposed hotels were to be major sources of revenue for the DTIDC, which is responsible for building and maintaining all bus stops and terminals across the Capital. A senior official of the Delhi Integrated MultiModal Transit System (DIMTS) Ltd, which is calculating the losses incurred by DTIDC, said an estimated Rs 600 crore had already been lost due to non-utilisation of plots, revenue from a proposed private partnership for the construction of hotels, and cost escalation. He said that the amount could be higher once the final estimate is ready. A lack of coordination between the Delhi government and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has led to the plan to build hotels being shelved because new Metro stations directly under the plots have made it unsafe to carry out any major construction activity at the ground level. Between 2012 and 2013, the DTIDC had given the plots on a temporary basis to the DMRC for construction of Metro corridors in its Phase-III project. While these plots are yet to be returned more than 18 months after the leases have expired -the DMRC has constructed its underground station at a depth of 1.522 metres under the Kashmere Gate plot, making it impossible to lay the foundation for a hotel on top. The Sarai Kale Khan plot suffers a similar fate. Parts of the Nizamuddin Metro station, which is in the final stages of completion, will fall directly under it. We had informed the DMRC about our hotel project while handing over the Kashmere Gate plot. But now that the underground Metro station is ready, we have found that the foundation of the proposed building cannot be built. We will write to DMRC for recovery of our losses, said KK Dahiya, managing director, DTIDC. Instead of hotels, we can only use the prime land for parking bays for buses and opening a food court, he added. A May 15, 2015 letter from DMRC to DTIDC, however, suggested it was the latter that had failed to submit any building plan for the property. For last three years, we have not received any proposed plan of these structures. The DMRC design was finalised and construction started. In the absence of any information from DTIDC, DMRC has not considered any super-imposed load of these structures over the underground metro station, the letter read. A DTIDC official admitted they had received the letter, but said it was an eyewash. The communication from our end at the beginning that a multi-storey hotel will be built was enough. The DMRC sent the letter after it had already begun construction, said an official handling the case for DTIDC. The DMRCs executive director (corporate communications) Anuj Dayal said the Delhi metro had shared its underground station plans with the DTIDC before commencing work on the Kashmere Gate station in 2012. For the plot at Sarai Kale Khan, the DMRC has already conveyed No objection to DTIDC for their planned development of a new ISBT complex vide letter dated 24.02.16, he said.The two bodies held a meeting on Wednesday, when the DMRC agreed to return the land at Kashmere Gate by building basic infrastructure like bus stops, toilets, benches and lanes. The DTIDC said this was not adequate, an official said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Traders in the city have decided to call a one-day bandh on January 23 against the ongoing sealing drive by the municipal corporation under the supervision of a Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee. The decision was taken during a joint meeting called by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) and traders at Constitution Club on Saturday. Praveen Khandelwal, the national secretary-general of CAIT said, More than 400 traders from leading markets in the city were present at the meeting and decision was taken that all the markets, including local shopping complexes and wholesale and retails markets will observe a day-long bandh on Tuesday. The sealing drive is unjustified and against the provisions of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act 1957. Khandelwal added, We have constituted a 21-member team that would decide the activities to be organised during the bandh. However, we do not want to affect the spirit of the Republic Day, so everything will be planned with due care, he said. While the traders decided to call for the bandh, members of the monitoring committee, who are overseeing the sealing drive, clarified that the sealing action will continue in full swing on all days including January 25, the day of the Asean summit. Though the civic authorities are free to carry out sealing drive on alternative days depending on the availability of police force and other arrangements, it is not going to be affected by the Republic Day celebrations, said a member who didnt wished to be named. While the police force from local police stations will be used, additional arrangements for paramilitary forces will be made based on the requirements for conducting sealing operation, said a Municipal Corporation official. On Saturday, despite their offices being shut, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation officials carried out sealing drive in local markets such as Vijay Nagar, Outram Lane and Keshav Puram for misusing residential property for commercial use without paying the one-time use conversion charge. The civic body sealed 12 units in Outram lane, three in Vijay Nagar and 12 in Keshavpuram area. On Friday night, the civic body had sealed a hotel in Karol Bagh for running commercial activity on institutional land. We have directed the civic officials to verify the documents of shopkeepers claiming to pay the use conversion charge at revised rates of Rs 22,274 square metre and not to take any action against them for the time being, said the monitoring committee member. A majority of shopkeepers in 106 local markets have not paid the use conversion charge for various reasons. While some are claiming that their markets had no residential component and were fully commercial from the beginning, there are others who are waiting for increasing of floor area ratio (FAR) from permissible 180 (80% coverage on ground, 60% on first and 40% on second floor) to 300 (100% coverage on ground, first and second floor). Our market was established as shop market in the 1950s. In 1990, it was given 100% commercial status after a notification issued by the DDA. Our question is when the market was declared fully commercial, what is the logic for demanding use conversion charge? questioned Ajay Gupta, a trader from Sundar Nagar Market in south Delhi. The shopowners in other local shopping complexes, such as Defence Colony, Greater Kailash II, South Extension I and Green Park extension share Gupats views. To this, the monitoring committee member clarified that giving a commercial status to any local market doesnt mean that the traders are not required to pay the use conversion charge. In fact there is no such rule. Originally, these LSCs were shop-cum-residential complexes and later commercial activities started on first and second floors. We are just asking traders to pay one time use conversion charge for converting residential properties for commercial use, said a monitoring committee member. 3 arrested for posing as SDM The CBI has arrested three people on the charges of demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 1.80 lakh, allegedly on behalf of a sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) in the national capital, from a club owner to re-open his club which was sealed by the SDM of Saraswati Vihar. The agency said in a statement that it was looking into the role of SDM in the matter. The CBI received a complaint from an owner of a club situated at a mall in Pitam Pura that three persons were asking for a bribe of Rs 3 lakh to allow his club to reopen. He also alleged that after negotiation, the amount was reduced. The CBI laid a trap and caught the two accused alongwith one more person while demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 1.80 lakh from the complainant, said the CBI in its statement. The agency also conducted search operations at the residence of all the three accused persons, which led to the recovery of incriminating documents. The agency has also collected relevant documents from the office of the SDM in Saraswati Vihar. We could simply walk past him. That would be easy, too easy. But those badly bandaged toes set us thinking. Whats happened here? We also notice two rings on his fingers, which could mean theres a family somewhere. Slowly opening his eyes, the gentleman introduces himself as Rajkumar, explaining that he was walking around the other day without chappals and I stepped on toota kaanch (broken glass). Some good Samaritans in a gurdwarda dressed the wounds. Mr Rajkumar goes on to say that hes a tuberculosis patient, regularly receiving treatment at a government hospital. But why is he lying on the pavement? Well, Im a beggar, he explains, as a matter of fact. Mr Rajkumar arrived in Delhi a decade ago from a village in Maharashtra where he has a wife, two sons who work, and elderly parents. Why not just return to the village instead of suffering in Delhi? Wouldnt that be more logical? I did go back for Diwali, he replies, and then lifts his legs, revealing a pair of red slippers. Somebody gave them to me this morning! May he be blessed. Now Mr Rajkumar closes his eyes once again. We finally walk away, marvelling at our two fellow citizens who briefly paused to care for a strangers injured feet. This shop is one of the oldest surviving landmarks in Connaught Place. Everything except the fruits, cookies, protein chocolates and wasabi peas looks like a collectible. The wood panelling, display cabinet, clock, even the floor, are as old as the 1935 store. The only major concession to modernity at The Oriental Fruit Mart in E-block is the introduction of automatic sliding doors in 2011. You ought to come here to admire all these old things. And what you have to see under all circumstances is a most heritage-worthy item the fridge! It doesnt look like a refrigerator at all and its been here since the 1940s. It is possibly Delhis longest surviving refrigerator (holler if yours is older than this). Tucked at one end of the shop, the fridge looks like a giant cupboard. The shop has other modern fridges as well, but you really feel its impact felt when you realize its been humming along for more than 60 years. It was imported from Europe, says the shops owner Mohinder Pal, whose father founded the shop. Now Mr Pal runs the old landmark with his sons Jitender and Ravinder. The three men are so polite to customers and talk so softly that you want to ask them, Which city do you think you live in? Lingering here feels like being in a shop seeped in old-world graciousness often found in the most genteel parts of colonial-era hill stations. Mr Pal opens the ancient fridge for us. Its filled with nuts, chocolates and spices. We use the fridge to keep our buffer stock. A freezer at the bottom is filled with mineral water bottles. The freezer, too, came inbuilt with the fridge, the owner says. The fridges inscribed name is Perfecold on Googling, we find a dissolved Californian business entity by this name incorporated in 1943. Soon, the shop gets busy with customers. Not one of them notices the fridge, but its there, humming along as always . Yash Tekwani talks about paan with a passion very few people even paanwallas -- can match. Curiously, the owner of Prince Paan Corner considers himself the master of what he calls the art of paan-making. He transformed the ubiquitous paan shop that he inherited from his father into a sought-after multi-chain brand with nine stores, including two in Thailand. He wishes to open one in London soon. It is 4 pm on a chilly, grey December evening. Tekwani is busy serving paan to the ever-growing fashionable crowd of young men and women at his well-known shop in south Delhis posh GK-1. Dressed in a blue, check suit, three heavy gold rings adorning his fingers, Tekwani hardly looks like your neighbourhood paanwalla. Paan-making is not just about putting a few ingredients together in a betel leaf, he says. And our family has proved selling paan is no petty business; we are known for our high quality and elite clientele. On a wall of Prince Paan Corner is a framed collage of Tekwanis pictures with celebrities, including Bollywood stars. His customers seem pretty impressed as they chew paan and gawk at the pictures Tekwani posing with Sridevi, shaking hands with Akshay Kumar, offering paan to Shah Rukh Khan and Lata Mangeshkar. From the Ambanis, the Munjals, the Bachchans, to the Kapoors, they all are my customers. Almost all of Delhis top business families regularly order paan from us, says Tekwani, who owns a fleet of cars and lives in plush house in Greater Kailash, not far from his shop. Tekwani says he is only taking forward the legacy of his father who painstakingly set up the shop in 1965. His father, Bhagwan Das, came to India from Sindh post-Partition and did odd jobs -- working as a porter and selling eatables (pakodas) on the pavement before he started a paan shop. Our family really went through hard times; my mother worked as a maid, recalls Tekwani, as he rolls a paan for a customer. Proudly counting the health benefits of paan, he also recalls how it turned out to be a panacea for poverty that battered his family for years. Their lives, Tekwani says, began to change for the better after his father set up a makeshift paan shop in GK in the 1960s. My father used to have a khoka (makeshift shop) before he rented the present shop in Greater Kailash which, those days, was nothing more than a jungle, says Tekwani. Eventually, in the 1980s, he made enough money to buy the part of the building that houses the shop today. Selling paans was not considered by many as a worthwhile profession but his father, he says, never thought it was a petty business. He had a tough time getting me admission in a decent school because I was the son of a paanwalla. Later, when we grew up, he struggled to find a suitable match for us, says Tekwani, who joined his fathers business as a teenager. But thankfully, my children do not have to face this problem because now Prince Paan is a big brand and people look at us as businessmen and entrepreneurs. The secret behind the success of his paan shop, he says, is the recipe his father createdwhich rid the paan of its stained image. What sets us apart is that our paan does not colour your lips red and create spit in your mouth, which is what makes paan-chewing a bad habit in the eyes of many. A paan is about fragrance and a feeling of freshness, not colouring your lips. The quality of a paan depends on the quality of leaves you choose, and more importantly how you prepare your ingredients, says Tekwani, standing behind a counter with stacks of a variety of paan leaves, katha and chuna in designer steel vessels and over two-dozen kinds of supari and other colourful ingredients in open plastic cases. The shops shelves are filled with bottles of his own paan mixes. His shop offers two dozen varieties of paans, including saffron, chocolate and Katrina and Kareena specials. The Katrina special, he explains, has no katha-chuna, and the Kareena special only has mint in it. They are basically ladies paans, says Tekwani as he rolls a Katrina special and packs it in a smart card board box with his shops branding. A paan could cost between Rs 30 and Rs Rs 1,100. The costliest is the honeymoon special. It has herbs with aphrodisiac properties, he says. But the fire paan with inflammable cloves that are set ablaze before placing in the mouth is popular these days. Tekwani is happy that his son, Prateek Tekwani, who has studied business management in London, is quite keen to take forward the family legacy. The younger Tekwani who we meet in the living room of his plush house seems as much proud of his familys paan business as his father. I am focusing on opening more stores, better branding and packaging. All our shops are run by our employees who are given intensive training at our flagship shop in GK, says Prateek, sitting in the living room, where everything from the chairs to sofas to a large mirror on the wall has gold or silver finish. I personally visit all shops across the city to check on the quality of paan served there. I want to turn our paan shop into a global brand like McDonalds, says Yash Tekwani, who spends about five hours every day at his flagship GK shop. The younger Tekwani says his family business has a great future as the tradition of paan eating is as strong as ever. For the new generation, having a paan is a good refreshment. We have made eating paan a cool thing, he says. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The support the Aam Aadmi Party received from first-time voters, who took Delhis infrastructure and growth for granted, was one of the key factors that led to the Congress being voted out in 2013, former chief minister Sheila Dikshit has said in her soon-to-be-released autobiography. The young people could not acknowledge the changes that her government had brought, unaware of what Delhi was like before she took over, she writes in Citizen Delhi: My Times, My Life, which will be released at the Jaipur Literature Festival on January 27. A considerable chunk of voters, who were casting their ballot for the first time, had not seen the Delhi of 15 years ago. To them a Delhi with regular power, flyovers and Metro rail, as well as several new universities, was their natural right and therefore taken for granted. They could not be expected to feel ecstatic about it, says the 79-year-old who ruled the state from 1998 to 2013. The Congress did not take Arvind Kejriwals foray into politics seriously enough and his ability to tap into the sentiments of the voters, she confesses. I myself was defeated by a margin of over 25,000 votes, losing the prestigious New Delhi seat to Arvind Kejriwal of AAP, a party that many of us had underestimated. Dikshit, however, doesnt dwell upon the alleged corruption linked with the 2010 Commonwealth Games but blames the Shunglu Committee for ignoring the governments response to a lot of the allegations. Even as she prepared to bear the impact of UPA2 losing favour with the electorate, she had started looking for a bigger canvas (a role at the Centre), she writes. Although she doesnt say as much in the book, there was talk at the time that Dikshit could be made the Union home minister. But power minister Sushil Kumar Shinde was given the home ministry berth in 2012 -the fact that his elevation, which was perceived as a reward, came on the heels of a blackout in large parts of India in the second half of 2012, further dented the image of the Congress, she says. Sheila reveals that she was going to resign even before her term ended, but that the December 16 gang rape strengthened her resolve to stay on. As I slowly recovered my strength and prepared to inform the high command of my decision to step down, Delhi, and India, was shaken to its core on 16 December. Sheila says she decided to write the book when she was the governor of Kerala between March and August 2014. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Delhi University is mulling over introducing an aptitude test that will act as a filtration system for undergraduate admissions from academic year 2019-20. If implemented, students will have to pass the test to become eligible for admission on the basis of cut-offs set by various colleges. Five members of a sub-committee looking into online testing for admissions met on Friday to discuss the proposal. One of them, Rajdhani College associate professor (mathematics) Pankaj Garg, said the proposed aptitude test would act as a filtration system for picking eligible students from different boards with varied moderation policies and difficulty levels. If implemented, it could apply to all undergraduate programmes, he added. According to Garg, the committee will meet again on Thursday for further deliberations. Committee members said admissions should continue to happen on the basis of Class 12 results, but with some possible filtration. No decision has been taken yet. Whatever decision is taken, it will become effective only from the 2019-20 academic year because we do not want to make policy changes in a hurry. As such a move can have long-term implications, it must be executed after a lot of thought. Students should also be given ample notice, the academician said. Garg said a proposal to conduct undergraduate admissions on the basis of an entrance test was unanimously rejected. Sub-committee chairperson Anula Maurya refused to elaborate on the meeting. We are still looking at modalities, and no final decision has been taken yet, said Maurya, who is the principal of Kalindi College. Once the sub-committee arrives at a decision on the matter, their recommendations will be sent to the larger admissions committee for deliberations. If the proposal gets their green signal, it will be forwarded to the academic council and then the executive council for further approval. If implemented, three online tests one each for science, commerce and arts students may be held as part of the filtration process. The proposal received mixed reactions from students and academicians in Delhi University colleges. While most principals refused to comment, one said on the condition of anonymity that a filtration system may not be a bad idea. There must be some logic to a two-step process. It will be good if they can standardise the quality of intake, he added. Ritwik Pawar, a third-year computer science student at St Stephens, also said that an aptitude test capable of evaluating ones mental ability and reasoning may serve a worthy purpose. Others, however, were not so sure. A teacher said that such a complicated process may work for professional courses, but not undergraduate admissions. The university had received 2.2 lakh applications for around 56,000 undergraduate seats last year. Inderjeet Jaggi, a second-year BA student at Dyal Singh College, claimed that an added layer of screening would only discourage students from performing well in board exams. Tanya Borah, a Class 11 student who hopes to land a seat in St Stephens College, agreed. They keep increasing the number of exams we have to take. This will only amount to additional baggage on our heads, she said. Officials involved with the admission process said they will deliberate on the recommendations after receiving them. A sizeable contingent of homebuyers, including women, children and the elderly, held a protest on Saturday demanding relocation of the Kherki Daula Toll plaza and completion of the Dwarka Expressway project. The homebuyers, under the banner of Dxp Welfare Association, assembled in Sector 84 and staged a peaceful protest before submitting a memorandum to the chief minister through the Kherki Daula Toll management. Dwarka Expressway, also known as the Northern Peripheral Road (NPR), will connect Dwarka in Delhi to the national highway near the Kherki toll in Gurgaon. Residents and homebuyers have for long been pressing for relocation of the toll point and completion of the expressway, which is billed as one of the key infrastructure projects in Gurgaon. The delay in shifting the toll and completion of the expressway has affected the homebuyers in terms of taking possession of their dream homes in various residential projects. The protesting homebuyers held up banners and posters and marched towards the Kherki toll. The Dwarka Expressway or the NPR project has been hanging fire over the last seven years. The Haryana urban development authority (Huda) had proposed the expressway project in 2007-08 to connect Dwarka, near the Delhi airport, to the national highway near Kherki Daula village. However, the project is yet to see the light of day, Pradip Rahi, general secretary of the association, said. After reaching the toll point, the protesters formed a human chain so as not to disturb the movement of traffic. Later, a delegation representing the homebuyers handed a memorandum, addressed to the chief minister, to the toll management. Read I MCEPL biggest hurdle in Kherki Daula toll shift Amish Tandon, the lawyer representing the association, said, In February 2017, the Punjab and Haryana High Court issued a notice to authorities concerned seeking completion of the Dwarka Expressway project in a time-bound manner. However, despite pleading with the authorities to act, there has been no response from them till date. The homebuyers alleged that with the NPR project in limbo, basic infrastructure and amenities, including water supply, electricity, sewage disposal and roads, in sectors along the expressway are in a shambles. The government has missed as many as 10 deadlines to finish the project. The protesters said that with vehicles lining up at the toll for clearance and passage, there are endless snarls on nearby stretches affecting the movement of traffic, especially in New Gurgaon. Yashesh Yadav, president, Dxp Welfare Association, said, The delay in completion of the expressway project has hit the homebuyers hard. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The driver of the SUV, which had allegedly mowed down a special police officer (SPO) of Gurgaon police on the intervening night of January 7 and 8, was nabbed by a team of Palam Vihar police on Saturday, and produced in court. On being questioned, the accused confessed that he was drunk at the time of the incident. The police also said that the accused was in the business of illegally transporting liquor from Gurgaon to Noida for his employer based in that city. The accused has been identified as Ghanshyam, a resident of Farrukhabad in Uttar Pradesh. He was arrested from his hideout in Harisinghpura village in the same district, the police said. It has also been revealed that the accused was employed by Suresh Sharma, a Noida resident who is also likely to be questioned in connection with this case. Vikram Nehra, station house officer (SHO), Palam Vihar police station, who was chasing the Mahindra Xylo after spotting that it was moving in a suspicious manner, arrested the accused. He has been taken on remand and would be questioned, he said. The Xylo, which was used in the crime, was registered in Sangrur, but had changed hands four to five times, the police said. They said that the owners took the affidavit route to change ownership. Read I soecialGurgaon: Special Police Officers recruitment drive begins, 275 applications received on Day One On the intervening night of January 7 and 8, 34-year old Mukesh Kumar was hit by the Xylo when he tried to stop the vehicle on the direction of senior officers, who were chasing it as it was moving suspiciously. Kumar, who suffered serious injuries in his chest and head, was taken to Columbia Asia hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Shocked by the officers death, the Gurgaon police commissioner visited the mortuary and assured the family members that the accused would be caught at the earliest. Sumit Kuhar, DCP, crime, said that this case was probed on priority, but there was a delay in making the arrest because of the change in ownership of the vehicle. The matter is being probed further leads, he said. The Nashik Sessions Court awarded the death sentence to six convicts for the murder of three Dalit youth on January 1, 2013, in Sonai village of Ahmednagar district. On January 15, 2018, six of the seven accused were convicted by the court on various counts, including murder and criminal conspiracy to commit murder. The first information report (FIR) lodged by the Ahmednagar police stated that the killings were a fallout of an inter-caste love affair between one of the deceased and a Maratha girl. Judge R R Vaishnav sentenced the convicts to death and also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on each of them. The three Dalit youth, Sachin Gharu (24), Sandeep Thanvar (25) and Rahul Kandare (20), were found murdered with body parts mutilated in a septic tank and a well. The six convicts include Ramesh Darandale (43), Prakash Darandale (38), Ragunath Darandale alias Popat (52), Ganesh alias Praveen Darandale (23), Sandeep Kurhe (37) and Ashok Phalke (44). Popat Darandale is the father of the girl and Ganesh Darandale is her elder brother. Ramesh, Prakash and Raghunath are brothers, while Sandeep Kurhe is their close relative.They are all residents of Sonai village. The judge convicted Popat, Ganesh, Prakash Darandale, Ramesh Darandale, Ashok Nawagire and Sandip Kurhe and acquitted Ashok Phalke, against whom the prosecution could not establish the charge of conspiracy. Special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said Sachin Gharu was in a relationship with a girl belonging to an upper caste family. Gharu along with Thanwar and Kandare were working at the Trimurti Educational Institute at Sonai, where the girl was studying. According to the FIR, Gharu and his colleagues, working as sweepers, were called by the Darandale family to their home on the evening of January 1, 2013, to clean their septic tank. The next day, Gharu was found beheaded, with a hand cut off from his shoulder. The bodies of the other two, Sandeep Thanwar and Rahul Kandare, were found a day later with injury marks on their heads. The families of the victims had to relocate from Sonai and the case was shifted from Ahmednagar to Nashik as well. A Bajrang Dal activist here has been arrested on the charge of kidnapping a girl from Mumbai, who had allegedly eloped from here with a Muslim man and married him last year. The girls husband Mohammed Iqbal Choudhary had filed a habeas corpus petition in the Bombay High Court a few days after she was allegedly abducted from Mumbai. Police said Bajranj Dal activist Sunil Pumpwell was arrested by Mumbai police on January 18. He allegedly brought the girl along with her parents from Mumbai to Mangaluru in a car in the second week of last month. Sangh Parivar outfits alleged that the girls elopement was part of Love Jihad. They had submitted a memorandum to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman seeking her intervention on the issue when she visited the city on December 29. The girl, daughter of a Sangh outfit leader, had been staying in a rented house within Mangaluru East police station limits. Chaudhary had befriended her on social media three years back. They fell in love and eloped to Mumbai and got married in July last year, police said. She had then submitted an affidavit in the police station here stating that she was living with her lover on her own volition and had not been forced by anyone, police said. The Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) has upgraded Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumars security to Z plus category. Currently, Kumar is under Z category security cover and his consent is must for MHA to enhance his security level. Sources said the Centre was prompted to enhance Kumars security after his cavalcade was recently attacked by a stone-pelting mob in Buxar last week in which several security personnel were injured. On July 27 last year, Kumar was offered Z plus security by the Centre soon after he stepped down as the CM of the Grand Alliance (GA), comprising RJD and Congress, and planned joining hands with BJP to form the next government in the state. But, Kumar turned down the upgraded security cover then. Sources in the state police said that Z plus security back then had been offered by MHA without any proper threat analysis and it was done owing to the soaring political temperature and apprehensions of political backlash. A senior officer looking after the CMs security said four personnel of highly trained National Security Guards (NSG) would be deployed around Kumar in addition to the existing personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Director general of police (DGP), Bihar, P K Thakur, however, said the request for the enhanced security had been made with a view to providing adequate security to the CM during his visits to other states. The Bharatiya Janta Party will soon get a new address. The new headquarters of Indias ruling party is a swanky five-storied building on Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg which is expected to be inaugurated within a month or two. The building with parking facility in the basement and modern facilities has been built in a record time of about one and a half years. The constriction is 99% complete, a BJP leader said. The only work pending now was installation of TV sets, laying of telephone lines and a few others similar works, he added. The party has not finalised dates of the inauguration, but another leader said it will be a grand event attended by thousands of leaders and workers from across the country. The office, located adjacent to the Ranjit Singh flyover that connects central and old Delhi, will have separate chambers for partys national office bearers, a huge convention hall, a rich library, video conferencing facilities and media rooms for spokespersons. Entry to some parts of this building, such as digital operations, will be restricted. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for the new office on August 18, 2016. This was a year and half after the ministry of urban developments land screening panel cleared the allotment of the plot to the BJP on February 26, 2015. The BJPs applications to the Union urban development ministry for a plot of land got stuck twice once in 2002 and then in 2006. The application was finally approved only in 2015 after the BJP came to power at the centre. A partys strength in Parliament decides the size of the land it is entitled to. A party with 101 to 200 members in both the Houses is entitled to two acres. More than 200 members of Parliament allow a party four acres, according to the allotment rules framed for political parties in 2006 by the UPA government. The rules, however, are silent on what happens when a partys tally takes a hit. Before it swept to power in May, the BJP, headquartered at 11 Ashoka Road, was eligible to two acres for its national office. With a combined strength of 327 MPs then -- 281 in the Lok Sabha and 46 in the Rajya Sabha - the party quickly claimed a larger share. The partys Delhi unit, which functions from 14 Pandit Pant Marg, too, was given an 809-sq metre plot in Pocket 5 of the DDU Marg in December. A separate set of rules govern allotment of land to state units. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Three police personnel have been suspended in Uttar Pradeshs Saharanpur after two youth injured in an accident died when the policemen allegedly refused to take them to a hospital on the pretext that their blood would spoil the patrol vehicle Two friends Arpit Khurana and Sunny (both 17) of Setia Vihar locality were returning to their houses when their motorcycle hit an electricity pole in Beri Bagh after which they fell into a deep drain, Saharanpur superintendent of police Prabal Pratap Singh said. Hearing the screams of the injured teenagers, residents rushed to the spot and pulled them out. The two sustained grievous head injuries in the incident. On getting information, a UP 100 patrol vehicle reached the spot, but eyewitnesses alleged that the policemen on duty refused to shift the two to a hospital, saying their blood would spoil the vehicle. When the policemen refused to budge, the residents took the teenagers to a hospital in an auto-rickshaw but they succumbed to their injuries. A three-minute video purportedly showing the policemen refusing help to the injured teenagers later went viral on the social media. The video shows a young man crying and pleading with the policemen to help them. As he was pleading, he also asked a man standing nearby to check the pulse of his heavily-bleeding friend, and got a reply, he is dead. Bhaiya, iski body thandi ho rahi hai. Kuch to karo. (His body is getting cold, please do something.), pleaded the miserable friend. The police officials are seen examining the scene and not taking any action. The video also shows a car or two stopping but then, after a brief conversation, moving away from the scene. It came to our notice that PRB 970 reached on the spot (of the accident) and refused to take the youth to the hospital, ANI quoted the police superintendent as saying. Two constables and a head constable on duty have been suspended. An inquiry has been ordered into the incident. The probe report will be submitted with 24 hours, SP Prabal Pratap Singh said. (With agency inputs) India is laying the groundwork to test a high-range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, capable of striking targets more than 800 km away, a person familiar with the programme said. The missile is likely to be tested by the year-end. India has already extended the range of the three-tonne missile from 290 km to 400 km and successfully test-fired the variant in March 2017. Increasing the missiles range to 400 km and now 800 km became possible after Indias induction into the Missile Technology Control Regime in June 2016. Prior to that, India was bound by restrictions that limited the range of the missile, which is an Indo-Russian joint venture, to less than 300 km. It will be a significant leap forward for the BrahMos project. Air force fighters will be able to attack targets from increased standoff ranges, said another official tracking the project. The Defence Research and Development Organisation had announced in February 2017 that a missile variant with a strike range of 800 km was under development. The configuration of the existing missile is being tweaked to enhance its range to 800 km, he said. BrahMos variants can be launched from land, air, sea and under water. India successfully launched the worlds fastest supersonic cruise missile from a Sukhoi-30 warplane for the first time against a target in the Bay of Bengal in November 2017. The Sukhoi has a range of 3,600 km. Arming it with an 800-km range missile will increase its reach tremendously, and even more, considering the option of midair refuelling, the official said. The missiles land and naval variants are already in service. At least two Su-30 squadrons with 20 planes each are likely to be equipped with the air-launch variant BrahMos missile, 500 kg lighter than the land/naval variants. Two Su-30 jets have been modified by the Nasik division of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to carry the 2.5-tonne missile that flies at nearly three times the speed of sound. People travelling by state-run buses in Tamil Nadu had to shell out more for their tickets from Saturday as the government announced steep hike in fares to offset mounting losses of the transport corporations. While in Chennai, the fares were raised in the range of Rs 2 to Rs 9, in other places, it ranged from Rs 2 to Rs 7. The hike was steepest for luxury Volvo buses, which will be costlier by Rs 18, followed by Rs 15 for AC buses and Rs 12 for Deluxe buses. The hike comes after nearly a week-long strike by transport service staff, who were given higher salaries, adding to the operating costs of the loss-making bus services. The last hike came in November 2011, under the then-chief minister J Jayalalithaa, who had come to power six months earlier and who did not hesitate to take unpopular but essential decisions that included a hike in milk prices. The government in a statement said the new fares effective from Saturday morning for mofussil services range from 60 paise to Rs 1.7 per km depending on the category of services. Even after the hike, bus fares in Tamil Nadu were lower than those in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala, it said. Committee for Fare Revision The government also announced that it would set up a committee to revise fares in the future. The government is working on an indexing method to calculate appropriate fares considering fuel prices, operation and maintenance costs, wages and the like. The state-run transport corporations have mounted a loss of over Rs 20,000 crore. The hike comes after an interim order of the Madras high court that observed that fare revision was inevitable. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra will hear the Loya case two public interest litigations demanding an independent probe into the death of special CBI court judge BH Loya who died in 2014. The Loya case is seen as the trigger for the four senior Supreme Court judges Justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, MB Lokur and Kurian Joseph to go public with their criticism of CJI Misra for allocating sensitive cases to junior judges. Judge Loya, then presiding over the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case, died in Nagpur on December 1, 2014. Current BJP president Amit Shah was named in the case but in December the same year, he was discharged by the court. Besides the CJI, Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud will be on the bench, according to the list of business released by the Supreme Court registry on Saturday. The fresh twist in the case comes four days after a bench of Justices Arun Misra and MM Shantanagoudar ordered the listing of the Loya case before an appropriate bench, triggering speculation that they had withdrawn themselves from hearing it. On Friday, the CJI ordered that the matter be put up before an appropriate bench as per roster but there was uncertainty over who would hear it. Lawyers for the petitioners Tehseen Poonawala and Mumbai-based journalist BR Lone mentioned the matter before the CJI. Lones advocate Anita Shenoy said she went to the CJIs court to apprise him about the last order in the case and seek a date for hearing. On January 16, Justice Arun Misra had said the matter should be listed before an appropriate bench after a week. It was, therefore, mentioned to the chief who said the case would be now be heard by the bench as per roster, Shenoy explained. The two public interest litigations (PILs) demand an independent probe into the death of Judge Loya. The petitions were originally listed before a bench headed by Justice Arun Misra. On January 16, the bench headed by Justice Arun Misra heard the matter directing the Maharashtra government to share details of the police investigation into Judge Loyas death with the petitioners and also passed an order for listing of the case before an appropriate bench. In the SC a roster system is followed to mark cases to benches that sit in the combination of two judges. Roster is notified by the SC registry after the CJI approves it. However, the roster is not made public and even lawyers are unaware of the same. When a sensitive matter or PIL is filed the SC registry brings it to the notice of the CJI who then takes a call on who will hear it. Justice Arun Misras January 16 order, fuelling apprehensions over him hearing the case again came a day after he broke down at a morning tea meet of SC judges where he expressed his anguish at being collateral damage in the fight between the four senior judges and the CJI because their allegations cast aspersions on his abilities. A Class 12 student allegedly shot dead his schools principal inside her office with his fathers revolver in Haryanas Yamunanagar on Saturday, days after he was warned for low attendance. Police said the 18-year-old boy showed up at Swami Vivekananda Public School during a parent-teacher meeting around 10.30am on Saturday, forced his way into principal Ritu Chhabras office and asked her to accept his project report. He allegedly opened fire when the principal, who used to teach economics, refused. The 46-year-old Chhabra was hit by three bullet injuries one on the face and two pierced her chest. She died at a private hospital around 2pm. The teenager went to the school with his face covered and tried to escape after shooting Chhabra, but guards and parents who had come for the meeting overpowered him, police said. The student was arrested and charged with murder. The boy was not good at studies and alleged that the principal used to punish him in front of fellow students over his poor performance and low attendance, Yamunanagar superintendent of police Rajesh Kalia said. He had been warned thrice that he wont be able to write his pre-board examination because of low attendance. He hadnt attended school for the past four days, the officer said. The pre-board examination begins on Monday. According to police, when the boy was asked why he shot the principal, he said she tortured me. Police said the boy broke open an almirah in his home and took the registered revolver of his father, a businessman, who was also arrested and charged under the arms act. The father told police that he didnt know anything about his sons performance in school. The boys mother and other members of the family were unavailable for comments. Principal Chhabra is survived by her husband, a businessman, and two sons one of whom is employed with a private firm and the other an engineering student. This is the latest in a string of violence in schools across India. Last September, an eight-year-old student of a school in Gurgaon was murdered on the campus. Earlier this week, a six-year-old boy was stabbed inside a Lucknow school. Authorities of the Yamunanagar school refused comments on the murder, but confirmed that the students attendance was low. The principal had informed him two-three times in the past week that he would not be able to attend the pre-board exam due to poor attendance, school director Vimal Kamboj said. He said the boy has been a student of the school since Class 1 while Chhabra was teaching there for the past 15 years. She had a very good record and we never heard any complaint about her from students, he added. The school has been sealed and a team from the states forensic science laboratory has taken blood samples from the crime scene for tests. We live on the school premises and my children are frightened. Since the school is locked now, we have to stay somewhere else, said a teacher, who doesnt want to be identified. Also read: Class 12 student slaps teacher: DEO to submit report next week; boy was a regular offender Union minister Satyapal Singh has claimed that Charles Darwins theory of evolution of man was scientifically wrong and it needs to be changed in school and college curriculum. Singh, minister of state for human resource development, said our ancestors have nowhere mentioned that they saw an ape turning into a man. Darwins theory (of evolution of humans) is scientifically wrong. It needs to change in school and college curriculum. Since the man is seen on Earth he has always been a man, he said while speaking to reporters on Friday in Aurangabad. The IPS officer-turned-politician was in this central Maharashtra city to attend the All India Vaidik Sammelan. Nobody, including our ancestors, in written or oral, have said they saw an ape turning into a man, he said. No books we have read or the tales told to us by our grandparents had such a mention, the minister added. Darwinism is a theory of biological evolution that states that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural selection of small, inherited variations that increase the individuals ability to compete, survive, and reproduce. It was developed by Darwin, a 19th century English naturalist, and others. Jignesh Mevani, underdressed for the chilly morning at Delhis Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus, walks tiredly into a dhaba. Hands in pockets, he squints at the freshly prepared potato curry, looks away, and stares through a cloud of misty breath. My body is going to give up, he says. Mevani is exhausted. Eighteen days after winning the assembly election from north Gujarats Vadgam constituency, the 36-year-old is in Delhi for a short visit he is giving interviews, participating in television news shows and posing for pictures. He is upset about not being able to return the dozens of phone calls hes been getting. He is worried about his meetings in Ahmedabad where he was supposed to be. But his eyes brighten when a student, who takes some time to register that it is indeed Mevani sitting next to him, asks him about his plans for Vadgam. Wolfing down his food, Mevani says, You come to Vadgam after one year and see for yourself. We are going to transform the constituency. I will invite experts from various fields including RTI, health, education, social justice, research, to contribute in making Vadgam a model constituency. He means what hes just said. For Jignesh Mevani now belongs to the people. He appears for the momentto be symbolic of the disenchantment brewing in Gujarati society. He is the rare Dalit leader who has developed a massive following within his own community and outside. At a time when dissent is difficult, Mevani does not miss an opportunity to criticise the government. He won an election in his maiden attempt, without joining any political party. Now he will have to work within the official framework of governance, make the bureaucrats see his vision, continue from where his predecessor left off, and still make sure that he doesnt let his people down. But in the JNU campus, despite talking enthusiastically to the student about his plans for Vadgam, he seems tired, as if he doesnt really want the students to recognise him, as if all he wants is a few quiet moments of anonymity. JIGNESH AND VAN GOGH Mevani wouldnt mind the title Vincent Van Gogh 2.0 for himself. He left a stunning impact on my soul, says Mevani of the late Dutch painter, considered one of the greatest artists of all time. His passion was mind boggling. I derive my zeal from him. He first read about the artist while doing a Bachelors in English Literature at HK Arts College, Ahmedabad, an institution that shaped his worldview to a large extent. That was where he met two people who would influence his thoughts and actions in ways he could not imagine. Saumya Joshi, then associate professor, English, was a dramatist. I was impressed as hell to see how Saumyas plays depicted the concerns of the marginalised, says Mevani. He exposed me to the arts, literature and theatre. Sanjay Bhave, also a faculty member in the English department, introduced him to the stalwarts of social activism in Gujarat. Bhave saheb glamourised them. I used to think, life toh aisa hona chahiye, where you can look beyond just a salary. Pagaar toh mil hi jaayegi. (Everyone works for a salary. The actual aim should be changing peoples lives). During his college years, Mevani was never seen as Jignesh, that Dalit lad. It was an extension of how he was raised in a middle-class joint family in Ahmedabads Medhaninagar area. While he was aware of his identity, it was not a topic of discussion at the dining table in the Mevani household. His mother retired from the BSNL as a clerk and his father was with the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. Over the newspaper, Papa and I used to discuss general issues. Our debates were not about the problems of our community, he says. Mevani got a PG Diploma in Journalism from Ahmedabads Bhavans College and shifted to Mumbai where he worked for a news magazine Abhiyaan for three years. With his fans at the JNU campus, New Delhi in the first week of January. The youth, specially students, are impressed by his aggression and oratory. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO) He returned in 2008 and began working with the civil rights organisation Jan Sangharsh Manch (JSM) run by the activist-lawyer Mukul Sinha, one of the people he had idolised during college. Jignesh used to call him kaka (uncle), recalls Mukul Sinhas wife, Nirjari Sinha. (Mukul Sinha died in 2014). He worked with us on the rights of sanitation workers and security guards. He was unsure about his career. Mukul asked him to pursue law, she recounts. So Mevani went on to do an LLB from Gujarat University. In the years to come, Mukul Sinha would become one of the three kakas who Mevani would revere and through whose work he would come face to face with the ground reality of Gujarat. The other two were activist-lawyer Girish Patel and the Gandhian activist, the late Chunni Bhai Vaidya, who worked for land reforms and the creation of sustainable rural economies. It was at Mukul kakas office where, for the first time, I understood atrocity in the real sense of the term. When I heard stories of undertrials in POTA, I was not able to sleep for many nights, he says. Mevani remained true to the spirit of Van Gogh in his passion for whatever he had set his mind on, a passion that could border on obsession. He submerged himself in the cases he fought, the academic exercises he undertook, and the causes he felt for. While analysing the works of Gujarati poet Mareez, also known as the Ghalib of Gujarat, he went to the extent of tracing people for whom Mareez used to ghost-write. To understand the life of freedom fighters, he travelled to Rajguru Nagar in Pune, the birthplace of Shivaram Rajguru, Sanjay Bhave remembers Mevanis obsessive streak. After studying the history of the Dalit community, Mevani concluded that their poor socio-economic condition was partly because a majority of them they did not own land. On July 11, 2016, Mevani was a member of the AAP and working as a lawyer with the JSM when cow vigilantes thrashed four Dalit men on the allegation of skinning a dead cow in Una, a city in Gujarats Gir Somnath district, 350 km from Ahmedabad. The Una case, which became symbolic of Dalit atrocities throughout the country, was the turning point that Mevani had unknowingly been prepping for. He went full throttle. Along with his friends, Mevani formed the Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch (RDAM) which conducted a Dalit mahasabha in Ahmedabad on July 31. Jignesh Mevani with Balasaheb Ambedkar, Prashant Dhotha, Radhika Vemula and Umar Khalid at the 'Elgar Parishad' to commemorate 200th anniversary of Koregaon-Bhima battle at Shaniwarwada, Pune. (Rahul Raut/HT PHOTO) It was followed by a 10-day march on foot from Ahmedabad to Una which culminated on Independence Day. Gaaye nu puchhdu taame rakho, aamne amaari jameen aapo (You keep the cows tail, give us our land), Mevani hopped from village to village, repeating the slogan in every public meeting where Dalits took a vow that they would not henceforth lift the carcasses of dead cows. During lunch breaks, the RDAM members would review Mevanis speeches was the audience relating to him or not; why was the crowd in a particular gathering smaller than expected; should he modify the content to suit local sensibilities; what was the extent of media coverage of the rallies. In hindsight, Mevani says, the Una incident catapulting him to the national stage was a lot about timing. Dalits have faced far worse brutalities than what we saw in Una. But the outcry in the Una case was unmatched. Certain things resonate at certain points. This was one of them, he says. THE MANDATE The Vadgam election had dimensions of a David vs Goliath contest. On November 27, seventeen days before polling in Vadgam, Mevani announced, through a Facebook post, that he would be in the fray. Far from being wise, the last-moment decision verged on the insane. I was confused, he explains. We had no money or concrete organisation. At the same time I realised that I was at my best as an activist. I had caught the peoples imagination. My campaign would get massive media coverage due to which my opponent would appear diminished. So I jumped into it. On the one hand, there was the formidable electoral machinery of the BJP, oiled by the party president Amit Shah at the helm. The party had ruled Gujarat for 22 years and was looking to win at least 150 out of 182 assembly seats. On the other side was Mevani, a novice, self-proclaimed agitator, who was out to expose the socio-economic conditions of farmers, Scheduled Castes and minorities. Ironically, Mevanis image became his biggest stumbling block in the election. Dalits, comprising 16% of Vadgam population, could relate to his agenda. But the predominant Chaudhary community was not comfortable with his approach. They presumed that with Jignesh as an MLA, they would be routinely booked under the Atrocities Act because Dalits worked in their farms and factories, says Sagar Rabari, 50, a social activist and general secretary of Gujarat Khedut Samaj, who helped Mevani devise his election strategy. I had to act as Jigneshs guarantor, says Rabari. Supporters at a public meeting during Jignesh Mevanis election campaign in Vadgam, Gujarat, on December 10, 2017. This was Mevanis first election. (Kunal Patil/HT PHOTO) A lot, however, was going in Mevanis favour. The AAP and the Congress withdrew their candidates so that voters had a choice between Mevani and the BJP. Crowdfunding platform crowdnewsing.com raised Rs 20.5 lakh for his campaign. By the time of the election, Mevani had polished his oratory skills, having spoken at multiple forums in the one year period since the Una incident. Four teams were canvassing for himhis aides from Ahmedabad, activists and volunteers from Delhi, the local communities in Vadgam, and the Congress cadre. In retrospect, Mevani admits that he spent more time convincing people why they should vote the BJP out than talking about the change he intended to bring. We didnt elaborate on what we would do. My positive campaign was inbuilt in my image. I believe that I got 4,000 votes only on my credibility, he says. The BJP claimed that Mevani was an outsider; that he had accepted funding from the Social Democratic Party of India, a political wing of Popular Front of India (PFI), which has been accused of terror links (Mevani denied the charges); and that he was using Muslims for votes. The last charge stemmed from Mevanis interview published in the Forward Press, which quoted him saying that his first girlfriend was a Muslim. Mevanis victory was a vindication for his supporters not just in Gujarat but across the nation. At the all-India level, the anti-right forces are in search of some spark. They have found that in Jignesh. His position in Gujarat is reinforced with his national position, says Ahmedabad-based sociologist Ghanshyam Shah. If Muslims wanted someone whose hand they could hold, they have found that person. VADGAM IN WAITING The people who have been part of his journey so far or who have monitored his trajectory seem to know where he is faltering and the pitfalls that lie in his way forward as an MLA. He should watch his words. The radicalism he shows at times makes him vulnerable. Else the government will file cases against him and he will find himself entangled in legal battles, Sanjay Bhave echoes a concern shared by almost all of Mevanis well-wishers. Now he should rise above Modi-bashing and talk about concrete issues, he adds. He will have to cut down on travel and concentrate on his constituency. Now people have expectations from Jignesh Mevani, the MLA. He has to deliver. He cant continue to only be an orator, says Nirjari Sinha. Ghanshyam Shah suggests that Mevani should have a panoramic view of society and politics and move ahead accordingly. Currently, all the information he is getting is from the media. For long-term politics, he should have a group or a think tank which dispassionately reflects on the ground situation. Mevani says that the one criticism he has got the mostthat he should be less aggressive is not unwarranted. I agree with this, he says. But the problem is that I wont remain who I am if I start working on this. This is who I am. About the charge that he over-travels, he says, Me going to various states energises the youth and Dalit groups. I should keep doing that but not at the cost of Vadgam. THE JUBILATION It will be some weeks before Mevani overcomes the euphoria of the resounding win that caught his aides and the country by surprise. Mevani is still getting used to being addressed as MLA saheb. I bought 10 new kurtas, all of different colours. I like wearing them with folded sleeves, with a wrist watch on my left hand. I flash the victory sign like a neta (politician) does. I am quite enjoying this. His eyes sparkle. But the feeling has not sunk in as yet. Mevani underplays the congratulatory phone calls and the meeting with the Congress party president Rahul Gandhi before the election. He describes it as a Hi, hello meeting. He is still getting accustomed to his new role learning how to greet people, how to listen to them, how to become a leader his followers can admire and look up to. Like the bunch of students who surround him at the dhaba in JNU, vying for selfies with him, cautioning him, in awe of him, and waiting for him to prove them right. Responding to each one of them, Mevani seems like a leader at the start of an eventful and uncertain voyage. I am also a brand now, a force to reckon with, he says in a matter-of-fact tone. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Indias entry into elite nuclear groups in the recent past has reaffirmed the countrys strict non-proliferation commitments, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday. Modis remarks come against the backdrop of India becoming a member of the Australia Group (AG), a move that is expected to raise New Delhis stature in the field of non-proliferation and also help it acquire critical technologies. I thank Australia and other members of the Australia Group for export control for supporting Indias entry in it, Modi tweeted. I thank Australia and other members of the Australia Group for export control for supporting India's entry in it. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 20 January 2018 He said that over the last two years, Indias membership of the MTCR, Wassenaar Arrangement and Australia Group reaffirmed the countrys strong non-proliferation credentials also our commitment to global peace and security. India is now a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), the Wassenaar Arrangement (WA) as well as AG, three of four non-proliferation regimes. The only one remaining is the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). Pakistan needs to change its mindset of differentiating between good and bad terrorists, India has told the UN Security Council, urging it to focus on challenges posed by terrorism emanating from the safe havens from across the border. Only by changing the terror mindset can peace come to Afghanistan, Syed Akbaruddin, Indian ambassador to the UN, said on Friday at a a special ministerial meeting on the conflict-torn country. Terrorism and externally induced instability pose the gravest threat to Afghanistans peace, stability and prosperity, he said. And the growing arc of terrorist violence endangers our entire region. Terrorism has taken a huge toll on Afghanistan, Akbaruddin stressed, backing up his assertion with World Bank statistics. Afghanistan recorded a 9.6% annual economic growth rate from 2003 to 2014, but it fell to 2.2% in 2016 as terrorist activities spiked, and it was 2.6% last year, according to the bank. There is a common Afghan saying that roughly translates as If water is muddied downstream, dont waste your time filtering it; better to go upstream to clean it, Akbaruddin said. Underlining that support for voices of peace in Afghanistan alone is not enough, he said, We must focus on addressing the challenges posed by cross border terrorism emanating from safe havens and sanctuaries to our region and especially to Afghanistan. If we do so, the decay, which has been inflicted on Afghanistan, can be made reversible, he added. He told the Security Council it is Indias vision that Afghanistan regain its place and New Delhi remains committed to working closely with its regional and international partners to bring peace, security, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan. It is with this in mind that our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Afghanistan on December 24, 2015 to inaugurate the Parliament building, stopped over in Lahore, Pakistan, he said. Unfortunately, these visits were followed by a heinous and barbaric terrorist attack on the Pathankot airbase on January 1, 2016, perpetrated and planned by the very same mindsets which attack the spirit of Afghanistan every day, he added. These mindsets differentiate between good and bad terrorists. These mindsets refuse to see reason in peace. They are mindsets that are reluctant to join hands in moving the region forward to build a shared future for our people and our youth. These mindsets, Mr. President, need to change, Akbaruddin said. The high-level meeting was presided over by Kazakhstans foreign minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov and focused on regional cooperation to promote development and security in Afghanistan. Russias foreign minister Sergei Lavrov was among those attending the session. Illustrating how terrorism impacts development, he said a disproportionate amount of resources are diverted from the aid projects to protecting them rather than building more projects. The New Development Partnership between India and Afghanistan cover education, health, agriculture, infrastructure, renewable energy, drinking water supply and human resource development, he said. The recent visits by Afghanistans President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Dr. Abdullah Abdullah have given the partnership a boost, he added. India pledged a $1 billion package for Afghanistan last year. Delhis governing Aam Aadmi Party blasted the Election Commission after it recommended disqualifying 20 of its MLAs. India and Pakistan tensions rose over border firing. The US said it has told Pakistan to act against militant leader Hafiz Saeed. These were the top stories on Friday. Here is more about them. 20 MLAs face disqualification, AAP criticises Election Commission The Election Commission (EC) recommended disqualification of 20 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs on grounds of holding office of profit as parliamentary secretaries, embarrassing their partys government in Delhi and testing its grip on power. The controversy goes back to February 2015 when the party won the Delhi assembly elections and appointed the 20 MLAs as parliament secretaries in March. EC has never touched so low ever. Sad, said AAP leader Ashutosh. Supreme Court rejects plea to cancel Padmaavats censor certificate The Supreme Court refused to stop the screening of Padmaavat and rejected a petition that said the controversial movie threatens peace. Maintaining law and order is not our job. That is the job of the state. Prayer rejected, said the court as it refused to cancel the censor certificate for the movie. The court on Thursday had overturned a ban on the movie by five states. Border shelling kills civilians, Pakistan summons Indian envoy Two people were killed and at least were 11 injured when Pakistani troops hit Indian villages with artillery and mortar along the border in Jammu and Samba districts, officials said. Pakistan alleged Indian firing on Friday killed a civilian and wounded nine others in Sialkot in its Punjab province. Pakistans Foreign Ministry summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner J P Singh and condemned what it called unprovoked cease-fire violations by India. Terrorist Hafiz Saeed should be prosecuted: US tells Pakistan The US said it has told Islamabad that Hafiz Saeed is a terrorist and should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, reacting strongly to Pakistan Prime Ministers remarks that there was no case against the Mumbai attack mastermind. He was the mastermind, we believe, of the 2008 Mumbai attacks which killed many people, including Americans as well, said a spokesperson for the US State Department. A file photo taken on July 5, 2006 shows a Chinese soldier and an Indian soldier placing a barbed wire fence following a meeting of military representatives at the Nathu La border crossing in Sikkim. (AFP) China says Doklam its territory, will build infrastructure China said Doklam is its territory and it will continue exercising its sovereignty in the remote plateau in the eastern Himalayas. Just as China will not make comments about Indian construction of infrastructure on Indias territory, we hope other countries will not make comment on Chinas construction of infrastructure on its territory, said a foreign ministry spokesperson in Beijing. He was commenting on reports about satellite images that purportedly show massive Chinese infrastructure build-up in Doklam, where Chinese and Indian troops confronted each other for 73 days last year. Loya case: Uncertainty over who will hear PIL that split SC Uncertainty increased over who in the Supreme Court (SC) will hear the BH Loya case after the Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra, on Friday ordered that the matter be put up before an appropriate bench as per roster. The bench will hear the two public interest litigations demanding an independent probe into the death of special CBI court judge Loya who died in 2014. It is not clear who will constitute the bench. The CJIs directive comes three days after a bench of Justices Arun Misra and MM Shantagoudar hearing the case ordered its listing before the appropriate bench, triggering speculation that they would withdraw from hearing it. Kerala woman kills teenaged son for teasing her A 45-year-old woman has been arrested in Kollam town of Kerala after confessing that she killed her teenaged son for teasing her, police said. Jayamol, a mentally unstable homemaker, allegedly killed Jeethu Job by strangling him with a shawl. She then tried to set the body on fire. 2017 was Indias fourth warmest year The year 2017 was Indias fourth warmest on trot after 2016, 2015, and 2014, with average temperature across the country 0.71 degrees C above the 1971-2001 average. Warming of temperatures has been a global phenomenon, with the World Meteorological Organisation declaring 2017 as one of the three hottest years on record. Islamic State supporter from Kerala killed in Syria An Indian supporter of the Islamic State has been killed in Syria. Abdul Manaf was from Kerala where he allegedly was a member of the radical Islamic group Popular Front India and an accused in the murder of the CPI (M) worker in 2009. India becomes member of weapons export control group India became the 43rd member of the Australia Group, a voluntary collective of nations that work to identify and control the export of material, equipment and technologies that could lead to the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons. The membership helps Indias pitch for being a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group. On January 6, 150 comrades gathered at a five-star hotel in the capital to listen to a detailed presentation by Meng Xiangfeng, central committee member of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) and confidante of President Xi Jinping. Flanked by CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI national secretary D Raja, and Chinese ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui on the dais, Meng gave a detailed presentation about the 19th party congress of the CPC held in October 2017. The CPC delegations visit, facilitated by the government, was focused on building a narrative that bilateral ties are not only about disputes such as the tussle at the India-China-Bhutan-tri junction in Doklam or incidents of border incursions. The deliberations, said a leader present at the meeting, were centred around bilateral ties and friendly relations, apart from, of course, the outcome of the CPC party Congress and the future of Communism. The CPC has close ties with all Indian parties, and the Left parties have more ideological proximity with them. But Chinas seriousness about expanding its ties with Indian political parties, including the Left parties, was evident from the scale of the meeting attended by representatives of the Indian Left parties. Traditionally, such meetings used to happen in party offices. The meeting venue this time was chosen by the Chinese embassy in New Delhi. The meeting was about briefing us on the party congress, which is a routine practice among the communist parties among the world, said Hannan Mollah, politburo member of the CPI(M). Another Left leader said: Whoever spoke from our side said that promoting healthy and steady bilateral ties would contribute to peace, stability, development in the region. The visit was part of an exchange programme between the International Liaison Department of the Communist Party of China (IDCPC) and the ministry of external affairs. Before meeting the communist leaders, the Chinese delegation held meetings with Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai. Met Meng Xiangfeng,Member of Central Committee of Communist Party of China & discussed initiatives for IndoChina relations,provincial relations,increasing capabilities for better governance & on how India&China can become complementary powers for better world, Fadnavis said in a tweet. The delegation also met Congress president Rahul Gandhi . The delegation also met minister of state for external affairs V K Singh. The Chinese embassy didnt respond to e-mails seeking comment. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON At a high-level United Nations Security Council meeting, Pakistan has raised the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav, whom Islamabad accuses of being an Indian spy and gave a death sentence. Those who speak of changing mindsets (about terrorism) need to look within and their own record of subversion against my country as our capture of an Indian spy has amply demonstrated and proved beyond any shadow of doubt, Pakistans permanent representative Maleeha Lodhi said during a Security Council meeting on Afghanistan. She did not mention his name. Her statement was in response to Indias statement in the meeting that India was a victim of the same Pakistani mindset that promotes terrorist attacks every day in Afghanistan. India has denied that Jadhav, a retired navy officer, worked for the government and said that he was abducted by Pakistan from Iran to stage a show-trial. Denying that Pakistan was giving terrorists a safe haven or support, Lodhi also took a swipe at the US saying it needed a reality check. The administration of President Donald Trump suspended security aid to Pakistan this month citing its provision of sanctuaries and assistance to terrorists attacking Afghanistan. Jadhav was captured by Pakistan in 2016 and was sentenced to death by a military court martial last year. India appealed to the International Court of Justice against his sentence and the court has stayed his execution. Lodhi was originally listed to address the Council two spots before Indias Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin, but she chose to speak later and amended her prepared speech with the response to him. Akbaruddin said that after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Lahore in December 2015 in a bid to promote peace with Pakistan, a heinous and barbaric terrorist attack was launched on the Pathankot airbase in a weeks time by the very same mindsets which attack the spirit of Afghanistan every day. These mindsets differentiate between good and bad terrorists, he said. These mindsets refuse to see reason in peace. These mindsets, Akbaruddin declared, need to change. Lodhi said that Pakistan was against terrorism, being itself a a victim. She blamed the conditions in Afghanistan and the drug trade, which she said brings terrorists $400 million every year, for the insurgency and asserted that they didnt need outside support or sanctuaries because over 40% of the country is under insurgent control, contested or ungoverned. Afghanistan and its partners, especially the US, need to address these challenged inside Afghanistan rather than shift the onus for ending the conflict on to others, she said. Those who imagine sanctuaries outside (Afghanistan) need a reality check, she added. Pakistan summoned on Saturday Indian deputy high commissioner J P Singh for the fourth time this week and condemned the alleged unprovoked ceasefire violations across the LoC by Indian forces. The Foreign Office (FO) said that Indian troops violated the ceasefire in Khuiratta, Bagsar and Khanjar sectors on the Line of Control (LoC) on January 20. The firing killed a 60-year-old civilian and injured two others, including a child, it said. Director General (South Asia and SAARC) Mohammad Faisal, who is also the foreign ministry spokesman, summoned Singh and condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Indian forces along the Line of Control and Working Boundary on January 20. He said the number of casualties at the Working Boundary has risen due to unprovoked and indiscriminate firing by the Indian forces, where four more innocent civilians were killed while 20 injured on January 18 and 19. The Indian forces along the Line of Control and the Working Boundary are continuously targeting civilian populated areas with heavy mortars and automatic weapons, Faisal said. He alleged that the Indian forces have carried out more than 150 ceasefire violations along the LoC and the Working Boundary in just 20 days this year, killing nine innocent civilians and injuring 40 others. This unprecedented escalation in ceasefire violations by India is continuing from the year 2017 when the Indian forces committed more than 1,900 ceasefire violations, Faisal said. The deliberate targeting of civilian populated areas is indeed deplorable and contrary to human dignity, international human rights and humanitarian laws, the official said. Faisal said that the ceasefire violations by India are a threat to regional peace and security and may lead to a strategic miscalculation. The Director General urged India to respect the 2003 Ceasefire arrangement, investigate this and other incidents of ceasefire violations, instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire in letter and spirit and maintain peace on the LoC and the Working Boundary. He urged that the Indian side should permit UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the UN Security Council resolutions. The FO, apart from Saturday, had summoned Indias deputy high commissioner Singh on January 15, 18 and 19. Less than a month after the PMO expressed its displeasure over the non-compliance of Make In India policy by certain departments, the Railways has made mentioning percentage of local content mandatory for bidders to qualify for the procurement process. The Railways board, in a letter dated January 12, said, in order to ensure compliance of the Public Procurement (Make in India) Order 2017, bidders would have to mandatorily provide details of local content or elements of domestic manufacturing in the offer form on the e-procurement website for all types of tenders, before quoting rates. Railways in fact was in the eye of a storm when domestic steel producers had objected to the ministrys decision to buy rails through a global tender on December 18 for the first time. It led to the rail and the steel ministries locking horns, with the latter alleging that the move towards a global tender was against the Make in India policy. The government issued the Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India), Order 2017, in June last year as part of a policy to encourage Make in India, and promote manufacturing and production of goods and services in India with a view to enhance income and employment. In December 2017, a committee formed to oversee the policy said some of the government institutions had included certain restrictive conditions in their bid documents which were highly discriminatory against domestic manufacturers. Saffron outfits observed a shutdown in north Keralas Kannur on Saturday to protest against the alleged political killing of an Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) members a day before. On Friday night, 24-year-old Shyamprasad, a member of the RSSs students wing, was hacked to death in the district notorious for clashes between members of Left and right-wing outfits. Police arrested four men in connection with the murder and said all the accused belonged to the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political arm of the fundamentalist outfit Popular Front of India. Police said Shyamprasads killing appeared to be in retaliation to an SDPI worker sustaining injuries in a clash between the groups and RSSs workers a few days ago. The accused were arrested along the Kerala-Karnataka border. They told us it was a retaliatory attack, said investigating officer K Kuttikrishnan. Police have tightened the security in the district following the murder. Kerala governor Justice Sathasivam criticised the recurring violence in northern part of Kerala. This has disturbed me a lot. As we are aware, our State, which has the best human development index, is also one of the least corrupt States, with a laudable law and order situation. In spite of such achievements, murders and clashes like the one which occurred in Kannur yesterday (Friday) lower the image of the State, he said. BJP attacks Left The BJP was quick to mount an attack on Keralas ruling Left government, accusing it of prompting extremist outfits to attack workers affiliated with saffron organisations . The ruling Left is supporting fundamentalist outfits in a big way. The latest murder clearly shows that both are hand in glove. They [CPI(M)] prompt such forces to take on RSS, BJP leaders and police are also helping them, state BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan alleged, adding that his party would press for a total ban on the PFI and its constituent SDPI. The situation in Keralas Kannur district, where a BJP-sponsored hartal was being observed on Saturday to protest the killing of an ABVP member, was under control and no untoward incident has been reported so far, police said. A member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Shyam Prasad, was allegedly hacked to death on Friday by a three-member gang when he was going to his house at Koothuparamba on his motorcycle. Tight security arrangements were made on Saturday, with police personnel from other districts being deployed in strength in vulnerable pockets. No untoward incident was reported so far, Peravoor circle inspector Kuttikrishnan said. Four persons, belonging to the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), were taken into custody in connection with the killing and further investigations were underway, he said. Police suspected that the killing could be a sequel to a clash between workers of the SDPI and BJP-RSS combine last week in the area. Vehicles and essential services were exempted from the dawn-to-dusk hartal. Sources in the BJPs Kannur unit said the post-mortem examination of Prasads body was on at the Pariyaram Medical College in Kannur and the funeral will be held on Saturday evening at his native place. The ministry of home affairs (MHA) and the Jammu and Kashmir government are working on withdrawing cases and releasing thousands of young Kashmiris currently in jail for repeat and multiple offences of stone-pelting in a move aimed at building bridges with the disaffected young people in the Valley. According to a top MHA official who spoke on condition of anonymity, this will be done as long as the young people arent involved in heinous crimes. The move comes after last Novembers announcement of an amnesty to first-time stone-pelters by the J&K government on the advice of the MHA soon after the appointment of Dineshwar Sharma as a special representative to hold dialogue with all stakeholders in the troubled state. That amnesty was first reported by Hindustan Times. The central and state governments are working on ways to wean young people away from the path of violence and the influence of extremists even as they have taken a tough stand against militants and terrorists operating in the valley. Last year, 85 militants from the state were killed by security forces. Meanwhile, there has also been an attempt to get local boys as security forces describe them to surrender. The MHA official cited in the first instance defined heinous crimes as those that caused grievous or life threatening injuries to security forces and involved the burning of public and government properties. A second ministry official, who asked not to be identified, said home minister Rajnath Singh is keen on working with and for young people and that the latest amnesty being considered for repeat offenders is part of his outreach. Singh will travel to Kashmir in March to be the chief guest at the annual science congress organised by the University of Kashmir. He will be the first home minister to visit Kashmir University. He intends to interact with students there, the official added. The MHA has initiated talks with the state government to review cases involving repeat instances of stone-pelting. A senior J&K police official said authorities did not have centralised data of youth currently in jails on charges of stone pelting but added that the number is in thousands. Following last Novembers amnesty against first-time stone pelters, the state government recommended cases against 4,961 stone-pelters be closed. Home minister Rajnath Singh and the J&K CM are of the view that repeat offenders, too, should be given a chance to come back to the mainstream and build their future. We want these young people, who are in jail on charges of rioting, to return to their homes and shun the path of violence,said a third home ministry official who asked not to be identified. SP Vaid, director general of police, J&K, said the idea is to provide a second chance to stone pelters. Kashmiri youth should be given a chance to have a better future. A review of some cases is going on and if decided by the state government, other cases will be opened up too, provided that the youth involved in the cases are not accused of heinous crimes, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A teacher allegedly forced a Class 3 student to strip, then instructed 40 of his classmates to slap him, at a school in Civil Lines. Though the unusual punishment was meted out between January 5 and 8, the boys parents came to know about it only on Saturday. They then began protesting on the school campus, forcing its management to terminate the teachers services. According to the father, the teacher punished the boy because he wouldnt come for private tuitions. Teachers here put pressure on children to take tuitions from them, he said. But as the school management has already taken action against the teacher, I will not be pressing charges. The parent said the boy was too scared to speak up against the teacher. I found out about the incident from others. My son is still reeling from the shock, he added. The sacked teacher, Zaheen Fatima, alleged that she was the victim of a conspiracy. School principal Shally Dheer refused to comment on the matter. Although no FIR was filed, Gwaltoli police have asked the school management to review the behaviour of teachers routinely and install CCTV cameras in classrooms. The arrest of a suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative in Gaya four months ago has sparked speculation that several sleeper cells of Islamic terrorists were possibly active in and around the Bihar town where the Buddha attained enlightenment. Taushif Sagir Khan Pathan, the main accused in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts that killed 56 people, was arrested along with Gulam Sarvar Khan, a former chief of the banned SIMIs Bihar unit. Pathan was staying in Khans home in the town, which is a popular tourist destination because of its acssociation with the Buddha. Their arrests gave Bihar police and central intelligence agencies vital clues about the growing presence of terrorist groups in Bodh Gaya, sources said on Saturday. These groups are apparently attempting to make inroads in areas considered safe by security forces. Intelligence sources said the duo was inviting and sheltering Rohingya refugees from Myanmar in the Muslim-dominated areas and trained them to attack prominent Buddhist installations and tourist hubs. Pathan, who often changed his identity, organised a rally in Gaya in August last year in support of the Rohingya, who had fled to Bangladesh because of Myanmarese military crackdown. A senior intelligence officer, who requested that his identity be kept secret, said the terrorist groups were involved in planting explosives near the Mahabodhi temple complex on Friday night. The objective was to trigger blasts at the site when the Dalai Lama was visiting and draw international attention towards the Rohingya, the officer said. According to detectives who investigated the 2013 blasts in Gaya, theres strong proof to establish that Pathan had raised foot soldiers capable of making explosives and hitting soft targets. The agencies also suspect that the 2013 Patna blasts accused, currently lodged in Beur Central jail, could be working through messengers visiting them in the prison. Senior police officers refused comments on the alleged proliferation of terrorists in one of Buddhisms most sacred places. Additional director general of police (law and order) Alok Raj said: Recovery of bombs barely four months after Pathans arrest is a serious issue and needs a thorough investigation. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Instead of referring to J&K as an issue, the country must discuss how to restore the territory that is under illegal occupation of Pakistan, said Jitendra Singh, minister of state in the PMs office, on Saturday. We will have to change the discourse of this discussion. For many years, we have been involved in a discussion we have been forced into. We need to change its conditions and direction on our terms, he said. The minister who is also a Lok Sabha MP from Jammu said it is erroneous to think that the states accession to India in 1947 was done with pre-conditions. He said there was no mention of plebiscite in the instrument of accession signed by the then ruler of Kashmir, Maharaja Hari Singh. Maharaja signed the instrument of accession like other princely states . There is no issue as the Kashmir issue; it is one of the 29 states in India as much as UP, Bihar and Punjab, he said. Without naming anyone, the BJP minister blamed the previous governments for allowing discussions on the accession of Kashmir to India and raising it at international forums. There were some mistakes of the past governments plebiscite is not mentioned in accession document. There were only two choices offered then, to join India or Pakistan. It is better to get over it, he said. Singh was speaking at the release of a book Kashmir Mein Aatankvad (Terrorism in Kashmir) by a former army official, Major Saras Tripathi The Rachakonda police in Telangana have busted a trafficking ring involving travel agents who allegedly sold women from coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh to Arab sheikhs in Gulf countries as sex slaves after promising the women jobs there. U Trimurthulu alias Murthy (32), M Tathaji alias Nani (26), P Dasu (30), G Rama Rao (40) and S Murali (37), all natives of East Godavari and West Godavari districts, were arrested by a special operations team (SOT) of Malkajgiri police station on Friday, for running the ring on behalf of six Indian travel agents in Dubai. The police have constituted special teams to arrest the Dubai agents, including their kingpin Pothula Srinu Babu alias Dubai Sinu. The ring was busted following an investigation into the complaint lodged by a woman victim with the Ghatkesar police on the city outskirts, Rachakonda police commissioner Mahesh Bhagawat said. According to the police, Dubai Sinu and his associates, who have been working as travel agents in Dubai, Muscat and other Gulf countries for the last 10 years, have been luring married women from coastal Andhra districts through their local agents to the Gulf countries promising them jobs as domestic servants, cooks, caretakers, baby sitters, etc. They offered women salary up to Rs 30,000 per month. Several innocent women, who got carried away by attractive offers, left their families to Dubai, Muscat etc. After reaching there, Sinu and others handed over them to local manpower agencies. These agencies sold them to Arab sheikhs, who exploited them sexually and used them as sex slaves. The hapless women had no chance to return to India, as they realised that they were brought to the Gulf countries on tourist/visit visas and not job visas. Moreover, their passports and other documents were seized by the local manpower agencies. The agents thus made lakhs of rupees by selling innocent women to the Arab sheikhs, the police commissioner said. One of the victims who went to Dubai in February 2017 realised that Dubai Sinu and his associates had cheated her. She refused to succumb to the pressures of manpower agencies to become a sex slave of the Arab Sheikhs. A few days later, her husband also went to Dubai in search of work and found his wife in a miserable condition. She told him that she was kept in a small room where several other Telugu women were also languishing and that she was not given proper food. Her husband fought with Dubai Sinu for three months to send back his wife. With the help of his relatives and friends in his village in East Godavari, he managed to bring pressure on Dubai Sinu and subsequently, the couple returned to India. Later, she lodged a complaint with the Ghatkesar police, the commissioner said. Investigations revealed that the agents had sent more than 100 women. As per their confessions, there are at least 50 agents in East and West Godavari districts who are running the trafficking ring, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Two major churches in Meghalaya have decided not to avail of a Rs 70-crore package announced by the Centre for development of places of worship in the state. The Catholic Church and the Mawkhar Presbyterian Church have said they would give a miss to the package announced by Union Tourism Minister K J Alphons on January 8. The Parish Pastoral Council of the Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians (Catholic Church), in a statement issued on Friday, said it has not applied for any financial aid from the Centre. We have not applied for any financial assistance from the government for face-lifting of the Cathedral. The ongoing face-lifting is being carried out solely through the generous contributions of the faithful, it said. Barnabas Nongbah, the councils secretary, said the announcement of such a package ahead of elections in the state is not welcome, as it could indirectly bring the church in electoral politics. There was no communication made between the ministry and the church before and after the announcement by Tourism Minister KJ Alphons, and that the consultants had not officially visited the premises till date, Nongbah said. Meghalaya is set to go to polls on February 27. The Mawkhar Presbyterian Church has made it clear they are not a party to the decision taken by the government, and do not wish to avail the package. Union Tourism Minister KJ Alphons had announced the package for development of places of worship across the state, under the Swadesh Darshan scheme of the Ministry. A total of 48 places of worship have been included under the scheme. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath announced financial aid of Rs 20 lakh on Saturday for the wife and Rs 5 lakh for the parents of a BSF jawan killed in ceasefire violation by Pakistan, an official said. BSF head constable Jagpal Singh (49), a resident of Bulandshahr district of the state, succumbed to injuries sustained during cross-border firing in Samba sector along the international border in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday. UP transport minister Swatantra Dev Singh will visit the residence of the deceased on Saturday to express condolences to the family on behalf of the chief minister, an official spokesman said. Jagpal Singh, posted with the Alpha company of the 173rd Battalion of the force deployed for guarding the border, had joined the BSF in 1988. He is survived by a daughter and a son. Four people, including a BSF jawan, were injured after Pakistan violated the ceasefire for the third consecutive day on Saturday in three districts of Jammu and Kashmir along the border, officials said. Two jawans and as many civilians were killed and 35 others injured in mortar shelling by Pakistani troops on civilian areas and BoPs along the border and the LoC in four districts on Friday. Erstwhile royal of Mewar Mahendra Singh has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje, urging them to ban the movie Padmaavat. The film, previously titled Padmavati, has been mired in controversies over conjectures that it distorts history regarding Rajput queen Padmini, a charge filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali has denied. Citing freedom of expression, the Supreme Court cleared the way for the release of Padmaavat by lifting the ban imposed by four states on screening of the movie following protests from the Rajput community. The Supreme Court has commented on the artistic freedom in its judgement. It might be observed that the artistic freedom is not absolute even under the Constitution of India, sates Singhs letter. Artistic freedom cannot result in distortion of a heritage that is now also national heritage nor can it demean its dignity. If it does so, artistic freedom is both anti-national and an attack on constitutional rights of private citizens. It stands to reason that in order to further commercial interests the Constitution of India cannot be rendered meaningless and unable to safeguard rights, states the letter. The former Mewar royal has criticised the role of authorities, particularly the Central Board of Film Certfication (CBFC), saying releasing the film will damage the social fabric of the country. At least one expert called on by the CBFC to view the film has gone on record pointing out not only distortions but also the inflammatory scenes and dialogues in the film and these threaten the existent harmony between faiths and within social groups, the letter states. In these sensitive times permitting such release suggests the possibility of intentional inaction to either bring on explosive conditions or suit a plan of deliberate humiliation of a respected heritage. The letter states, The objection is to commercialisation and misrepresentation of actual historical places, persons and events clearly identified with names used to provide stature to identify with the filmmakers fantasy. It further states, The situation that has now arisen could have been prevented had timely notice been taken of the conduct of the filmmakers and later the CBFC. The situation appears to be due to indecisiveness, intentional or otherwise, on the part of various authorities despite words of caution on several occasions. The former royal has also enclosed a letter written by his son on Thursday when the Supreme Court lifted the ban. His son MK Vishvaraj Singh asked CBFC chief Prasoon Joshi how he found time to certify the film when proceedings related to the film were going on in courts. Police on Saturday arrested a man for allegedly killing a widow over a failed love affair. The 30-year-old widow, Radha Pujari, was employed as a mid-day cook with the government primary school at Nithari village in Bharatpur. She was cooking meal in the school kitchen on Friday when the accused, Buddhibhan Thakur, attacked her with a sharp-edged weapon, the police said. The accused reached the school and demanded food from the victim. He attacked her with the sharp-edged weapon on her neck and head when had gone in the kitchen to get food for him, said Khaleel Ahamad, the station house officer of Bayana police station. After committing the crime, Thakur fled from the spot. The woman bled to death. When the schoolchildren saw the woman bleeding in the kitchen, they started shouting inviting the attention of the authorities. Pujaris three of the four children, aged between 5 and 10, who studied in the same school, reached home and told the family members about the murder. Later, police arrested Thakur on the complaint of Pujaris brother-in-law. The womans body was handed over to the family members in the evening after postmortem at the government hospital at Bayana. During questioning, the accused told the police that he had developed illicit relations with woman after her husbands death four years ago, but she had been ignoring him for some time. Thakur alleged that Pujari had left him for the school principal, Hakim Singh. Thakur, who worked with a private firm in Jaipur, returned to the village on Friday and tried to contact Pujari on her phone, but she refused to meet him. He then went to the school two times to convince her to leave Singh, but when she refused, he decided to kill her, Thakur told the police. However, the school principal rejected Thakurs charges. Singh said that Pujari was working as a cook with the school since July 2017. I was in my office (when the accused attacked the woman), but came out hearing students shouts and informed police, he said. I did not have affair with her and had never seen the accused earlier. He brought sharp weapon under his clothes and attacked her on the neck and head, Singh said. Amid outrage over the film Padmaavat, historians from Rajasthan will gather in Chittor in an effort to dispel falsehoods surrounding Padmini, the legendary queen of Chittor who is said to have committed jauhar (self-immolation) in 1303 to escape the clutches of Delhi ruler Alauddin Khilji. The seminar titled Padmini Ek Vastavikta will be held on January 21-22. It is being organised by the Jauhar Smriti Sansthan, a socio-cultural organisation that aims to preserve and promote the history of Rajputs. Lokendra Singh Chundawat, organising secretary of the seminar, said around 35 historians from different parts of Rajasthan have been invited to read papers on queen Padmini to establish her existence. The historians are from Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Jhalawar, Bikaner and Jaisalmer. Chundawat, head of the history department at the government college in Chiottorgarh, said the purpose of organising the seminar is to bring out historical truths about Padmini. Director Sanjay Leela Bhansalis magnum opus Padmaavat has drawn the ire of the Rajput community who are carrying out a violent campaign against the film for allegedly distorting facts and character assassination of the queen. Over the past one year, questions have been raised by some persons about Padminis reality. We are making this effort to clear the air on her existence, said Chundawat. There will be two sessions in the seminar in which historians will present papers and bring to light facts about queen Padmini and her husband king Ratan Singh. Several national historians have questioned Padminis existence, saying she was a fictional character and there is no mention about the queen in contemporary literature. They say her story originated with Malik Muhammed Jayasis poem Padmavat, the fictional account written in 1540. Historians in Rajasthan differ and contend that the oral and bardic traditions of Mewar make mention of Ratan Singh and Padmini. Chundawat said the organisation will hold another seminar in February where historians from all over the country will be invited to present papers on Padmini. Based on the papers and the discussions, we hope to arrive at a conclusion that will settle the matter once for all, said Chundawat. He said if Padminis existence is established, the organisation will write to the NCERT, SIERT, ASI and other educational bodies to make necessary changes to the syllabus. Students are being taught incorrect facts about Padmini. These need to be rectified, claimed Chundawat. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Shri Rajput Karni Sena on Saturday turned down Padmaavat director Sanjay Leela Bhansalis offer to watch the film and called for a janta curfew wherein cinema halls will voluntarily not screen the movie. Karni Sena is spearheading a campaign against the film, earlier titled Padmavati, alleging that it distorts history regarding Rajput queen Padmini. Bhansali has denied the charge. At a press conference here on Saturday, Karni Sena also urged the Rajput, Sikh and Jat regiments of the Indian Army to boycott their mess for a day in protest against the film and if it does not work, to lay their arms down for a day. You defend the country throughout the year, but for a day defend the honour of your sisters and daughters, Karni Sena state president Mahipal Singh Makrana said in an appeal to soldiers of Kshatriya regiments. Karni Sena patron Lokendra Singh Kalvi said Bhansalis invitation was a sham and sent so that Bhansali can claim later that he was open to suggestions from Karni Sena. Kalvi also shared the invitation letter from Bhansali Productions with the press. Prepare for janta curfew. It happened in Gujarat when the film Fanaa came. The film hall owners refused to screen it. A similar situation happened in Rajasthan when the film Jodha Akhbar came. We want a similar situation to prevail in the entire country, he said. The film hall owners will have to choose between Khilji and Padmini, Ram and Ravan, and whether they want to celebrate Diwali or Lanka-burning, Kalvi said. The film hall owners association of Rajasthan have blessed Karni Sena and agreed to not screen the film in the state, he said. The central government has the power to stop screening of the film using powers stated under the section 6 of The Cinematograph Act, Kalvi said. Karni Sena state president Makrana said the Supreme Court decision to stay the ban on the film in some states was a fatwa (religious decree) in his groups view as it is not the work of the courts.He also called the decision as one-sided. Makrana also said the group would have called for a Bharat Bandh (India shutdown) on January 25, the date on which the film is slated to release, but stopped short in view of the Republic Day celebration on the next day. Sulabh International founder Bindeshwar Pathak has offered to arrange funds for Kolkata-based premiere film school Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) for making a movie on Swachh Bharat. SRFTI authorities have welcomed the proposal. Incidentally, the Akshay Kumar-starring Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, which revolves around a wifes resolve to get a toilet at home, was one of the biggest Bollywood hits in 2017. Read: Wont come home if toilets not built, residential schoolgirls write to parents before Sankranti festival in Andhra Pathak is an institution by himself, not only for his role as founder of Sulabh but also for his role in addressing other social issues. During his visit, he inspired us to make a film on clean India and told us not to worry about funds. We are definitely going to make this film, SRFTI director Debamitra Mitra said on Friday. Pathak paid a visit to the institute on Thursday to deliver a speech on cleanliness. He also spent time with the faculty and encouraged them to take up the project. Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of Sulabh, was appointed brand ambassador of Swachh Rail Mission by former Union railway minister Suresh Pradhu (right). (HT File Photo) SRFTI is a premiere institution and has all the skills and technology required for making a film that can inspire thousands. I have assured them that they do not need to worry about funds. Ill fund part of it and there are various government schemes from which funds can be used for making the film. I will take care of arranging funds from government schemes, said Pathak. Swachh Bharat is a dream that all of us should envision. This was the dream of Gandhiji. All of us has a role to play in making India clean and maintaining cleanliness, he said. Read: Municipality in Rajasthans Baran to award residents for segregating garbage before disposal SRFTI, along with Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, are the two film schools of the country that are fully funded by the Union ministry of information and broadcasting. Ever since its foundation in 1995, films made by SRFTI students have made their way to film festivals around the world and won awards. The institute has also produced several national- award- winning directors, editors, cinematographers and sound designers. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Class 7 girl student, suspected of stabbing Class 1 boy Hrithik Sharma on the Brightland School premises here on Tuesday, was released from the girls juvenile home in Barabanki after the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) in Lucknow granted her interim bail on Friday. The board will take up the suspects regular bail issue on January 30. The JJB has granted interim bail to the girl after examining her age-related documents. As per documents procured from the school, she would turn 12 in March this year, said inspector of Aliganj police station Brijesh Singh. Six-year-old Hrithik was stabbed repeatedly by the senior girl student after she took him to a toilet on second floor of the school building in Aliganjs Triveni NagarIII locality on Tuesday. The school management, however, lodged an FIR in the matter on Wednesday after the picture of injured Hrithik went viral on social media. While the girl and her parents denied her involvement in the crime, the police zeroed in on her after the boy identified her through her photograph. Singh said the girl apparently stabbed Hrithik to get the school closed. The boy has told the cops that while stabbing him, the girl murmured that the school will be closed if she kills him. Later, a kitchen knife and a scarf used in tying the boys limbs were also recovered from the school premises. He said a police team is trying to ascertain the exact reason behind the stabbing and added that they have sought help from the child welfare committee to question her as the girl is below 12 years of age. Singh said they have recovered a kitchen knife, a scarf used in tying the boys limbs, and hair strands of the attacker from the boys clothes and the crime spot. All the items have been sent for forensic examination. He said a request has been made to the forensic experts to examine the items on priority so that doubts over the girls involvement are cleared. On Thursday police had arrested Rachit Manas, principal and co-director of Brightland School, after slapping charges of negligence in ensuring safety of students and not informing about the incident to police for over 24 hours. He was, however, later released after a court granted him bail. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath also visited the injured child at Trauma Centre on Thursday. The UP government has decided to allow rehiring of retired teachers against vacant posts in the state universities facing acute shortage of teachers. The government has asked the vice-chancellors of state universities to go ahead with the hiring process as per norms. The retired teachers can be hired on one-year contract till either they attain the age of 70 or the posts against which they are hired get filled, whichever is earlier. Additional chief secretary Sanjay Agarwal, in a missive dated January 18, has conveyed the decision to the vice-chancellors of all state universities, said registrar of Allahabad State University Sahab Lal Maurya. We were already hiring retired teachers against vacant posts after getting a special permission from the state government. We will implement the specified process of hiring retired teachers from the next academic session, he said. The state government issued the order following a review meeting of higher education department officials. It emerged in the meeting that the state universities and colleges were facing acute shortage of teachers. The letter said the process for filling up of vacant posts was underway but it would take some time. According to the missive, due to shortage of teachers and low grading of institutions from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), funding from central sources for academic and infrastructure development in these institutions was taking a hit. As a result, the state government has decided to hire teachers who have retired from the posts of assistant and associate professors and professors on fixed honorarium, it said. The missive said while these retired teachers could be hired till the age of 70, their selection would take place as per the prescribed process. The selection committee for hiring these teachers would have the vice-chancellor of the state university concerned as chairman, the registrar as member convener and head of the faculty and head of the department concerned as members, the missive said. The names recommended by the panel would then go before the executive council of the university and after its approval the teacher would be accorded teaching and research work. According to the order, the rehired teachers will draw an honorarium of Rs 500 per lecture to a maximum limit of Rs 25,000 per month at the assistant professor level, Rs 600 per lecture to a maximum limit of Rs 30,000 per month at the associate professor level and Rs 700 per lecture to a maximum limit of Rs 35,000 per month at professor level. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Eighteen-year-old Nazia has made the Taj City and all of Uttar Pradesh proud once again. She is the only representative from the state among 18 brave youngsters who will be honoured with the National Bravery Award by the Prime Minister in New Delhi on January 24. List of accolades To be honoured with Bharat Award on January 24 this year, for her fight against gambling / betting Rani Laxmi Bai Bravery Award 2016 for saving a 6-year-old girl from kidnappers in 2015 Felicitated with the Act of Saving Life certificate from the President house for the same act Feted by actor Akshay Kumar in a television programme Nazia, who prefers to go by single name, will be conferred with the Bharat Award for her prolonged and ongoing fight against the malpractices of gambling and betting. Not only that -- along with 11 boys and six other girls, Nazia will also take part in the Republic Day parade in an open jeep. Her family told HT that she left Agra for the national capital on January 16. However, bravery awards are nothing new for this spunky girl, who resides in Mantola locality of the city and has been struggling to rid the area of gamblers, betters and other notorious elements. She has earlier been decorated with the Rani Laxmi Bai Bravery Award too among others honours. The BA first year student of Agra college said she faced a lot of opposition when she first started her fight against betters. The people I took on were influential. They threatened my family and me, but I decided not to bow down to pressure. Gradually, I got success in weeding out such ill practices (gambling / betting) from the place, said Nazia, who had tweeted to the then UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav for help when she found herself waging a lone battle. The former CM had responded to her appeal, ensuring safety for her and her family. I had nothing personal against those people, but I wanted my locality to be a safe place for girls and women. While the police had their limitations, constant pressure made the difference, claimed the braveheart, who continues her fight despite being embroiled in various litigation arising out of these conflicts. Nazia first shot to fame in August 2015, after saving a six-year-old girl from some youths who were trying to kidnap her. For her valour, she was honoured with the Rani Laxmi Bai Bravery Award in 2016 by the then UP CM Akhilesh Yadav. She was also felicitated with an Act of Saving Life certificate from the President house. Later, film actor Akshay Kumar also feted Nazia during a television show. Speaking about the incident, Nazia said, I was returning from school when I suddenly heard the cry of a girl aged about six years. Some motorcycle-borne men were trying to kidnap her. While others chose to remain silent spectators, I rescued the girl by grabbing her. The kidnapper (driving the vehicle) lost control, and in the meantime, a mob gathered there, forcing the miscreants to flee. Aiming to serve the country as an IAS officer, Nazia said her goal was to improve the life of girls and make the society safer for them. Her elder sister Shazia is proud of her achievements. Nazia cant stand injustice, especially when it comes to any wrong committed against women. Then, she can fight anyone without caring about consequences, said Shazia. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON You can revel in the beauty of Nature, feel healed by it, but, a famous naturalist once warned me, you can never own it. I beg to differ, I would have told him at the start of our farm adventure, as I cupped a tiny brown frog in my palm. This is my land and on my piece of land, right now, millions of frogs are hopping around drumming up a raucous chorus to welcome the rains. It was an illusion of grandeur, this feeling of owning nature, but since this moment had come after two long years of searching, I allowed myself that indulgence. For all the scars we inflict on the planet, this two-acre piece of land that was finally my own, gave me my chance to do everything right. That reality was enough to make my PM 2.5-laced lungs cry for joy. I didnt want to be a Chattarpur farmer (no offence to the people of Chattarpur) or part of a gated community where uniformed guards patrolled manicured patches of broccoli. This was going to be a real farm. This wouldnt just be our weekend getaway; we could watch our bhindi grow as our two-year-old ran around. But farming in India, or anywhere in the world for that matter, is far from gentle on the planet. In time we would come to realise this, but more on that later. When we first began our search me, the environmental journalist, and my husband, the wildlife filmmaker the property dealers descended on us like sly hawks, showing us by turns plot so full of water they could only be a scam, and land so alkaline it held not a blade of grass. There were fertile green fields too, but they were far outside our budget. When it was all done, holding a tiny frog in her hand on what was now her piece of land, she felt a sense of grandeur, Dutt admits. We met brokers whose land existed only on paper, saw ready-made farmhouses with ugly iron gates, but nothing that jumped out at us and said Buy me! Our patience finally paid off in mid-2016. A farmer I instinctively liked and trusted was selling his plot because he wanted to purchase land elsewhere. It still cost a bit more than wed bargained for I had one last fixed deposit and wed have to liquidate that too, putting into this plot literally all we had. But it was the right distance from the city for day trips, it offered easy access via a small road, and most importantly, I wasnt buying from a sleazeball in the city. POSING LIKE DRAUPADI After the paperwork, which took six hours, we were called forward for the photo op. Sellers on one side (two brothers, their three sons); me the buyer on the other. From inside his office, the revenue officer shouted, No moving pliss. In the final picture, I look like Draupadi being married off to the Pandavas. The journey from liking a piece of land and owning it is an arduous one. Theres room for many a slip, so you have to go slow. First we had to get a lawyer to do due diligence and make sure we didnt spend decades in court over contested claims. The papers were clear, our legal eagles said. Now the deal began to move in swift, sharp steps. We didnt have enough money to buy the complete parcel of land; we had to forego the portion that had the tube well. We would have no water source for our crops, but that was an obstacle we would deal with later, we said. Eight weeks on, bright and early, armed with a sheaf of papers, we arrived at a nondescript government office by the side of a national highway in rural Haryana. Outside the small red building, notaries sat under the shade of a large banyan tree, beset by landowners. It was a cesspool of testosterone. Everyone was in overdrive, struggling to get their papers signed before the lunch break. My hands were stained with purple ink as we put our thumbprint on sheet after sheet, which was then handed over to a bespectacled man seated behind iron bars in the red brick building with no lights and no ventilation. A paan-chewing tout in figure-hugging blue jeans hurled cuss words every time the officer behind the bars found a comma or a full stop missing in the legal documents and tossed the papers back at us. The smell of hot food got my stomach rumbling. I followed it out to the highway to discover Maruti vans parked with their boots open, dishing up, for Rs 25 a plate, piping hot home-cooked rajma-chawal. It was a feast for hungry landowners like me waiting to get paperwork done. I craved coffee and decided to drive 10km down the highway to get it, leaving the beleaguered (though more patient) husband to deal with Blue-Jeans Tout. As I sat quietly in the corner of a cafe, sipping, I noticed a hefty man with dark glasses arrive at the counter with a briefcase. He looked very like the bouncers at trendy discotheques in Delhi. He tucked his hand into his pocket to give everyone a fleeting glimpse of a shiny black pistol hooked to his belt. The local farmers I shared this information with shrugged it off as common practice Yes, the gun-toting bouncers are called in sometimes to help collect rent from the slackers. I cringed, eager to go back to the husband and apprise him of what we had done: bought land in an area where hafta collectors came with guns to collect their monthly rent. The husband brushed aside my paranoia. Lets just stay focused on the moment, he hissed, as Blue Jeans Tout hurled another string of curses at us all. Six harrowing hours later, the papers were done, and we were called forward for the photo opportunity. The sellers on one side (two brothers and their three offspring) and me the buyer on the other. We had to look into a small video camera fixed on the iron grille. Nearly invisible in the darkening interiors, the revenue officer shouted, No moving pliss. In the final picture, I look like Draupadi being married off to the Pandavas. WE BECOME OWNERS The drama over, my husband and I walked out of the Registrars office. The vans laden with lunch had vanished. We decided to drive to our land as the yellow bhindi flowers reflected the last rays of the sun. All my adult life I had been eating bhindi and I had had no idea it came from a plant with yellow flowers. Much to learn, I muttered to the husband. Our journey as farmers had begun. Suddenly my exhausted soul felt enriched by the clear blue sky, my carbon-laced lungs felt cleansed by the gentle breeze that made the bhindi sway its welcome to us, the new owners. After all the dusty road trips, the sleepless stressful nights, we had made it. I bent down and scooped up some clayey soil and clutched it in my closed fist. We would grow our own bhindi; we would welcome the frogs every monsoon. Finally, we owned a piece of earth. (Bahar Dutt is an environment journalist learning to grow her own food) The anti-extortion cell of the Mumbai crime branch arrested five members of Suresh Pujaris gang on Friday, in connection with firing at a Bhiwandi hotel employee, threating the owner and planning to bump off a South Mumbai-based businessman for extortion. The police claimed they have busted a module that operates directly on instructions of Pujari for the extortion business in Mumbai and Thane. The arrested men have been identified as Harish Kotian 30; Sanket Dalvi 25; Prathmesh Kadam 22; Noormohammed Khan 20; and Aniket Thakur 25. According to sources, an Ulhasnagar resident, who runs a shop of cameras in Fort, received threatening calls from Pujari early this month, demanding Rs50 lakh. When he ignored, he again received a call from Pujari, who told him about the Bhiwandi incident and this time asked him to pay Rs1 crore. Following this, the businessman approached the joint commissioner of police (crime). Officials from the anti-extortion cell of crime branch were pressed in the operation. They first held Kotian and Dalvi in Dadar on Friday, who then led the investigators to the other three. Khan, Kadam and Thakur were planning something big in connection with the Fort businessman case. We have recovered two pistols, five rounds and magazines from them, said deputy commissioner of police (detection) Dilip Sawant. The accused have criminal cases, including an attempt to murder case. All have been sent to police custody up to January 25, he said. The state government is likely to give its nod to the citys long-pending Draft Development Plan 2014-34 by the end of February, said officials who are part of the process. The plan which will play an important role in deciding the citys land use and infrastructure development for the next 20 years is likely to get sanctioned along with its draft Development Control Rules. The DP 2034 promises to boost affordable housing, provide more open spaces, focus on pedestrianisation and fulfil a vision of a city that is safer for women.The plan also makes provisions for the construction of a working womens hostel in all civic wards, in addition to old age homes and day care centres. The city is also expected to see a vertical growth in terms of a floor space index of 4 allowed for commercial use and social amenities. With the accommodation reservation policy, the new plan has sweetened the deal for land owners by allowing them to build more than currently permissible, provided they develop the land and hand it over for public use, easing the land acquisition process. The BMCs DP department has been directed to link the DP and DCR data to the newly launched one geographical information system (GIS), said officials. The system has a digital map of the civic amenities of more than 17 departments, including major ones such as the roads, fire, stormwater drains, building proposals and health departments. It is also expected to help expedite building plan approvals under the BMCs ease of doing business policy. We were asked to link DP data to the one GIS. The system is a centralised application for all civic departments. All major and minor approvals, changes or updates can be accessed through it, said a senior official from the DP department, who did not wish to be identified. Until the state government sanctions the DP, authorities have to consider the regulations of the DP 1991 or 2034 in case of a clash over regulations for a particular project. The BMC had prepared and published the development plan in February 2015. However, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis sent it back to the drawing table after there were widespread reports that the draft was riddled with errors. Following this, civic chief Ajoy Mehta appointed former bureaucrat Ramnath Jha as officer on special duty to correct the errors and release the revised draft plan. The plan was finally approved by the BMCs general body in July last year. Prolonged exposure to high intensity light-emitting-diodes (LED) floodlights from gymkhanas along Marine Drive can lead to health ailments, said doctors, after a city-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) recorded light pollution levels for the first time in south Mumbai. A week after the Mumbai city collector passed an order based on hearings from Wilson gymkhana and Chira Bazaar resident Nilesh Desai, whose house is located next to the gymkhana, that all gymkhanas on Marine Drive need to switch off flood lights by 10pm, NGO Awaaz Foundation and Desai took light readings at the Wilson gymkhana and the police gymkhana on Thursday. At 8.30pm, the light levels was 84,800 lux (unit for light) at Wilson Gymkhana and 14,100 lux at Police Gymkhana. Ambient light level along Marine Drive was 2,100 lux. The readings were taken using a lux meter a portable device used to measure light. One lux is equal to the light on a 1sqm surface away from a single candle. A 5,000 sqft office has light levels of 400 to 600 lux, according to the BMCs mechanical and electrical department. High-intensity LED lights at gymkhanas along arterial Marine Drive face the road and are potentially dangerous to traffic. The lights also intrude into nearby homes and cause sleep disruption and consequent adverse health effects on residents of the areas, said Sumaira Abdulali, convener, Awaaz Foundation. Doctors from Sir JJ Hospital said residents living around the gymkhanas should not be exposed to light more than 54,000 lux, and regular direct exposure to such levels can lead to health ailments. Indirect exposure above 90,000 lux and direct exposure of 54,000 lux LED lights entering peoples homes is dangerous and extremely harmful. Such levels can lead to photophobia (fear of lights), headaches, watering of the eyes and a person can fall ill over long period. The intensity of this light source needs to be controlled, said Dr TP Lahane, ophthalmologist and deputy director at the Directorate of Medical Education and Research. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The first phase of the cluster development project, which focuses on drafting the Urban Renewal Plan (URP) for the clusters in the city, is slated to be completed by the end of January or first week of February. The first phase will define the boundaries of URPs following which in the second phase, the residents will be given the first preference to come forward for development of the cluster. The cluster scheme is expected to change the face of Thane and transform it into a planned city. The URP will be drafted after a ground-level survey of the available amenities in each area and the amenities required after developing the area under cluster scheme. As per the scheme, the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) will form a URP for small clusters, which will be akin to a Development Plan (DP) of the area. Each cluster will have a minimum area of 10,000 square metres for development. Pramod Nimbalkar, acting assistant director, town planning, said, Till date we were in the general planning stage of the cluster scheme. We have now decided to undertake a ground-level assessment of the clusters under the scheme. This means assessing the socio-economic requirement of each area. We will note the existing amenities of each of the areas including schools, playgrounds, markets, sewage, solid waste management and primary healthcare among others. Based on this data, authorities will take note of amenities that each area needs when the region is developed in the future. Accordingly, the URP will be defined for each of the clusters. An officer requesting anonymity said, In the meeting held on Friday, the engineers and ward officers of each of the wards were given a form to fill, which has a list of these amenities. This URP will be ready by the end of January or latest by first week of February. This is the first phase of the cluster development project, in the second phase this URP will be published. The corporation will invite the residents of these areas to come forward for developing their own area. We will give the first preference to the residents to develop the area and in case they do not come forward, different government agencies like Mhada or MMRDA among others can work out the scheme, the officer said. The high court lifted the stay on the cluster development scheme for Thane in June last year. The state issued a notification on cluster development, immediately following which the corporation appointed a consultant to draft the URPs. This type of cluster development scheme is being implemented for the first time in India. The scheme for Mumbai is for old cess buildings, while in Thane the cluster scheme is to develop the unplanned settlements into planned settlements, the officer added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Delay in completing a proposed project at Worli and handing over four duplex flats to four persons from Cuffe Parade has cost a joint venture of two city developers around Rs3.91 crores. The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed Turf Estate JV a joint venture of DB Realty and Jony Estates to refund Rs41.12 crores received from four members of a Cuffe Parade-based family as part payment for the four duplex flats along with interest at the rate of 9% per annum. Besides, the National Commission also ordered the joint venture to pay Rs20 lakh as compensation and a further Rs one lakh towards litigation cost from the four complainants. According to their complaint, in August 2009, they had booked one duplex flat each in Orchid Turf View at Worli for a total consideration of Rs32 crores. Initially they made a payment of Rs50 lakh each as booking amount and subsequently paid further instalments, taking the total in each case to Rs10.28 crores by February 2012. The joint venture issued allotment letters to each of the four clearly mentioning that an agreement for sale of the respective flats would soon be executed with each of them. The agreement was to contain all the terms and conditions of the transaction as well as the deadline for completing the project. After waiting for a considerable time for seeking the proposed high-rise take shape, the flat purchasers in December 2015 issued notices to the joint venture and demanded refund of the amounts paid by them. They approached the National Consumer Commission after they did not get satisfactory replies. The joint venture resisted the complaints contending that the complainants were fully aware at the time of booking the flats that requisite approvals were not in place and the project was expected to take longer time to complete. The JV further contended that the project got delayed, as it was compelled to alter the entire layout and plans because of change in development control regulations for Mumbai. The contention, however, failed to impress upon the National Consumer Commission. The apex consumer court held that the joint venture was at least expected to execute the sale agreements within a reasonable time after receiving huge sums from the complainants. Despite making a promise to provide the draft agreement soon after the allotment letter, the opposite party No.1 (JV) failed to provide the same though more than six years had expired by the time the complainants were constrained to terminate the allotment letter, said justice VK Jain, presiding member of the commission. He held that the complainants were fully justified in refusing to wait further for the flats allotted to them and in terminating the allotment letter and seeking refund along with compensation and added that the complainants cannot be compelled to wait indefinitely for the possession of the flats. After the chief ministers chopper malfunctioned five times in past nine months, the state has finalised a stringent helipad policy for choppers meant to fly VVIPs. The policy has mandated designated areas for helipads in each tehsil, restricted the amount of baggage that can be carried, and also clearly defined responsibilities at each level to ensure protocol and safety. The VVIPs include the governor,chief minister, and ministers who use state-owned or hired aircrafts. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis cleared the helipad policy for VVIPs two days ago. Based on the guidelines outlined by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), New Delhi, the policy has made rules related to helipads more stringent. In most of the incidents related to the CMs chopper, helipads and their locations had been the major fault. The policy has made it compulsory for the district collectors to identify and earmark a safe space for a temporary helipad of not less than 250metres by 50metres. The policy directs that helipads be set up on school or police training grounds, and the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporations industrial areas. Once such places are identified, the helipads for flying VVIPs would not be allowed at any other place. The policy has also put restrictions on the total baggage that can be carried, reducing it to a reasonable weight. It also states that the rotors and air conditioning system cannot be turned on before the VVIP enters the chopper. According to officials, VVIPs often carry heavy baggage comprising files and other material, and sometimes insist on carrying additional passengers. In two of the incidents related to the CMs chopper, these were some of the issues that created problems. Hence, these norms were added to the policy, an official from Mantralaya said on the condition of anonymity. Many a times, temporary helipads are constructed on the insistence of the local politicians, who host programs attended by VVIPs, flouting the norms. There are DGCA guidelines about helipads meant for VVIPs, but the policy has put it in simpler terms so that it can be understood by officials of all levels. Once the location of the helipad is finalised, the district administration will have to ensure its incorporation in the regional or development plan, to avoid restricting activities like construction of buildings around it, said another official. Valsa Nair Singh, principle secretary, general administration department, said, The policy has been cleared, and the administration will have to strictly implement it while flying VVIPs. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday announced compensation for families of three school students who lost their lives in the Dahanu boat tragedy and for the family of a 14-year-old Dalit girl who died on her way back from the Sadbhavana rally in Sangli. Fadnavis announced compensation for these families from the chief ministers relief fund. The families of the three students from Dahanu Sonal Surati, Janhavi Surati and Sanskruti Mayavanshi will get Rs1 lakh each from the relief fund. They died after their boat, carrying 40 kids, capsized near Parnaka in Dahanu. Aishwarya Kamble, a resident of Sangli died on her way back home from the Sadbhavana rally. Her family will get Rs5 lakh as compensation. Kamble was running a fever when she participated in the rally, which was held post the violence at Bhima-Koregaon, to promote unity. Fadnavis left for Davos on Saturday as part of the Prime Ministers delegation for the economic summit. A week after the Pawan Hans helicopter crash, the wreckage recovered from the sea was brought to the Juhu airport and was reassembled on Saturday morning. A team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is expected to visit Mumbai soon to study the reconstructed helicopter. Although there is no official confirmation of the day that the investigating team will arrive in Mumbai, they are expected to be in Mumbai this week, said a senior official from Pawan Hans. According to a Pawan Hans official, 85% of the helicopter parts had been recovered. Looking at the wreckage, one can imagine the speed at which the helicopter crashed into the sea, said the official. Dr BP Sharma, Pawan Hans chairman and managing director, said, Pawan Hans has been in the service of ONGC since 1986, and ONGC remains our topmost priority. We have already appointed a high-level working group to reassess the current operational procedures. The standards of operation will be further improved to achieve the best safety standards. Immediate and timebound measures have been initiated and experts have been recalled for urgent review, he said. A Pawan Hans helicopter crashed 30 nautical miles off Mumbai coast on January 13 killing the two pilots and five deputy general managers. The Bombay high court, on Friday, rejected a plea filed by former media baron Peter Mukerjea, seeking police diaries of the firearm case against driver Shyamvar Rai the approver in the Sheena Bora murder case. Justice Anuja Prabhudessai upheld the trial courts order disallowing Mukerjea to access the police diaries, observing that it was nothing but an attempt to make a roving scrutiny of the entries in the diaries and then decide the line of cross examination. The accused does not enjoy such privilege, said the judge, adding, Permitting the petitioner to inspect the diary in general will impair the working of the police. Peters lawyers had sought the police diaries of Rais Arms Act case for the purpose of cross-examining the two police officers Ganesh Dalvi and Dinesh Kadam in the Sheena Bora murder case. It was rejected by the trial court on September 20, 2017. His counsel, Shrikant Shivade had argued that the entries made by the police officers amounted to their previous statements in relation to the murder case and under the Criminal Procedure Code, accused in a murder case were entitled to use those entries for cross-examining police officers. Additional solicitor general Anil Singh had opposed the plea contending that the entries in police diaries cannot be equated with previous statements. On August 21, 2015, sub-inspector Dalvi and inspector Kadam of the Khar police station had apprehended Rai under the Arms Act for carrying a pistol, three live cartridges and some other objectionable articles. The police claim Rai had then purportedly revealed that on April 24, 2012, he along with Indrani and her ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna, strangulated Indranis daughter Sheena Bora, and disposed her body the next day in Gadoge village in Raigad district. This led to the arrest of Indrani and Khanna. Peter was added as an accused in the case after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the probe. Rai had sought to become an approver in the case and was allowed to do so. Teachers from 10 state universities across Maharashtra have not yet received their salaries for December. State education minister Vinod Tawde on Saturday announced that the problem has been resolved and that the teachers would receive their salaries in a few days. Tawde said the delay in the process was caused by the treasury department. Teachers should receive their salaries in the next three days, he said. Tapati Mukhopadhyay, general secretary of Bombay University & College Teachers union (BUCTU), said, Over the last few years, we have been facing similar problems at the end of the financial year. With every succeeding year, the budget allocated towards education is reduced, so eventually it starts reflecting on our salaries. Until last year we used to face similar problems while receiving the March salary, but this year the problem has started in December itself, she said. Teachers and staff of colleges affiliated to state universities, including University of Mumbai, are currently facing this problem. They have blamed the government for its callous and apathetic attitude. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A music educator, composer and guitar player, Vinay Kaushals versatility reflects through his music, which spans various genres such as blues, funk, jazz, rock and fusion. A Musicians Institute, Hollywood (GIT) alumnus, Kaushals music carries an artsy accent, and his compositions clearly state his individuality. Speaking about his upcoming album, Naked On A Train, Vinay says most of the tunes on it have been inspired by his experiences. He says, Sometimes a tune just happens to pop into your head, but I find that a lot of times the inspiration does come from real life, kind of like a background score to whats actually happening around you. Excerpts from an interview: How would you describe the music of this album? The album is largely instrumental; there are five instrumental tracks and one vocal tune. I guess you could say it is a contemporary world fusion music with hints of jazz and rock and roll. There are 11 musicians playing different instruments on this album. I experimented with the vocals for this album. While the songs are instrumental tunes, I have used voice as a musical instrument, adding various harmonies to every song. I think I can safely say that Bhavana Reddy, a friend and colleague from my college days at the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, has done a spectacular job with the vocal harmonies on all the six tunes. You said that this album was inspired by real events. How did those events change your life? Well for starters, the story behind Naked On A Train gave me the title track for my debut album; I dont think theres a bigger change than that. On a more serious note, that experience really showed me that reality can be stranger than fiction. As a foreign student at the Musicians Institute (MI), I was recruited into a team of students who would help set up the stage for the MI graduation ceremonies at the prestigious Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles, USA. On one such graduation day, while I was in an almost empty train, I saw some movement on the far end of the next carriage. Someone was getting in very quickly. I looked up and saw a lady, completely naked, running at top speed down the aisle through the other carriage towards mine, chased by two cops. Thats a weird scene, even for Hollywood. While the cops, still by the carriage door, were discussing how to handle the situation, she stopped right next to my seat, looked at me, jumped over my knees and crouched onto the seat by the window next to me. The reason why she chose to jump onto the seat next to me in an almost empty carriage still eludes me. That incident stayed with me through that entire day, and as soon as I got home, after what felt like an eternity at the Wiltern, I went straight to my guitar and penned this tune down. It was my way of dealing with the intense events of that morning. While working on an album, what is your to-do list like? How easy or difficult is it to work all by yourself on a project? While Im not an expert this is my first album it has been a huge learning curve. Composing the music was the easy part. I really enjoy that. Scheduling the different musicians to come and play their parts was difficult. While the whole process was exciting, exhilarating and frustrating at the same time, the journey made me learn a lot of new things. Did you face difficulties funding this album? Production costs for a full album are extremely high, even if one is doing most of the work. This is when the idea of crowdfunding came to mind. In the end, I managed to collect 140% of my set goal, which came up to $4,200! This was one of those moments when you know you are doing things right, and are headed in the right direction, and you feel so humbled by the support of the people. The police have arrested the 30-year-old man who was allegedly found dismantling the fishplates from the railway track near Murad Nagar railway station on Friday morning. Officers said the accused is a hardcore criminal and they are still probing his motive for the act of sabotage. The government railway police (GRP) officers said Furkan, a resident of Malakpur village in Bulandshahr, was booked under several provisions of the Railways Act and produced before a magistrate in Meerut. The case was lodged at Meerut GRP police station. So far, we have not been able to link him to any group(s) involved in sabotage activities. But we have alerted UP anti-terrorism squad and intelligence agencies as the accused is yet to reveal more details about himself, said SC Dubey, superintendent of police, GRP, Moradabad. According to police, Furkan came out of jail on December 25, 2017, after being lodged there for eight years for various offences. Police said he has cases of attempt to murder, robberies, and those under the Arms Act and the Gangster Act against him in Bulandshahr. We are still probing all angles of the sabotage incident and we have sought the cooperation of various intelligence agencies. He is one of seven brothers and five of them have a criminal background, Dubey said. Furkan, who resides in Murad Nagar, was on Friday spotted by three teenagers removing the fishplates from the track nearly 800 metres from Murad Nagar railway station in Ghaziabad district. They said he was sitting on the tracks and asked them for their mobile phone to make a call. But, the boys refused to give him their phones. When they saw the fishplates he had removed from the tracks, they beat him up and brought him to the railway station where he was handed over to the GRP and the railway protection force officers. The sabotage took place just minutes before the Mumbai-Dehradun Express was scheduled to pass that way. The train was immediately halted at Murad Nagar for nearly 45 minutes and allowed to proceed only after the tracks were repaired. The GRP and railway protection force officers grilled Furkhan but he did not reveal much about himself. Through the local police network, the investigators came to know of his criminal background. If anything serious is revealed, we will consider booking Furkan under more stringent sections. The man said he removed the fishplates to buy wheat flour, Dubey said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Ghaziabad police on Saturday arrested a 45-year-old woman and her husband for allegedly staging a theft at their boutique in order to claim an insurance amount of Rs 45 lakh. The police have lodged an FIR against the couple for providing fake information and for cheating. The incident was allegedly orchestrated by Archana Singh and her husband Prem Vir, both residents of Sector 3A of Nehru Nagar. The police said Prem Vir also enlisted the help of his uncle Gajpal Singh, who hails from Simbhaoli in Hapur district, to stage the theft. According to the police, on January 10, Archana reported a case of theft at her boutique to the Sihani Gate police station. She claimed in her complaint that all finished material and other items in her shop Saburi The Boutique, near Nasirpur railway crossing, were stolen. They also gave statements to the media that the stolen items were worth around Rs 50 lakh. Upon receiving the complaint, senior officers issued a warning to the police post in-charge of the area concerned. However, during a detailed investigation, the police scanned the CCTV camera footage and also sought the help of local informers. It was then revealed that the couple themselves was involved in the case. They had renewed the insurance policy in November last year, said Akash Tomar, superintendent of police (city). According to police, on the night of the alleged incident, the couple, with the help of Gajpal, used daily wage earners and a mini-truck to spirit away bagful of clothes from the shop to Simbhaoli and to the couples house in Nehru Nagar. We got the leads from the daily wage earners, who were identified from the CCTV footage. The truck was also identified and seized along with the finished material, which was found dumped at the couples house, Tomar said. The duo, during questioning, broke down and told police that they staged the theft as they wanted to claim the insurance money. Their boutique, they claimed, was chalking up losses. After the arrest of the couple, the finished material and other stolen items were seized by the police. They were transporting these bags on Saturday morning to Hapur in order to destroy evidence, police said. Police said they will get the theft FIR quashed and have already registered a new one for fraud, naming the couple and Gajpal. The new FIR under sections of cheating and providing false evidence has been lodged at Sihani Gate police station. Gajpal is presently absconding , police said. After a wait of nearly two years, the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) on Saturday formally inaugurated its sewage treatment plant (STP) at Raj Nagar Extension (RNE). The STP has the capacity to treat 56 million litres a day (MLD), officials said. The move will benefit thousands of residents in the upcoming township. The sewage was discharged in the open until now, as the internal and main trunk lines were not connected to the STP. The STP was constructed at a cost of Rs78 crore with a view to cater to a population of 8.8 lakh residents in 2040, officials said. There was a stay by the court for nearly two years and the facility was caught in litigation. We got the stay vacated in November 2017 and completed the pending works. The STP will be trialled for three months and the construction agency will take up its maintenance for five years, Ritu Maheshwari, vice chairperson, GDA. Officials said that the annual operational cost of the facility is nearly Rs1.5 crore. Maheshwari said that the installation of a solar power plant at the STP will definitely reduce the operational expenses and will be considered at the earliest. Recently, the authority had announced that it will get solar power plants installed at STPs, community centres and government offices to promote non-conventional sources of energy and also reduce pollution. According to the members of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India (CREDAI) in RNE, nearly 17,000 families have already moved to the locality and another 10,000 are expected in 2018. There are 45 projects in the area that are under construction. The authority has completed the work of laying the 9.5-kilometre trunk line and another 22km of internal sewage network for the housing hub at a cost of Rs35 crore. Officials of the authority said that a concrete drain, a 500-metre stretch, is proposed from the STP to river Hindon but it is yet to be constructed. In the absence of a concrete drain, we are discharging the treated sewage in the river with the help of pipes. Construction of the drain will take nearly six months, RP Singh, executive engineer, GDA, said. Environmentalists are of the view that the treated water of the STP should not be discharged into the river. It should be utilised for construction purposes or for irrigation of plantation in the area. There is massive construction activity going on at RNE. Further, the authorities must ensure treatment of sewage from major drains, which is currently dumped in the river without treatment, Vikrant Sharma, an environmentalist and resident of RNE, said. According to the authority officials, the STP is presently being run at one-fourth of its capacity, on the basis of waste generating by the housing hub. The construction of the plant started in November 2011. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The food safety and drugs administration department of Gautam Budh Nagar has shut a Patanjali mega store in Noida on Saturday for failing to procure a food licence. Two samples of coconut oil and energy bar have been seized by the officials for further testing and the store has been shut until it procures a licence from the food department. The inspection was done by the officials on Friday afternoon. The Patanjali mega store is located in the community market of Sector 110 in Noida and it offered a variety of Patanjali branded food and lifestyle products. It store has been operating for the past three months. When we inspected the store, we found that it was being run without a proper licence from the food department. We have sealed the shop and it cannot operate unless it procures a fresh licence from us, said Sanjay Sharma, designated officer, food safety and drugs administration department, Gautam Budh Nagar. Explaining the process for procuring a licence, Sharma said, Every dealer who sells food products has to procure a licence from the food Department and it is illegal to run a store without it. Procuring a licence is easy as the form is available online on our website and the fee is only Rs 2,000 per year. We suspect that the products can be of dubious quality and, hence, we seized two products. The samples have been sent to Lucknow for tests and it usually takes 30-40 days for the results to come out. Appropriate action will be taken if there is any disparity is found in the lab test, Sharma said. Sonu Goswami, manager of the Patanjali mega store, said the employees were not aware of the lack of food licence. These procedures are usually done at a senior level and we were not aware of it. This is a new store and it has hardly been three months since we opened shop. We requested the officials that if they had any doubt about the products, then they should take the sample from the manufacturing factory of Patanjali and not from the store, but they did not listen to us. Now, we have applied for a licence and, hopefully, the store will open again soon, Goswami said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Emergency medical intervention by city doctors helped save the life of a 31-year-old pregnant woman and her foetus, after she was hit by a tempo in Wanowrie. The fact that the accident, which took place on Tuesday, happened close to a well-equipped hospital where she was rushed to within the golden hour, was key in saving the lives. Brought to the hospital, profusely bleeding, the woman who was 35 weeks pregnant, underwent an emergency Caesarean section to save the child. The patient was bleeding profusely, which could have been caused by the placenta detaching from the uterine wall due to trauma. With extremely low BP and a high heart rate, she was in a state of confusion and couldnt remember what had happened. She also had a deformed right hip and shoulder pain. Since she had multiple injuries, a multidisciplinary approach was followed involving the surgeon, orthopaedic surgeon and urologist. However, our biggest concern was her and her unborn babys safety, said Dr. Sujay Patil, consultant and head, accident and emergency department, Ruby Hall Clinic, Wanowrie. He said the foetal heart rate was high as the baby was in distress. A C-section was later performed considering a normal delivery was impossible at this stage. A few hours later, a premature baby was born and recovered satisfactorily, Dr Patil said. Expressing satisfaction over the outcome, Dr. Manisha Karmarkar, COO of the hospital noted that an accident during pregnancy can be all the more terrifying as the trauma suffered by the mother-to-be can also affect the unborn child, putting the babys health and life at risk. An IT software engineer along with his wife and son, were found dead inside their apartment at Basant Bahar housing society, Baner, late on Thursday night, Pune police said. According to the police report, Jayeshkumar Patel, 34, and his wife his wife Bhumika Patel, 30, were found lying on the floor with ropes tied around their necks. Their son Akshay, 4, was also found lying dead on the floor. Jayeshkumar was a software engineer working with a company named Q Logic at the Kharadi IT Park. According to police, when Jayeshkumar did not report to work for the last few days, a colleague of his contacted someone in the housing society. Neighbours then noticed that the flat, B/204, was not opened for the last couple of days and informed the Chatushrungi police. Police entered through the window of the apartment and found the three dead bodies. Senior police inspector Dayanand Dhome, said, "Prima facie, the family committed suicide and locked the door from the inside. The bodies have been sent to Sassoon hospital for post mortem and we are awaiting the report." According to police, the son, Akshay Patel, suffered from some physical disability. Kishanbhai Patel, Jayeshkumar Patels father is distraught. He cannot understand what... why... how? Jayesh shares all his problems with me, but this time he did not, says the did. By all prima facie evidence and accounts, according to the Pune Police, Jayeshkumar Patel, 34 and his wife, Bhumika, 30, both committed suicide. Their four-year-old son, Akshay, who suffered a physical abnormality was also found dead when the police broke into their apartment at Basant Bahar Society, Baner, late on Thursday night. There was nothing in the Patels lives to suggest a reason for suicide, according to Jayeshkumars colleagues and the familys neighbours. As a software engineer working at Q Logic, an IT company based at the Kharadi IT Park, Jayeshkumar was the picture of the upwardly mobile IT pro, say his colleagues. The wife, Bhumika, stayed at home to look after the son. A colleague of Jayaeshkumar who asked to remain anonymous, said, Jayesh was absolutely fine. He got a good appraisal, bought a flat and everything was going well in life with the perfect family. I met him two weeks ago and he was absolutely normal. Yes, his son was undergoing physiotherapy as one portion of his body was weak . When Jayeshkumar remained absent from office without informing for the last three days, a colleague called up a neighbour of Jayeshkumars to inquire. The neighbours then raised the alarm and Vishwajeet Saraf, chairman, Basant Bahar Society, informed the police. Saraf said,We did not get any response after we knocked on the door. Hence, we called the police.The Patel family shifted into our society in November 2017.Their son was suffering some illness, but both were very sensitive and careful. Another resident of Basant Bahar Society, IT engineer Swapnil Chavan, said, Yes, we know each other personally.Three days earlier, his son Akshay was admitted to hospital because he was facing some health problem, but when I heard about the suicide this morning, I was shocked. Police entered the house from a window late on Thursday night and found Jayeshkumar and his wife lying on the floor with ropes around their necks. Senior police inspector,Dayanand Dhome, said the couple used the ropes to hang themselves. Akshays post mortem report is awaited.We suspect their son died naturally and this is might be reason for the suicide, Dhome said. Police inspector (crime ), Vaishali Galande of Chaturshringi police station said , When we entered the flat the son was lying on the floor with foam coming out from his mouth, but he was dead. We are talking to their neighbours and trying to find out if there were some other reasons for the suicide, Galande said. Perfect Life A real estate broker who knew the Patel family spoke on condition of anonymity and said that Jayeshkumar bought an apartment three months ago, around Diwali. He was financially well off and bought the flat for Rs.80 lakh. There was no reason for him to commit suicide as he was earning well and living a happy and comfortable life. Of course, the couple were concerned about the health of their four-year-old son as he was epileptic and had ailments in hand and legs. Three days ago Akshay was rushed to hospital following a massive epileptic attack. A 13-year-old boy and his 12-year-old friend allegedly gangraped a four-year-old girl in Ludhiana on Thursday evening. The girl was alone at home as her mother had gone to buy grocery when the incident occurred. The boys were caught and produced before a juvenile court on Friday. The court remanded them in judicial custody and they were sent to the local juvenile home. In her complaint, the girls mother said she had gone to market and left her daughter alone at their rented accommodation in Salem Tabri area, but when she returned she was shocked to see her daughter crying and bleeding. The 13-year-old boy, she said, is son of another tenant in the same house and his friend had come visiting him. She said they called the girl for playing with them and raped her. . The 13-year-old is a student of Class 7 and neighbour of the victim, while the 12-year-old is a student of Class 5. Police have registered a case under Sections 376 (rape) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 8 of POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act. Inspector Vijay Kumar, the SHO at Salem Tabri police station, said the police took the girl for medical examination, which confirmed rape. The victims father is a worker at a scrap godown. Four months after farmers dumped potatoes on road in Mohali and other parts of the state, seeking remunerative price for the produce, the Punjab government has allowed the staple foods export to Russia and the Middle East. The past few years have witnessed surplus production of potatoes in the state. This, however, has not been adequately transported to other states. This glut in production and no buyers due to demonetisation over the past two seaons had led to a crash in prices. Against a production cost of around Rs 5per kg, potato is selling at Rs 2 per kg in the wholesale market. The price crash is a cyclical occurence in the state, but demonetisation had aggaravated the crisis. Doaba has 93% of the states sown area of the crop at 80,000 hectares of 86,000. In a series of reports, HT had highlighted the plight of potato farmers who had been facing heavy losses. What caused the crisis Production cost: Rs 5/kg Wholesale selling price: Rs 2/kg Acreage in Punjab 86,000 hectare Acreage in Doaba region 80,000 hectare (93%) Production per hectare 200 quintal If the government fails to intervene to help potato growers, Doaba farmers will be the worst-hit, Jalandhar Potato Growers Association (JPGA) general secretary Jaswinder Singh Sangha had recently said. After the decision, he said, We hope for export to Europe and the Americas to start soon as well. The decision to export the crop was taken during a meeting of members of the Jalandhar Potato Growers Association (JPGA) with financial commissioner, development, Vishwajeet Khanna earlier this week. Punjab Agro Industries Corporation (PAIC) will be the assisting agency. Farmers will hand over their produce to the agency, which will bear the transport cost in exporting the produce. The consignments will also be insured. Markfed to also purchase crop Markfed has also been directed to purchase potatoes and supply it to government schools for use in mid-day meals. The farmers demand of subsidy of Rs 2 per kg on freight is under consideration, government sources said. Farmers usually export the crop through private commission agents. They sought the governments assistance after they faced problems in recovery of payments from them. When we receive the payment, the assured amount will be distributed between the producers and the government agency, Khanna said. He added that they were also exploring ways to export the crop to Europe and the Americas and expand the states reach and fulfil potential. To export there, we have to match their standards in cleanliness and packaging of the produce, he said. Markfed additional managing director BM Sharma said, We have asked schools to give us their demand for potatoes and will supply accordingly for the mid-day meal. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Ten days after armed robbers fled with Rs 1.5-crore jewellery from a businessmans house in Sector 33, his driver allegedly committed suicide by jumping in front of a train in Zirakpur on Friday. Ajit Jain has been charged with abetment to suicide after son of the deceased, Pankaj, gave a statement to the police. In the suicide note recovered from the spot, he has claimed his innocence and accused the police of harassment. Avinash Yadav, 50, a resident of Wadhwa Nagar in Zirakpur, had started working for Ajit Jain about three weeks before the robbery. His body was found on the railway tracks near Gazipur in Zirakpur around 10am. The suicide note, which was torn and had blood stains, has been written in Hindi. The robbers had held Jains wife Ritu, daughter Khushboo, and servant Dev Raj hostage at gunpoint before fleeing with the loot. Main bekasoor hoon. Lekin police ki mar or logo ki zilatbhari nigahon ka saamna karne ki himmat nahi hai (I am innocent. But I dont have the courage to face police beating and peoples accusing expressions), mentions the note. Addressing his children, Yadav also asked for their forgiveness and requested (the police) that his family be left alone: Pyare bacho is baap ko maaf karna. Mere baad mere parivar ko pareshan na kiya jaye. We got a call at 10:30am about the body, said , assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Rampal, railway police post in-charge, Lalru. We are probing the case. Postmortem will be conducted on Saturday. Had gone to market when robbers struck Yadav had gone to the market along with watchman Bhagwan Dass when four masked armed men struck at Jains house on the evening of January 9. Even Jain was out for some work at that time. The robbers had held Jains wife Ritu, daughter Khushboo, and servant Dev Raj hostage at gunpoint before fleeing with the loot. While Jain owns cold stores in Lalru, his wife runs an online jewellery boutique. Police had been questioning Yadav and Jains other employees after the crime. Police had been harassing my father, alleged Pankaj Yadav, the deceaseds son. Police team from the Sector-34 station used to summon him again and again. They had even extracted his mobile call details and kept questioning him where he was at the time of the incident. Never complained, seemed normal: Jain Police had been questioning Yadav and other employees, but he never told me about any harassment, said Jain. Jain said Yadav had come for work on Thursday and seemed normal. I could have never guessed that he would taken such an extreme step, he said. Denying that Yadav was being harassed, UT senior superintendent of police (SSP) Nilambari Vijay Jagdale said: We are investigating the robbery and questioned Yadav and other employees. There was no question of harassment. Yadav was not a suspect, said deputy superintendent of police Deepak Yadav. He was questioned twice on basis of his call details. Sepoy Mandeep Singh, 23, who was killed in unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistan in the Krishna Ghati sector in Jammu and Kashmir, on Saturday, has left behind an angry and inconsolable family. As father Gurnam Singh sat unmoving in a corner, too shocked to speak, the sepoys younger brother, Jagdeep Singh, 20, vowed to join the Indian Army to avenge the killing. Sepoy Mandeep Singhs family (HT Photo) I am proud of my brother who has sacrificed his life for the country. I will also join the army to kill the countrys enemies, Jagdeep said, adding that he spoke to his brother over phone two days ago. Residents of Mandeeps native village of Alampur in Moonak sub-division, around 70km from Sangrur, are also in shock since hearing the news about 11.30am. Mandeep, who had last visited home on leave in February, was to reach the village to make arrangements for the wedding of his sister next month. He had joined the 22 Sikh regiment around three years ago. His uncle Nirmal Singh is also an ex-serviceman. My nephew was a brave soldier. He wanted to buy a Bullet motorcycle when he visited home next to make arrangements for his sisters wedding, said Nirmal. He added, In the recent past, two to three jawans are being killed on the border every day. The government must resolve the issue with Pakistan. Mandeeps body will reach the village either on Sunday evening or Monday morning, said Jasvir Singh, Lehra SHO. Later in the day, naib tehsildar Hamir Singh and some police officers visited Mandeeps house to offer condolences. At the audio launch of Jiivas upcoming Tamil psychological thriller Kee, actor and Tamil Film Producers Council president Vishal finally addressed the complaint on actor Simbu whose unprofessional behaviour, according to producer Michael Rayappan, resulted in heavy losses for the film AAA, which released last year after multiple delays. Vishal said that hes been asked on several occasions by members of the industry on why he hasnt yet taken action against Simbu in this matter. Let me take this opportunity to apologize to producer Michael Rayappan for not reaching a decision yet in Simbus matter. How can I take action when theres no reaction from his end? I cant even reach him on phone. Let us all be patient and give it some more time. Right now, the focus should be on ensuring Rayappan sirs Kee has a smooth release on February 9, Vishal said. He said he has postponed the release of his film Irumbuthirai to ensure Kee has a wide release. I didnt want our films to clash. Hence, I moved my film to another date. I have also taken off from shooting on February 7 and 8 to be by Rayappan sirs side and make sure that Kee releases without any hassles, he said, earning a rousing response from the audience. Vishal also assured producer Rayappan that hes willing to work with him for free. I would like to use this occasion to inform Rayappan sir that he can approach me anytime with a project. I dont even need remuneration to work with him. Bring a talented director on board and just let me know. Im not sure if this qualifies as help, but I could do this from my end, he said. Vishal wished the entire team of Kee, which marks the debut of director Kalees. Im glad directors like Kalees are introducing audiences to new genres. We need more such talent, he said. Vishal is currently shooting for Sandakozhi 2. Follow @htshowbiz for more ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop Priyanka Chopra had a surprise visitor at the New York sets of her show, Quantico. The actor was shooting for the latest season of the spy thriller when Nyle DiMarco, an actor and model who was born deaf. Was lovely to have you on set @nyledimarco and your surprise was truly a surprise! Im so glad u did! Lol. Thank you @themarleematlin for being such a fun bundle of energy, Priyanka wrote alongside an Instagram image that she shared of the visit on Friday. She also posted another image of the two together, and a video of them goofing around. DiMarco grew up in a family of which, over 25 members are deaf. DiMarco is a spokesperson for LEAD-K (Language Equality and Acquisition for Deaf Kids). He is also a signer and creative collaborator on The ASL App, an app that teaches American Sign Language. In 2016, DiMarco started The Nyle DiMarco Foundation. He found fame after appearing on Dancing with the Stars. Quantico returns for its third season in April. The show also features deaf actor and Academy Award winner Marlee Matlin. Follow @htshowbiz for more From the moment they entered the Bigg Boss 11 house, Shilpa Shinde and Vikas Gupta fought like there was no tomorrow. From name-calling to screaming to crying, the initial few weeks were hell for the two of them and the rest of us who had to put up with it all. What was worse was that no one really knew why they were fighting anyway.But, in a new interview since her big win on the show, Shilpa has finally revealed why her relationship with Vikas was so sour. Shilpa told Mumbai Mirror that Vikas and other producers of her hit show, Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hain, upon realising that she was entering Bigg Boss, did everything in their capacity to sabotage her plans. Vikas Gupta knew that I was going to come in Bigg Boss 11 and he had kept all things ready so that I do not get in the show. They filed a criminal case against me as soon as they came to know that I was going into Bigg Boss. I am not saying that Vikas Gupta is the main culprit but the roots of all this started with him, along with the producer of the Bhabhiji Ghar pe Hai. As a programming head, he could have settled a lot of things earlier too but I remember him saying that Main Aapko ghar pe Bithaunga, she said. While there was clearly enough reason for them to be enemies on the show, Shilpa doesnt feel the same anymore. While she has rejected the idea of being friends with Vikas, she has however said that she might work with him again. In one of the tasks in Bigg Boss, I had promised Vikas that I would work with him on a small digital project. Just a two-day assignment I may have to do with him. And you never know, what he said might just be for the camera. But I can never be friends with Vikas Gupta. He tried to be friends with me on the show. I have already made my list of who will not be invited for my Bigg Boss victory party. Hina Khan is definitely one of the names I do not consider to be in the party, she said. Shilpa is now looking to work in a few Hindi films, web series or as a judge or host of television reality show. She has made up her mind to never go back to television soaps. Follow @htshowbiz for more The number of civilians killed by the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria tripled in 2017, as battles raged in jihadist-held urban areas, a monitor said Friday. Between 3,923 and 6,102 non-combatants were killed in the two countries, said Airwars, a London-based journalist collective that compiles data from public sources. That is sharply up from its estimate of the previous years toll of between 1,243 and 1,904. The coalition backed Iraqi forces in a gruelling battle last year to oust IS from second city Mosul, as well as supporting a Kurdish-dominated force that seized Syrias Raqa city from the jihadists after months of fighting. Airwars said the surge in deaths was likely partly caused by intense fighting in urban areas. But it also said the administration of US President Donald Trump may be partly to blame. This toll coincided with the start of the Trump presidency, which has declared the conflict against ISIS to be a war of annihilation, it said, using an alternative name for IS. The scaling back by the new administration of some measures aimed at protecting civilians may have contributed to the steep increase in casualties, it said. Airwars said the coalition had carried out some 11,573 artillery and air strikes, some 50 percent up on the previous year. More than 70 percent were in Syria. It said 766 attacks last year wounded some 2,443 civilians in both countries. The monitor, which also tracks casualties of Russian operations in Syria, said coalition-linked civilian deaths in 2017 had far outnumbered those attributed to Russia. It said the toll for civilians killed in coalition strikes in Syria had quadrupled compared to 2016, with the battle for Raqa killing at least 1,450 civilians, while in Iraq deaths were up by 87 percent. Between the start of the battle for Mosul in October 2016 and the announcement of its liberation in July, between 1,066 and 1,579 civilians were killed by coalition raids there, Airwars said. Polands deputy foreign minister Marek Magierowski his countrys expertise in mining, especially in coal and copper, could help boost collaboration with India. Magierowski, who was in India for the Bangla Business Conference and the Raisina Dialogue, spoke about bilateral relations, Europes Russia problem and Polands Europe problem. On India-Poland relations: We see a lot of potential in the mining sector. Many major Polish players have been looking at India. Your industry has similar needs and experiences. Coal will remain important to your energy needs despite the problems posed by regulations that have to comply with climate change. Like India, Poland has also decided it cannot give up on coal altogether because of a number of social, economic and cultural reasons. Poland, however, has reordered its priorities in the coal sector. There has been a push in innovation with more money in R&D and clean coal technology. I was in Kolkata recently and we met a number of Coal India representatives and a few dozen Indian companies. We showed our expertise in deep mining. Polish companies hold the world record for deep mining in coal and copper. This is a technology attractive to any country. Coal will be the main sector for cooperation with India. Poland is also looking at the defence sector given the enormous needs of the Indian military. We understand it is a competitive market, but Poland has capabilities in areas like armour and armaments. While European countries like Germany and France will remain our primary trading partners, many Polish firms have now become too large for the regional market and are looking beyond Europe for markets. Economic diplomacy is my principal objective in India. In that regard, Poland wants to rekindle our relations with India. The last time an Indian prime minister visited Poland was in 1979. Our vice-president came here last year. Political contacts and regular ones at that are absolutely crucial. On Polish foreign policy: Poland has been on the UN Security Council since January and wants to cooperate with India in that body. It is now known that Poland has a fair amount of experience with North Korea going back to the Korean War, when we were one of three neutral governments who helped bring the war to a close. Poland is one of only seven European Union countries with an embassy in Pyongyang. Our ambassador to the UN was recently in Washington and gave a mesmerising briefing on his observations about North Korea. One of the vital elements of our foreign policy is the relationship with Russia. Relations have been frozen solely because of UN resolutions. The ball is in Russias court. We expect Moscow to act more rationally and peacefully, we do not accept the annexation of Crimea and the eastern Ukraine, the violations of international law these represent. Russias meddling in the US elections and attempts to influence French and German elections are also sources of concern. Russia has become a practitioner of hybrid warfare. Poland has been sensitising its Western allies to Russias modus operandi and stressing the need to counter this. We have among the best think tanks and analysts on Russia in the world. I want to stress that our attitude to contemporary Russia and Vladimir Putin is not based on Russophobia. We and the Russians are both Slavic and culturally very similar. Many of the Polish elite are enamoured of Russian culture. Some in the West see Poland as an obstacle to better relations with Russia. Our policy is based on realpolitik. Poland would like Russia to be part of a normal world but Moscows interference in the Baltic states, its invasion of Georgia, and placing of nuclear weapons in the enclave of Kaliningrad mitigate against this. Poland and EU relations: We are the European Union. We do not have problem with the EU, only some differences with the European Commission. There are many points of view within the EU on any given policy. Even on Russia there is no consensus over maintaining sanctions, for example. I would say that in nine out of 10 policies, the EU doesnt have a unanimous position. Polands sources of friction with the European Commission the key element being our judicial reforms will not materially affect our standing. We are not afraid of an Article 7 procedure. We will not get to the stage of EU funds being suspended. While Article 7 has been triggered, there are many stages left to go and I dont believe those further stages will happen. There is no threat to Poland. The present ruling party of Poland announced it would carry out judicial reform when it campaigned and it was a key reason it won an absolute majority in Parliament. A majority of Poles are tired of the judiciarys incompetence, corruption and indolence. We ended communist rule in 1989 but many judges continue to have a communist background. The present system has the judges choose their own successors, there is no check and the system lacks balance. Judicial reform is very ticklish and it has aroused suspicions in the European Commission. We do not believe we have violated any EU or international standard or rule. Many of our reforms will actually democratise judicial proceedings. The European Commission is using instruments that are not even mentioned by treaty. Some of their actions have been unlawful. The policy of subsidiarity under the EU says Brussels must not interfere in our social institutions and politics. The EU does not have the mandate to stop us or use Article 7 against us. Germany, France and Italy have carried out similar changes without protest. Gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in Kabul and killed at least six people including a foreigner, sparking a 17-hour battle that left terrified guests scrambling to escape and parts of the building ablaze. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack on the six-storey Intercontinental Hotel on a hilltop overlooking the Afghan capital. Interior ministry spokesperson Najib Danish claimed that Afghan Special Forces ended an overnight siege at Kabuls Intercontinental Hotel on Sunday, killing the last surviving attacker. The siege harks back to the Mumbai attacks on November 26, 2008 when six militants stormed the Taj Mahal Palace hotel and killed at least 30 people over three days. Here are the highlights: 7.50pm: Afghanistans Interior Ministry says 4 Afghans and 14 foreigners were killed in the Kabul Intercontinental Hotel siege. 5:27pm: Spokesman Najib Danish says the weapons used in the hotel attack by the six insurgents were Kalashnikovs and hand grenades. 5:25pm: Interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish says the final casualty toll in the 17-hour Taliban siege at the Intercontinental Hotel has not yet been determined. 5:22pm: The security of the Intercontinental Hotel was handed over to a private company only 21 days ago, says interior ministry spokesman. 5:20pm: The last two attackers were killed by special forces on the 6th floor of the hotel, says the interior ministry spokesman. 5:20pm: Early investigations show six insurgents entered the Intercontinental Hotel from the northern side and stormed the kitchen, says interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish at a press conference. 3:55pm: US ambassador in Kabul John R Bass condemns the Kabul hotel attack. In a statement, the US envoy said, Such violence has no place here or anywhere in the world. The US Embassy is in close contact with Afghan authorities, who are continuing to investigate the incident. 3:45pm: Chief Executive Abdulalh Abdullah condemns Kabul attack, says, I commend the Afghan Forces for their bravery and professional action of rescuing over 100 civilians and killing all terrorists in the insane attack on Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul. I condemn the attack and condole with the victim families. 3:15pm: Five Afghans and one foreigner have been killed, interior ministry deputy spokesperson Nasrat Rahimi told AFP today, adding around 150 people were rescued, including more than 40 foreigners. 2:59pm: President Ashraf Ghani condemns Kabul attack, calls for international consensus against countries that support and harbor terrorists. Ghani assigns a team to probe the incident, Afghan media quoting Presidential Palace. 2:30pm: Taliban claim responsibility for Kabul hotel attack reports AFP. 1pm: Afghan media says gunfire shots can still be heard from the hotel, hours after the government said the siege was over. 12.45pm: Pakistan condemns the attack and calls for cooperation among countries for effectively combating terrorism. Pakistan strongly condemns the brutal terrorist attack at the Inter-Continental Hotel in Kabul last evening. In our view, cooperation among the states is important for effectively combating and eliminating the scourge of terrorism, the Foreign Office said in a statement. 11:50am: Afghan government says the siege is over but clearance operation is ongoing, reports TOLO news. 11:10am: Kabul Internation Hotel siege ends, all gunmen killed, Reuters quotes government as saying. 10:49am: Ministry of interiors spokesperson says Kabul Intercontinental Hotel siege over - 3 attackers killed. 126 people rescued, including 41 foreigners. Confirms 5 civilians killed and 6 wounded. Fire fighters trying to bring hotel blaze under control, Afghan media reports. 10:25am: The ministry of interiors spokesman Najib Danish says so far five civilians have been killed and six wounded, reports TOLO News. 9:45am: No hostages but security forces are searching for 1-2 attackers. Among the 100 hostages rescued, 16 were foreigners, Afghan media reports. 9:30am: Afghan media images show dramatic attempts to escape by hostages at the hotel. Desperate guests and staff trying to escape from burning #Kabul Intercontinental Hotel as siege enters 11th hour. pic.twitter.com/MZrty8WIa3 TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) January 21, 2018 9:15am: At least five people have been killed in the Kabul hotel attack, AFP quotes Afghan spy agency. Five are dead, an official with the Afghan spy agency told AFP, adding 100 hostages have been released. 9:05am: Authorities are unable to reach hotel attack victims as siege continues through the morning, Afghan media reports. 9am: Security sources tells TOLO news 30 people have been rescued, two attackers killed but at least one gunman is hiding on the 8th floor of the hotel. 8:52am: TOLO news reports additional special forces and foreign troops have arrived at the Intercontinental Hotel which has been under siege for over 10 hours. Afghan nationals and foreigners are still inside the hotel. 8am: TOLO news confirms 3 people injured in the attack have been taken to Wazir Akbar Khan hospital. Others have been shifted to the Kabul Emergency hospital and military hospitals. 7:45am: Eyewitnesses who escaped the attack said gunmen randomly shot at hostages, including guests and hotel staff, according to TOLO. 7:30am: Four attackers are inside the building, an official at the National Directorate of Security (NDS) spy agency told AFP. They are shooting at guests, he said. A security personnel points his weapon near the Intercontinental Hotel after a deadly attack in Kabul. (AP Photo) 7:15am: Hotel manager Ahmad Haris Nayab, who managed to escape unhurt, said the attackers had got into the main part of the hotel through a kitchen and people fled amid bursts of gunfire on all sides. 7am: Afghan interior ministry spokesperson Najib Danish said many details of the raid, which came days after a US embassy warning of possible attacks on hotels in the capital, were still unclear and there were no official casualty figures. 6.33am: Heres what we know so far: The attack began at about 9pm (local time), with reports suggesting the gunmen shot at security guards as they made their way into the five-storey building. They targeted staff and guests before special forces were called in. Security forces then cleared the ground floor of the luxury hotel but the attackers are still on the floors above. Some reports said the hotel had been hosting an IT conference attended by provincial officials at the time. One witness told Reuters news agency that the attackers had taken hostages. The attack comes just days after the US embassy in Kabul issued a warning about hotels in the city. The gunmen set off an explosion and sparked fires in the hotel. There is no official word on the number of deaths. 6.28am: An eyewitness tells TOLOnews at least 15 people have been killed in the attack. The death toll is likely to go up. 6.18am: Heavy gunfire & blasts are still heard from Intercon Hotel after almost seven hours of fighting. Two attackers are still holding positions in the third and fourth floors. Additional special forces are dispatched. Lotfullah Najafizada (@LNajafizada) January 21, 2018 6.16am: Nasrat Rahimi, a deputy spokesperson for the Afghanistan interior ministry, says one of the four attackers has been killed and the three others are still battling the forces from inside the hotel. Reports had earlier said two gunmen had been killed. 6.11am: According to The New York Times, commander of the Kabul Garrison Gen Afzal Aman says: The attackers are at one side of the building. There are guests trapped in their rooms. We do not know who are the attackers. There could be two or three of them. 6.07am: More gunfire reported from the hotel. While there is no clarity on the number of deaths, an official said casualty figures will be released once the operation ends. An eyewitness says there have been a number of deaths. 6am: There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack that followed a series of security warnings in recent days to avoid hotels and other locations frequented by foreigners. Here is an advisory released by the US state department on Thursday: Security Alert for #Kabul, #Afghanistan: reports that extremist groups may be planning an attack against hotels in Kabul, such as the Hotel Baron near Hamid Karzai Int'l Airport. Review suggested actions in attached image. For more information, visit: https://t.co/vxivPWIHOP pic.twitter.com/CrCIpXbC2e Travel - State Dept (@TravelGov) January 18, 2018 5.42am: Reports say gunfight resumed around 4am (local time) after a brief period of calm. Additional forces have reached the hotel. 5.15am: A survivor tells TOLOnews that the attackers fired indiscriminately at hotel staff and guests. He says a number of people have been killed . 5.08am: TOLOnews reports: Security source confirms three gunmen involved in Intercontinental hotel attack. He says one has so far been killed but the other two are fighting security forces. One is on the third floor of the hotel and the other is on the fourth floor. 4.50am: #Kabul - explosion and gunfire heard at Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul as siege continues through the night. TOLOnews journalist Ghubar, at the scene, says many people have been evacuated from hotel and wounded have been taken to two hospitals in the capital - no details yet. TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) January 20, 2018 4.27am: Hours after the attack began, firing appears to ease as security forces settle in, reportedly waiting for dawn. 3.54am: Commander of elite forces CRU tells me 30 civilians have been evacuated from Kabul Intercon Hotel, three floors (3rd, 4th, 5th) are completely burned down by assailants. Clearing operation operation underway. No clue on casualties as of yet. #KABUL Ehsanullah Amiri (@euamiri) January 20, 2018 3.26am: A TOLOnews journalist reports that no gunfire can be heard now and a few ambulances have entered the hotel compound. There is no official word on casualties. 3.04am: Many details of the incident are still unclear, but Interior ministry spokesperson Najib Danish has said a private company had taken over security about three weeks ago. 2.53am: TOLOnews reports that gunfire cant be heard at the hotel, but ambulances and firetrucks still wait outside the hotel compound. 2.36am: Rahimi says the first and second floors of the hotel have been secured by security forces, who are now trying to clear the fourth and fifth floors. Special forces are being lowered by helicopters onto the rooftop of the hotel. 2.35am: Seven wounded people have been taken to hospital, interior ministry deputy spokesman Nasrat Rahimi tells AFP, adding two attackers have been killed. Some other guests have been rescued. We will be able to release casualty figures once the operation ends. 2.22am: TOLOnews reports that ambulances and firefighting trucks have been held back from the scene of the attack. 2.17am: Shahzad Aryobee, Afghanistans minister of telecommunications, was earlier quoted as saying that 105 employees of his agency were among those trapped inside the hotel. Im here at the scene, he said, but the police wont let us go inside. 2.05am: Reports say the fourth floor of the hotel, which has four restaurants and a swimming pool, is on fire. 1.35am: The Intercontinental Hotel, located on a hilltop and heavily protected like most public buildings in the city, was previously attacked by Taliban fighters in 2011. 1.23am: Reports say at least two of the raiders have been killed as Afghan Special Forces cleared the first floor and moved to the second, battling the attackers who appeared to have a large supply of hand grenades. 1.15am: On Thursday, the US embassy in Kabul had issued a warning to US citizens, saying: We are aware of reports that extremist groups may be planning an attack against hotels in Kabul. 1.02am: We are hiding in our rooms. I beg the security forces to rescue us as soon as possible before they reach and kill us, a guest hiding in his room in the hotel tells AFP. 12.55am: Heres what we know so far: Four gunmen are attacking Kabuls landmark Intercontinental Hotel, shooting at guests. An official says the attackers were armed with small weapons and rocket-propelled grenades when they entered the hotel. They are now on the third and fourth floors fighting with our forces. We dont know the details of casualties yet but they set the kitchen on fire, interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told AFP. The fourth floor of the hotel is also on fire, the NDS official said. There was no immediate information on casualties in the latest attack on the state-owned 1960s hotel, which is not part of the global InterContinental chain. Some of the occupants inside the hotel are hiding on the second floor, a security source said. The Intercontinental was last targeted in June 2011 when a suicide attack claimed by the Taliban killed 21 people, including 10 civilians. 12.47am: We dont know the details yet but our forces are in the area to bring them down, ministry of interior spokesperson Najib Danish says. 12.40am: A man who has escaped the attack told me attackers were throwing guests from 3rd & 4th floors of Kabul Intercon Hotel. He saw four dead bodies outside the hotel. While firing and throwing people from windows of upper floors, assailants were shouting 'Allah-u Akbar', he added Ehsanullah Amiri (@euamiri) January 20, 2018 12.32am: TOLOnews says its journalist at the spot can still hear gunfire. 12.08am: TOLOnews reports that people near Intercontinental Hotel have reported having heard two more explosions at the hotel. 12:06am: Pakistan condemned the attack on Kabul hotel. Pakistan condemns the terrorist attack on a hotel in Kabul. Terrorism is not acceptable, tweeted Pakistans foreign affairs ministry spokesperson. 12:03am: Four attackers are inside the building, an official at the National Directorate of Security (NDS) spy agency told AFP. They are shooting at guests, he said. 11:54pm: A number of guests and staff have been taken to a secure area by Crisis Response Unit members & Special Forces who are carrying out a clearance operation. At least 3 terrorists still inside hotel: ANI quoting media 11:42pm: Afghanistans Tolonews quotes eyewitnesses saying a number of people have been killed but details have not yet been disclosed as shooting is still ongoing 11:35pm: According to reports, suicide attackers have set fire to parts of the Hotel 11:28pm: Details of the incident, including information on any casualties, were unclear but the attackers appeared to have included suicide bombers, interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said. (With agency inputs) Afghan Special Forces ended an overnight siege at Kabuls Intercontinental Hotel on Sunday, killing the last gunman from a group of three attackers who stormed the hotel, taking hostages and battling security forces for hours. (LIVE UPDATES) Two gunmen were killed on Saturday night. It was initially reported that four gunmen had attacked the hotel. Interior Ministry spokesperson Najib Danish said at least five other people had been killed and six wounded, a lower casualty total than earlier feared, while 153 people, including 41 foreigners had been evacuated. As day broke on Sunday, thick clouds of black smoke could be seen pouring from the building. Several armoured US military vehicles with heavy machine guns could be seen close to the hotel along with Afghan police units. The raid came just days after a US embassy warning of possible attacks on hotels in Kabul. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. The raid was the latest in a long series of attacks which have underlined the citys precarious situation and the ability of militants to mount high profile operations aimed at undermining confidence in the Western-backed government. Hotel manager Ahmad Haris Nayab, who escaped unhurt, said the attackers had got into the main part of the hotel through a kitchen before going through the hotel. According to one witness, who did not want to be named, the attackers took hotel staff and guests hostage. The Intercontinental Hotel, an imposing 1960s structure set on a hilltop and heavily protected like most public buildings in Kabul, was previously attacked by Taliban fighters in 2011. It is one of two main luxury hotels in the city and had been due to host an information technology conference on Sunday. More than 100 IT managers and engineers were on site when the attack took place, Ahmad Waheed, an official at the telecommunications ministry, said. US warning The attack, just days after a United Nations Security Council visit to Kabul to allow senior representatives of member states to assess the situation in Afghanistan, may lead to a further tightening of security in Kabul. Large areas of the city centre are already closed off behind high concrete blast walls and police checkpoints but the ability of the attackers to get into a well-protected hotel frequented by both government officials and foreigners demonstrated how difficult it remains to prevent high profile attacks. Danish said a private company had taken over security of the hotel about three weeks ago. The State Department said on Saturday it was monitoring the situation and was in contact with Afghan authorities to determine whether any US citizens had been affected. Captain Tom Gresback, spokesperson for the NATO-led Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, said they were also watching closely but it was not clear what role international forces were taking in suppressing the attack. Afghan National Defense and Security Forces are leading the response efforts. According to initial reports, no Resolute Support or (US forces) members were injured in this incident, he said in an emailed statement. Although Resolute Support says the Taliban has come under pressure after the United States increased assistance to Afghan security forces and stepped up air strikes against insurgents, security remains precarious. As pressure on the battlefield has increased, security officials have warned that the danger of attacks on high-profile targets in Kabul and other cities would increase. After repeated attacks in Kabul, notably an incident last May in which a truck bomber killed at least 150 people outside the German embassy, security has been further tightened. While it shares the same name, the hotel in Kabul is not part of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), which issued a statement in 2011 saying that the hotel Inter-continental in Kabul is not part of IHG and has not been since 1980. The death of a petty businessman in an apparent fake gun battle in the Pakistani port city of Karachi has resulted in the suspension of a top cop known as an encounter specialist and triggered a debate on extrajudicial killings. Pakistans Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar on Friday took notice of the alleged extrajudicial killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud, a 27-year-old man from the restive South Waziristan tribal region, and sought a report from the police chief of Sindh province within a week. Senior superintendent of police Rao Anwar, under scrutiny for alleged involvement in the death of Mehsud, was removed from his post by inspector general of police AD Khawaja after an investigation team recommended he be suspended to ensure a fair and transparent inquiry. Mehsuds case featured prominently on social media, with many people demanding action against Anwar. One commentator said it was not safe for Pashto-speaking to move in public in Karachi as they were being seen as terrorists. Senior journalist Mazhar Abbas tweeted that with such encounters, the rate of extortion by police rises significantly. Anwar, a controversial police officer in Sindh, once told a crime reporter in an interview that he drew inspiration from Indian gangster movies, and that his desire was to clean up Karachi and rid it of political and religious criminals. Earlier this month, Anwar claimed to have gunned down four members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan in a gun battle near Shah Latif Town in Karachi. According to him, Mehsud had links with the outlawed Taliban and was living in Karachis Sohrab Goth area using a fake name. Rehman Mehsud, a cousin of Mehsud, told the media his family had no connection with the Taliban and had actually fled to Karachi after the militants took over parts of Waziristan. Mehsud ran a small clothes store on the outskirts of Karachi and had been kidnapped a few weeks ago. His relatives said he was fond of modelling and had a Facebook page with images from a recent photo shoot. Anwar and his team insisted Mehsud and his partners were planning a major terror attack in Karachi when they were killed. Police officials have privately said this is not true and Anwar was looking for someone to kill so that he could claim credit for a foiled terror plot. Anwar is seen as close to the military authorities and played an important role in operations conducted by the paramilitary Pakistan Rangers against terrorists and criminals since 2016. Several gurdwara managements in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta have joined the ban on Indian officials, and for the first time, among those prohibited from their premises are members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). But as the movement spreads in Canada, members of the management committees of multiple gurdwaras in Ontario, where the trend started, have said the decision had no validity since it was not approved by the relevant governing bodies. Four members of the Ontario Khalsa Darbar, better known as the Dixie gurdwara, said that though the president of their gurdwara, Gurpreet Singh Bal, made the original announcement, they were not aware about this decision, and this issue was never discussed in the committee meeting and no resolution was passed. They went on to add that the boycott decision could be Gurpreet Singh Bals personal opinion. The committee members who are opposing the ban are Gurinder Singh Bhullar, Navjeet Singh, Amrik Singh Deol and Paramjeet Singh Boleena. Members of gurdwara managements at two places of worship in Brampton, a suburb of Toronto, too have come out against the ban. Five directors of Gurdwara Sri Guru Nanak Sikh Center and Gurdwara Brampton Sikh Sangat jointly issued a statement saying they were surprised when the announcement included their gurdwaras. We want to make it clear, they said, that the committees never discussed this matter, pass(ed) this matter and no one has been allowed to add these two names (of the gurdwaras) in the list. They maintained the gurdwaras were open to anyone and there is no such restriction now. Among those who issued this statement were Sukhwant Singh Rai, Sarwan Singh Gill, Sarwan Singh Sandhu, Pushpinder Singh Atwal and Mahinder Singh Grewal. Meanwhile, a statement issued by a spokesperson for the Western gurdwaras, Moninder Singh, said the recent steps take by gurdwaras in Ontario to impose the ban on Indian officials was a strong declaration that Sikhs residing in Canada will not give in or bow down to the interference and pressure placed upon them by the Indian state and their representatives. That initiative was moved forward in western Canada, the statement said, by a total of 16 gurdwaras in these provinces spearheaded by the Gurdwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar in Surrey, British Columbia, and Gurdwara Dasmesh Culture Centre in Calgary, Alberta. Earlier, gurdwaras in Ontario and three more in Quebec had signed on to the formal declaration of the ban. Moninder Singh said these gurdwaras reserve the right to bar access to the stage (up to and including entry) to officials of the Indian government and will include, but not be limited to, Indian elected officials, Indian consular officials, and members of organisations who seek to undermine the Sikh nation and Sikh institutions (RSS, Shiv Sena, etc.). The statement added, To be clear, no individual is being banned from Gurdwara Sahibs, but Indian representatives in official capacity will not be permitted to address the sangat in Guru Darbar and sewadars from each Gurdwara Sahib may individually choose to which degree they will allow Indian officials access. Among the reasons given, like in the Ontario instance, were alleged denial of Indian visas and interference in the affairs of gurdwaras. While they are being targeted in this series of orchestrated bans, Indian diplomats in Canada offered no comment when contacted by Hindustan Times. In a statement, the external affairs ministry spokesperson said last week: We take no cognisance of fringe elements which spread hate and communal disharmony. While members of gurdwara committees have disagreed with the policy in Ontario, pro-Khalistan activist Sukhminder Singh Hansra, who played a key role in the coordinated move, claimed, The action of ban (has been) welcomed by almost 100% of managements of gurdwaras and Sikh organisations. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Myanmar is making final preparations to take back the first batch of Rohingya Muslims who had fled conflict in troubled Rakhine state, state media said on Saturday, despite growing doubts about the plan among refugees and in the United Nations. Rakhine state chief minister Nyi Pu insisted on completion of the finishing touches on buildings, medical clinics and sanitation infrastructures during a visit to repatriation camps in the state on Friday, the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said. It published a photo of his delegation standing by a long, wooden house that will be used to house returnees at the camp near the town of Maungtaw. A wire-mesh fence topped by barbed wire appears in the background of the photo. Over 655,500 Muslim Rohingya fled to Bangladesh after the Myanmar military cracked down in the northern part of Rakhine in response to militant attacks on security forces on August 25. The United Nations described the operation as ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya, which Myanmar denies. Myanmar will start receiving Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh at two reception centres and the temporary camp near Maungtaw starting on Tuesday and continuing over the next two years, under an agreement the two countries signed this week. Bangladesh will provide an advance list of prospective returnees with forms attesting to their residency in Myanmar, the newspaper said. Some returnees will cross over by land and others via a river along the border, it said. Rohingya refugees at the sprawling Kutupalong camp in Bangladesh are balking at going back until Myanmar can guarantee their safety, among other demands listed in a petition drawn up by camp leaders and shown to Reuters. Even as Myanmar gets ready to start receiving the Rohingya next week, more of them are fleeing continued military operations in Rakhine, newly arrived refugees camp have told Reuters. More than 100 Rohingya Muslims from northern Rakhine fled into Bangladesh and scores more were waiting to cross the Naf river that forms the border, they said. Concentration camps Rohingya Muslim insurgents said on Saturday the repatriation plan was not acceptable and the Burmese terrorist government is deceitfully and crookedly offering Rohingya refugees to settle down in so-called temporary camps. Burma is the former name of Myanmar. Repatriated Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh will never be able to settle down in their own ancestral lands and villages, rather than spending not only the rest of their lives but also the lives of their next generations to come in those concentration camps, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) said in a statement on Twitter. Myanmar has said it would build a transit camp that can house 30,000 returnees before they are allowed to return to their place of origin or nearest to their place of origin. Government spokesman Zaw Htay did not respond to requests for comment on the ARSA statement. Paul Vrieze, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) spokesman in Myanmar, cautioned that the returnees must not be rushed out of Bangladesh prematurely without the informed consent of refugees or the basic elements of lasting solutions in place. Further measures are also required to ensure safe, voluntary and sustainable repatriation of refugees to their places of origin and to address the underlying root causes of the crisis, he told Reuters. The UNHCR, which is helping to administer the refugee camps, is not involved in the repatriation exercise between Bangladesh and Myanmar. South Africas ruling African National Congress (ANC) declined on Saturday to comment on a report its executive plans to force Jacob Zuma to quit as president, as its leaders gather to outline the partys programme for the coming year. National broadcaster eNCA said on Saturday that the ANCs National Executive Committee (NEC) had resolved on Friday to ask Zuma to resign and that, if he refused, he would be forced to step down by the partys six-strong leadership group. The station did not name its sources. An anonymous NEC member quoted by online news site News24 said that decision had been reached unanimously. Zumas second presidential term is due to run until 2019. The newly elected NEC made no mention of his possible early exit in a statement it issued after meeting for the first time on Thursday and Friday under the partys new leader, Cyril Ramaphosa. Asked about the reports that Zuma would be asked to resign, an ANC spokeswoman said: We cant confirm rumours of things that we dont know. The NEC has issued a statement on the totality of discussions yesterday. DIVIDED PARTY Zumas presidency has been tainted by a series of corruption allegations, all of which he denies. He retains the support of one part of the ANC leadership, but many others in the party argue that he has tarnished the image of Africas oldest liberation movement. While he has been in office, the economy has also slowed to a near-standstill. Ramaphosa succeeded Zuma as ANC head last month, making him likely to replace Zuma as the countrys next president. The partys Secretary-General Ace Magashule said on Thursday that Zumas early removal as head of state was not on the agenda of the NEC meeting, which runs until Sunday. But in recent days Ramaphosa has gone on the offensive against companies controlled by the Gupta family, businessmen friends of Zuma accused of unduly using political connections to win work with the state. They deny all wrongdoing. That has fuelled speculation the new ANC leader and his allies are moving to lobby support for Zumas removal. In its statement following the first half of the meeting, the NEC said officials led by President Ramaphosa will continue their engagement with President Jacob Zuma to ensure effective coordination between the ANC and government. The main agenda item for the second part of the meeting, which will run until Sunday, is the partys programme for the coming year. Markets have rallied since Ramaphosas election as ANC leader in December, as investors have warmed to his promises to root out corruption and kick-start economic growth. Any sign that Zuma could step down before his second presidential term ends in 2019 has tended to lift South African assets, including the rand currency. The Trump administrations first defence strategy seeks to maintain a balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region and prepare America for a power competition with Russia and China, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis has said. Unveiling the new defence strategy, Mattis told a Washington audience great power competitionnot terrorismis now the primary focus of Americas national security. As a result he sought to increase the lethality of the American military. In an apparent reference to Russia, he warned against threaten[ing] Americas experiment in democracy. If you challenge us, it will be your longest and worst day, he warned during his speech at the John Hopkins. We will continue to prosecute the campaign against terrorists, but great power competitionnot terrorismis now the primary focus of US national security, he said. This strategy is fit for our timeproviding the American people the military required to protect our way of life, stand with our allies, and live up to our responsibility to pass intact to the next generation those freedoms we enjoy today, he said. Rogue regimes like North Korea & Iran persist in taking outlaw actions that threaten regional and even global stability, he said, adding that oppressing their own people and shredding their dignity and human rights, they push their warped views outward. And despite the defeat of the Islamic States physical caliphate, violent extremist organisations like the Lebanese Hezbollah, ISIS, and Al Qaeda continue to sow hatred, destroying peace and murdering innocents across the globe, the Defence Secretary asserted. We face growing threats from revisionist powers as different as China and Russia, nations that seek to create a world consistent with their authoritarian modelspursuing veto authority over other nations economic, diplomatic, and security decisions, he said. As part of the defence strategy, he said the US is going to build a more lethal force, will strengthen traditional alliances while building new partnerships with other nations. Asserting that everything we do must contribute to the lethality of our military, Mattis said changing US forces posture will prioritise readiness for war fighting for major combat, making it strategically predictable for the allies and operationally unpredictable for any adversary. The 14-page unclassified version of the national defence strategy said that one of its objective is maintaining favourable regional balances of power in the Indo-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and the Western Hemisphere. A free and open Indo-Pacific region provides prosperity and security for all. We will strengthen our alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific to a networked security architecture capable of deterring aggression, maintaining stability, and ensuring free access to common domains, the strategy said. Without specifically mentioning India, Japan or other countries in the region, the strategy says with key countries in the region, the US will bring together bilateral and multilateral security relationships to preserve the free and open international system. China, it said, is leveraging military modernisation, influence operations, and predatory economics to coerce neighbouring countries to reorder the Indo-Pacific region to their advantage. As China continues its economic and military ascendance, asserting power through an all-of-nation long-term strategy, it will continue to pursue a military modernisation program that seeks Indo-Pacific regional hegemony in the near-term and displacement of the United States to achieve global pre-eminence in the future. The most far-reaching objective of this defence strategy is to set the military relationship between our two countries on a path of transparency and non-aggression, the strategy said. Concurrently, Russia seeks veto authority over nations on its periphery in terms of their governmental, economic, and diplomatic decisions, to shatter the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and change European and Middle East security and economic structures to its favour, it said. The use of emerging technologies to discredit and subvert democratic processes in Georgia, Crimea, and eastern Ukraine is concern enough, but when coupled with its expanding and modernising nuclear arsenal the challenge is clear, the strategy said. The veteran rocker had been touring with a fractured hip. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has revealed that Tom Petty died from an accidental overdose of the drugs he was taking to combat emphysema, knee problems and, most significantly, a fractured hip. Yesterday's toxicology report described the cause of death as: "Multi-system organ failure due to resuscitated cardiopulmonary arrest due to mixed drug toxicity." The substances found in his system included fentanyl, oxycodone, temazepam, alprazolam, citalopram, acetylfentanyl, and despropionyl fentanyl. In 2016, fentanyl was a factor in over 64,000 deaths in the United States - a year on year increase of 22%. The full Medical Examiner's statement reads as follows: Coroner Case Number 2017-07259 PETTY, Thomas The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner conducted an examination on the body of Thomas Earl Petty, age 66, on October 3rd, 2017. The findings of the examination have established the cause of death to be as follows: Cause of death: Multisystem organ failure due to resuscitated cardiopulmonary arrest due to mixed drug toxicity (fentanyl, oxycodone, temazepam, alprazolam, citalopram, acetylfentanyl, and despropionyl fentanyl) Advertisement Other conditions: Coronary artery atherosclerosis, emphysema How injury occurred: Mixed drug intoxication The manner of death has been determined to be: Accident Having been informed beforehand of the findings, Tom Petty's wife, Dana, and daughter, Adria, released a statement explaining why he'd been in so much physical pain and welcoming the renewed discussion about the opioid crisis, which it's likely to trigger. You can read what they had to say in full here: Exxon Mobil Corp. made an oil and gas discovery in Papua New Guinea and signed a deal that would allow the oil company to explore for more off the coast of Ghana. Exxon Mobil, headquartered in Irving, said it made the discovery in the western province of Papua New Guinea, an island nation located north of Australia. Exxon Mobil said it drilled an exploration well about 8,900 feet deep and found oil and gas in sandstone reservoirs, confirming that the gas-rich field encompassing the province's Toro and Digimu sandstone reservoirs extends southeast. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate January brought some strong but mixed messages to the marijuana business community. On the one hand, California legalized adult recreational use of marijuana Jan. 1, bringing the scale and business heft of the world's sixth largest economy to the issue. On the other hand, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a lifting of the Obama-era "Cole memo," which had given comfort to marijuana businesses in states that had already voted for legalization. Sessions did not order any particular sort of crackdown but rather returned the authority to prosecutors to enforce federal drug laws, even in "legalization" states. Marijuana Business Daily's Vice President Chris Walsh told me a crackdown remains unlikely in states that have made marijuana legal, but business owners did not appreciate the signal. Despite those contradictory signs, pot will be legal in Texas much sooner that we expect. Maybe not in two years and possibly not in four. But if it's not totally legal for recreational adult use in 10 years I'll eat my hemp-woven shirt. (Note: I don't actually own one yet.) At first glance, marijuana legalization seems like a deeply back-burner question in Texas. Compared to other states, Texas has an extremely narrow medical-use legal framework, in which patients with epilepsy can obtain a doctor's permission to use a low-THC potency extract of cannabis called cannabinoid oil. You can't get high from this stuff. But things change fast. I expect medium-term legalization in Texas, although I've got no dog in the fight. I'm not a user, and I don't particularly want my kids to get easier access to pot. Mostly I'm just a guy who believes in the coercive power of money. The money case for legalization is strong. Strong enough to overcome a lot of natural resistance even in, or especially in, Texas. Advocates for legalization who aren't users tend to adopt four main lines of argumentation, which I'll characterize as: High cost of criminal justice. Reducing criminal financial power. Pro-business. Tax revenue potential. Among that spectrum of reasons, there's a coalition waiting to be built. Let's take them one at a time. The criminal justice argument is that we have a nasty habit of incarcerating people, and handing down felony convictions, far in excess of the harm caused to society by the sale, possession and use of the drug. U.S. Senate hopeful Beto O'Rourke, a Democratic congressman from El Paso, embraces legalization as an important platform of his candidacy, precisely for this type of argument. O'Rourke said he has campaigned all over Texas and met folks for whom a marijuana-related conviction has meant a life sentence to poverty, interfering with their ability to work, go to school or get a loan. O'Rourke isn't a newcomer to the legalization argument either, as he literally wrote a book on it in 2011, "Dealing Death and Drugs: The Big Business of Dope In the U.S. and Mexico," with Susie Byrd, then a fellow city council member from El Paso. "We've spent a trillion dollars on the 'war on drugs' over the last 45 years," he told me, "and we've achieved zero of our policy goals." Harris County's district attorney announced a policy in March of not arresting folks for small amounts of marijuana possession, a small criminal justice reform that may portend future trends in Texas cities. The second argument, reducing criminal power, rests on the markets-based realization that criminalizing marijuana - as we learned from Prohibition - greatly increases the power and wealth of criminal gangs. Legalize, the thought goes, and you undercut the profitability and corrupting power of the Mexican drug cartels operating on both sides of our border. The pro-business case for legalizing marijuana nationally, or in Texas, is undergoing an interesting shift as markets mature. In the early days of legalization, in states such as Washington and Colorado, the mom and pop shops of scrappy entrepreneurs seemed poised to benefit the most. As Fivethirtyeight.com reported recently, industrial-scale agricultural techniques aren't far away, however, and wholesale prices are dropping. In a less regulated market, its reporting claims, 10 medium-sized Midwest farms could grow enough product to supply the entire nation. As markets naturally trend toward efficiency, the business of marijuana may morph into something far more "corporate" than anything we've seen so far. Finally, the state tax-revenue potential of marijuana is compelling. Walsh told me the $1 billion estimate of state tax revenue bandied about for California might not happen right away, but likely will be reached a few years down the line. That much tax revenue, plus the businesses built to provide the product, create financial momentum for legalization nationwide. With four years' worth of data from Colorado's retail sales experience, we can project the revenue potential for Texas. Colorado's state pot revenues hit $247 million last year. If Texas raised the same amount of revenue per capita as Colorado, it would reap more than $1.2 billion per year. That kind of money would matter a lot in a state allergic to income taxes. Polling firm Gallup reported in October that 64 percent of Americans support legalization. Perhaps even more interestingly for Texans, 51 percent of Republicans nationwide support legalization, up 9 percent from the prior year. Legalization rolls on. Both Canada and Massachusetts will have legal adult recreational retail sales by summer. For all I know, Texas might be the last state to legalize marijuana. But O'Rourke disagrees and says that as he crisscrosses the state campaigning, the issue comes up in cities and small towns all across Texas. "If Texas were to move to legalization, it would be over. (Federal) prohibition would end," O'Rourke said. "I think we could be the first state in the South." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The U.S. could become a net exporter of natural gas in 2018 for the first time since 1957 due to increased sales to Mexico, the opening of new markets through liquefied natural gas and declining imports from Canada, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The United States is shipping LNG to at least 20 foreign markets, the Energy Department said, and exports of LNG will continue to grow as terminals on the Gulf Coast reach capacity and companies expand or develop new terminals. The Houston company Cheniere has been exporting LNG since early 2016 and plans to expand its Sabine Pass complex and open a terminal in Corpus Christi by 2019. Two other Houston companies, Freeport LNG and Kinder Morgan, are scheduled to begin exporting liquefied natural gas later this year, Freeport LNG out of its Quintana Island terminal and Kinder Morgan out from its Elba Island LNG project in Georgia. Sempra Energy expects to start up its Cameron LNG project in Louisiana in 2019. Several companies, including Tellurian of Houston, the venture of Cheniere founder Charif Souki, have proposed Gulf Coast projects that would launch operations on the next decade. These projects are part of the transformation of Houston and the Gulf Coast into a global hub of energy exports, the result of booming U.S. production unleashed by the so-called shale revolution. U.S. crude exports - prohibited until late 2015, when Congress lifted a 40-year ban - have surged, hitting 1.7 million barrels a day in October, according to the Energy Department. Most of it is moving through of Houston.Through the first 11 months of 2017, about 75 percent of U.S. crude exports was shipped from the Port of Houston, according to WiserTrade, a nonprofit research group that tracks U.S. trade. Natural gas exports have helped support domestic natural gas prices, the Energy Department said. Natural gas spot prices averaged $3.01 per million British thermal units last year - about 50 cents higher than in 2016, when prices reached a near-20-year low. Higher prices contributed to a decline in domestic consumption of natural gas in 2017. It fell 6 percent from 2016, the Energy Department said. Higher natural gas prices meant fewer power plants switched to other fuels to generate electricity. Exports of natural gas - much of it produced in Texas shale fields - to Mexico are expected to grow quickly as the country shifts its power production to the cleaner burning fuel. Pipeline capacity to Mexico is projected to nearly double by 2019. Additional growth in natural gas pipeline exports to Mexico, however, will be contingent on the timely completion of Mexico's connecting pipelines, which so far have experienced construction delays, according to the Energy Department. U.S.-marketed natural gas production increased by about 1 percent in 2017, according to EIA's preliminary estimates for the year. Regionally, natural gas production growth was concentrated in Appalachia-primarily in the Marcellus and Utica shales. Other regions have also increased production, including the Anadarko region in Texas and Oklahoma and the Bakken region in North Dakota. Texas is an increasingly attractive target for cybercriminals across the globe with its 28 million residents and target-rich environment of energy, technology and hospitality companies. The state, in fact, suffered the highest number of malware attacks in the U.S. during the first quarter of last year, according to data released in June from security firm Malwarebytes. While that fact may not have been known, it certainly wasn't lost on the patients of San Antonio women's medical practices Northeast OB/GYN Associates and the Institute for Women's Health. They received the startling news in August that hackers may have stolen some of their personal information or credit or debit card data. The San Antonio obstetrics practices, both under the same parent company, Consultants in Women's Health, said a so-called keylogger virus was installed on their networks on June 5. The virus was discovered July 6 and the practices took action to remove it "from the majority of all network computers and terminal servers by July 11, 2017, resolving it completely by July 13, 2017," both said in statements at the time. It's a growing problem for big and small companies alike as hackers grow more and more brazen - and skilled at their jobs. It's particularly challenging for smaller businesses that don't have a dedicated staff or big enough IT budget to guard against attacks. The increasing threat has given rise to the need for cyber insurance for small companies - a type of protection once reserved for big corporations with significant IT budgets. "Cyberattacks oftentimes have severe consequences for small businesses, including in many cases precipitating bankruptcy, just due to some of the lack of resources," said Patrick Thielen, senior vice president of financial lines at Chubb Limited, which offers cyber insurance. Only about 40 percent of medium- and small-sized companies buy the coverage, according to a report released in November by Argo Group International Holdings, a Bermuda-based underwriter of specialty insurance and re-insurance products. Employees at both Northeast OB/GYN and the Institute for Women's Health said in nearly identical emailed statements that their practices had cyber liability insurance in place before the incident, and continue to carry such coverage. While cyber insurance policies differ, they generally cover lost revenue as well as the cost of recovering data from an attack. "This kind of insurance should be considered as part of any business plan in this day and age," wrote Nancy Villa, IT director for the Institute. Both practices also said they had security measures in place, such as "network filtering and security monitoring, firewalls, antivirus software and password protection" prior to the attack, but implemented additional safeguards after the keylogger virus infiltrated their system. Large companies like Equifax, which suffered a massive data breach that exposed sensitive data on almost half of all U.S. consumers in July, are constantly at risk for cyberattacks. The WannaCry ransomware attack, which has been blamed on North Korea, took down computers at organizations of all sizes from Russia to Taiwan in May. But smaller companies, especially those in Texas, are increasingly attractive targets for hackers, according to a June report published for the first quarter of 2017 by the security firm Malwarebytes. Texas consumers and businesses reported losing about $77.1 million to internet criminals in 2016, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's annual Internet Crime Complaint Center report released earlier in 2017. More than $4.5 million was lost that year in the state just to corporate data breaches, according to that report. "Texas is a primary hotbed for malware activity," Malwarebytes warns, with its combination of a large population, highly targeted industries and sheer number of malware incidents. Argo Group, which surveyed 200 organizations in the U.S. and U.K. in September, found that a little more than 60 percent of the small- and medium-sized organizations experienced some kind of cyber incident in the last 12 months. While a large company may be seen as "more of a target for the hacking community," due to the large amounts of data they collect, it doesn't mean small businesses are safe from cyber criminals, said Simon White, senior vice president of cyber for Argo Group, which offers the coverage. "A lot of these hackers want to potentially get to the larger insureds via infiltrating a smaller business," White said. "So for example, a vendor's got a relationship with a large national entity, and the hackers think: Well, we can actually utilize the lack of security on the smaller firm side to get to the larger." To further complicate the issue, small businesses aren't investing as many resources to secure their business against attacks, White said. Brett Piatt, CEO of San Antonio data security firm Jungle Disk, said that can make it difficult for small businesses to qualify for cyber insurance. "It's really complicated to go through the underwriting process right now to fill out an application. And then when you fill out an application, a lot of them get rejected because they're not doing the technical things that they need to be doing in order to be able to be insurable," Piatt said. When small businesses try to start the process to get cyber insurance, they are sent a questionnaire anywhere from 10 to 25 pages long in which they are expected to explain their "IT processes, controls and systems," Piatt said. "Small businesses don't have answers to all of these questions," Piatt said. "And if they go through and get a consultant to come in and help them answer all of these, then they basically end up with a risk profile where the insurer basically says: I can't underwrite insurance for you until you go do all of these things you're not doing." He used an analogy of running a restaurant and having slippery floors because they are covered with castor oil. "Your general liability insurance person is going to be like, you need to clean that up or I'm not going to insure you for slip and fall. And a lot of small businesses are running their IT in that way," Piatt said. Andrew Kellett, an analyst at digital research and consulting firm Ovum, said small businesses increasingly need cyber insurance to protect themselves from both financial and regulatory damages. "I think it's still reasonably early days, especially when you're looking at the smaller end of the marketplace, because those sorts of organizations are probably just starting to look at the costs and the budget issues that would be involved in doing something like that," Kellett said. "In terms of do they need to do it, yes they probably do need to do it for a number of reasons, for their protection when things go wrong, for the regulatory issues that probably will start to push back." WASHINGTON - The federal government shut down for the first time in more than four years Friday after senators rejected a temporary spending patch and bipartisan efforts to find an alternative fell short as a midnight deadline came and went. Republican and Democratic leaders both said they would continue to talk, raising the possibility of a solution over the weekend. Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said Friday that the conflict has a "really good chance" of being resolved before government offices open Monday, suggesting that a shutdown's impacts could be limited. But the White House drew a hard line immediately after midnight, saying it would not negotiate over a central issue - immigration - until government funding is restored. "We will not negotiate the status of unlawful immigrants while Democrats hold our lawful citizens hostage over their reckless demands," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. "This is the behavior of obstructionist losers, not legislators. When Democrats start paying our armed forces and first responders we will reopen negotiations on immigration reform." Both parties confronted major political risks with 10 months to go until the midterm elections. Republicans resolved not to submit to the minority party's demands to negotiate, while Democrats largely unified to use the shutdown deadline to force concessions on numerous issues - including protections for hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants. The standoff culminated in a late-night Senate vote that failed to clear a 60-vote hurdle, sending congressional leaders and President Donald Trump back to the starting line after days of political posturing on all sides. "A government shutdown was 100 percent avoidable. Completely avoidable. Now it is imminent," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said on the Senate floor following the vote. "Perhaps across the aisle, some of our Democratic colleagues are feeling proud of themselves, but what has their filibuster accomplished? . . . The answer is simple: Their very own government shutdown." The early contours of the blame game appeared to cut against Trump and the Republicans, who control all levers of government but cannot pass major legislation without at least partial support from Senate Democrats. According to a Washington Post-ABC News poll, Americans said by a 20-point margin that they would blame a shutdown on Trump and the GOP rather than Democrats. A government shutdown causing employee furloughs has never occurred under unified party control of Congress and the White House. Some furloughs of White House employees began immediately early Saturday. The midnight drama came after an unusually tranquil day inside the Capitol, where visible tensions remained at a low simmer as various parties undertook quiet talks to discuss ways to avoid the shutdown. Republicans started the day eager to show a united front: House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and McConnell met Friday morning, determined to hold firm to a strategy they had crafted nearly a week prior: Make Democrats an offer they could not refuse by attaching a long-term extension of the Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, as well as the delay of some unpopular health-care taxes. And if they did refuse, the leaders believed, the public backlash would be intense - particularly in states where vulnerable Democratic senators are seeking reelection in November. McConnell delivered a morning salvo on the Senate floor, declaring that Democrats had been led into a "box canyon" by Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. But by midday, McConnell's strategy threatened to be upended by Trump - who phoned Schumer and invited him to the White House for a private meeting with no other congressional leaders. That immediately raised Republicans' suspicions on Capitol Hill that Trump might be tempted to cut a deal with his fellow New Yorker - much as he did in the early stages of a September standoff - that would undercut the GOP negotiating strategy and produce a deal that congressional conservatives could not stomach. White House aides assured top congressional leaders that no deal would emerge from the meeting, that it was merely meant to gauge the posture of Schumer and the Democrats. Republicans exhaled when that turned out to be so. "We made some progress, but we still have a number of disagreements," Schumer declared upon returning to the Capitol. Much later, after the shutdown began, Schumer said in a floor speech that in his meeting with the president, he even "reluctantly" offered to fully fund construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. "Even that was not enough for the president," Schumer said. What ensued for the remainder of the afternoon was a silent standoff, as it became increasingly clear that Republicans would not be able to lure enough Democrats to pass their preferred funding patch. For a few Democratic senators, a vote to spark a shutdown was too tough to swallow - even for Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama, who faced his first major political dilemma since winning a December special election in a campaign that emphasized his support for CHIP. "I have made a strong commitment in my state to 150,000 children who need health insurance," he said, announcing his decision to reporters late Friday. He joined Democratic Sens. Joe Donnelly, Ind., Joe Manchin III, W.Va., Heidi Heitkamp, N.D., and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., all of whom face tough paths to reelection in states that supported Trump in 2016 and voted to keep the government open. But Michigan Sens. Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow, meanwhile, announced they would both vote against the measure, bolstering the margin opposed to the bill. Four Republicans were also opposed: Sens. Jeff Flake, Ariz., Mike Lee, Utah, Rand Paul, Ky., and Lindsey Graham, S.C. Republicans spent much of the day attacking Democrats on several fronts - most frequently by pointing to a litany of critical statements Democratic leaders, including Schumer, had made slamming Republicans ahead of the 2013 shutdown. In a 2013 ABC News interview, Schumer said, "You know we could do the same thing on immigration. . . . We could say, 'We're shutting down the government. We're not going to raise the debt ceiling until you pass immigration reform.' It would be governmental chaos." "I think the longer it goes on, the more the American people see the hypocrisy on the Democratic side," said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., a veteran of several shutdown dramas. Democrats, meanwhile, pointed to other parts of the historical record - notably, a Trump tweet from May: "Our country needs a good 'shutdown' in September to fix mess!" Conservatives enthusiastically promoted the notion that Democrats were taking the government to the cusp of a shutdown to benefit undocumented immigrants, even a largely sympathetic subset. Democrats want legal status for "dreamers" - young immigrants brought to the U.S. as children who now live here illegally - in return for a spending agreement. That fight was prompted by Trump's cancellation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which is expected to take effect in March barring court challenges. Numerous Republicans said they were perfectly comfortable waging the shutdown fight on those terms, though Democrats have sought to expand the playing field to other issues such as funding to combat opioid abuse and pension bailouts. "Are Democrats going to shut the government . . . because we want basic reforms and enforcement measures that are going to prevent further flows of illegal immigrants and unskilled immigrants?" said Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., who is pushing for hard-line immigration policies in return for a DACA fix. "Seems to me like a tough position to win in light of the 2016 election." Marc Short, Trump's director of legislative affairs, said that the effort by Democrats to put an immigration fix in the spending bill was unreasonable, given that legislative text has not been drafted and the program doesn't expire until March. "There's no DACA bill to vote on, and there's no emergency on the timing," Short said. The posturing took place mainly in front of reporters. Missing were the furious back-and-forth negotiations that preceded the 16-day shutdown in 2013, when Republican leaders sought to force a rollback of the Affordable Care Act and met several times with President Barack Obama to seek an accommodation. Shortly after 6 p.m., Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, looked at his watch and vented frustration. "Government shuts down in what, five hours and 40 minutes? And there's no solution? I don't know whether Sen. Schumer is just determined to take it down," he said. "Obviously, we don't want to shut the government down either, but they seem to be determined to do so." Visibly, only Graham shuttled back and forth between the Republican and Democratic leadership offices, shopping a proposal to replace the four-week funding extension passed by the House with a slightly shorter one. As the 10 p.m. vote approached, Cornyn declared: "No deal." Schumer rejected a proposal that would have extended funding by three weeks, to Feb. 8, instead of four. Schumer floated a 10-day extension, which would have set another deadline just before Trump delivered his State of the Union address on Jan. 30. Shortly after midnight, McConnell closed the vote and declared an impasse. The Trump administration worked up plans to keep national parks and monuments open despite a shutdown as a way to blunt public anger, and while the military would not cease to operate, troops would not be paid unless Congress specifically authorizes it. In a sign of the preparations on Capitol Hill, congressional staffers received formal notice Friday morning that they may be furloughed starting at midnight. Individual lawmakers will have to determine which aides must report for work during the impasse. Trump postponed a scheduled trip to his Florida resort, where he had scheduled a pricey fundraiser to mark his first anniversary in office. Ryan faced the cancellation of an official trip to Iraq, and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and other lawmakers revisited plans to travel to Switzerland for the World Economic Forum. The latter trip drove Democratic attacks earlier in the day, especially after McCarthy floated plans in the morning to send House members home for a planned week-long recess. "They want to spend next week hobnobbing with their elitist friends instead of honoring their responsibilities to the American people," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said of Republicans. Earlier in the night, around 150 protesters gathered outside the Capitol to hear Democrats promise not to back any spending deal that did not grant legal status to DACA recipients. "This is a movement," said Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif. "We're going to have some good days, and we're going to have some bad days. And like every movement that has allowed our country to progress, we are going to have to fight." - - - The Washington Post's Sean Sullivan and John Wagner contributed to this report. --- Video Embed Code Video: As the government shutdown inches closer and closer, lawmakers are busy pointing fingers at who's to blame for the impasse.(Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post) Embed code: Video: A short-term spending bill failed during a procedural vote in the Senate late on Jan. 19, taking the government closer to a shutdown.(Bastien Inzaurralde, Jordan Frasier/The Washington Post) Embed code: At a time when journalists in this country are under fire, it's interesting to recall what happened in Texas in the latter years of the 19th century when a fiery journalist's pen and Southern Baptist brimstone met with fatal results. This column ran originally on Jan. 15, 2015. WACO - Satire. That's what you call it. But answer me this: When does satire bleed into calumny of the cruelest, most vicious sort? You can talk all you want about First Amendment rights and freedom of the press, but wait until you and yours are the targets. Wait until institutions deserving of our deepest devotion and respect feel the rapier prick of the satirist's vile pen. Then we'll see how high-minded you are. Maybe those words approximate the thoughts of Waco businessman and Baylor alumnus Thomas E. Davis on a sunny spring day in 1898 when he lunged out of a downtown real estate office, and shot the foremost satirist of his time. A bullet from Davis' gun burrowed deep into the back of the man he hated, right where the suspenders crossed. Then again, maybe not. William Cowper Brann - "the classic hell-raiser of his generation," former Houston Chronicle executive editor Tony Pederson calls him - had a way of driving people to furious distraction, enraging them beyond words or rational thought, particularly if they were Baylorites, Baptists, Brits, women, Episcopalians, African-Americans or upstanding Wacoans. As Pederson reminded me by phone this week, "He was one of the first journalists to be killed because of what he wrote." Tragically, he wouldn't be the last, as we've been reminded by recent attacks. Born in 1855, Brann was the son of an Illinois preacher; his mother died when he was 2. A vagabond journalist of sorts, he started The Iconoclast in Austin. When he couldn't make a go of it, he sold his printing press and Iconoclast name for $250 to a young Austin bank teller named William Sydney Porter (O Henry). He moved to Waco to write editorials for the Waco Daily News and in 1895 revived The Iconoclast after O Henry let it die. Soon the weekly paper boasted a circulation of more than 100,000, the largest of any magazine in America, Brann claimed. Its motto: "It Strikes to Kill." 'Master of invective' Brann's raw humor and corrosive satire, directed primarily at Victorian hypocrisy and "organized virtue," attracted readers from Hawaii to England, from Canada to Australia. News boys hawking The Iconoclast on trains inevitably ran out before they reached the last car. H.L. Mencken, no slouch as a satirist himself, called Brann "a past master of invective." A tall, handsome man, well-read and well-spoken, arrogant and hot-tempered, Brann was, in the words of Texas writer Roy Bedichek, "among the first publicists of his generation to identify and challenge the hypocrisies, the sickly sentimentalisms, the religiosity - especially the glaring gaps between religious pretense and religious performance - and the excessive affectations general in the life, art and literature of an already moribund Victorianism." "People frequently say to me, 'Brann, your attacks are too harsh,''' the fiery editor once wrote. "Perhaps so, but I have not yet mastered the esoteric of choking a bad dog to death with good butter." Brann may have had readers and admirers throughout the English-speaking world, but since Baptists were his frequent target, he was not greatly appreciated in his adopted city, particularly after he launched a weekly crusade against the Rev. Rufus C. Burleson, Baylor's elderly president and the man who baptized Sam Houston. A 13-year-old Brazilian girl named Antonia Texeira, brought to the U.S. by missionaries, was living with the Burleson family and working as a servant. When she turned up pregnant and in court named a young relative of the Burlesons as the father, the story almost wrote itself for the man the Baptists branded an apostle of the Devil. "This young girl, still in short skirts, came to Baylor," he wrote, "and her diploma weighed eight pounds two ounces." He called Baylor "an intellectual eye-sore." Its students, he wrote, "are chiefly fork-of-the-creek yaps who curry horses or run errands for their board and wear the same undershirt year round. They take but two baths during their lifetime - one when they are born, the other when they are baptized." Some of those fork-of-the-creek yaps kidnapped Brann, intending to tar and feather him. The youthful mob misplaced the tar, so its leaders decided to lynch him. A professor strolling by after a prayer service at the nearby home of a judge advised against it. He suggested instead that they horsewhip him. Brann survived that ordeal and others and continued stoking the fire. Pederson, a Baylor alumnus who now chairs the journalism department at SMU, is, like me, a native Wacoan. (Actually, we're both from Bellmead, the blue-collar suburb east of town.) A dapper fellow, no fork-of-the-creek yap, to be sure, he discovered Brann in a journalism class taught by the legendary David McHam, recently retired from the University of Houston. When he found the complete works of Brann in a Waco used-book store, he forked over the $125 and has treasured the 12-volume set ever since. "His ability as a stylist, the narrative quality of it, his descriptions - it's beautiful writing," Pederson said. Not a hero There's also this about the man admired by so many journalists: However brilliant he was, however fearless, he also was a rabid racist. "The black is here, and I see but one way to get rid of him. " (You don't want to read the rest of it.) "It's there. There's no question about it," Pederson said. "It is awful. You would like to think that for a journalistic hero of his time he would be way ahead of his time, but he wasn't." On the afternoon before Brann and his wife, Carrie - he called her Midget - were to leave on a lecture tour that would take them to San Antonio, Houston, Galveston, New Orleans and Chicago, the businessman Davis stepped into the busy street and shot him in the back, foot and groin. The buffalo hunter turned real estate agent apparently was enraged at Brann's Baylor jibes. The wounded editor drew the double-action revolver he carried for protection - one of the first of its kind in Waco - whirled around and shot his assailant, the bullets from Brann's pistol rolling Davis over and over on the sidewalk. Brann was hauled off to jail. The police didn't know he'd been shot until they noticed blood sloshing from his shoes. Both men died the next day. Brann, 43 at the time of his death, rests beneath a live oak in Waco's historic Oakwood Cemetery, not far from the Baylor campus. On one side of the small granite obelisk that marks his grave is a bas-relief profile of Brann carved in marble; years ago, a bullet gouged out a portion of the temple. A lamp of truth originally atop the obelisk was stolen in 2009. Baylor fraternities were among the suspects. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate LATEST DEVELOPMENT: Alleged pimp tied to Gulfton brothel detained For eight years, the shabby Carriage Way apartments in southwest Houston concealed a brothel run by a ruthless sex trafficking ring that lured undocumented women into prostitution with false promises of restaurant jobs. The gang-affiliated family business was allegedly managed by a woman whose sons served as enforcers and another whose children were pimps and prostitutes. New recruits, including a 14-year-old runaway, were threatened, beaten, drugged and tattooed with their pimps' street names to remind them who owned them. One woman who didn't make her quota was forced to have liposuction and breast augmentation. When trafficking victims escaped their clutches, gang members crossed borders to hunt them down and force them back into service, according to sworn testimony by two investigators at several federal court detention hearings last fall. The dismantling of the gritty Gulfton brothel and two others purportedly operated by the Southwest Cholos gang and their associates offers a harsh view of the often violent, sprawling and lucrative sex trade that has flourished in Houston in a variety of settings. The illicit sex business here now includes top-dollar call girl agencies, legions of street walkers, hundreds of massage parlors fronting for sex shops and cantinas where a beer can be followed by a "date" in room behind the bar. "We have more brothels than we have Starbucks in our city," said Robert Sanborn, president and CEO of Children at Risk. The demand is so pervasive that at any given moment there are over 400 storefront sex businesses operating in Houston, said Sanborn, whose nonprofit research and advocacy group routinely analyzes posts on Rubmaps.com where patrons rate and review illicit massage proprietors. STUDY: Illicit massage parlors in Houston prolific and lucrative "Houston is fertile ground for trafficking because of its proximity to the border, its sexually oriented businesses, its diversity and the demand for sexual services," said Alfred T. Tribble Jr., an FBI supervisor who oversees the human trafficking unit in Houston. FBI investigations into human trafficking have more doubled nationwide in the past decade and Texas has emerged as a major sex trafficking market, among the regions generating the most calls each year to the national trafficking hotline, Tribble said. The Cholos brothel showed how the sex trade has also sprouted up in residential areas, as Tribble's team and investigators from the DEA, Homeland Security and the Harris County Sheriff's Office would discover. Neighbors who knew about the brothel at the two-story Carriage Way apartment complex -- seven miles from downtown, three miles from the glitzy Galleria -- were reportedly too spooked by the threat of gang retaliation to report it to the police. Over two years, investigators tracked down evidence in Houston, the Rio Grande Valley, Mexico, Honduras and El Salvador. The grand jury indictments - returned on Nov. 3 and Dec. 7 - of 24 members and associates of the Southwest Cholos provide a glimpse into the complex crime underworld that thrived behind closed doors. The case is unusual in that a Houston street gang is accused not only of peddling drugs and firearms but also running an international prostitution business and a human smuggling operation that transported immigrants from China across the U.S.-Mexico border for a whopping $40,000 per person. A gang dabbling in sex trafficking is not an anomaly, said Tribble from the FBI. Gang leaders are savvy and they often experiment with new enterprises to increase their profits, he said. "Trafficking in human flesh is a lot less risky than trafficking in firearms or illegal narcotics," Tribble explained. "The capital is abundant and renewable, people are sold over and over again." "It's not like a kilo of cocaine where it's used and it's gone," he said. "You can use them and use them and then ship them off to another city and exploit them more." That was exactly what happened in the Cholos case, an FBI agent on Tribble's team testified. The agent told a Houston judge that several of the victims were groomed and trained at a family-run brothel in Cancun before being romanced, tricked, tattooed and shipped to three Cholos brothels in Gulfton where their services commanded a higher price. The enforcers for the gang brothel were particularly merciless in controlling their money-making victims, Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Goldman told a judge at a November hearing. "We're dealing with a group of individuals that branded women like cattle," Goldman told the court, adding they engaged in "exceptional violence." Five defendants, including the pimp who allegedly ran the Cancun brothel, remain fugitives, but Goldman convinced federal magistrates that 14 of 17 defendants rounded up by police were a danger or flight risk and should await trial in custody without bond. While some declined to comment, citing reams of documents they'd just been handed, several defense lawyers said there is little evidence to support the sweeping federal indictment and poked holes in the government's case, including Andrew Williams, who represents a key defendant accused of managing the brothel. RELATED: Alleged sex trafficking fugitive wanted by FBI in cantina case Williams said his client, Maria Angelica "Patty" Moreno-Reyna, 51, had nothing to do with the scheme but got swept up in the prosecution because she lived in a gang-saturated building where a brothel was operating unchecked for years. "Some of these claims are outrageous," said Williams. "She's a middle-aged woman. She has no power to make anyone do anything. They're making her out to be a kingpin." The lawyer for Patty's son, Jose Luis "Lucky" Moreno who is accused of being an enforcer, said he looked forward to his client having his day in court. "We suspect the government's evidence is contrived," said attorney Ali Fazel. "We suspect that a good number of witness for the government have been granted a great deal of leniency and provided favors for their testimony." Williams, the lawyer for Lucky's mother Patty, agreed, saying prosecutors had cast a very wide net in hopes that some defendants would be snared, a strategy he said benefitted the government's witnesses. "Some of these witnesses are going to be able to stay in this country for a long time," he said. RELATED: Alleged Southwest Cholos' madam, husband and alleged pimp son denied bond The gang's grim enterprise persisted for years amid the buzz of life at the urban apartment complex on Houston's southwest side, according to investigators. On a sunny morning a week after the arrests, the people at the Carriage Way apartments on Dashwood quietly attended to their lives. A woman unloaded groceries in the carport as neighbors chatted in an interior passageway, paces from where the Cholos brothel operated for nearly a decade. A sign posted in the parking lot reminded residents to keep their radios low as a courtesy to others. The enterprising residents of a nearby apartment had set up a makeshift convenience store, with handwritten signs taped in windows advertising chips, soda and candy. But in an adjoining courtyard evidence remained of the recent FBI raid at an upstairs apartment: a cracked window pane and a boarded up door plastered with an eviction notice. The scheme, officials say, involved tenants who rented 10 of about 70 residential units in the complex. Several neighbors at the complex said they saw a team of FBI agents combing through units at the two-story complex during the first week in November. Before the raid, they said, they claimed to know nothing about a busy brothel where up to seven women provided services to customers from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. The building manager at the apartment complex declined to speak with a reporter about the protracted criminal enterprise alleged by police. A Houston attorney who represented the building owner in a 2012 nuisance lawsuit - involving complaints at another residential property - did not return calls for comment. RELATED: Bounty hunter, girlfriend in court on sex trafficking charges The woman known as Patty is charged with setting up the illegal sex operation jointly with family members from the Southwest Cholos, several of whom lived in the building. The Houston-based gang dates to 1990 and currently has about 2,000 members spread across 10 cliques in Bellaire, Fondren, Chimney Rock and Gulfton in the southwest of part of Houston, according to Lt. Aaron Tyksinski, who oversees juvenile crime division for Harris County's Pct. 1 Constable Alan Rosen. Over the years, Tyksinski said, the gang has been linked to crimes like aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, car theft, narcotics trafficking and home invasions. But the investigation in the brothel case uncovered a much more expansive international scheme. During several hours on the witness stand in November, Dina Morales, a special agent at Houston's FBI field office specializing in sex trafficking investigations, described terrifying conditions women endured at the Cholos' brothels. Morales told a judge the crew's 51-year-old matriarch Patty ran three apartment brothels in working class Gulfton, west of Bellaire. The enduring money maker of the trio was the Carriage Way, which was hub for the gang's methamphetamine and heroin sales, gun trafficking and immigrant smuggling operation. Patty, a Mexican immigrant, employed her five gang-affiliated American sons and another gang leader who was "like a son" as enforcers. One of Patty's sons, William Alberto Lopez, remains a fugitive, and has been accused of doling out the most brutal attacks to victims. Agent Morales said William helped run the brothels in Houston and headed one in Cancun a prosecutor dubbed "the farm team." Women got practice at the Cancun business before being smuggled into the U.S. and forced to earn back their smuggling debts by performing sex acts in Houston, the FBI agent said. The FBI agent said Patty's husband and gang-affiliated brother handled the lucrative human smuggling branch of the business with crews in Houston and the border town of Donna. The smuggling team shuttled in two immigrants from China for $40,000 each, and others from Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Central America, using gang-controlled stash houses in the Rio Grande Valley, Morales said. A colleague of Patty's, Gabriela Gonzalez-Flores, also a Mexican immigrant, ran the Carriage Way brothel, delivering beers and condoms to patrons and collecting sex payments, with her American children in support roles: her son Hector Reyna, nicknamed "Pantera" or panther, was a top-ranking leader in the Cholos and an enforcer and pimp, a daughter Bianca Stephanie "Troubles" Reyna was a gang member and enforcer and two other daughters chipped in as prostitutes, Morales said. The FBI agent said enforcers with the gang entrapped vulnerable women with lofty promises, drugged them, punched and kicked them into submission and threatened them and their families if they resisted. Pantera, 26, invited a 14-year-old runaway to move in with him, his mother and sisters, convincing the girl they were dating. He gave her drugs so she wouldn't make a scene and got his name and nickname tattooed on her body, according to testimony. Then Pantera told the teen she owed the family money for lodging, but since she was an undocumented and a minor, she would have to work as a prostitute, Morales told the court. Other gang members are also accused of treating the women harshly, kidnapping one from another Houston brothel and forcing them to work. One young woman was dragged by her hair into the street when she refused to show up for a shift. Another trafficking victim came to the brothel after Patty's son William seized her during a shootout with the bartender at another brothel, Morales testified. This woman was forced to get a tattoo with William's name on it and promised a job at William's mother's restaurant. She soon learned there was no such restaurant. "William was very severe with her," Morales testified. "He hit her, and she ran away and went back to Mexico to live with her mother." Within a week of returning home, "William showed up at her doorstep," Morales said. William allegedly threatened harm to her family if she did not come back with him. She returned but was expected to repay her smuggling debt of $5,000. In addition, William paid for breast enlargement surgery and liposuction in hopes she'd make more money at the brothel, the agent said. RELATED: Sex trafficker 'El Gallo' sentenced to maximum 40 years Morales said the woman was expected to pay William those medical costs along with her smuggling fees, so she fled the Houston brothel a second time. Again the Cholos crew hauled her back by force. The third time she managed to escape and get away, according to the FBI agent. Overall, the human toll on women in the business was considerable. The Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance, a collaboration between police and non-profits, have identified 13 women forced to work at the Cholos brothel. What helped the sex business and the Cholos' other criminal endeavors thrive was the perpetrators' friendly veneer, said Tribble, from the FBI. "These traffickers are amicable," he said. "They could sell you sand on the beach. They can find things out about you by social engineering, and the next thing you know ... they're threatening your parents, your children and loved ones." Trafficking victims were drawn to Houston looking for the American dream, he said. It's the same dream, investigators say, the extended Cholos crew members exploited in fashioning their own cruel scheme. Gabrielle Banks covers federal court for the Houston Chronicle. Send her email at gabrielle.banks@chron.com and follow her on Twitter. NASA's first Hispanic woman to go to space - who later went on to log almost 1,000 hours in orbit and become director of Houston's Johnson Space Center - is retiring in May. A center spokeswoman confirmed Friday that Director Ellen Ochoa informed employees earlier that same morning of her impending retirement during an internal meeting. Ochoa, a veteran astronaut originally from California, is the 11th director of JSC and only the second woman to run NASA's human space flight hub, which had a budget of $4.5 billion in fiscal year 2017 and employs more than 3,000 people. In an email to employees, Ochoa said that this year will be her 30th at NASA, and her youngest of two sons turns 18, so it is "a natural point for our family in which to move on to the next phase." "It's a really tough decision to determine when to make that transition; for me, it comes down to my personal situation," she wrote. "We'll move to Boise, ID, and I intend to be involved with a number of activities that interest me (including getting back to playing flute, which I once considered for a career!)" Ochoa, now 59, was not available for comment Friday. In 1988, Ochoa joined NASA as research engineer at Ames Research Center in California and two years later moved to the Houston center when she was selected as an astronaut. By 1993, she became the first Hispanic woman to go to space. She has flown four times, according to NASA's website, logging almost 1,000 hours in space. Joined hall of fame Ochoa became the center's deputy director in 2007 and replaced Michael Coats as center director in 2012. Then-NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement at the time that "Ellen's enthusiasm, experience and leadership, including her superb job as deputy director, make her a terrific successor to Mike as director of JSC." Herb Baker, who retired last year from NASA, said Ochoa is one of the best center directors he's worked with in his 42 years at the agency. "I just think the world of her," Baker said. "She's very accessible and she's very smart - no surprises there - and she cared deeply about the people who worked out there" at Johnson. Baker also called her brave, saying she made decisions, such as combining the astronaut and mission control offices, that others before her would have been hesitant to do. Center director "is not easy job, as you might guess. There's a lot of responsibility there," Baker added. "The center director is responsible for people's lives. The decisions they make impact life and death, literally." As center director, Ochoa oversees the nation's astronaut corps, the Orion program and mission operations for the International Space Station, among other things. Last year, Ochoa was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, and she has received the Distinguished Service Medal, NASA's highest award. Additionally, five schools in California have been named after her. 'In good hands' The search for her replacement will be conducted by NASA headquarters, but center officials said they do not have a timeline for when that will occur. Ochoa said in her Friday email that more information about center leadership will be announced by acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot "later in the spring." When Ochoa became center director in 2012, her appointment was announced the same day Coats, her predecessor, announced his retirement. "We're fortunate to have a team of excellent leaders here at JSC, so I know I'll be leaving JSC in good hands," Ochoa wrote to her employees Friday. "I have several months to go as Center Director, and you can count on me to continue to be fully committed to our mission and our people here." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Mayor Sylvester Turner's press secretary used Houston's publicly-funded television station to promote contestants in a reality show she was developing as one of many private business ventures, emails show, part of her sustained use of public office to further her personal interests. Darian Ward sent or received roughly 5,000 pages of emails about personal business from her government account over the last four years, some of which dealt with a reality series she was pitching to television networks. The show, "My First Million," does not appear to have come to fruition, but would have featured six female entrepreneurs seeking to earn $1 million dollars. Ward described the idea in 2015 emails as "the Apprentice meets Shark Tank in stilettos." Ward not only pitched "My First Million" to producers and networks from her city email account, often during business hours, but also featured the six contestants in a Houston Television show that she hosted in her official capacity as press secretary. Ward interviewed each of the women about their businesses in an April 2015 episode of "Press Pass to the City," which was filmed and produced by city employees using public funds. She did not directly reference her side project on air, but told the audience, "These ladies, keep your eyes on them, because over the next six months by the end of this year they will all be millionaires." Ward joined former mayor Annise Parker's staff as press secretary in 2014, and Turner has kept her on in the same role. Turner suspended Ward for two weeks without pay last month for conducting personal business on city time, but otherwise has brushed off critiques of Ward's behavior. "She's done her job extremely well since I've been here, over and above," the mayor told reporters two weeks ago. "I have no question with regard to her work performance." Ward, who earns $93,712 annually, did not respond to a request for comment. Alan Bernstein, Turner's director of communications, issued a statement Friday night attributed to the mayor: "Darian Ward's actions were unacceptable and against policy. She was suspended for two full weeks without pay and was instructed to cease doing personal business on city time. Any subsequent violation could result in termination. A letter was also sent to all employees advising them of the policy." Ward appears to have routinely leveraged her public title and the access it afforded to boost her private interests. "Hello, I'm Darian Ward, TV host and press secretary for Houston Mayor Annise Parker and we have a fantastic 'business experiment' underway which is the basis of a TV series 'My First Million' aka 'Driven,'" Ward wrote in a January 2015 email pitching her idea to a Los Angeles-based producer. In another instance, in February of that year, she used her city email to contact a producer from a CNBC program that had just visited Houston to tape a segment. "It was great working with you last week with Mayor Parker," Ward wrote. She then pivoted to her private venture: "I would love to see if we could find a production partner for a TV series we would like to pitch... We have a treatment, the women have been selected and I'm talking with a CNBC executive next week about the project." Similarly, in a July 2017 exchange with Warner Bros. representatives, Ward used the same email to arrange Turner's appearance at an event and reference two projects she wanted to pitch to the studio. "One project is a docu-series, similar to Shark Tank, the other is Hotel Alessandra which is a scripted series," she wrote. Ward cast some of her ideas as talk shows that would build on the success of current or planned TV shows. Ward pitched two such shows in 2014: "Scandalicious," a play on the show "Scandal," and "Astrowives After Party" a take on "The Astronaut Wives Club." Other concepts included "Playbook of Love," a matchmaking show she also pitched that year. Ward also leveraged her position for the benefit of charities she supported, chiefly the Smahrt Girl Foundation, on whose board she sits. In addition to promoting the nonprofit, Ward recommended the private business of the charity's founder, Pamela Ellis, to city officials. "I truly believe Pamela would be a great person to consider. I've known her for more than 10 years," Ward wrote to former Houston IT director Charles Thompson. "I think her firm would be an asset." It is not clear those referrals to Thompson and others yielded any city work for Ellis. During the final seven months of Parker's tenure, Ward also used the Houston municipal television station's studios to film a pilot for another show, titled "The Good Life," records show. The television station, known as HTV, allows the public to rent out its studios for private use, and Ward in Oct. 2015 wrote a $720 check from her production company for a minimum of four hours of studio time, plus graphics creation. However, HTV's rate sheet shows that four hours of time in that studio, Studio A, is supposed to cost $1,200. In total, HTV's calendar shows staff blocked off at least 19 hours on five separate days from June 2015 to Sept. 2015 to work on Ward's project. "No, we didn't charge her for that," said Dwight Williams, HTV division manager, specifically referring to a two-hour event listed in HTV's calendar as "Casting Call 'The Good Life' with Darian Ward." "That should have been included in the overall cost of the project." He later added that HTV often tries to foster relationships with new clients by "giving them extras they wouldn't otherwise get." "If we have the opportunity to build a relationship with someone and maybe that person is challenged financially, then I think we would do that for just about anybody," Williams said. "I don't think we gave her any special treatment." Williams also said Ward was the only city employee during his tenure who asked to work with HTV on a personal production. "That is not the norm," Williams said. Former mayor Parker said she was unaware Ward was conducting personal business on city time during her tenure. "As far as I'm concerned, that's a fireable offense," she said. "The work I was aware that she was doing was acceptable, which is why she kept her job, but this is unacceptable." Parker added that she did not authorize Ward to use footage of her in a promotional video for "My First Million." "Women face all of the same challenges that male entrepreneurs face, but they also have to contend with some issues around how women are socialized and access to capital that was actively denied women for many, many years," Parker says in the video. Ward also used footage of Parker skydiving. "She certainly didn't have permission to use my images for commercial purposes," Parker said Friday. "The skydiving day was with members of my senior staff on the weekend and at personal expense and that segment has been edited to imply a connection to Darian's project that did not exist." Meanwhile, Ward occasionally copied Tanya Makany-Rivera, now Turner's deputy press secretary, on emails about "My First Million." "I never responded because I had too many other things going on," said Makany-Rivera, who worked in the city's Office of Business Opportunity at the time. Makany-Rivera added that she thought "My First Million" was a city project and, therefore, did not formally report Ward's behavior. Ward's December suspension stemmed from a journalist's records request for emails related to her business, Joy in Motion, or other personal matters. Ward produced just 30 pages of emails in response. Her boss, Bernstein, then requested the city's Office of Inspector General search Ward's email to ensure her reply to the records request was accurate. The OIG discovered 5,000 pages of emails about her personal business endeavors. The city initially said there were 5,000 emails, but has corrected that figure. "Ms. Ward, you misrepresented to the requestor the volume of documents regarding the TPIA request under state law, and you misinformed the chief of staff and me; you spent a significant amount of city time conducting your personal business rather than focusing on your work task," Bernstein wrote Ward on Dec. 11, informing her that she had violated multiple city policies. The city has not brought complaints with the Texas Attorney General or Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, the mayor has said. Nevertheless, Ogg spokesman Dane Schiller said last week the DA's office has asked the city's OIG to share evidence. "We will review the evidence and apply the law once the evidence is received from the City of Houston's Office of Inspector General," the district attorney said in a statement. AUSTIN - A federal judge on Friday ordered Texas to make broad and immediate reforms to the way it cares for children in long-term foster care, despite objections from top state officials who call the mandates unfunded and unnecessary. Roughly seven years after a group of foster children brought the class-action lawsuit, U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack of Corpus Christi issued a final order Friday calling on the state to expand its foster home options, make it easier for children to report abuse and ensure caseworkers visit with their kids each month. In a 116-page order, Jack criticized the state, saying leaders "completely ignored" the court's earlier order to implement policies making sure foster children are free from an "unreasonable risk of harm." Just hours after the decision came out, Attorney General Ken Paxton appealed to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, saying Jack ordered a plan that is "incomplete and impractical." "Texas has a solemn responsibility to care for children removed from their homes due to neglect and abuse of all kinds, and last year the Legislature approved landmark changes in the foster care system," Paxton said in a statement. "When unelected judges improperly assume control of state institutions, Texas officials cannot make the policy they've been entrusted to make." Jack called the state's recent steps "admirable," but said the reforms haven't gone far enough to fix a system she ruled unconstitutional in 2015, finding that foster children in Texas "almost uniformly leave state custody more damaged than when they entered." "Over two years later, the system remains broken and (the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services) has demonstrated an unwillingness to take tangible steps to fix the broken system," she wrote in Friday's order. The foster system has faced scrutiny for shuffling children between multiple homes, relocating them far away from their own communities and running out of placement options, forcing children at times to sleep in state office buildings. As of October last year, more than 16,800 children were in foster care statewide, including more than 3,200 in the 13-county Houston region, according to DFPS data. Plaintiffs in the case, identified only by their initials, reported suffering sexual abuse from foster parents and siblings, being over-medicated and bouncing between foster homes and a rotating cast of caseworkers. Z.H., an 11-year-old boy at the time the lawsuit was filed, was placed in a residential treatment center 300 miles from his community in San Antonio. An attorney who helped represent Children's Rights, the New York-based children's advocacy group that filed the lawsuit, said Jack's decision represents a "turning point for Texas foster children." "The court's ruling requires the state to provide safe and secure homes, which will protect our most vulnerable children," said Paul Yetter, a Houston attorney. "It is a well-thought-out, comprehensive, careful order that requires across-the-board reform." Jack's order requires the state to implement a plan developed over the last year by court-appointed experts, known as special masters. Two of them, at state expense, will monitor compliance with Jack's order and submit reports to the court every six months updating progress. Jack ordered the state to adopt some reforms immediately, such as setting up a 24-hour hotline for reporting abuse and requiring monthly, documented meetings with foster children, some of whom had testified they went months without seeing a caseworker. Though the state has fought the court-ordered reforms at almost every turn, Abbott and the Legislature made improving child protection a priority last year. The recent changes include boosting pay for family members who take in a troubled child and further privatizing foster care in certain areas, including Bexar County, where eventually a contractor will take over case management duties from state workers. In 2016, the state approved $12,000 raises for about 6,000 child-protection workers, meant to help plug the workforce shortage and stop high rates of turnover. Still, state Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, said there is more to be done. "Judge Jack's final order will bring a requirement of urgency that's been missing in our effort to reform the foster care system," he said. "It won't be easy, and it won't be cheap, but it's necessary and it will save kid's lives." Some of Jack's mandates could come with a hefty price tag. One caps workloads at 17 children per caseworker, which could force the state to hire more staff. As of November last year, the average caseloads was 18.4 children per worker, according to DFPS. The ruling also forces the state to ensure each child has legal representation. It is unclear how many foster kids do not have an attorney because the DFPS does not track that information, according to the order. DFPS likely will have to recruit many more foster homes to comply with mandates that within two years all children under 13 be placed in "family-like settings" and that each region have enough foster homes to ensure kids are placed far away. As of November 2017, almost 18 percent of Bexar County foster children were living outside the region, and some agencies reported a critical shortage of licensed foster homes, according to DFPS data. In addition to an appeal, Paxton requested a temporary suspension of Jack's order, meaning the state would not have to immediately start making any of the changes. Azerbaijan remembers On the night of Jan. 19-20, 1990, Azerbaijan was invaded by 26,000 Soviet troops. After blowing up the national television transmission block and imposing an immediate informational blockade on the entire republic, the Red Army rolled its tanks through the streets of Azeri capital Baku indiscriminately firing at everything that moved. Official count puts the death toll at 140 civilians killed, with more than 700 wounded. The images of streets full of massacred civilians were reminiscent of the Red Army's crimes perpetrated against civilians in Budapest in 1956 and Prague in 1968. In a report titled "Black January in Azerbaijan," Human Rights Watch stated that the violence used by the Soviet Army on the night of Jan. 19-20 constituted an "exercise in collective punishment." These tragic events known to the world as the "Black January" marked the beginning of the end of the Soviet rule in Azerbaijan, and eventually caused cracks in the foundations of the Soviet statehood. Twenty-seven years later, there is no sign of "Black January" declining in significance. Millions of Azerbaijanis and friends of Azerbaijan visit Martyrs' Alley in the Azeri capital Baku on Jan. 20 to pay tribute to the memory of the victims who laid their lives for the country's independence. My family and I are joining the U.S. Azeris Network in commemorating the tragedy and its victims, and we ask for your support by also commemorating the victims with a minute of silence. Mohammad Nosrati, Katy RELATED: Azerbaijan considered worst place to be gay in Europe NEWCOMER, BELL: Sister city violates Houston values Shift in learning Regarding "Star Wars technology coming to a job near you" (Page A15, Thursday), with respect to Thomas Friedman's column on changing technology, he is correct, but he is also a bit late. Technology has always changed jobs. In the Middle Ages the guilds rioted over the introduction of machinery, especially in the weaving industry where powered, mechanized looms replaced individual workers. What's new is not that one has to update skills during a working career. The new feature is that workers will have to upgrade their technical skills more often. Worse, unless we, the people, insist on a more relevant education system, our culture will become like that of India where the Upper Class must create or make work for the untouchables because said untouchables were denied a relevant education. Worse still, we the people cannot define what constitutes a relevant education, and we want to pay pennies for a million dollar diploma. James A. Babb, Friendswood A Houston man was sentenced Friday to seven years in prison for inappropriately touching a 14-year-old girl in the summer of 2016. Jonathan David Shane Southworth, 31, received the maximum penalty he faced for second-degree statutory sodomy. He also received a two-year sentence for felony possession of a controlled substance (steroids) that will run concurrently with the first charge. Texas County Prosecutor Parke Stevens Jr. painted a picture of Southworth as a man who had a pattern of preying since 2008. He presented seven witnesses who told stories through written letters of inappropriate contact from Southworth while they were underage. The details ranged from inappropriate and stalking messages via text messages and social media to nude photos Southworth sent of his genitalia. He also engaged in sex with two of the girls while they were underage, Stevens said. The victim whose assault led to the charges said she has nightmares from Southworths inappropriately touching and had undergone counseling. You have shown a track record of being obsessed with sex, Judge Bill Hickle told Southworth as he announced the sentence. Youve had 25-30 sexual partners. That itself is not against the law. But weve heard evidence here today that your propensity is directed toward young girls, and that is against the law. Southworth, who entered an Alford plea to the charges in September, was overcome with emotion as he was handcuffed and shared farewells with his supporters. A large contingent of family members and friends of the victims briefly celebrated as Hickle announced the seven-year penalty on the sex charge inside Courtroom A of the Texas County Justice Center. What we see is a man who directs at least at times his attention toward young girls, which culminates in you sodomizing a 14-year-old girl, Hickle said. During his final statements, Stevens, who sought a 12-year penalty in the case, pointed out the defenses psychologist said Southworth was narcissistic, manipulative and quick to anger. Stevens said Southworths fiance, Christy Hall, called him sick via text message last summer while confronting him with the names of 17 underage girls he allegedly had contact with. Southworth denied any wrongdoing, Stevens said. The judge made the right call in light of the defendants past history and contact with other young girls, Stevens said. It may not have risen to the level of criminal action, but his being incarcerated keeps him from likely victimizing another individual. THE CRIME According to authorities from the Missouri State Technical Assistance Team (STAT), which investigates crimes against children, the sexual assault occurred June 17, 2016, inside Southworths Houston home. The victim, who was staying the night with a friend, told authorities she woke to Southworth touching her inappropriately while she was lying alone in bed. The probable cause statement included other details. The victim told investigators she was scared and pushed Southworth away, according to court documents. He told the girl, You never let me do anything, and said he would go to jail if she told anyone about the incident. Im choosing to stand up for every victim, the girl said in court Friday. I pray Im his last victim. THE VICTIMS Other witnesses who were victimized by Southworth shared stories of a man who continually pursued young girls. The first witness, who later had a child with Southworth but was 15 at first contact, called him a sexual predator and molester who was a monster of a man. She told stories of physical and emotional abuse, including a time when Southworth held a gun to his head and threatened to kill himself if she left him. She said once she left, he would stalk her and attempt to force her into having sex. Two cousins said they were 16 and 13 when they met Southworth online. They both said he texted them photos of his genitalia. One of the girls said she was in middle school at the time. A fourth victim said she was 16 when she had online contact with Southworth. She said she snuck out of her home and they had sex. She also said he would send her nude photos of himself. Another girl was 17 when she said Southworth messaged her and began stalking her. She said Houston police were once called when he wouldnt leave her alone on the school grounds. In 2016, a 15-year-old girl who was at a lake with her family received an Instagram message from Southworth expressing his physical attraction for her and asking her age. She said she didnt respond and told her father, who was emotional as he addressed Hickle before the sentencing. If you do this to nine or 10 girls, you have a problem, he said of Southworth. THE DEFENSE Springfield attorney Dee Wampler and his associate urged Hickle to consider probation. They said Southworth had complied with GPS monitoring while on bond, made more than 10 trips from his out-of-state job to court appearances in Texas County and had served 100 hours of community service at Ozark Baptist Church. He also regularly passed drug testing while under their guidance and had 26 letters of support. Stevens said under the Alford plea allowing a defendant to enter a guilty plea without admitting guilt Southworth will serve 100 percent of his sentence unless he admits to the crime and completes the Missouri Sex Offender Program at the Farmington Correctional Center. Admission of the offense and completion of the program could lead to a release after 64 percent of his time is served, Stevens said. Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. 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Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. iciHaiti - Politic : Literacy of the prisoners of the prison of Fort-Liberte This week at the new prison of Fort Liberte, Emile Brutus the Secretary of State for Literacy has launched the literacy program "Konbit Alpha", which will 127 prisoners to learn to read and write in order to facilitate their reintegration into society at the end of their detention sentence. According to Secretary of State Brutus, 6,000 of the 12,000 piled up in prisons in Haiti are illiterate. Let's recall that the "Konbit Alpha" program, launched in September 2016, aims to reduce the number of illiterates in Haiti estimated in 2015 to 4.5 million people. IH/ iciHaiti Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The role of an assassin in a revenge thriller is not an obvious one for an actor like Joaquin Phoenix who has the luxury of choosing any role he wants, but this is not an obvious movie. Look behind the camera and you can see why, You Were Never Really Here being directed by somewhat reluctant/selective filmmaker Lynne Ramsay (We Need to Talk About Kevin) and adapted from self-confessed "mildly perverted" writer Jonathan Ames (creator of HBO's Bored To Death). Joe (Phoenix) is a contract killer whose latest job, emancipating a young girl (Ekaterina Samsonov) from kidnap lands him in scalding hot water with a paedophile ring with political ties that want him dead. The plot is almost incidental, however, as this is a study of a killer not his killings. Joe is suicidal, fantasising about death, self-asphyxiating and playing stabscotch-esque knife games in his dear, elderly mother's home where he still lives, kind of hoping one day the knife will actually strike him. Truly, We Need To Talk About Joe, Too. He stays mostly silent as his world unravels and we stay with him constantly, living this man's pain. The muted and yet intense nature of the role is what required the casting of a Joaquin Phoenix in it. Phoenix has never looked so sad and deathly yet so deranged and alive, clearly finding parts of himself for this character that you'd be scared to ever meet. Even his mass is somehow gruesome, the actor having absolutely piled on both muscle and fat, to the point where, stalking the corridors of a mansion, he looks strong enough to punch down a skyscraper and yet likely to succumb to cholesterol heart attack at any moment. He shakes, he absents, he roars and he giggles in front of the camera, which can't help but keep its lens on him. You Were Never Really Here - Trailer You Were Never Really Here feels like a cross-between Leon: The Professional, Drive and the Safdie brothers' Good Time, and while it not might be quite as good as any of these it is certainly a more intense viewing experience, thanks to a fearsome, violent score from Jonny Greenwood (who is unstoppable lately) and expert direction. This film is all in the editing, and Ramsay has done an incredible job here, managing to give the film a slow burn feel and yet keep it constantly gripping. Some of the cinematic touches are unorthodox and masterful, and the film may have my favourite title reveal of all time (look out for it, you'll know what I mean). And yet the film isn't perfect. The nods to Joe's history of witnessing domestic abuse as a child and the horrors of war as an adult soldier make total sense with regards to his subsequent disorder and depression, but I didn't want a properly motivated character. Such a fucked up, avant-garde take on the genre feels like it doesn't require such a thing. In addition, some of the scenes appear the product of the writer/director thinking, "what's the most expectation-subverting way this person could deal with this situation?" Joe lying on the kitchen floor with the man who just [SPOILER], holding hands with him and singing softly to the radio, might work in a book but just feels a bit too left-field when played out on screen. This is a stunning, gut-punch of a film though, technically adept and masterfully acted it thumps others of the genre into mush, showing that a Taken-style story needn't be redundant of art. Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for insider tips and product reviews from our shopping experts Sign up for our free IndyBest email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the IndyBest email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Remember the days when youd just step on a simple analog scale and watch where the needle went? If only modern life were so simple. Buying a bathroom scale now entails sifting through a bewildering batch of options, from hi-tech gizmos that analyze fat, bone, water and muscle mass and sync with smartphone apps, to design-led appliances crafted from bamboo or twinkling with rhinestones. How on earth are you supposed to choose? When testing the markets myriad offerings, we put front and center the principle reason for buying a scale: accurate weight readings. We did this by stepping onto each scale several times at five-minute intervals to check consistency, and compared measurements with those recorded at our local health club. We then took into consideration the price, ease of set-up, aesthetics, and true value of bells and whistles (do you really need your bathroom scales to provide a weather report?). Ultimately, the right scale for you depends on your goals: do you want to minutely track every aspect of your health day in, day out? Or do you just want to keep an eye on how much you weigh? This list includes scales to suit everyone from the most tech-savvy health nut to the everyday luddite. 1. EatSmart GetFit, $39.95, EatSmart Its not the most complex model, but EatSmarts GetFit digital scale packs enhanced functionality (body composition analysis), large memory (stores data for up to eight users) and sleek design (slim profile, black glass platform) into one affordable, unfussy package. Four AAA batteries and two simple touchscreen commands are all thats required for set-up, and it was one of only two scales tested to return exactly the same weight readings on every try (body composition stats were consistent within 0.2 of a percent). Composition analysis relies on an electrical pulse sent through the lower half of the body to estimate percentages, based on how fast the pulse travels (an electrical pulse flows more quickly through water and muscle than bone or fat). EatSmarts user guide was one of only two to readily admit this has limitations (the other was Weight Watchers/ConAir), and provides suggestions for increasing its accuracy (such as paying attention to hydration and room temperature). Points against include that it only works on hard surfaces and the composition analysis renders it unsafe for pregnant women or people with pacemakers. But as one of the cheapest and most accurate scales we tested, the Best Buy label is well-deserved. Buy now 2. QardioBase 2: $149.99, Qardio If youre set on a fancy smart scale, the QardioBase 2 is most impressive, if also most expensive. It works on carpet as well as hard floors, runs on a rechargeable battery with USB charging cable included, and looks particularly slick: the glass, circular design includes a hidden display that only appears when in use, and comes in Arctic White or Volcanic Black. QardioBase 2 also includes safe modes for pregnant users and those with pacemakers. Yes, you have to go through the rigmarole of syncing it with the Qardio app, but this is fairly straightforward and online troubleshooting was fast and helpful when tested. Once youre synced, the app logs all your weigh-ins, shows you where your BMI is on a scale ranging from underweight to obese, and can integrate with Apple Health. The scale logs information for up to eight users, and returned weight readings consistent within a couple of ounces. Bits we could do without: the digital smiley face that winks every time you get on, and the whirring sound accompanying each weigh-in. Buy now 3. Conair TH100s: $39.99, Amazon If even a digital scale is too techie for you, the TH100s is a good pick for analog fans. The large, 65 diameter dial allows users to read measurements easily (give or take a couple of pounds), and the one-paragraph instructions for use make a welcome change to smart scale syncing. Still, it can only be used on a hard surface and we get the feeling the painted silver finish could chip. Accuracy of readings depends how close an eye you keep on the needle - it can jump backwards or forwards at the smallest provocation (such as moving the scale very slightly or standing on a creaky floorboard). But when we started the needle precisely on 0 (using a super-low-tech adjustment wheel at the base), the TH100s gave weight readings consistent with smart scales. That said, it costs about the same as our Best Buy pick, a digital scale, so seems a tad overpriced. Buy now 4. Aria 2: $129.95, FitBit One for fitness obsessives, the Aria 2 syncs to the FitBit app (as well as FitBit watches and wristbands), so your weight and BMI measurements will be saved alongside exercise tracking, food logging and goal-setting, and you can even compete with other FitBit users for motivation. Itll also track trends with charts and graphs. FitBits MO is to make fitness an all day, everyday pursuit as opposed to a few hours in the gym - so if that sounds like hell, avoid. If, however, your body is a finely-tuned temple, and you want to track your every move and earn achievement badges, Aria 2 is for you. Design-wise, the scales wouldnt look out of place on a spaceship - the porthole-like display is fresh and slightly futuristic, and you can choose between a black or white finish for the polished glass platform. Itll save readings for up to eight users, but for such a high-spec brand, Aria 2 is a bit behind the times: it needs AAA batteries, requires a hard surface, and isnt suitable for pregnant users or people with pacemakers. Also, our weight recorded slightly differently each time we used it, varying by a few pounds. The FitBit app is beautifully designed, though, and we liked the animated feet icons on the display that prompt you when to get on and off. Buy now 5. Weight Watchers Body Analysis Scale : $39.99, Weight Watchers (Weight Watchers (Weight Watchers) Perhaps not the prettiest, but, like the EatSmart, this Weight Watchers effort delivers useful functionality at a good price. Users need only tap the glass with their foot to wake up the scales, and use four simple buttons to customize settings: pregnant women and people with pacemakers should use the weight only option, while others can track water, fat, muscle and bone percentages, together with BMI scores. The scales are capable of storing data for up to four people. The booklet also includes a handy guide to what body composition analysis percentages actually mean, according to age and gender. Not so great is that the blue LCD display and chrome/stainless steel accents on glass look a bit dated. But weight readings were consistent within a couple of ounces. Buy now 6. Nokia Body+: $99.95, Nokia Health Finnish communications and IT giant Nokia expanded into digital health products last summer, launching with an app, blood pressure monitor and this Body+ scale. The clean, glass-topped design is slightly bulkier than the Qardio and the Aria, but still pulls off stylish and contemporary; plus, it comes with attachable carpet feet, so it works on different surfaces. Syncing took a little longer than with other smart scales, but once set up, users can personalize what the scales measure (so you can get rid of the needless weather forecast and track everything from BMI to step count). We like that as well as logging measurements in the Nokia app (which offers wellness programs for weight, sleep, activity, pregnancy and healthier heart/blood pressure), the scales are compatible with other apps like MyFitnessPal and RunKeeper. Theres also a pregnancy mode and even a baby mode for weighing infants. However, no two measurements we took on this scale were the same, with both weight and composition percentages fluctuating slightly. On the other hand, this is the cheapest of our picks in the smart scale category. Operates on AAA batteries and stores measurements for up to eight users. Buy now 7. Renpho Smart Scale: $29.99, Amazon This one's an absolute steal! It looks, works, and feels like something a lot more expensive, but it's not! The same price as the EatSmart basic digital scale, but it comes with all sorts of goodies. 13 essential body measurements, phone connectivity, and is a great pair to any of your apps. This is the type of purchase you feel smart about afterwards. Buy now The Verdict: EatSmart GetFit Though the smart scales offer all kinds of functionality, this premium-looking body composition scale is around a quarter of the price, and just as accurate (if not more so). Sign up to IndyEat's free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the IndyEats email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Brunching out... Classic French food with a twist of Japanese is not something you come across often, but considering the owners are both French and Japanese its a combination of what each knows best. The team behind Bistro Mirey, which opened in West London in mid-December, is Ko Ito and Gerald Mirey and you might recognise them from their supper clubs and residence days from around London. Gerald is classically trained and previously worked at The Narrow, part of the Gordon Ramsay group, and has ambitious plans for their new permanent site, all serving only French or Japanese alcohol including a sparkling wine from Japan. Its essentially an all-day bistro, serving an a la carte winter evening menu, lunch, brunch, a childrens menu and an aperitif and sake menu as well as specials and a Sunday roast. Theyre leaving no stone unturned. For some, this may be taking on more than you can chew, but its well managed with concise menus. Weekend brunch is served Saturday 9am-4pm and Sunday until 11.30am and is split into Classiques (croissants and fruit), Oeuf (omelette and eggs benedict) and Specialite which I think is the best section. Pancakes infused with Japanese smoked green tea is one of the highlights on the menu With six options, this part of the menu is where the combination of the two cuisines is best observed. And considering its core is French, its quite amazing theres two vegan and two veggie options. Luckily, Ko realises that not everyone will be an expert, are more than likely not to know their hojicha from their nori and is on hand to explain exactly what the hojicha pancakes ( 7.50) entail. Theyre infused with a green tea, which gives them an ever so slightly darker hue of green/brown instead of their normal honey colour and a lightly smoked green tea taste. Its served with blueberries, raspberries, creme fraiche and a maple syrup to give it a creamy sweetness. The brioche French toast served with miso butter is sweet, yet incredibly moreish Aside from the pancakes, theres brioche French toast (7.50), served with streaky bacon and miso butter, which is chunky, sweet and incredibly moreish, plus quinoa porridge, tofu-stuffed crepes and a French breakfast. Its an exciting local restaurant that warrants visiting for all their occasions (a good ploy) and brings something a little different to an area mainly dominated with Middle Eastern cuisine. And its very pocket friendly, a good few pounds per dish below its counterparts. 98 Lillie Road, Fulham, London, SW6 7SR, UK; 020 3092 6969; bistromirey.com; open daily Brunching in... Baked eggs and spicy red pepper beans with feta Gorgeously sticky beans with soft, runny eggs and a crumbling of salty feta. Guaranteed to impress. Prep: 5 minutes Cook: 25 minutes Serves 2 1 tbsp olive oil 1 small red onion, finely sliced 100g roasted red peppers from a jar, sliced tsp sweet smoked paprika 2 tsp dark brown soft sugar 227g can chopped tomatoes 1 tbsp cider vinegar 400g can mixed beans in water, drained and rinsed 2 eggs 40g feta cheese, crumbled handful flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped Preheat the oven to 200C, gas mark 6. Heat the oil in an ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 7-8 minutes, until it starts to soften. Add the roasted peppers, paprika, sugar and a good pinch of salt, then cook, stirring regularly, for a further 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, vinegar and mixed beans, then simmer for 5 minutes, until thickened and sticky. With a wooden spoon, make two wells in the beans and break an egg into each. Season and bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny. Scatter over the feta and parsley and serve with toasted sourdough, if liked. Recipe and image courtesy of Waitrose.com Sign up to IndyEat's free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the IndyEats email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Haggis, neeps and tatties Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 45 minutes Serves 6 2 x 500g haggis 1.5kg King Edward potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks 100ml whole milk 60g unsalted butter 1.5kg swede, peeled and diced 50ml whisky For the gravy 1 tbsp sunflower oil 1 celery stick, roughly chopped 1 carrot, roughly chopped 1 small onion, roughly chopped 1 tbsp plain flour 1 tsp tomato puree 750ml beef stock 3 tbsp redcurrant jelly 1 splash Worcestershire sauce 1 splash Tabasco sauce Preheat the oven to 180C, gas mark 4 and cook the haggis according to pack instructions. Recommended 10 best Scottish drinks for Burns Night Meanwhile, make the gravy. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the vegetables for 5 minutes until just brown. Add the flour and tomato puree and cook for 2-3 minutes. Slowly add the stock, stirring until smooth. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 30 minutes, then pass through a sieve. Return the gravy to a clean pan and add the redcurrant jelly, Worcestershire and Tabasco sauces. Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from the hob and reheat before serving, if necessary. Place the potatoes (tatties) in a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 12-15 minutes until tender. Drain, and allow to dry in the pan for 2-3 minutes, then mash. Warm the milk and half the butter in a pan until the butter has melted. Stir into the potato and season. Place the swede (neeps) in a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes until tender. Drain and return to the pan to dry out for 2-3 minutes. Mash, stir in the remaining butter and season. Reheat the gravy, neeps and tatties if necessary. Remove the haggis from the oven. Make a slit through the casing and pour in the whisky. Serve spoonfuls of haggis with the tatties, neeps and gravy. Vegetarian haggis with warm butter bean and spinach salad Crispy pan-fried vegetarian haggis, with a vibrant warm salad of spinach, butter beans and peppers, makes a great seasonal starter or light lunch. Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 10 minutes Serves 6 2 tbsp olive oil 454g vegetarian haggis, casing removed, cut into 2.5cm pieces 200g pack marinated and grilled red and yellow peppers (from the chiller cabinet) 2 tsp paprika 420g can butter beans, drained and rinsed 150g pitted black olives, drained 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 225g bag baby spinach Heat the oil in a large frying pan and gently cook the haggis for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it starts to break up and turn crisp. Remove the pan from the heat and cover with foil to keep the haggis warm. Meanwhile, place the peppers with their oil in another frying pan with the paprika and cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the butter beans and olives and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the beans are heated through. Stir in the vinegar, cook for 1 minute, then remove from the heat. Place the spinach in a large mixing bowl, add the warm bean mixture and toss to combine. Divide between 6 plates, then spoon the haggis over the top. Serve immediately, with a wholemeal bread. Blackberry cranachan Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 5 minutes Total time: 15 minutes 15 minutes Serves 4-6 80g dark brown sugar 40g porridge oats 300g blackberries scant tsp cinnamon 350ml double cream 4-5 tbsp whisky 1 tsp vanilla extract Put 4 tbsp sugar in a thin, even layer in a dry frying pan. Top with the oats and set over a medium heat, swirling the pan so the sugar melts evenly. After about 4 minutes, it should have melted. Pour onto a baking sheet; leave to set, then break into a gritty texture. Crush the blackberries to a puree with the cinnamon and the remaining sugar. Set aside a few berries, then stir in the rest, crushing once with a fork. Whisk together the cream, whisky and vanilla to soft peaks. Stir in most of the caramelised oats. Layer or swirl the fruit and cream into glasses or bowls. Top each one with a blackberry or two and a sprinkling of the remaining oats. Recipe and image courtesy of Waitrose.com Sign up to IndyEat's free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the IndyEats email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The British press has a long established formula for dealing with certain news stories from France and the affair of Emmanuel Macron and the Unesco baguette bid falls within it. First point: get a Sacre Bleu! or a Zut Alors! in there somewhere. OK, done. Next thing is to invoke some devious Gallic motivation. Absolutely pas de probleme. This is clearly a tactic to divert attention from Catherine Deneuves embarrassing refusal to kowtow to bien pensant Hollywood. And, of course, as the Italians have been quick to point out, the result of a fit of pique at the recent accession of the pizza to the pantheon of intangible Unesco world heritage. However the baguette is certainly an admirable and emblematic product, worthy of the support the Unesco listing is supposed to encourage. Its arguably already on the Unesco list, via the 2010 Unesco inclusion of the French gastronomic meal in its entirety. One of the glories of which was always the plentiful, freshly bought and guillotined baguette kept topped up on the table until after the cheese. The baguette may also qualify on the grounds of needing Unesco support, being arguably a threatened species. Among a number of baguette conversations this week, the food writer Xanthe Clay was particularly scathing, insisting that proper old-style crisp baguettes were quite simply gone, and various French advertising campaigns in recent years have attempted to halt a supposed decline. Its true that even in France the abomination which is a chewy baguette is nowadays all too common, and that the old boulangeries baking two or three times a day and refusing ascorbic acid and other industrial additives are getting rarer. In their place the unstoppable advance of the hypermarkets or the confusing range of mass produced or concession-made baguettes, with cunningly homespun brand names like Banette, the predecessor, or La Reine des Pres, one of the latest. Many more will be on view next month at Europain, Paris, the must-not-miss trade show for the industrial bread geek. Banette Baguettes will be a big feature of the Europain, the trade show for bread geeks (Banette International) But Dominique Anract, head of the Confederation Nationale de la Boulangerie-Patisserie, the man who got Macron on board the Unesco campaign, points out that there are still 33,000 independent boulangers across France, albeit down almost half from the 1950s, and this is still a network on a scale unique in the world. Plus 12 million daily customers many of whom still pop out to get a freshly baked baguette for every meal, and would regard using the mornings stale bread in the evening as sacrilege. Paris still supports a fine stock of such shops, a good example being the Boulangerie Brun on the rue de Tolbiac, 2017 winner of the citys annual Best Baguette Prize. Proprietor Sami Bouattour gets up at 2.30am five days a week to prepare anything between 700 and 1,200 baguettes a day, plus an undisclosed number for the Elysee Palace, one of the privileges of the prize. One assumes the president sticks with the in-laws for his mignardises though: Brigitte Macron is the daughter of the Trogneux family of Amiens, renowned macaron makers for three generations. Dominique Anract (centre) testing baguettes during the 2016 French Grand Prize in Paris (Getty) The Boulangerie Brun sells a lot more than baguettes: a whole range of which was another factor in the decline of the baguette. I remember years ago researching what I regarded as the ambrosia of breads only to find all the chic Parisians were turning to great rough country loaves from new celebrity bakers like Lionel Poilane and the old white baguette was just for trailer trash like me. In Britain, the baguette has had a different life cycle. Until around the 1990s, only clumsy Anglicisations, quaintly referred to French sticks, existed here. Then imported flours and professionals began to supply somewhat more authentic versions. But just as the Poilane vogue had eclipsed the traditional baguette in Parisian fashion 20 years earlier, the UK market soon became flooded with an increasingly sophisticated range of alternatives. Boulangerie Brun says baguettes are difficult to make and certainly not economical (Flickr/Formosa Wandering) The baguette is still a staple of British supermarkets but only one product among a range of several dozen brown and flavoured breads, sourdoughs, focaccias and ciabattas, naans and pittas. And the situation in the new UK artisan bakeries is no better. Laura Hart, one of Bristols most highly rated independent bakers, has the same length queues as the Boulangerie Brun in Paris, but customers rarely emerge with baguette tucked under arm. We have baked baguettes from time to time says Pete Young of the bakery, but they dont go that well. Theyre not as versatile to use as our big sourdough loaves, they dont last as long, and theyre harder to make: a lot more work per quantity of dough, so its hard to keep the price economical. Quite apart from its interest to baking enthusiasts, the French baguette affaire constitutes a salutary wake up call for the UK. What have we got listed as world food heritage? Not so much as a cheese and onion crisp, it would appear: Britain is one of very few states which hasnt ratified the relevant Unesco convention. An understandable economy, but one we should maybe now re-think. What if we used some of the spare cash from Brexit to sign on, grease a few palms in Unescoland, and get our intangible grub up there on the world heritage website? Question is, what to nominate first. Yorkshire puddings too doughy so soon after pizza and baguette. The deep fried Mars Bar would be perfect, but sugars out of favour. Best bet must be a vegan chicken korma, nice and shiny for Instagram, future proof, and oozing with zeitgeist. So you know what you can do with your baguette, Msieur Macron, and I dont mean make it into a sandwich au jambon! For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Armed police arrested a British Airways pilot just before takeoff after the cabin crew raised fears he may have been drunk. Attendants on the Boeing 777 flight 2063 called 999 after allegedly smelling alcohol on one of the officers breath. Police boarded the plane, bound for Mauritius, shortly before the scheduled takeoff time of 8:20pm on Thursday, The Telegraph reports. Shocked passengers reportedly looked on as the officer was removed from the flight. A 49-year-old man from West Drayton, London, has been arrested and remains in police custody, Sussex Police said. The man was arrested on suspicion of performing an aviation function when the level of alcohol was over the prescribed limit. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 18 November 2022 Kevin Sinfield on day six of the Ultra 7 in 7 Challenge from to York to Bradford. The former Leeds captain is set to complete seven ultra-marathons in as many days in aid of research into Motor Neurone Disease, finishing by running into Old Trafford at half-time of the Rugby League World Cup tournaments finale on 19 November PA UK news in pictures 17 November 2022 Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt leaves 11 Downing Street, London, for the House of Commons to deliver his autumn statement PA UK news in pictures 16 November 2022 Emma Woolf, great niece of British author Virginia Woolf, and her son Ludovic sit next to a new bronze statue of Woolf, unveiled in Richmond, London Reuters UK news in pictures 15 November 2022 Lesley Sutcliffe shelters from the rain next to a life-sized replica of the innermost coffin of King Tutankhamun by artist Amanda Stoner as it goes on display inside a traditional red telephone box which has been converted into a museum, in Barnsley, South Yorkshire PA UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA A spokesperson for BA said: Were taking this matter extremely seriously and are assisting the police with their inquiries. We are sorry for the delay to our customers. The aircraft remained at the gate until an alternative third pilot joined the flight crew. The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A young woman has told how a "psycho" builder slit her neck open and said she had "10 minutes to live" after killing her friend. Mujahid Arshid, 33, allegedly kidnapped, raped and murdered 20-year-old Barclays worker Celine Dookhran then attempted to kill the other woman at a disused six-bedroom house in south west London. Ms Dookhran's family wept in the Old Bailey as the survivor recounted her harrowing experience from her hospital bed, with bandages on her arms. The witness told how they were abducted by Ms Dookhran's uncle and a Taser-wielding accomplice and bundled into the back of his pickup truck. Recommended Knife crime has become a scourge that must be stopped in 2018 In the police interview, she described hearing screams and thuds as Arshid allegedly killed Ms Dookhran after molesting both women in July last year. When he turned on her, the witness allegedly told him: "No, no, no we need to talk." She said: "I started fighting, I grabbed him, kneed him down below. He did not flinch at all. I grabbed his face. I grabbed the knife. "He started to slit me everywhere. I got my neck slit, my wrists. "He said 'now you've got 10 minutes to live and your body will shut down'. I was trying to play dead. "He molested Celine's body while she was dead and then he molested me thinking I was dead. He's such a psycho. "I sat up and he said 'How have you got so much energy?'. I was covered in blood from head to toe. I was swimming in it. "I started saying things he wanted to hear - I love you, we can run away together, we can be happy together, we can have a family. "He said 'I'm not good enough for you, look what I have done'." UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 18 November 2022 Kevin Sinfield on day six of the Ultra 7 in 7 Challenge from to York to Bradford. The former Leeds captain is set to complete seven ultra-marathons in as many days in aid of research into Motor Neurone Disease, finishing by running into Old Trafford at half-time of the Rugby League World Cup tournaments finale on 19 November PA UK news in pictures 17 November 2022 Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt leaves 11 Downing Street, London, for the House of Commons to deliver his autumn statement PA UK news in pictures 16 November 2022 Emma Woolf, great niece of British author Virginia Woolf, and her son Ludovic sit next to a new bronze statue of Woolf, unveiled in Richmond, London Reuters UK news in pictures 15 November 2022 Lesley Sutcliffe shelters from the rain next to a life-sized replica of the innermost coffin of King Tutankhamun by artist Amanda Stoner as it goes on display inside a traditional red telephone box which has been converted into a museum, in Barnsley, South Yorkshire PA UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA The woman managed to raise the alarm and was rescued by Arshid's brother who saw her in the back of the defendant's truck and took her to hospital. On her ordeal, she told the court: "I'm not going to lie, I was scared for my life. I thought if we get out alive, he cannot get away with this." She said Arshid wanted to kill them both so "no-one else can have us", adding: "It doesn't make much sense but in his head it made sense." From her description, police found the house where the pair had been held, broke open a freezer in the utility room with a crowbar and found Ms Dookhran's body. Arshid was arrested at a Holiday Inn in Folkestone and his laptops were examined. Arshid allegedly trawled the internet for strong painkillers, "human cremation" "butchering the human carcass" and "acid bath murderer". Prosecutor Crispin Aylett QC told jurors a Google search led to a Wikipedia page about John George Haigh, who was hanged in 1949 for murdering six people and disposing of their remains in different ways, including in baths filled with acid. He said the defendant was "inspired" by Haigh to set up a new Google email address ineedanacidbathspace.com. Arshid also allegedly viewed a YouTube video entitled Woman cut throat. A post-mortem examination found 5ft 3in tall Ms Dookhran had tape wrapped around her mouth and a sock rammed inside, reducing her ability to breathe. She had three cuts to the neck, slicing through her voicebox. She died from the combined effect of loss of blood and obstruction to the airways. Court artist sketch of Vincent Tappu (left) and Mujahid Arshid PA (Court artist sketch of Vincent Tappu (left) and Mujahid Arshid) Arshid, of no fixed address and Vincent Tappu, 28, of Spencer Road, Acton, west London, deny kidnap, false imprisonment and possession of a firearm with intent. Arshid has also pleaded not guilty to murder, attempted murder, rape of both women and the previous sexual assault and assault by penetration of the surviving woman when she was about 13. PA China on Friday denied that it was a disruptive power in the Indo-Pacific region as described by the head of the US military's Pacific command at a meeting in New Delhi, India. China advances a new type of international relations featured mutual respect, fairness and justice, cooperation and win-win, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang told a daily press briefing. Lu made the remarks in response to the comment by Admiral Harry Harris at the security meeting sponsored by the Indian government Thursday. Harris was joined by the chief of staff, joint staff of Japan and the head of the Indian navy. "It's just comment made by some individuals. It is not the first time they have done so," Lu said. "From a perspective of normal logic, China's efforts to build a new type of international relations should not make anyone who loves peace and seeks common prosperity feel discomfort and disturbed," said Lu. "If anyone sees such efforts as a 'disruptive force,' we should ask them what are they worried about?" Lu said China has played a better role in the international community, and provided more constructive public goods to the world, such as the Belt and Road initiative. "I hope more attention can be paid to the reaction and comments of the majority of international community. Of course, there is always deep unease about China from some persons and certain countries," said Lu. Harris reportedly also said China's action had cause disquiet in three members of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations. "We have not heard these three countries express their disquiet," Lu said. China has maintained its sovereignty and maritime rights in the East China Sea, said Lu, who added China and Japan have been communicating over the East China Sea issue, with Japan voicing hope to improve ties with China. He urged Japan to walk the talk. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A former pole dancer has been jailed for four years after entering a suicide pact with a postman and leaving him to die alone. Natasha Gordon backed out of the agreement with 31-year-old Matthew Birkinshaw on 17 December 2015 by getting out of his car before he killed himself. The ex-model was described during her trial as an "enthusiastic advocate" of suicide - attempting to arrange other pacts within hours of Mr Birkinshaw's death. Recommended Sadiq Khan accuses Government of driving violent crime rise with cuts But after backing out and leaving him to die, Gordon did not tell police officers who were just 450 metres away. Royal Mail employee Mr Birkinshaw, of Walsall, West Midlands, was pronounced dead at 7.24pm, just after he was found in his Fiat Punto at Rutland Water in Oakham, Rutland. Gordon, of Paston Ridings, Peterborough, denied having any impact on Mr Birkinshaw's decision to take his own life, but was convicted by a jury at Leicester Crown Court in December. Wearing a leopard-print coat and a white jumper, she showed no emotion as the judge ruled she could only pass an immediate custodial sentence. Addressing the 44-year-old, who was flanked by a security officer in the dock on Friday, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said: "This was a serious case because Matthew Birkinshaw actually took his own life after your encouragement. Samaritans: Where to turn when life gets tough "I have found you misled him into believing you were genuine and firmly intent on committing suicide with him, although you were not fully committed. "You were gripped by your self-centredness." The judge accepted Mr Birkinshaw would have more than likely taken his own life but said Gordon had influenced his decision to commit suicide and the method he chose. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 18 November 2022 Kevin Sinfield on day six of the Ultra 7 in 7 Challenge from to York to Bradford. The former Leeds captain is set to complete seven ultra-marathons in as many days in aid of research into Motor Neurone Disease, finishing by running into Old Trafford at half-time of the Rugby League World Cup tournaments finale on 19 November PA UK news in pictures 17 November 2022 Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt leaves 11 Downing Street, London, for the House of Commons to deliver his autumn statement PA UK news in pictures 16 November 2022 Emma Woolf, great niece of British author Virginia Woolf, and her son Ludovic sit next to a new bronze statue of Woolf, unveiled in Richmond, London Reuters UK news in pictures 15 November 2022 Lesley Sutcliffe shelters from the rain next to a life-sized replica of the innermost coffin of King Tutankhamun by artist Amanda Stoner as it goes on display inside a traditional red telephone box which has been converted into a museum, in Barnsley, South Yorkshire PA UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA Mr Birkinshaw's mother, Margaret Birkinshaw, fought back tears as she read out her victim impact statement in court. She said: "It's impossible to put into words the effect the loss of Matthew has had on our family. "He was everything to us and has left a space no-one else can ever fill." Mrs Birkinshaw's voice cracked as she said: "Matt was 31 when he died just one week before Christmas. "His last words to me were 'Give me a hug mum, I'll be back tomorrow.' "I've asked myself a million times over the past two years 'Why didn't I ring him? Would it have made a difference if he'd heard my voice?"' She added: "He was a man full of fun, laughter, love and intelligence, with everything to live for but with a sensitivity which sometimes made life difficult for him, and the misfortune to meet with someone who wanted to do him harm when he most needed kindness and support." Summarising the case before sentence, prosecutor Timothy Cray said: "She had a long-held desire to commit suicide and only she will know if she intended to go ahead with it. "Fundamentally, she decided not to commit suicide in the end." Ali Naseem Bajwa QC, defending, said: "The Crown conceded that the defendant Miss Gordon was suicidal." Mr Bajwa asked the judge to find her demeanour "sincere" when she got "as upset as she did" when talking about Mr Birkinshaw's death. PA The following organisations are available for advice and support: https://www.mind.org.uk/ http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/mentalhealth https://www.samaritans.org/ Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} More than 160,000 people with mental health problems could receive back payments from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) after the Government admitted people may have missed out on benefits. The DWP said it would not appeal a High Court ruling last month that found changes to the disability benefit system blatantly discriminated against people with mental health problems. Disability campaigners hailed it as a victory. The ruling in December found an amendment to personal independence payment (PIP) that limited the amount of support people with psychological distress could receive for making journeys constituted a breach of their human rights. Summing up the case, which was brought by a woman with mental health problems, the judge said the regulations could not be objectively justified. The new Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey said the DWP would not appeal and would take all steps necessary to implement the judgment, by going through all affected PIP claimants to identify anyone who may be entitled to additional support as a result of the case. We will then write to those individuals affected, and all payments will be backdated to the effective date in each individual claim, she added. Disability campaigners have hailed the announcement as a victory for disabled people who have been unable to access support they are entitled to. They said it would come as a huge relief for many people with disabilities. Debbie Abrahams MP, Labours Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, said the ruling showed yet more evidence of the duplicity and disarray of the Governments social security policies. She added that questions remain over how many people were affected and how much public money has been shed out on the case. The Government was wrong to bring in the PIP regulations last year and it was wrong to ignore time and time again the views of the courts. Labour supported the initial tribunal judgment and pledged in our manifesto to reverse the PIP regulations, she said. Serious questions remain including: how many people have been adversely affected by the Governments reckless decision to oppose the tribunals original judgment? How much public money has been spent on lawyers, trying to defend the indefensible? And how quickly will people with severe mental health conditions receive the support to which they are rightly entitled? This is yet more evidence of the duplicity and disarray of the Tories social security policies. Mark Atkinson, chief executive of disability charity Scope, said: Its absolutely right that the Government has accepted the High Courts ruling over the discriminatory changes made to PIP last year. This announcement is a victory for the many disabled people who have been unable to access support they are entitled to. The regulations introduced last March made crude and unfair distinctions between those with physical impairments and mental health conditions. Thousands of disabled people rely on PIP to live independently and meet the often substantial extra costs they face related to their condition or impairment. While those affected by these misguided changes will now receive the payments they are entitled to, the fundamentally flawed PIP assessment process still needs radically overhauling so it accurately identifies the extra costs disabled people face. Rebecca Hilsenrath, chief executive at the Equality and Human Rights Commission, meanwhile, said: For anyone with a disability, being able to live independently is vital. We welcome the decision by the Government not to appeal against the High Court ruling at the end of last year that changes to PIP were discriminatory. Their decision today will mean people with mental health conditions can access the support they need. Laura Wetherly, policy manager at the MS Society, said: This is much-needed recognition from the Government that mental difficulties can affect peoples lives just as much as physical symptoms. It will come as a huge relief to the thousands of people with multiple sclerosis who know only too well the significant impact cognitive symptoms can have. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 18 November 2022 Kevin Sinfield on day six of the Ultra 7 in 7 Challenge from to York to Bradford. The former Leeds captain is set to complete seven ultra-marathons in as many days in aid of research into Motor Neurone Disease, finishing by running into Old Trafford at half-time of the Rugby League World Cup tournaments finale on 19 November PA UK news in pictures 17 November 2022 Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt leaves 11 Downing Street, London, for the House of Commons to deliver his autumn statement PA UK news in pictures 16 November 2022 Emma Woolf, great niece of British author Virginia Woolf, and her son Ludovic sit next to a new bronze statue of Woolf, unveiled in Richmond, London Reuters UK news in pictures 15 November 2022 Lesley Sutcliffe shelters from the rain next to a life-sized replica of the innermost coffin of King Tutankhamun by artist Amanda Stoner as it goes on display inside a traditional red telephone box which has been converted into a museum, in Barnsley, South Yorkshire PA UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA However, this is only addressing one part of a broken system. A lot more still needs to be done were urging the Government to review the PIP assessment so that it works for people living with an unpredictable condition like MS. Announcing the DWP would not appeal on Friday, Ms McVey said: Supporting people with mental health conditions is a top priority for this Government. We are committed to ensuring our welfare system is a strong safety net for those who need it. That is why we spend over 50bn a year supporting people with disabilities and health conditions more than ever before. Disabled people and people with health conditions, including mental health conditions, deserve the very best support. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A couple with a combined age of 171 have become Britains oldest newlyweds. Joan Grant, 81, wed Ted Wright, 90 at Swindon Register Office, after they met while working at WHSmith. They tied the knot in a civil ceremony in front of 20 guests and walked down the aisle to Frank Sinatras "Second Time Around". The couple have planned a week-long funnymoon in a hotel with 43 friends from their retirement group of ex-WHSmith workers. Ms Grant said: We will have our first dance to Second Time Around by Frank Sinatra the same song we walked down the aisle to. We were engaged for more or less ten years but in September we were visiting Teds niece, and he said Joan and I are going to get married. It was a lovely surprise for me. Ms Grant wore a dark purple lace dress, a black jacket and a white fascinator with feathers, while Mr Wright wore a dark blue suit with a white shirt and a tie which was colour co-ordinated with his wifes outfit. The couple had both been widowed and neither had dared to hope of finding love again until they met 15 years ago on holiday near Blackpool. Great-grandfather-of-two Mr Wright said: Neither of us ever thought we would be married again. My wife died 17 years ago, and Joans husband died, aged 63. We both had church weddings the first time but thought wed make this one a quiet one. We really love each other and we are so happy. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 18 November 2022 Kevin Sinfield on day six of the Ultra 7 in 7 Challenge from to York to Bradford. The former Leeds captain is set to complete seven ultra-marathons in as many days in aid of research into Motor Neurone Disease, finishing by running into Old Trafford at half-time of the Rugby League World Cup tournaments finale on 19 November PA UK news in pictures 17 November 2022 Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt leaves 11 Downing Street, London, for the House of Commons to deliver his autumn statement PA UK news in pictures 16 November 2022 Emma Woolf, great niece of British author Virginia Woolf, and her son Ludovic sit next to a new bronze statue of Woolf, unveiled in Richmond, London Reuters UK news in pictures 15 November 2022 Lesley Sutcliffe shelters from the rain next to a life-sized replica of the innermost coffin of King Tutankhamun by artist Amanda Stoner as it goes on display inside a traditional red telephone box which has been converted into a museum, in Barnsley, South Yorkshire PA UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA The couple are both Londoners who moved to Swindon for their jobs with WHSmith. They met through a retirement group for former workers of the stationary company and will spend a week in a hotel with their colleagues celebrating their marriage, as well as having a party with 100 guests. I went on holiday with them near Blackpool, and my first impression was she was lovely, Ted said. "Joan says I married her to make an honest woman of her. Weve lived together in a bungalow since 2004. She has found her Mr Wright. Born in 1927, Mr Wright had seven siblings, and his last surviving sister, Jessie, aged 79, travelled from Kent to watch her brother walk down the aisle for the second time. They asked guests not to give them wedding presents, but for donations to be made towards a radiotherapy unit at the local hospital. SWNS Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Britains longest serving Afghan military interpreter has been refused the right to live in the UK, just months after the Home Office prompted fury by detaining and threatening to deport another translator from the region. The 34-year-old, known as Ricky, reportedly worked for the military in Afghanistan for 16 years, during which he is said to have showed unfailing loyalty. His refused application for sanctuary in the UK has prompted anger from senior British Army officers, who also vehemently opposed the detention and threatened deportation of Hafizzulah Husseinkhel, who served on the front line for the British Army between 2010 and 2012. His asylum claim was rejected in June and in December, the 26-year-old was handed removal papers and taken to a detention centre at Campsville near Oxford. He was told he would be removed from the country between 6 and 22 December. Following an outcry from members of the military who served alongside him and campaign to let him remain in the UK, the High Court ordered he be released from detention and halted his removal. Now Ricky, who was made redundant in November, has been refused entry to the UK due to the fact that he had not served on the front line in Helmand province, the Daily Mail reported. Under a Government "relocation scheme", interpreters have to have served in that region to qualify for sanctuary in Britain. Defence officials say that was where they faced the greatest danger and risked the most. But Ricky is said to have served on patrols in and around the capital Kabul. Brigadier Gerhard Wheeler CBE, one of the most senior officers in the country at the time, told the Mail Ricky "risked his life on numerous occasions" to help UK troops and he and his family were "more than deserving of a chance of a life in the UK". His comments echoed those made by senior officer William Locke, who served with Mr Husseinkhel on the front line in 2011, and said it was ridiculous that the Home Office plans to deport ahim when he had helped save British lives. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 18 November 2022 Kevin Sinfield on day six of the Ultra 7 in 7 Challenge from to York to Bradford. The former Leeds captain is set to complete seven ultra-marathons in as many days in aid of research into Motor Neurone Disease, finishing by running into Old Trafford at half-time of the Rugby League World Cup tournaments finale on 19 November PA UK news in pictures 17 November 2022 Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt leaves 11 Downing Street, London, for the House of Commons to deliver his autumn statement PA UK news in pictures 16 November 2022 Emma Woolf, great niece of British author Virginia Woolf, and her son Ludovic sit next to a new bronze statue of Woolf, unveiled in Richmond, London Reuters UK news in pictures 15 November 2022 Lesley Sutcliffe shelters from the rain next to a life-sized replica of the innermost coffin of King Tutankhamun by artist Amanda Stoner as it goes on display inside a traditional red telephone box which has been converted into a museum, in Barnsley, South Yorkshire PA UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA Mr Husseinkhel missed out on the "relocation scheme" because it was available only to staff who were in post on 19 December last year shortly after he left the post. A Government spokesperson said: More than 390 former Afghan staff and their families have been relocated to the UK and we expect to relocate over 40 more and their relatives families. We have expert teams in both the UK and in Kabul who ensure that former Afghan staff who feel threatened are properly supported. The Home Office repeatedly told The Independent it did not comment on individual cases when approached regarding Mr Husseinkhel's situation. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Jordan Peterson has become something of an internet celebrity in recent years. The clinical psychologist was relatively unknown outside of his field until 2016 when his profile exploded. Since then, he has attracted a slew of predominantly young, male followers who credit his no-nonsense, anti-snowflake advice for helping them turn their lives around. This week, his name made headlines around the world after a combative interview with Channel 4s Cathy Newman forced the channel to seek security advice after she was hit with a torrent of misogynistic abuse. But who is the Canadian professor turned self-help guru? The 55-year-old is a University of Toronto professor of psychology and opponent of political correctness. The self-described cultural critic became the subject of sustained media attention in 2016 after uploading a series of videos criticising the Canadian governments Bill C-16. The bill proposed including gender identity and orientation in the Canadian Human Rights Act, making it illegal to discriminate based on outward expression of gender. But Peterson argued the bill was in direct opposition to free speech and said he would refuse to use gender-neutral pronouns if requested by a non-binary student. He later clarified he would not use new, neutral pronouns like ze but did not object to addressing trans people by their preferred traditional pronoun, the BBC reported. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 18 November 2022 Kevin Sinfield on day six of the Ultra 7 in 7 Challenge from to York to Bradford. The former Leeds captain is set to complete seven ultra-marathons in as many days in aid of research into Motor Neurone Disease, finishing by running into Old Trafford at half-time of the Rugby League World Cup tournaments finale on 19 November PA UK news in pictures 17 November 2022 Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt leaves 11 Downing Street, London, for the House of Commons to deliver his autumn statement PA UK news in pictures 16 November 2022 Emma Woolf, great niece of British author Virginia Woolf, and her son Ludovic sit next to a new bronze statue of Woolf, unveiled in Richmond, London Reuters UK news in pictures 15 November 2022 Lesley Sutcliffe shelters from the rain next to a life-sized replica of the innermost coffin of King Tutankhamun by artist Amanda Stoner as it goes on display inside a traditional red telephone box which has been converted into a museum, in Barnsley, South Yorkshire PA UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA His YouTube channel hosts a slew of other videos, including criticism of identity politics, postmodern feminism and the ideology of white privilege. Other videos praise the power of mythology and the bible and the sanctity of marriage. Petersons videos have clocked up 150 million views and he has over 300,000 Twitter followers. He is currently on tour promoting his new book, 12 Rules for Life. Events in London drew large crowds but elsewhere, venues have cancelled appearances at short notice due to opposition. What are his beliefs? He describes his views as classic British liberaltemperamentally I am high on openness which tilts me to the left, although I am also conscientious which tilts me to the right. Philosophically I am an individualist, not a collectivist of the right or the left. Metaphysically I am an American pragmatist who has been strongly influenced by the psychoanalytic and clinical thinking of Freud and Jung, according to the Guardian. Why is he so controversial? Critics have accused Peterson of being a provocateur, a member of the alt-right and a transphobe, labels he has shunned on multiple occasions. He has also been called the stupid mans smart person. He has criticised political correctness relating to topics including transgender rights, cultural appropriation, and environmentalism. He has also expressed views that social justice activism is really an authoritarian movement in disguise. Peterson has also been criticised for not calling off his fanbase when they hound opponents with online abuse. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Eurotunnel has said it is "right to be thinking about" building a new English Channel crossing and would want to be involved if the plans floated by Boris Johnson went ahead. The Foreign Secretary's idea for a bridge, floated at a summit attended by French president Emmanuel Macron was "very interesting", corporate affairs director John Keefe said. Current Channel Tunnel traffic only runs at about 54 per cent of total capacity but the company has the rights to build any second crossing until 2086. Mr Keefe said it would be "decades" before the extra capacity was needed but fluctuating growth rates and changes in technology made it difficult to be more precise. He said: "It's certainly right to be thinking about it and it's something we consider on a regular basis. We look at the forecasts and we look at where we see traffic growth going and when we have got a stable period ahead of us then we can plan and predict." He added: "It's a very interesting idea. We want to be involved if it gets developed, as it gets developed, but we think there is still a bit of growth to do first before it becomes necessary. If the economic, political and financial conditions were all favourable we would have first dibs on whether to do it or not. "If the conditions are right, we want to be there." The idea was widely ridiculed by politicians and industry alike. Boris Johnson's Channel bridge suggestion met with scepticism Downing Street played down plans. Theresa Mays spokesman gave a cool response to reports of the bridge, saying that he had not seen any plans for such an ambitious infrastructure project. They said: I havent seen any plans on that. But what I would say is...we are going to have very good economic ties with France economically, culturally, in areas such as defence and security for many, many decades to come. What was agreed yesterday, and what the Foreign Secretary tweeted about as well, is a panel of experts who will look at major projects together including infrastructure and we want to work very closely with our French colleagues on building a shared prosperous future. Pressed further on whether a bridge was an option, or whether the PM knew Mr Johnson might raise the prospect, the spokesman repeated that he had not seen any plans. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 18 November 2022 Kevin Sinfield on day six of the Ultra 7 in 7 Challenge from to York to Bradford. The former Leeds captain is set to complete seven ultra-marathons in as many days in aid of research into Motor Neurone Disease, finishing by running into Old Trafford at half-time of the Rugby League World Cup tournaments finale on 19 November PA UK news in pictures 17 November 2022 Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt leaves 11 Downing Street, London, for the House of Commons to deliver his autumn statement PA UK news in pictures 16 November 2022 Emma Woolf, great niece of British author Virginia Woolf, and her son Ludovic sit next to a new bronze statue of Woolf, unveiled in Richmond, London Reuters UK news in pictures 15 November 2022 Lesley Sutcliffe shelters from the rain next to a life-sized replica of the innermost coffin of King Tutankhamun by artist Amanda Stoner as it goes on display inside a traditional red telephone box which has been converted into a museum, in Barnsley, South Yorkshire PA UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA The UK shipping industry also poured scorn on the notion, saying: Building a huge concrete structure in the middle of the worlds busiest shipping lane might come with some challenges. French finance minister, Bruno Le Maire, said: All ideas merit consideration, even the most far-fetched ones, noting that the Channel Tunnel already linked Europes second and third-largest economies. We have major European infrastructure projects that are complicated to finance, he told Europe 1 radio. Lets finish things that already under way before thinking of new ones. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Ministers are facing a parliamentary inquiry amid concerns that Brexit will allow them to sidestep implementing tough new binding EU rules on equal pay and the gender pay gap. An influential committee of MPs has warned that the Government is not providing answers about what it will replace proposed EU-wide equal pay monitoring systems with once it leaves. Campaigners said the Government must not use Brexit to wriggle out of its commitment on equal pay, while an MP on the committee told The Independent that a minister should be summoned for cross-examination on the issue. The European Commissions action plan on equal pay, released in November, lays out policies to mandate sanctions and compensation for the victims of unequal pay, gives legally binding rights for workers to request information on equal pay in their companies and mandates that countries strengthen enforcement powers against firms breaking the rules. In a report from its first meeting of 2018, Parliaments European Scrutiny Committee said current government policies beg the question of whether and how the UK will maintain its own commitment after Brexit to reduce and eliminate the gender pay gap, in default of EU initiatives, supervision and enforcement mechanisms on equal pay. The Government insists it is still committed to eliminating the gender pay gap but when approached by The Independent, a spokesperson did not spell out any plans for introducing regulations equivalent to the full range proposed by the EU. Sophie Walker, leader of the Womens Equality Party, told The Independent: The Government must not use Brexit to wriggle out of its responsibility to tackle the pay gap between men and women. The European Scrutiny Committee is right to pose this question, and the Government should now prove its commitment to addressing the factors that cause the gender pay gap. That requires a crackdown on outright pay discrimination, as well as action to address the structural inequalities such as the cost of childcare, the fact that women do the majority of unpaid care, a failure to make sure boys and girls are instilled with equal aspirations and opportunities that lie beneath the pay gap. The Government should start by redesigning equality legislation and require firms reporting a pay gap above 5 per cent to release details of their hiring, promotion and parental leave policies and the salary bands of their male and female workers, both full- and part-time. This transparency would flag where their work practices had implicit discrimination or bias. The Government must not use Brexit to wriggle out of its responsibility to tackle the pay gap between men and women. Sophie Walker, Womens Equality Party Geraint Davies, a Labour MP who sits on the committee, told The Independent: The European Scrutiny Committee is concerned the gender pay gap could get wider after Brexit, not narrower. In fact, the new Department for Exiting the EU has one of the worst gender gaps so could be leading the way backwards. We have written to the Government asking what action it will take to reduce the gender pay gap and to enforce progress and then I will be pressing the Committee to summon a minister for cross-examination. Brexit threatens to put Britain into reverse gear in terms of equal pay for women which would be a disaster as women have already disproportionately suffered from Government austerity. The cross-party European Scrutiny Committee assesses the legal importance of EU missives, draft legislation and documents to the British Government, and cross-checks them against the Governments own plans. It then decides whether or not a document needs more parliamentary security as in the case of the gender pay gap action plan. The documents relating to the gender pay gap regulations have now been passed to the Women and Equalities Committee for interrogation and have also been drawn to the attention of the House for further scrutiny. The European Scrutiny Committee has written to the Government asking it to clarify what action it will take. Brexit Concerns Show all 26 1 /26 Brexit Concerns Brexit Concerns Brexit will put British patients at 'back of the queue' for new drugs Brexit will put British patients at the back of the queue for vital new drugs, the Government has been warned forcing them to wait up to two years longer A medicines regulator has raised the alarm over a likely decision to pull out of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), as well as the EU itself. ealth Secretary Jeremy Hunt dropped the bombshell , when he said he expected the UK would quit the EMA because it is subject to rulings by the European Court of Justice. Getty Images Brexit Concerns London to lose status as 'gateway to Europe' for banks One of Germanys top banking regulators has warned that London could lose its status as gateway to Europe for the banking sector after Britain quits the European trading bloc. Andreas Dombret, who is an executive board member for the BundesbankGermanys central banktold a private meeting of German businesses and banks earlier this week in Frankfurt that even if banking rules were equivalent between the UK and the rest of the EU, that was still miles away from [Britain having] access to the single market, the BBC reports. Jason Hawkes Brexit Concerns Exodus The number of financial sector professionals in Britain and continental Europe looking for jobs in Ireland rocketed in the months after the UK voted to leave the European Union Shutterstock Brexit Concerns Brexit is making FTSE 100 executives richer Pay packages of many FTSE 100 chief executive officers are partly tied to how well share prices are doing rather than the CEOs performance -- and some stocks are soaring. ritish equities got a boost since the June vote because the likes of Rio Tinto, Smiths Group and WPP generate most sales abroad and earn a fortune when they convert these revenues back into the weakened pound. Sterlings fall also made UK stocks more affordable for overseas investors. Rex Brexit Concerns Theresa May: UK to leave single market Theresa May has said the UK "cannot possibly" remain within the European single market, as staying in it would mean "not leaving the EU at all". Getty Brexit Concerns Lead campaigner Gina Miller and her team outside the High Court Getty Brexit Concerns Raymond McCord holds up his newly issued Irish passport alongside his British passport outside the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns SDLP leader Colum Eastwood leaving the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns Migrants with luggage walk past a graffiti on a wall as they leave the 'Jungle' migrant camp, as part of a major three-day operation planned to clear the camp in Calais Getty Brexit Concerns Migrants leave messages on their tents in the Jungle migrant camp Getty Brexit Concerns The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (Adra) which distributes approximately 700 meals daily in the northern Paris camp states that it is noticing a spike in new migrant arrivals this week, potentially linked the the Calais 'jungle' camp closure - with around 1000 meals distributed today EPA Brexit Concerns Migrant workers pick apples at Stocks Farm in Suckley, Britain Reuters Brexit Concerns Many farmers across the country are voicing concerns that Brexit could be a dangerous step into the unknown for the farming industry Getty Brexit Concerns Bank of England governor Mark Carney who said the long-term outlook for the UK economy is positive, but growth was slowing in the wake of the Brexit vote PA Brexit Concerns The Dow Jones industrial average closed down over 600 points on the news with markets around the globe pluninging Getty Brexit Concerns Immigration officers deal with each member of the public seeking entry into the United Kingdom but on average, 10 a day are refused entry at this London airport and between 2008 and 2009, 33,100 people were detained at the airport for mainly passport irregularities Getty Brexit Concerns A number of global investment giants have threatened to move their European operations out of London if Brexit proves to have a negative impact on their businesses Getty Brexit Concerns Following the possibility of a Brexit the UK would be released from its renewable energy targets under the EU Renewable Energy Directive and from EU state aid restrictions, potentially giving the government more freedom both in the design and phasing out of renewable energy support regimes Getty Brexit Concerns A woman looking at a chart showing the drop in the pound (Sterling) against the US Dollar in London after Britain voted to leave the EU Getty Brexit Concerns Young protesters outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, to protest against the United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU following the referendum Getty Brexit Concerns Applications from Northern Ireland citizens for Irish Passports has soared to a record high after the UK Voted in favour of Leaving the EU Getty Brexit Concerns NFU Vice President Minette Batters with Secretary of State, Andrea Leadsome at the National Farmers Union (NFU) took machinery, produce, farmers and staff to Westminster to encourage Members of Parliament to back British farming, post Brexit Getty Brexit Concerns The latest reports released by the UK Cabinet Office warn that expats would lose a range of specific rights to live, to work and to access pensions, healthcare and public services. The same reports added that UK citizens abroad would not be able to assume that these rights will be guaranteed in the future Getty Brexit Concerns A British resident living in Spain asks questions during an informative Brexit talk by the "Brexpats in Spain" group, about Spanish legal issues to become Spanish citizens, at the town hall in Benalmadena, Spain Reuters Brexit Concerns The collapse of Great Britain appears to have been greatly exaggerated given the late summer crowds visiting city museums, hotels, and other important tourist attractions Getty Brexit Concerns The U.K. should maintain European Union regulations covering everything from working hours to chemicals until after the government sets out its plans for Brexit, said British manufacturers anxious to avoid a policy vacuum and safeguard access to their biggest export market Getty Asked about what it would replace the incoming EU rules with, a Government spokesperson said: Action taken by this Government means that we are one of the first countries in the world to require all large employers to publish their gender pay gap and bonus data. This is not an option, it is the law. Employers have until 4 April 2018 (or 30 March 2018 for the public sector) to report and this will help shine a light on where women are being held back and where employers can take action to support their whole workforce. We are proud to say that the full-time gender pay gap is the lowest it has ever been but we want to take this further we are committed to eliminating the gender pay gap entirely. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Mary Lou McDonald will become the first woman to lead Sinn Fein in modern times after no other candidate stood against her to replace Gerry Adams. Current deputy leader Ms McDonald said that while nobody could fill the shoes of Republican veteran Mr Adams, the news is that I brought my own. She added that Sinn Fein is probably the most exemplary party when it comes to girl power at this stage in Irish politics a reference to the fact that the party in Northern Ireland is also led by a woman, Michelle ONeill. Sinn Feins governing council met in Belfast to formally ratify Ms McDonald, with a special conference to elect her to be held next month when Mr Adams, 69, steps down after almost 35 years at the helm. The party was last led by a woman back in 1937, when Margaret Buckley took charge, strengthening the relations between the party and the IRA during her 13-year tenure. Nicknamed Marmite Mary because she divides opinion sharply, Ms McDonald is the TD (member of the Irish Parliament) for Dublin Central and began her political life as a member of Fianna Fail, one of Irelands two mainstream political parties. Some have accused her of making the switch to the more hardline party for opportunistic reasons, but she has insisted the move was about policy differences. Mary Lou McDonald is currently the partys deputy president (PA Wire/PA Images) (PA) Ms McDonald said the party will aim to convince unionists that a United Ireland is the best way forward for everyone. Addressing the Belfast meeting, Ms McDonald said she believes her leadership will mark a defining chapter in the achievement of a United Ireland. I believe Irish unity is the best solution for all of our people, including our unionist brothers and sisters. I know we have a job to do to convince them of that, but I know we are more than fit for that task, she said. She added: Some of you have said to me you have very big shoes to fill. Well, the truth is that no one will ever fill Gerry Adamss shoes. The truth is, my friends, I wont fill Gerrys shoes. But the news is that I brought my own. So I will fill my shoes. I will walk in my shoes and we together over the coming years will walk a journey that is full of opportunities, full of challenges, but I believe which marks a defining chapter in our achievement of a United Ireland and the ending of partition. As Gerry has said, thats not a pipe dream, that is the road we are on. Ms McDonald said she grew up watching Mr Adams on the television and could never have imagined she would one day replace him as leader. Little was I to know at that time that I would come to know and work so closely with Gerry and the entire leadership and to have him as such a close friend, she said. Sinn Feins President, Gerry Adams, announced his retirement in November (PA) But I certainly never would have guessed that come 10 February 2018 that I would be the boss of him. Mr Adams told members that the party must devise strategies and win support for a referendum on Irish unity. We need to campaign for this, he said. We also need to win that referendum ... dont believe the naysayers and begrudgers who claim that a United Ireland is a pipe dream. It isnt. Its very real. Its very achievable. We can do it. Mr Adams announced in November that he was stepping down as Sinn Fein President after leading the party since 1983. Ms McDonald was educated at the private Notre Dame secondary school in the affluent Chruchtown area of Dublin before graduating from Trinity College, the University of Limerick and Dublin City University. She has been the TD for Dublin Central since 2011. Before being elected to the Dail (Parliament) she made history by becoming Sinn Feins first MEP in Ireland in 2004. She has attracted controversy on occasions, such as in 2009 when it emerged IRA memorabilia was being sold from her campaign headquarters. Several party members took to Twitter to express their support for Ms McDonald. Fiachra McGuinness, son of the late Martin McGuinness, tweeted a video message declaring he was proud and honoured to endorse Ms McDonald. He said his father was a huge admirer of her ideas, dedication and commitment, and that she was the ideal candidate to lead Sinn Fein into the future. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} London Mayor Sadiq Khan has fired the starting gun on local election campaigning in the capital, attacking the Conservatives at council and national level. Mr Khan said Tory politicians had failed voters on housing, health and polluted air, as he revealed Labour would make Tory boroughs Wandsworth and Barnet top targets. The Tories hit back accusing Mr Khan of a string of broken promises, but the partys own polling information points to a difficult round of elections in the capital in May. Mr Khan released an analysis which he said proved Tory policy at national and local level was hitting Londoners. The Mayor said official data showed Labour councils in London have on average built almost 70 per cent more affordable housing than Tory councils since 2013. He added that 25 per cent of all housing built by the average Labour-run council since 2013 has been affordable compared to 17 per cent from Conservative boroughs. Mr Khan said: For too long, Londoners have suffered Tory cuts to their most vital services from the NHS, to social care, to youth centres. Tory-led councils have done nothing to build the genuinely affordable homes Londoners need, and in many cases the Tories have actively tried to block efforts to clean up our filthy air. It is time to turn these councils red, so Labour can govern for the many, not the few. Turning to the NHS he said that last month every single A&E ward in London missed its waiting time target for 95 per cent of patients to be seen within four hours. Londons hospitals had only met their cancer targets to treat 85 per cent of patients within 62 days of an urgent referral, in two months out of the last two years. He hit out at Tories on the London Assembly for voting against his measures to introduce a new ultra-low emissions zone, and T-charge to get the dirtiest vehicles off the road. Responding, Paul Scully MP, Conservative Vice Chairman for London, said: Since the Labour Mayor of London was elected less than two years ago, all Londoners have had to stomach is broken promise after broken promise. London housing is set to be top of the campaign agenda in May (Getty) In key areas such as improving transport, preventing crime and delivering value for money on council tax, Labour are quick to ditch their election promises and let Londoners down time and time again. Its the Conservatives who are working hard locally to keep council tax low, our streets secure and to deliver the services we all rely on. They accused the mayor of having broken promises over stopping transport strikes, freezing fares and also building homes pointing to data in August showing that no social housing had been built in the last 12 months. Elections analyst and Conservative peer Lord Hayward said in January that the Tories face likely defeat in two London councils and the fight of their lives to cling on to three others which were previously seen as safe. The Conservatives look certain to be beaten in Kingston by the Liberal Democrats, according to his analysis. Even more alarming for Tory campaign chiefs, they could lose control of Westminster and Wandsworth, which were portrayed as models of Conservative efficiency for setting zero poll tax charges in John Majors day. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Theresa May has once again refused to say she would vote for Brexit if there was another referendum on Britains membership of the European Union (EU). If a vote was to come up, I would do what I did last time round which was sit down and look carefully at the issues, she told the France 2 TV channel. But there isnt going to be another vote, so this is not an issue. What is going to happen is the UK is going to leave the European Union. There will be no second referendum on Brexit. We took the decision as a parliament that the British people should have their choice. The Prime Minister, campaigned for Remain during last year's vote and has subsequently overseen the triggering of Article 50 - the start of two years of negotiations to thrash out a deal for Britain's exit from the EU. It means that the UK will quit the EU by March 29 2019 at the latest, ahead of the European Parliament elections in May of that year. The Prime Minister was criticised when she made similar comments in October 2017 when she again refused to say how she would vote in a second referendum. Pressed for an answer on LBC radio, Ms May said: I could say I would still vote Remain or I would vote Leave just to give you an answer to that question. I am being open and honest with you. What I did last time round was I looked at everything and came to a judgement and Id do exactly the same this time round. 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 But we are not having another referendum and thats absolutely crucial. Shortly afterwards Jeremy Corbyn has said he would vote Remain again in a further referendum. The Labour leader said: I thought the best option was to remain, I havent changed my mind on that. BEIJING, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of National Defense has told the United States not to "cause trouble out of nothing," and to respect the sovereignty of China. Wu Qian, spokesperson for the ministry, made the remarks Saturday in response to the actions of a U.S. warship Wednesday. According to Wu, on Jan. 17, the USS Hopper, a guided missile destroyer, arbitrarily entered waters surrounding Huangyan Island in the South China Sea, before Chinese missile destroyer Huangshan immediately conducted an identification and warning process to drive it away. Under joint efforts by China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the situation around the South China Sea is becoming more and more stable and positive, Wu said. The United States has sent vessels to illegally enter the waters around China's islands and reefs in the South China Sea on multiple occasions, endangering the safety of vessels and personnel from both sides, the spokesperson continued. It has also threatened China's sovereignty and security, harmed the regional peace and stability, and gone against the stable development of relations between the two countries and their militaries, he stated. "We hope that the United States will respect China's sovereignty, respect the efforts made by the countries within the region, and not cause trouble out of nothing or make waves," Wu said. The Chinese military will continue to fulfill its defensive duties, intensify its patrols in the air and at sea, in order to firmly safeguard the sovereignty and security of the country, as well as the regional peace and stability, he added. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The former Lord Chief Justice has warned it could become harder for rapists to be convicted, as juries may lose faith in the justice system after the collapse of several sex crime trials. Lord Judge, who was the most senior judge in England and Wales between 2008 and 2013 said he feared that juries may question whether they are being given all the evidence, meaning a guilty verdict may be harder to secure in genuine rape cases. His words come after sexual assault charges against Oxford University student Oliver Mears, 19, were dropped days before his trial as vital new evidence was presented at the last minute. Lord Judge told The Times: The recent examples in cases involving alleged sexual crime are alarming, both for all the individuals concerned and for public confidence in the administration of criminal justice generally. It is at least possible that from time to time juries, alarmed as everyone else by these cases, may wonder, even in an apparently strong case, whether they have been provided with all the admissible evidence. These events may reduce the prospects of conviction even when the allegation is genuine. The case against Mr Mears was delayed for two years. The teenager suspended his studies at at St Hughs College as he awaited trial on bail, after being accused of rape and sexual assault of a woman in 2015. But the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the case after being given new evidence by Surrey Police, including the complainants diary. The police force said they would review all their current rape investigations after being criticised for their handling of the case. They admitted there were flaws in the initial investigation, such as their failure to look into the womans digital media. They have launched an investigation alongside the CPS. Prosecutor Sarah Lindop told Guildford Crown Court on Friday the case against Mr Mears was finely balanced from the start. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 18 November 2022 Kevin Sinfield on day six of the Ultra 7 in 7 Challenge from to York to Bradford. The former Leeds captain is set to complete seven ultra-marathons in as many days in aid of research into Motor Neurone Disease, finishing by running into Old Trafford at half-time of the Rugby League World Cup tournaments finale on 19 November PA UK news in pictures 17 November 2022 Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt leaves 11 Downing Street, London, for the House of Commons to deliver his autumn statement PA UK news in pictures 16 November 2022 Emma Woolf, great niece of British author Virginia Woolf, and her son Ludovic sit next to a new bronze statue of Woolf, unveiled in Richmond, London Reuters UK news in pictures 15 November 2022 Lesley Sutcliffe shelters from the rain next to a life-sized replica of the innermost coffin of King Tutankhamun by artist Amanda Stoner as it goes on display inside a traditional red telephone box which has been converted into a museum, in Barnsley, South Yorkshire PA UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA The judge in the case slammed the unnecessary delays. Judge Jonathan Black said: It seems to me in a case which is as finely balanced as you say it was, there have been unnecessary delays in investigating... leading to what seems to be a completely unnecessary last-minute decision in this case. Both Oliver Mears and the complainant have had this matter hanging over their heads for two years in circumstances, had the investigation been carried out properly in the first instance, that would not have led to this position. Recommended Surrey Police to review all rape cases after Oxford student cleared The judge has given the head of the CPS Rape and Sexual Assault unit 28 days to explain fully what went wrong in the investigation, in writing, before deciding if any further action is needed at a CPS or police level. Surrey Police said the case was dropped for a number of reasons. This is an investigative issue and not related to disclosure. We accept that there were flaws in the initial investigation, they added. Scotland Yard also announced that it would review its current sex-crime investigations, after two rape trials collapsed in one week in December 2017. Liam Allan, 22, was cleared of all charges after spending two years on bail accused of rape. The case against him was halted after lawyers found previously undisclosed evidence in the form of text messages from the claimant that cast doubt over the guilt of the accused student. The CPS decided not to give any evidence in the case, which had been due to be heard at Croydon Crown Court in December, as it said there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction. Mr Allan voiced his support for rape suspects to be granted anonymity until they are found guilty, after describing his own experience of being accused. He told Sky News: You cant judge peoples reactions. You cant predict peoples reactions. You cant stop that. And then you also cant stop if people are going to want to cause harm to you. The Met and the CPS are reviewing the handling of the case. Another sexual assault case against Isaac Itiary was dropped just days later at Inner London Crown Court. In yet another case in December, Samson Makele, was cleared of charges at Snaresbrook Crown. The 28-year-old had been accused of raping a woman at Notting Hill Carnival in 2016, after more than a dozen pictures emerged of the pair apparently cuddling in bed. Additional reporting PA Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A deadly flu virus has been killing around 100 people per week in the US since mid-December, the Center for Disease Control has warned. A report published by the CDC with the latest figures showed there were 759 flu deaths between 7 October and 23 December. It also said since early December more than 100 people were dying every week from the flu and the death toll could increase as there has been a further rise in the number of hospital admissions. This is more than double the number of flu deaths from the same period last year when there were only 322 reported fatalities, CBS News reported. An increase in the number of reported cases of the flu during the winter is common and usually peaks around Christmas and New Year when more people are travelling and spreading illness. But this years prevailing strain H3N2 which has been dubbed Aussie flu is known to be particularly vicious and strong. In the UK, 149 people have so far died and last week 4,500 people were hospitalised, according to Public Health England fiures. 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 Some 120 flu deaths have been recorded in England, 21 in Scotland and eight in Northern Ireland. There is no precise data available for Wales. The Catholic diocese of Down and Connor in Northern Ireland has temporarily banned its priests from shaking the hands of parishioners as they receive Holy Communion in favour of a sign of peace to avoid spreading the virus. Meanwhile people are still being urged to get a flu jab to help protect vulnerable people. A letter sent to every GP practice in England last week warned that up to three million high risk patients had yet to have the jab. The flu virus mutates every year so even people who have had the vaccine in previous years need to be immunised against this latest strain. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A Fox News presenter has questioned how the Republicans, who are in charge of everything, could blame the Democrats for the US government shutdown, which began today as politicians failed to reach a deal on funding for federal agencies. Speaking ahead of the vote, on the news channel which is known for its bias in favour of the Republicans, news anchor Shep Smith said: Back in Washington there is one discussion: government shutdown. Of course with one party in charge of everything a government shutdown will not happen, right? I mean never in history or at least modern history of the country has there been a government shutdown when a single party is in charge of Washington. "Hook, line and sinker. House, Senate, White House, on party in charge, thats it. Republicans have it all. Yet the possibility of a government shutdown has escalated. The long-standing news host has previously discredited theories by the US President, such as Trumps accusations of Hillary Clinton being involved in a uranium scandal with Russia. Smith's stance has often angered viewers of the right-leaning channel. His latest words came in anticipation of the US government shutdown, which began after Congress failed to pass a short term spending plan by the deadline of midnight last night. The vote was 50-49, well short of the 60 needed in the 100-member chamber. The last government shutdown was 2013, under Barack Obama's leadership. But this is the first where one party was in charge of all parts of government since Jimmy Carter was President in the 1970s. With a Republican majority in both houses of Congress, many have branded the inability to reach a deal the biggest crisis yet for Trump's administration, which began a year ago. A shutdown occurs when the government fails to pass a funding plan, which leads to many government services being frozen and numerous staff being told not to work. Many workers are not paid for the duration. Roughly 750,000 workers are expected to be furloughed unless the government reaches an agreement over funding this weekend. This is the moment the US government went into shutdown Both sides of the political spectrum have tried to blame the other for the shutdown. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said his party took significant steps to reach a deal. "It's almost as if you were rooting for a shutdown," Mr Schumer said in comments on the Senate floor aimed directly at Trump. 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 plan, which would agree on a short term budget until February 16, included six years of funding for the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP). As Democrats wanted a secure future for CHIP, the Republicans have questioned how they could vote against a bill which they say does just that. Days earlier, the US President himself tweeted a message seemingly against the Republicans plans for the short term resolution for CHIP. From his @realDonalTrump account, he wrote on Thursday: CHIP should be part of a long term solution, not a 30 Day, or short term, extension! Recommended US government shuts down after Congress fails to pass spending bill But the President subsequently came round to supporting the stopgap measure. He tweeted the following day: A government shutdown will be devastating to our to our military...something the Dems care very little about! A sticking point for many Democrats who voted against the spending bill is what happens to the Dreamers, undocumented migrants who were brought to the US as children by their parents. The spending bill does not offer this group of people, which numbers roughly 700,000, any protection. Democrat votes were needed for the bill to be passed. In yet another tweet, Mr Trump said yesterday: Government Funding Bill past last [sic] night in the House of Representatives. Now Democrats are needed if it is to pass in the Senate - but they want illegal immigration and weak borders. Shutdown coming? We need more Republican victories in 2018! Minutes before Friday's midnight deadline for a funding deal, Trump's White House issued a statement blaming Democrats for the shutdown. "We will not negotiate the status of unlawful immigrants while Democrats hold our lawful citizens hostage over their reckless demands," it said. The US government will try again to agree on a funding solution before Monday, to try and resolve the shut down before the start of the working week. Additional reporting by Reuters Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Child abuse images, snorkel equipment and handwritten notes were among the items found in the hotel room of Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock, police have revealed. Following a three-month investigation, Las Vegas Police released a 81-age report on the mass shooting which killed 58 people and injured at least 500 more in October. Paddock opened fire on a crowd of approximately 22,000 at country music festival on the Las Vegas Strip from the balcony of his 32nd-floor hotel room before killing himself. When police broke in they found a stockpile of weapons all of which had been bought legally but, unlike other mass shooters, Paddock did not leave a manifesto or suicide note explaining his actions. The preliminary report said police had found several hundred images of child pornography on a computer hard drive when they searched the four laptops belonging to Paddock, but officers are still investigating the source of the images. Police also found notepads strewn around the room which had technical notes and reminders such as unplug phones and measurements including distance and bullet drop calculations. Surveillance equipment and snorkel gear including a blue plastic tube with a snorkel mouthpiece, a scuba mask and a snorkel tube were also recovered from the room. During a press conference, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said investigators had gone over 2,000 leads and looked at 21,560 hours of video. Las Vegas shooting in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Las Vegas shooting in pictures Las Vegas shooting in pictures People scramble for shelter at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after gun fire was heard Getty Las Vegas shooting in pictures People carry a person at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after shots were fired David Becker/Getty Las Vegas shooting in pictures People run from the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after gun fire was heard David Becker/Getty Las Vegas shooting in pictures A handout photo released via Twitter by Eiki Hrafnsson (@EirikurH) showing concertgoers running away from the scene (C) after shots range out at the Route 91 Harvest festival on Las Vegas Boulevard EPA/Eiki Hrafnsson Las Vegas shooting in pictures People lie on the ground at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after hearing gun fire Getty Las Vegas shooting in pictures A man in a wheelchair is taken away from the Route 91 Harvest country music festival after hearing gun fire David Becker/Getty Las Vegas shooting in pictures People stand on the street outside the Mandalay Bay hotel near the scene of the Route 91 Harvest festival on Las Vegas Boulevard EPA/Paul Buck Las Vegas shooting in pictures FBI agents confer in front of the Tropicana hotel-casino after a mass shooting during a music festival on the Las Vegas Strip Reuters/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus Las Vegas shooting in pictures Las Vegas police run by a banner on the fence at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival grounds after shots were fired David Becker/Getty Las Vegas shooting in pictures An injured person is tended to in the intersection of Tropicana Ave. and Las Vegas Boulevard after a mass shooting at a country music festival Ethan Miller/Getty Las Vegas shooting in pictures Metro Police officers pass by the front of the Tropicana hotel-casino after a mass shooting at a music festival on the Las Vegas Strip Reuters/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus Las Vegas shooting in pictures A woman sits on a curb at the scene of a shooting outside of a music festival along the Las Vegas Strip AP/John Locher Las Vegas shooting in pictures A cowboy hat lays in the street after shots were fired near a country music festival in Las Vegas Getty Las Vegas shooting in pictures Las Vegas Metro Police and medical workers stage in the intersection of Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard South after a mass shooting at a music festival on the Las Vegas Strip Reuters/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus Las Vegas shooting in pictures Sheriff Joe Lombardo (2-R) speaking during a press briefing in the aftermath of the active shooter incident on Las Vegas Boulevard EPA He said: This report wont answer every question, or even the biggest question as to why he did what he did. We are all going to have to be patient and let the investigation run its course. He added that all though they believed Paddock was a lone gunman, they are still investigating a person of interest in the case. This is not Paddocks girlfriend, Marilou Danley, who was previously a person of interest but has denied having any knowledge of his plans. Sheriff Lombardo said it was unlikely that she would face criminal charges. A total of 58 people were killed and more than 500 injured (Getty) The report also tried to shed light on Paddocks mental state in the weeks and months leading up to the shooting. Weeks before the shooting, the couple stayed at Mandalay Bay hotel together but Paddock was acting strangely, Ms Danley told investigators. She remembered him constantly looking out the windows overlooking an area where the concert would be held the next month. He moved from window to window to see the site from different angles, the report said. Paddock had become "distant" in the year before the shooting and their relationship was no longer intimate, Danley said during an interview with investigators. She described him as germophobic and said he had strong reactions to smells. He had previously told friends and relatives that he always felt ill, in pain and fatigued. His doctor thought he may have had bipolar disorder but told police that Paddock refused to discuss the possibility, the report said. The doctor offered him antidepressants, but Paddock accepted only a prescription for anxiety medication. Paddock was fearful of medication and often refused to take it, the doctor told investigators. The 64-year-old retired accountant and real estate investor had lost a "significant amount of wealth" since September 2015, which led to "bouts of depression," Sheriff Lombardo said. Paddock had paid off his gambling debts before the shooting, according to the report. Additional reporting by agencies Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} An immigrant woman in a Texas detention centre has attempted to kill herself after allegedly being forced to eat in the same cafeteria as the guard she says sexually abused her. Laura Monterrosa is an immigrant from El Salvador currently seeking asylum in the United States. In November, she reported being repeatedly sexually abused by a female guard at the T Don Hutto detention centre, where she has been held since May. Last week, according to civil rights organisation Grassroots Leadership, she attempted to take her own life. I feel very desperate because I tried to report the abuse from ICE and facility officials, but they continue to psychologically abuse me through intimidation, Ms Monterrosa said in a statement after being released from medical care. She added: I do not feel safe or secure. I am not receiving the medical treatment or help I need. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in a statement that it "remains committed to ensuring its facilities adhere to ICEs detention standards which provide several levels of oversight in order to ensure that residents in ICE custody reside in safe, secure and humane environments". People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Show all 16 1 /16 People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Demonstrators march during the "Day Without Immigrants" protest in Chicago, Illinois, February 16, 2017. Theopolis Waters/Reuters People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Demonstrators march during the "Day Without Immigrants" protest in Washington, DC, U.S., February 16, 2017. Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. The crowd, which grew to well over a thousand participants, marched from the Austin City Hall to the Texas State Capital. Across the country hundreds of restaurants and eateries are closing for the day to protest President Trump's immigration policies and to highlight the contributions of immigrants to U.S. business and life. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants AUSTIN, TX - FEBRUARY 16: Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Demonstrators march during the "Day Without Immigrants" protest in Chicago, Illinois, February 16, 2017. Theopolis Waters/Reuters People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Demonstrators march during the "Day Without Immigrants" protest in Chicago, Illinois, February 16, 2017. Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. The crowd, which grew to well over a thousand participants, marched from the Austin City Hall to the Texas State Capital. Across the country hundreds of restaurants and eateries are closing for the day to protest President Trump's immigration policies and to highlight the contributions of immigrants to U.S. business and life. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. The crowd, which grew to well over a thousand participants marched from the Austin City Hall to the Texas State Capital. Across the country hundreds of restaurants and eateries are closing for the day to protest President Trump's immigration policies and to highlight the contributions of immigrants to U.S. business and life. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants High school student Kathia Suarez holds up a sign as she protests with others outside the Grayson County courthouse in downtown Sherman, Texas, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017. LM Otero/AP People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants High school senior Vicky Sosa holds a sign outside the Grayson County courthouse in downtown Sherman, Texas, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017. In an action called "A Day Without Immigrants," immigrants across the country are expected to stay home from school, work and close businesses to show how critical they are to the U.S. economy and way of life. LM Otero/AP Grassroots Leadership said Ms Monterrosa took more than 50 pain pills after guards threatened to punish her if she did not eat in the same cafeteria where her alleged abuser worked. Sofia Casini, the immigration programmes coordinator at Grassroots Leadership, told The Independent that guards were called into Ms Monterrosas cell shortly after she took the pills, but did not assist her. Instead, Ms Monterrosa took herself to the medical centre hours later, after talking on the phone with Grassroots staff. This case is heart-wrenching, Claudia Munoz, immigration programmes director at Grassroots Leadership, said in a statement. ...Its just inhumane to force this victim of sexual abuse to have to relive that abuse everyday by being forced to confront her abuser over and over again. An ICE spokesperson said Ms Monterrosa was evaluated by detention centre medical staff after a "after a self-reported medical situation," and immediately referred to the Baylor Scott and White Medical Centre Hospital. She was discharged from the hospital and returned to ICE custody after a hospital physician determined her to be stable. Medical staff at the detention centre were keeping her under observation. Donald Trump's immigration crackdown encapsulated in poignant footage of father being deported Ms Monterrosa reported the alleged sexual abuse to the Williamson County sheriffs office in November, according to the Austin Statesman. The Sheriffs Office told The Independent they had received a complaint, but that the matter had been handed over to the FBI. The FBI said they had opened a civil rights investigation into the alleged assault. They declined to comment further, saying the investigation was ongoing. Two more detainees at T Don Hutto came forward with allegations of sexual abuse after Ms Monterrosa filed her complaint, according to the Austin Chronicle. At least five detainees at the same detention centre filed similar complaints between 2007 and 2011, according to documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union. Nearly 200 allegations of sexual abuse were made by detainees across the country in the same time period. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A judge told a jury that God had asked him to push them for a not-guilty verdict in the case of a woman accused of trafficking her teenage niece, it has been claimed. District judge Jack Robison interrupted jurors deliberations to say they should not convict 32-year-old Gloria Elizabeth Romero Perez. According to The New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung he then apologised and said: When God tells me to do something, I gotta do it. Judge Robison then reportedly recused himself for the remainder of proceedings. Perez, of Buda, Texas, was convicted anyway on one count of continuous traffic of a person and jailed for 25 years, the site said. Defence lawyer Sylvia Cavazos told AP she would seek a re-trial. She said Judge Robison had also expressed in chambers that he felt God had told him to act, and that he felt he had done the right thing. 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 Court administrator Steve Thomas said on Friday the judge would not comment. Authorities filed charges against Perez in August 2016, the Herald Zeitung reported. She was accused of paying $6,000 (4,300) to smuggle the then-15-year-old girl to the US from Honduras. Perez allegedly then received money from an older man with whom the the girl had gone to live and whose child she has since given birth to. But the girls aunt was acquitted of one charge of selling a child, the Herald-Zeitung reported. Additional reporting by agencies Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The US government has shut down for the first time since 2013 after Senate leaders failed to reach an agreement on a short-term spending bill. Congress had faced a deadline of midnight on Friday to pass a measure that would continue funding the government, with the House having passed the legislation on Thursday. A late-night vote was scheduled in the Senate just two hours before the deadline - but needing 60 votes to pass, which meant Republicans relying on at least some Democrat votes, the bill was voted down. The shutdown is a blow for President Donald Trump with the White House leading the blame game as both parties accused the other of causing the closure. While negotiations are continuing to find a deal, the government is technically out of money, leaving scores of federal agencies across the country unable to continue operating - although the effect will be lessened by the shutdown starting over a weekend. Recommended Donald Trump suggests government shutdown may be inevitable The final Senate vote ended 50 in favour to 49 against. Republicans have a 51-49 advantage in the Senate, but Senator John McCain is currently away on health grounds. The vote did not follow party lines, with five Democrats voting in favour of the measure and four Republicans voted against it. The drama over the shutdown will continue over the weekend as Democrats seek a deal over immigration reform, the major area of disagreement over the bill. Mr Trump had spent the day making clear that he laid the blame for the shutdown at the door of Democrats having earlier suggested that a shutdown might be inevitable as Democrats want illegal immigration and weak borders. 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 Government Funding Bill past [sic] last night in the House of Representatives, Mr Trump tweeted on Friday morning. Now Democrats are needed if it is to pass in the Senate but they want illegal immigration and weak borders. Shutdown coming? We need more Republican victories in 2018! His later tweet added: "Not looking good for our great Military or Safety & Security on the very dangerous Southern Border. Dems want a Shutdown in order to help diminish the great success of the Tax Cuts, and what they are doing for our booming economy." In a statement issued just before midnight, the White House said it will not negotiate with the Democrats on immigration until the end of the federal government shutdown. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said: We will not negotiate the status of unlawful immigrants while Democrats hold our lawful citizens hostage over their reckless demands... When Democrats start paying our armed forces and first responders we will reopen negotiations on immigration reform. The standoff marked a test of the president's much vaunted deal-making skills and of both parties' political fortitude. Republicans, who control both Congress and the White House, faced the prospect of being blamed for the display of dysfunction just the fourth shutdown in a quarter-century. It could also threaten to slow any Republican momentum, one month after passage of the party's signature tax cut law. Democrats face the risk of being labelled obstructionist, with Republicans branding the consequences of no deal a Schumer shutdown - referencing Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Sentate - and argued that Democrats were harming fellow Americans to protect illegal immigrants. Ms Sanders used the moniker in her statement: Senate Democrats own the Schumer Shutdown, adding, This is the behaviour of obstructionist losers, not legislators. Multiple Democratic senators had also made it clear along the way that they would not vote for another spending measure unless Republicans sign on to a bipartisan legislative fix for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme, or DACA, which the Trump administration previously announced would be phased out. The programme, which now expires in March, allows young immigrants brought into the country illegally by their parents as children to secure education rights, work permits and deportation reprieves. Hundreds of thousands of young people - known as Dreamers - rely on the programme and will be left in limbo after its closure. Negotiations on any immigration deal have been complicated by Mr Trumps commitment to build a wall along the USs southern border a barrier that Democrats vehemently oppose and would cost billions of dollars to construct. The President maintains that the US needs the wall for safety and security reasons. After midnight, on the Senate floor Mr Schumer said that after a White House meeting earlier in the day with Mr Trump, he thought in my heart that senators could complete an agreement by evening. He says he reluctantly offered concessions on Mr Trump's long-sought border wall with Mexico in exchange for strong protections for young immigrants. An ABC News/Washington Post poll released on Friday suggested that Republicans may bear the brunt of political damage over the shutdown. Forty-eight per cent of the more than 1,000 people polled nationally, said they would blame Mr Trump and Republicans, while 28 per cent would blame Democrats. An additional 18 per cent said they would blame both parties equally. The conflict over the shutdown is coinciding with the one-year anniversary of Mr Trumps presidency and could have lasting repercussions, particularly regarding this years midterm elections in November. Rather than heading to Florida on Friday evening as originally planned, where he was due to attend a gala celebrating his year in office, Mr Trump will be staying in Washington as it stands. Agencies contributed to this report Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} While expectations were once low that Democrats could recapture majorities in both chambers of Congress in 2018, Donald Trumps controversy-ridden first year in office has left the party feeling like they can almost smell the sweep of victories in November. Mr Trumps dismal approval rating, Republican infighting and some significant Democratic election wins have all contributed to this possible result. In a recent poll by the Pew Research Centre, a majority of Americans said they are not too or not at all confident that Mr Trump could work effectively with Congress. A Quinnipiac poll released in October found that a whopping 70 per cent of voters believe Mr Trump should stop tweeting from his personal account, which he has used to instigate fights with professional athletes, members of his own party and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Democrats only need a net gain of two seats to win a majority in the 100-member Senate. Meanwhile, the party needs a net gain of 24 to win control of the 435-member House of Representatives. Just this past week, a Democratic victory in one of Wisconsins Republican-leaning districts led the states governor Scott Walker to call his partys loss a wake up call for Republicans. While the special election in Wisconsin was held to fill an empty seat in the state legislature, experts say the Democratic triumph could prove to be another warning sign for Republicans to not take the challenge from Democrats lightly during the midterm elections. This may be just one contest for the state legislature in Wisconsin, but it is part of a larger pattern we have observed over the last year, said David Barker, the director of American Universitys Centre for Congressional and Presidential Studies. Mr Barker noted to The Independent that Democratic voters have been disproportionately and unusually motivated to turn out in elections in traditionally Republican states or districts. 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 People are voting everywhere. People woke up the day after Trump got elected and said, I will no longer be a casual participant in democracy ever again, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez said in an interview last year with Politico. Is it an uphill battle to win the House and the Senate? Of course it is. Is it doable? I think so as well. Turnout among female, African-American and under-30 voters has been particularly notable. In November, Democrats made much larger than expected gains in Virginias state legislature. Additionally, the Democratic candidate for governor won by a stunning margin over his Republican opponent another possible indicator of a tough year ahead for Republicans. Experts have been quick to point out that in a lot of special elections, Democrats have done better than they did in 2016 even when they have lost. This pattern, Mr Barker said along with the unprecedented numbers of Republican retirements in the House of Representatives, numbers of qualified Democratic challengers who are running, and Democratic fundraising numbers is starting to make a wave election for Democrats in 2018 look less likely than a tsunami [of wins]. But Mr Trumps antics may not be the full reason for a sweep by Democrats. "The average number of House seats that an incumbent presidents party loses in the following midterm is around 30, Mr Barker said. The Democrats only need around 24 to reclaim control. Right now, the forecast has to be in the 40s or even higher. In 2008, with the election of President Barack Obama, Democrats won a majority in both the House and Senate as well as control of the presidency. But during the 2010 midterm elections, the Democratic Party suffered massive defeats, with the Republican Party gaining 63 seats in the House. Republicans were able to recapture a majority in the lower chamber and gained six seats in the Senate. Currently, it appears it will be easier for the Democratic Party to retake control of the House than the Senate, despite the Republican Partys narrow 52-48 majority in the upper chamber. Ten Democratic senators are running in states that went to Mr Trump in 2016, particularly problematic when several members of their party appear to be veering further and further to the left. Mr Trump has made it clear that he intends to be heavily involved in congressional races this year, even though his last foray into congressional politics did not go so well. In a special US Senate election in Alabama last year, the President first backed Luther Strange, who had been selected to temporarily fill the seat left vacant when Mr Trump nominated Jeff Sessions to be US attorney general. After Mr Strange lost to Roy Moore in the primary, Mr Trump then backed Mr Moore. The President even decided to support Mr Moore after the candidate was accused of sexual misconduct. The Republican denied all the allegations against him. Mr Moore then lost to Democrat Doug Jones in the general election a stunning result given the size of the conservative voter base in Alabama. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Through tax-break highs and Russia-investigation lows, Donald Trumps first year in office has been plagued by a seemingly unshakeable problem: White supremacy and the issue of race. The 45th President started his campaign by calling Mexican immigrants rapists, and sailed into office on promises of a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States. He will finish his first year in office under threat of a government shutdown, as Congress debates what to do with the undocumented, childhood immigrants he has repeatedly threatened. On top of that, at least five nations have summoned their US ambassadors to explain why the President called them "s***hole countries". Recommended Murders by white supremacists in US more than doubled in 2017 Over the last 12 months, Mr Trump has doubled down on some of his controversial campaign promises Mexico is still going to pay for the border wall, he told reporters last week and blamed violence at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville on "both sides". But he has also abandoned other promises: He did not, for example, immediately deport millions of immigrants. Following outcry over his response to Charlottesville, he made several statements condemning white supremacist groups. One year ago, Mr Trump gave an inaugural speech his campaign rival, Hillary Clinton, described as a "cry from the white nationalist gut". Would he do the same now? Donald Trump: I am the least racist person you've ever interviewed The easiest place to start is with Mr Trumps s***hole comments, which he reportedly made in an immigration policy meeting with bipartisan legislators and members of his administration. Senator Dick Durbin, who attended the meeting, called the Presidents comments vile and racist. Even Republicans have called the outburst repulsive. Mr Trump has denied making the comments, and recently told a reporter he was the least racist person you have ever interviewed. Nevertheless, white supremacists were thrilled that the question of whether African nations were, in fact, s***holes, was up for public discussion. Andrew Anglin, creator of white supremacist website the Daily Stormer, called the discussion encouraging and refreshing because it indicated that Trump is more or less on the same page as us with regards to race and immigration. Clive Webb, a professor of modern American history at the University of Sussex, said this is the the most meaningful thing Mr Trumps first year in office has done for white supremacy, whether intentional or not: It has taken the discourse out of the margins and into the mainstream. Historically, the way that a lot of politicians have played to racism in the United States is to employ coded language, Mr Webb explained. What they've done is theyve used dog whistle concepts, such as law and order, as a way of talking about race without talking about race. Mr Webb added: Now the veil has been removed and Trump is speaking in a blunt, plain way that does appeal to his base, and to the far right specifically. What he's doing, in effect, is giving them legitimacy. 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. This effect was obvious after Mr Trumps response to a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. After days of silence on the rally, in which dozens of people were injured and one counter-protester was killed, Mr Trump condemned the actions of both the participants and those who protested them violence on both sides. White supremacists celebrated. Mr Trump later issued a statement condemning Nazi and white supremacist groups, before again returning to the rhetoric that blamed both sides. Chris Barker, an Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, said he had never seen applications for his chapter grow at the rate they did that summer. Now that Trump is President, it seems like its getting even better, because more whites are starting to be more proud, he told The Independent at the time. The surge of applications was coupled with a surge in violence: Right-wing extremists murdered 20 people in 2017, according to the Anti-Defamation League more than double the year before. The numbers made 2017 the fifth-deadliest year for extremist violence on record. White House: ESPN should fire host who called Donald Trump a 'white supremacist' But last year also saw the dismissal of Steve Bannon, the White House chief strategist who former KKK leader David Duke once praised as excellent. Just last month, Mr Trump further distanced himself from Mr Bannon, claiming his former top adviser had lost his mind after he had been fired. Sebastian Gorka, the former counterterrorism adviser who was linked to nationalist groups in Hungary, also left the White House in 2017. These departures could have angered the white supremacists who trusted Mr Trump. Instead, they appear to have rallied even further under his wing, leaving Mr Gorka and Mr Bannon to fend for themselves. If youre going to have to make a choice, youre going to support the President, because he has the capacity to influence things in a way [people like Mr Bannon] never did, Mr Webb said, Trump is their man. 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 Attorney General Jeff Sessions a man who once joked that he liked the KKK until he learned they smoked pot is in charge at the Justice Department. As policy analyst Sean McElwee pointed out, Mr Sessions has pursued policies that are almost certain to increase the number of people of colour behind bars. He has re-invigorated the war on drugs, which scholars say disproportionately increased the number of black people behind bars, and cracked down on sanctuary cities that protect undocumented immigrants. Under Mr Sessions, the FBI has classified some civil rights activists as black identity extremists. These policies do not end with the Department of Justice. The Department of Homeland Security recently announced it would rescind the Temporary Protected Status of 263,000 immigrants from El Salvador, 45,000 Haitians, and 2,500 Nicaraguans who sought refuge in the United States. The immigrants were given approximately two years to leave the country, or be deported. In doing so, Amnesty International claimed, the US "could be sending people to their deaths". And Mr Trump himself, by rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), could wind up sending nearly 700,000 young immigrants back to countries they have not resided in for years. The President claimed he wanted a bill of love for the so-called Dreamers, but has refused to pass one unless it includes funding for the border wall. In the meantime, Dreamers are scrambling to renew their work permits while they still can. In the end, this may be the best way to assess the the issue of white supremacy, which has dogged the Trump White House: Not through the politics of the advisers who surround him, or through the number of racists who support him, but by the number of people from s***hole countries his policies will hurt. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trumps first year in the White House has got everyone talking, no more so than on Capitol Hill where members of Congress have had to deal with the Presidents mood swings, off-the-cuff statements and his constant Twitter presence. With scandal, infighting and leaks being a regular occurrence at the White House, Congress has found it difficult not to follow suit. Resignations and intense partisan clashes have become common at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue which is all taking place against the backdrop of Republican concern that Mr Trump could be impeached if the party loses control of Congress this year. Believing that Republicans are intentionally undermining congressional probes into Russias meddling in the 2016 election as well as the federal probe looking at potential links between Russia and the Trump campaign - Democrats have started striking out on their own, leaving the non-partisan investigations looking anything but. Recommended Trump attacks on media compared to Stalin by Republican senator The constant drip-feed of stories about the Russia investigation has left the rumour mill spinning in the halls of Congress and on the streets of Washington, with representatives and senators often appearing on news networks to give their two cents on the latest leaks. Last week, without consulting the Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the panels top Democrat, Senator Dianne Feinstein, released a transcript of a 10-hour interview with Glenn Simpson a co-founder of Fusion GPS, the research firm behind the controversial dossier on Mr Trumps reported ties to Russia. Ms Feinstein said the transcripts release would enable people to make up their own minds about what materialised during the committees interview with Mr Simpson, which had been the subject of a number of news reports. However, committee chairman Chuck Grassley blasted his colleague for the move, calling it confounding. In the House of Representatives, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi endorsed a letter to Speaker Paul Ryan that accused the top Republican of orchestrating a campaign to bury a probe into the Presidents alleged connections to the Kremlin and defame the agencies investigating those matters. Chatter in the halls indicates that legislators expect the political flame-throwing to worsen, with Democrats asserting that their colleagues across the aisle are deferring to Mr Trump, who has called the Russia probes a witch hunt. Democrats have also secured a number of recent election wins including the recent Senate race in Alabama which have put a spring in their step ahead of the midterm elections in November. The party will seek to wrestle back control of the Senate, which the Republicans currently hold with a 51-49 majority. Recent results have raised hope that they can regain the House, where they need 24 seats in the 435-seat chamber. 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 While chances were once slim that Democrats would retake the House and Senate, Mr Trumps frequent inflammatory comments and feuds with members of his own party have made the possibility more likely. Much of the talk is now about the need to create a wave of Democratic wins. With both parties having been hit by retirements and resignations related to sexual harassment scandals, paranoia has filled the passageways of Capitol Hill over when the next such allegations may appear. This along with several members of Congress blanching at the thought of tough reelection campaigns has left the door wide open for plenty of seats to switch across both chambers. A possible impeachment of Mr Trump is another issue that has never been far from the minds of most around Congress, from the bars around the Hill to the Capitol building itself. If we lose the House, he could get impeached. Do you think he understands that? one top Republican donor is said to have heard an exasperated Republican senator declare privately last year, and it is clear others in the party are fearful of the idea. However, like Republicans, Democrats have also suffered from internal discord, particularly over the impeachment issue. Democratic leaders so far have discouraged impeachment chatter, which has ratcheted up multiple times in recent months in the halls of the Capitol following revelations about Mr Trumps conduct regarding the Russia investigations. There is no question that Mr Trumps antics and the deluge of sexual misconduct accusations often diverted focus from Congresss legislative agenda over the past year. But all of this drama could create an opportunity for members of Congress to make a name for themselves, potentially by creating order from chaos or by standing up to Mr Trump. Names for potential presidential candidates, such as Democratic senators Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand, are already being floated, even though the election is still almost three years away. Both women have made it clear that they are ready to fight Mr Trumps policies, and in Ms Gillibrands case the personal attacks of the President himself. It is harder to predict what will happen on the Republican side, with the partys congressional leadership having hitched its wagon to Mr Trump. However, discontent appears to be simmering over Mr Trumps actions, and a thin GOP majority in the Senate may mean more members will be willing to take a stand on certain issues. That may include the presidents plan to overhaul the USs healthcare system an effort he repeatedly failed to get enough Republican support for during his first year in the White House. Mr Trump also appears committed to building a wall along the USs southern border a goal likely to continue complicating attempts to reach an immigration deal with Democrats. Negotiations were already complicated last week after the president reportedly described Haiti, El Salvador and certain African nations as s***hole countries and questioned why the US needed to admit more Haitians into America, a strength of language that will do little to dampen the acrimony between the two parties in Congress. BEIJING, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Xi Jinping has called the revision to China's Constitution a significant event in the political life of the CPC and the country. Xi made the remarks at a symposium attended by representatives of non-Communist parties, All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and those without party affiliations on Dec. 15, 2017, whose opinions and suggestions on the revision to the Constitution were heard. The revision to the Constitution is a crucial political decision made by the CPC Central Committee based on the overall situation and the strategic height of upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics, according to Xi. It is also an important measure to advance law-based governance and modernize China's system and capacity for governance, he continued. The representatives at the symposium all approved the CPC proposal to revise the Constitution, and agreed to the general requirements and principles. They also made suggestions on the implementation and supervision of the Constitution, safeguarding the authority of the Constitution and enforcing the rule of Constitution and the rule of law. The CPC Central Committee maintains the idea of consultation before decision-making, Xi stated. It values the opinions and suggestions from non-Communist parties, All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and those without party affiliations before holding important conferences, issuing important documents, and making important decisions, said Xi. Xi stressed that non-Communist parties and the united front have made significant contributions to the establishment and the development of China's constitutional system. Xi asked attendees at the symposium to think over the revision, and to put forward opinions and suggestions. He also asked them to raise their awareness of the rule of law and lead the way in sticking to the Constitution, as well as to build consensus, regulate development, resolve conflicts and maintain harmony by the rule of law, in order to bring people together and collect power for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trump has blamed Democrats for the US government shutdown, saying in a tweet they had played politics instead of prioritising the military and border safety. He tweeted early on Saturday morning: Democrats are far more concerned with Illegal Immigrants than they are with our great Military or Safety at our dangerous Southern Border. They could have easily made a deal but decided to play Shutdown politics instead. #WeNeedMoreRepublicansIn18 in order to power through mess! A bill to fund the federal budget failed at midnight last night after Democrats tried to attach protections for undocumented migrants brought to the US as children the so-called dreamers. Recommended What you need to know about the US government shutdown All but five Democrats voted against the budget measure, while five Republicans also opposed it. Both parties accused the other of causing the closure, fighting to avoid voters' anger ahead of mid-term elections in November. In a second tweet, the President said: This is the One Year Anniversary of my Presidency and the Democrats wanted to give me a nice present. #DemocratShutdown. And seeking to head off criticism of the ruling party, Mr Trump added: For those asking, the Republicans only have 51 votes in the Senate, and they need 60. That is why we need to win more Republicans in 2018 Election! We can then be even tougher on Crime (and Border), and even better to our Military & Veterans! #AMERICA FIRST! While negotiations will continue today, the government is technically out of money, leaving scores of federal agencies across the country unable to continue operating although the effect will be lessened by the shutdown starting on a weekend. Services deemed essential, like law enforcement, the military, air traffic control and others will run as normal. In a statement issued just before midnight, the White House said it would not negotiate with the Democrats on immigration until the end of the shutdown. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said: We will not negotiate the status of unlawful immigrants while Democrats hold our lawful citizens hostage over their reckless demands. When Democrats start paying our armed forces and first responders we will reopen negotiations on immigration reform. Democrats faced being labelled obstructionist, with Republicans branding the consequences of no deal a Schumer shutdown referring to Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer. Mr Schumer tweeted that there is no one who deserves the blame for the position we find ourselves in more than President Trump. On the Senate floor he said in comments directed at Mr Trump: Its almost as if you were rooting for a shutdown. Before the midnight deadline expired he had urged the President to heed his own words, referencing a 2011 interview in which he had said: If there is a shutdown I think it would be a tremendously negative mark on the president of the United States. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Republican majority leader Mitch McConnell also cast blame on his political opponents. What weve just witnessed on the floor was a cynical decision by Senate Democrats to shove aside millions of Americans for the sake of irresponsible political games, he said. Mr Schumer met with Mr Trump on Friday afternoon to try and find common ground. One person familiar with the events said the two men agreed to seek a grand deal in which Democrats would win protections from deportation for some 700,000 young undocumented immigrants and Mr Trump would get more money for a border wall and tighter security to stem illegal immigration. By early evening, however, that plan was dead. The source said Mr Trump had spoken in the meantime with conservative Republicans and been hit with their objections to the deal with Mr Schumer. He did not press his party to accept it, Mr Schumer claimed later. Donald Trump address the March for Life at The White House Senators were set to resume negotiations at 12pm on Saturday after Mr McConnell proposed a new plan that would extend federal funding to 8 February, rather than a week later as was initially planned. Democrats and Republicans both said they wanted a quick agreement. Additional reporting by agencies Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The US government shut down at midnight on Friday, meaning thousands of non-essential federal workers will be put on leave and not paid until a funding deal is reached. Senators blocked a bill to extend federal funding until 16 February despite huddled behind-the-scenes negotiations between leaders Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell. The shutdown came on the one-year anniversary of Donald Trumps inauguration as President, and as Republicans enjoy majorities in both the House and Senate. Recommended Donald Trump blames Democrats for US government shutdown Scores of federal agencies across the country will be unable to operate until a deal can be agreed. However, essential employees who deal with public safety and national security will keep working. Congress scheduled an unusual Saturday session to begin considering a three-week version of the short-term spending measure. How did it happen? Republicans in Congress passed stop-gap funding legislation on Thursday but their colleagues in the Senate needed support from 10 Democrats to pass it there. Five voted in favour, but five Republicans opposed the measure and it failed to pass. The central dispute came over protections for undocumented migrants who were brought to the US as children. Democrats wanted to force through protections from deportation for 700,000 dreamers who had previously been covered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) programme. Mr Trump, who had made strict measures on immigration a cornerstone of his presidential campaign, rejected a bipartisan proposal last week during the now infamous s***hole countries meeting. He said he wanted to include any deal for dreamers in a bigger legislative package that also boosted funding for a wall and tighter security measures along the US border with Mexico. Fox News host Shep Smith on US government shutdown: Trump and Republicans can't blame Democrats Mr Schumer met the President on Friday afternoon. One person familiar with the events said the two men agreed to seek a grand deal encapsulating both positions but that by early evening the agreement was dead, after Mr Trump had spoken with conservative Republicans and heard their objections. He did not press his party to accept it, Mr Schumer claimed later. What does it mean? Many thousands of federal workers will not report for work on Monday morning if the impasse is not solved. That will not include those in so-called essential services like law enforcement, the military, air traffic control and social security ones that protect life or human property. Even then, not all staff will turn up. Thirteen per cent of workers at the Department of Homeland Security will be furloughed, as will half of those at Health and Human Services, according to contingency plans cited by The New York Times. Some of those who do work during the shutdown may not be paid until after funding is restored. CNN warned that some zoos and museums may close while funding is withheld. Special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation, however, will continue, according to the broadcaster. Mr Trumps administration said it planned to keep national parks open with rangers and security guards on duty. The parks were closed during the last shutdown in 2013, upsetting many tourists and resulting in the loss of $500m (361m) in visitor spending in areas around the parks and at the Smithsonian museums. How long will it last? Both parties said they would restart negotiations and the Senate is set to come back into session at noon on Saturday. Mr McConnell said he would seek a new funding bill to cover the federal government until 8 February, a week less than the failed bill would have done. Democrats and Republicans both said they wanted a quick agreement. 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 But both sides may now be even less willing to make concessions, fearing a highly visible political defeat ahead of mid-term congressional elections later this year. The last shutdown, which took place in 2013 under President Barack Obama, lasted for 16 days. It was overwhelmingly unpopular among voters with 81 per cent disapproving of legislators allowing federal funding to lapse, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll. Additional reporting by agencies Marches are happening all over the world, including this one in Zurich, Switzerland (EPA) Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Hundreds of thousands of women around America and the world took to the streets for the 2018 Women's March, a year after the first such event was held in opposition to newly elected US President Donald Trump. Demonstrators surged into the streets in protests in American cities across the country, with parallel rallies in Europe, Asia and Africa turning the event into a global affair. Authorities estimated that well over 100,000 people attended the New York rally and that some 300,000 showed up in Los Angeles. And while the inaugural 2017 marches functioned as a primal cry against Mr Trump's election victory, the 2018 iteration served in part as a nationwide political rally. Democratic elected officials and liberal celebrities urged attendees to channel their energy and frustration with Mr Trump's policies into November's midterm elections, where Democrats hope to wrest back control of Congress, governorships and state legislatures. Wait for the live blog to load below, if you cannot see it, click here After last year's event, a wave of women decided to run for elected office and the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct became a cultural phenomenon. We made a lot of noise, said Elaine Wynn, an organiser. But now how do we translate that noise into something concrete or fulfilling? Speakers this year made reference to the rolling backlash against sexual harassment and assault, with New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy relaying her experience with sexual violence and encouraging other women to tell their stories. The marches occurred amid the battle over a US government shutdown, which has disrupted Mr Trump's celebrations of the anniversary of his inauguration. Protesters and supportive politicians linked the two, decrying Republican policies that helped lead to the shutdown particularly Mr Trump's decision to nix an Obama-era program shielding young immigrants from deportation and urging attendees to vote for a different agenda in the fall. Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Show all 35 1 /35 Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures London Women's rights demonstrators hold placards and shout slogans during the Time's Up rally at Richmond Terrace, opposite Downing Street in London. Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures London The Time's Up initiative was launched at the start of January 2018 as a response to the #MeToo movement and the Harvey Weinstein scandal. AFP/Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Berlin Women's March in Berlin. EPA Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures London The Time's Up Women's March marks the one year anniversary of the first Women's March in London and in 2018 it is inspired by the Time's Up movement against sexual abuse. Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Paris Women hold a banner reading "still feminist" with the Eiffel tower in background on the Trocadero esplanade in Paris. AFP/Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures London Protesters hold up placards at the Women's March in central London. Rex Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Paris A demonstator hold signs on the Trocadero esplanade in Paris during a women's march organised as part of global protests. AFP/Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures London Chanting Times Up in the cold rain - On the anniversary of the Women's March on London. Rex Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures New York Thousands of people gather holding protest signs on Central Park West. EPA Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures New York Demonstrators take part in the Women's March in Manhattan Reuters Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Chicago A woman holds a sign during the Second Annual Womens March in Chicago AFP/Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures New York People gather near Central Park before the beginning of the Women's March in New York Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Washington Supporters gather during the Women's March in Washington AFP/Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures New York The crowd lines up near Central Park Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Chicago Demostrators attend the Second Annual Womens March in Chicago AFP/Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures New York Thousands hold signs and rally while attending the Womens March in New York Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures New York People gather near Central Park before the beginning of the Women's March in New York Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Washington People participate in the second annual Women's March in Washington Reuters Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures New York People hold signs up during the women's march Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Philadelphia Oscar Janicki, 6, participates in the Second Annual Women's March in Philadelphia Reuters Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Philadelphia Crowds gather to participate in the Second Annual Women's March in Philadelphia Reuters Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Washington People participate in the second annual Women's March in Washington Reuters Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures New York Women pose as they attend the second annual National Womens March in New York City AFP/Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Washington People participate in the second annual Women's March in Washington Reuters Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures New York People gather prior to the second annual National Womens March in New York City AFP/Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures New York People take part in the Women's March in Manhattan Reuters Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures New York People gather the second annual National Womens March AFP/Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Washington People participate in the Second Annual Women's March in Washington Reuters Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Rome A woman holds a banner reading "Womwn united will never be defeated" during Rome Resists demonstration part of the Women's March in downtown. AFP/Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Rome Italian actress Asia Argento (3rdL) attends the Rome Resists demonstration part of the Women's March in downtown Rome. AFP/Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Rome The Women's March Rome, designed to show solidarity for the protection of civil and social rights, women's rights and the environment included Italian actress Asia Argento, one of the first women to accuse US film producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault. AFP/Getty Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Zurich A US citizen holds a poster on the anniversary of the inauguration of President Trump apologising to the world on behalf of her country, in Zurich, Switzerland. A year after millions of people took to the streets across the US and countries around the world, women's marches are being held in lots of cities this weekend. EPA Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures New York People take part in the Women's March in Manhattan Reuters Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Rome A woman holds a banner reading "The rising of the women means rising of us all" during Rome Resists demonstration. AFP/Getty Images Women's March 2018 across the world: in pictures Rome A woman lifts her fist while holding a banner reading "Hear our voice" during Rome Resists demonstration. AFP/Getty Linda Sarsour, one of the four organisers of last year's Washington march, told the Associated Press that Las Vegas was set to hold a major rally on Sunday because it's a strategic swing state that gave Hillary Clinton a narrow win in the presidential election and will have one of the most competitive Senate races in 2018. Meet the Texas women who are leaving the sidelines to bring Trump down Democrats believe they have a good chance of winning the seat held by embattled Republican Senator Dean Heller and weakening the Republicans' hold on the chamber, where they have a 51-49 seat advantage. Organisers say Nevada is also a microcosm of larger national issues such as immigration and gun control after Las Vegas became the scene of the deadliest mass shooting in modern history. Agencies contributed to this report Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Thousands of protesters have turned out in cities across the US and beyond to mark Donald Trumps first anniversary by demanding equal rights for women and denouncing misogyny and racism. From Washington DC to Chicago and from California to Japan, crowds of women and their supporters turned out, seeking to channel activism into political change as America looks ahead to crucial midterm elections in November. He refuses to cooperate with us, said one protester, Terri Parsons from Winslow, Arizona, who travelled to the nations capital to demonstrate against what she termed Mr Trumps regressive views. I think he wants to take us back to the 1950s. Another protester, Helina Zewdu, 35, who works for a non-profit group and is originally from Ethiopia, said she was disgusted by Mr Trumps reported comments in which he is said to have described Haiti and African countries as s***hole nations. I think its unconscionable that the President of the US should use language like that, said Ms Zewdu, who applying for US citizenship. Her friend, Mahnaz Mojahed, originally from Iran, had come to the US to study and was now a citizen. Yet because Iran is one the countries included in the President-backed travel ban which is to be heard by the Supreme Court her parents are unable to visit her here. If I get hit by a bus, they will not be able to come and see me, she said. Fox News host Shep Smith on US government shutdown: Trump and Republicans can't blame Democrats A year after up to 500,000 people descended on Washington DC the day after Mr Trumps inauguration in protests that became known as the Womens March people returned to make their voices heard. The protests which took in anti-racism, womens rights as well as economic inequality took on additional significance this year following the #MeToo movement, that has encouraged women to share stories of sexual abuse and harassment. The movement took off in the aftermath of allegations of abuse levelled at film producer Harvey Weinstein, allegations he has denied. Tracey and Steven Weeks, from Maryland, were among the crowds who gathered at the Reflecting Pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. Were going to stand up and were not going to stop, said Ms Weeks. As women were often being told to stop and be silent. But were here to keep it up. 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 Organisers said they were determined that the energy and passion that went into creating banners and placards would also have a political impact. Since Mr Trump entered the Oval Office, a record number of women have registered to compete in elections this year, both for national office and in local elections. We will make our message heard at the polls this [autumn], Emily Patton, a rally organiser, told thousands of demonstrators at the Reflecting Pool. That is why we are urging people to register to vote today. The Washington rally featured Democratic politicians from neighbouring Virginia, including Senator Tim Kaine, who blamed Trump and Republicans for the shutdown of the government on Saturday. The Trump shutdown is due to the inability of the Republican Party to do basic governing, like making a budget, he said. Many of the protesters wore pink knit pussy hats, which were created for last years march as a reference to a comment made by Mr Trump about female genitalia. The caps quickly became a symbol of womens empowerment and opposition to the new President in the early days of his administration. We want to continue the fight to resist this President and the policies were against, said Sara Piper, 59, a geologist from Reston, Virginia. Gary Lin, from Arlington, was among many men at the rally. He said the only previous protest he had taken part in was in 2009. Yet he said after Mr Trumps election victory, he felt he could not stay away. Organisation is the key, said the computer technologist. In Palm Beach, Florida, home to Mr Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate, several hundred people gathered carrying anti-Trump signs as they prepared to march as part of Saturdays planned protests. Beautiful weather all over our great country, a perfect day for all Women to March, Mr Trump wrote on Twitter. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The words come spinning out of Gina Ortiz Jones at a table in La Fogata, a roadside Mexican eatery on the eastern edges of El Paso, Texas. Tirades of frustration and fury aimed at her former boss, Donald Trump. But she can be to the point, too. Is she going to win this November? Yes. Would we be having this conversation if Hillary Clinton had won in 2016? Probably not. Ms Jones, a veteran of the Iraq war, orders coffee. She shouldnt, she says, ignoring the salsa and chips in plastic dishes on the table cloth of pink and white roses. Her mission now is tough: to oust the Republican incumbent of the 23rd District of Texas, Will Hurd, and reclaim the seat its bigger than France, running from El Paso to San Antonio for the Democrats. It could be lonely. Ms Jones, 36, is American-Filipino and a lesbian. This is Texas after all. But in reality, she has a decent shot. She knows, moreover, that she is part of a swelling army of female candidates across the land plotting their own runs for seats in Congress. Together, if enough are successful, they could help Democrats retake control of the House of Representatives, a switch of power that would slam the brakes on Donald Trump halfway through his first term and help open the path to impeachment proceedings against him. Another in that army is Veronica Escobar. Her sights are on the district immediately next door, the 16th, which covers most of El Paso itself and points west. It is in play because its current representative, Beto ORourke, also a Democrat, has resigned it to run against Republican Ted Cruz for a seat in the US Senate. If Ms Escobar, who gave up her post as County Judge in El Paso, prevails, she will, astonishingly, be the first Latina ever sent by Texas to Congress. At Geogeske, a sleeker lunch spot close to the heart of El Paso, Ms Escobar agreed she could have stayed in her old position and in her comfort zone. But she was moved to run, she says, because of this terrifying fear of Donald Trump and what he is going to do to our country. Veronica Escobar hopes to become the first Hispanic politician sent by Texas voters to Congress (Veronicaescobar.com) Gina Ortiz Jones is the ex-soldier but its Veronica Escobar who describes what she is doing in military terms. I feel as though a battle is raging in Washington DC. More people need to enlist and I am ready to enlist, she says. Its a fight, between some very ugly fundamental aspects of human nature like racism and bigotry and fear-mongering versus the most beautiful ideals that our country was founded on, she adds. Our democracy in many regards is at stake. By the last count almost 400 women were planning to run in this year's midterm elections in the US, the most ever. Some will be weeded out in the primary elections, which in Texas are only seven weeks away, where no fewer than 50 women hope to make it all the way to Washington. That is especially striking when you consider the Lone Star State has not sent a new woman to Congress since 1996. Ms Jones and Ms Escobar are both confident they will beat off rivals from their own party to be the candidates in their districts. Encouraging them have been groups dedicated to helping and funding women to run for office, at national and at state levels, such as Emilys List in Washington DC, which specifically offers support to Democratic women willing to stand up for abortion rights. In the two years leading up to the 2016 cycle, it received enquiries from 920 women interested in maybe taking the plunge. So far, running up to the 2018 midterms, it has been contacted by more than 25,000. Such a burst of energy from progressive women is unnerving Republicans as they prepare to defend their House majority. (Democrats need a net gain of 24 seats to flip the chamber.) They similarly fear a higher turnout among women voters, with whom they are already in trouble. According to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll conducted in mid-December, Democrats are polling 32 per cent ahead of Republicans with college-educated women when asked who'd they prefer to see in control of Congress after November. With all women it was a 20-point gap. The Democrats and some outside groups like Emilys List have been more active, better funded and more focused on recruiting female candidates, says Matt Mackowiak, an Austin-based strategist to Republicans. Women want more women in office to deal with issues that are relevant to them, like healthcare. If the Democrats find a way to dominate with female voters that would be a big problem for Republicans but I dont see any evidence of that at this point. That women meant to be a main engine of the anti-Trump resistance became clear the day after his inauguration when half a million joined the Womens March on Washington to protest his agenda. Volunteering as a road-crossing guard was Ms Jones. With an important job as trade advisor inside the Executive Office of the President, she was already struggling to come to terms with the fact that Barack Obama was no longer her employer. Mr Trump was. She lasted until June when she did a gut check on herself and left. It just became increasingly difficult to be part of that administration personally and professionally, she says. (La Fogata, the restaurant we are in, is named after the Spanish for bonfire, no doubt where she would light a Trump effigy.) I had worked in national security for 14 years and I think his policies actually ran contrary to national security, she adds. Jones was appalled that after committing herself for so long to public service, Mr Trump was bringing in people who were interested neither in the public nor in service. Since his inauguration, moreover, Mr Trump has fallen short even of her lowest expectations. Never in our wildest imaginings could we have foreseen that the President of the United States, a country that was based on immigration, would be talking about s***hole countries, she says. No, I could not have imagined that. She also came to feel that he was attacking people who are her own, including immigrants she was raised by single mother who came to the US from the Philippines and also the LGBTQ community. Just as Ms Escobar hopes to be the first Latina member of Congress from Texas, she hopes to be the first out LGBTQ member. A chalk slogan in Los Angeles on International Women's Day last year (Reuters) A wider revolt among women was inevitable, says Ms Ortiz Jones. We have a president who thinks it's OK to grab women by the genitals. Is it really a surprise that women are fired up? And its about taking control before its too late. It should surprise no one that women, who stand to lose so much under this administration, are standing up and saying, I am going to run because I am going to stop assuming that someone is going to do for me that which I can do for myself. Dangling a spoon over her tortilla soup, Ms Escobar reflects on why it has taken so long to get more women into Congress, which remains 80 per cent male and 80 per cent white and thus can barely consider itself representative of the people it is meant to represent. Partly, she says, it was because of the sacrifices required to run for office, especially for those with young families or who didnt have the easy connections to raise money. But thats finally changing. For a lot of us now, its just, Screw it, we have to get it done. You need to throw caution to the wind. Because hers is the most Democratic district in Texas, she needs only to win the primary contest against her party rivals in March, after which she will be all but set. Like Ms Ortiz Jones she hopes she will go to Washington waving a banner not just for women but in particular also for the immigrant community, El Paso, where she has lived all her life, is on the very front line of Trumps campaign to crackdown on immigration. It would also be where part of his touted new wall is meant to be built, a proposal which, in her eyes, is in itself a form of attack on immigrants in America and also against Mexico, its neighbour. You are going to go after us? she says, as if Mr Trump were listening. Well, you know what? The border is going to send one of our own to you to fight back. That would be her. And, if they are lucky, she will have Gina Ortiz Jones as reinforcement and, possibly a whole brigade of freshly minted Democratic Congresswomen from Texas and far beyond. I mean 2018 really could be a year for some significant change and it really could be the year of the woman. It is very exciting, she says. So exciting, Ms Escobar veers off again into the language of battle, but this time on a galactic, cinematic scale. The oppressed and the marginalised are rising up against the empire! she says, only half joking. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A Christian in Indonesia has been publicly flogged for selling alcohol, considered an offence under Islamic Sharia law. Photographs show Jono Simbolon being whipped by a masked religious enforcer in front of a jeering crowd - which included children - as his face contorts with agony. Mr Simbolon was sentenced to 36 lashes after he was found to have breached the strict law known locally as Qanun. The whipping took place in the provincial capital of Banda Aceh outside a mosque in what is believed to be only the third instance of a non-Muslim being flogged since the city, on Sumatra island, began enforcing sharia law in 2001. Around 98 per cent of Acehs five million residents are Muslims and automatically subject to the Qanun religious law. Non-Muslims who have committed an offence that violates both national law and the laws of a religion they do not follow such as selling alcohol - can choose to be prosecuted under either system. Chief Prosecutor Erwin Desman said that as a Christian, Mr Simbolon may have opted for a trial under religious law because he would rather be flogged than risk a lengthy prison sentence under criminal proceedings. Sharia courts: Legal status in the UK Show all 3 1 /3 Sharia courts: Legal status in the UK Sharia courts: Legal status in the UK There are believed to be dozens of Sharia courts operating in the UK. However, although they adjudicate on religious matters, they do not have the legal status of courts, acting more as councils or tribunals Getty Sharia courts: Legal status in the UK Weddings and divorces overseen by Sharia councils are religious matters and are not necessarily recognised by the state. Likewise, a civil divorce or wedding isnt necessarily recognised by the Sharia council Sharia courts: Legal status in the UK Sharia councils can have legal status as mediation and arbitration bodies under the Arbitration Act 1996. Any divorce agreements made in this capacity, however, have to be approved by a law court if they are to be recognised under civil law, and can be overturned. Sharia councils can also provide advice on the religious law on matters such as wills, law contracts and fatwas Mr Simbolon was led onto a makeshift stage in bare feet in front of the baying crowd, who took pictures of his ordeal. He was checked by a doctor after being sent reeling following the tenth lash before he was declared fit for the flogging to continue. He was one of ten people to be lashed in Aceh on the same day, including a Muslim woman found to have grown too close to her partner in the days leading up to their wedding. She and her partner both received 20 lashes in front of the baying crowd. Human Rights Watch this week condemned the government of Indonesia, accusing President Joko Wikodo of failing to confront increasing intolerance that has led to discrimination and violence against the countrys most vulnerable minorities. Jokowis government is turning a blind eye to worsening harassment of religious and sexual minorities, said Phelim Kine, the group's deputy Asia director. Officials are using the dangerously ambiguous blasphemy law to target certain religious groups, while the police are carrying out invasive raids against LGBT people. Mayor of Banda Aceh Aminullah Usman defended the use of corporal punishment, saying: This is our government's commitment to enforcing Islamic law. "If there is a violation, (people should) immediately report it to the Sharia police and we will carry out a punishment like today's caning. Recommended Malaysian state introduces public canings for breaking Sharia law Aceh is the only province in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, which implements Sharia law. Last year, two gay men who admitted having sex were flogged in the province, with each receiving 100 lashes. Homosexuality is not illegal in the rest of Indonesia, which mainly follows a criminal code inherited from former colonial ruler the Netherlands, but religious minorities face discriminatory laws and regulations as well as harassment, intimidation, and violence from Islamist militants. In early 2017, the Ministry of Religious Affairs drafted a bill to further entrench the countrys blasphemy law as well as discriminatory government decrees, including one that prevents religious minorities from obtaining permits to build place of worship. In May 2017, a Jakarta court sentenced former Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, a Christian, to a two-year prison sentence for blasphemy against Islam. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Thai police have arrested a suspected kingpin of wildlife trafficking who allegedly fuelled much of Asia's illegal trade for over a decade. Police say Boonchai Bach, a 40-year-old Thai of Vietnamese descent, was arrested on Friday in a north-eastern border province in connection with the smuggling of 14 rhino horns worth more than $1m (810,000) from Africa into Thailand last month, in a case that also implicated a Thai official and a Chinese national. He denies the charges against him. Boonchai allegedly ran a large trafficking network on the Thai-Laos border that spread into Vietnam. According to the anti-trafficking group Freeland, he and his family played a key role in a syndicate that smuggled poached items including ivory, rhino horn, pangolins, tigers, lions and other rare and endangered species. Under the wildlife law, he could face up to four years in prison and a 40,000 baht (1,000) fine, but authorities said they are also considering money-laundering and customs violation charges that carry up to 10 years in prison. "One of the largest known wildlife traffickers in a really big syndicate has been arrested," said Matthew Pritchett, Freeland's director of communications. "In a nutshell, I can't think of anything in the past five years that has been this significant." 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 Thailand is a transit hub for trafficked wildlife mostly destined for China, and was considered to have the largest unregulated ivory market in the world before it introduced the Elephant Ivory Act of 2014 and 2015 to regulate the domestic ivory market and criminalise the sale of African elephant ivory. Rhinoceros horns, pangolin scales, turtles and other exotic wildlife are still repeatedly smuggled through Thailand. In December, Thai airport official Nikorn Wongprajan was arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport after he was caught together with a Chinese smuggler and a Vietnamese courier with 14 rhino horns and admitted to being hired to send the horns to one of Boonchai's relatives, Freeland's statement said, adding the group helped Thai police with information about Boonchai that led to his arrest. Steve Galster, founder of Freeland, said Boonchai's arrest breaks open Thailand's "largest wildlife crime case ever." "This network is connected to a group of moneymen who may be living outside the country. We are working to get arrest warrants out on those people as well," said Gen Chalermkiat Sriworakhan, deputy police commissioner. Three years ago, Thailand froze $37m (30m) in assets linked to a tiger trafficking ring in the country's north east, after investigation helped by Freeland. In 2016, a court order seized Thai bank accounts and other assets belonging to Chumlong Lemtongthai, a Thai who was convicted in South Africa on rhino horn trafficking charges. Chumlung was imprisoned in 2012 after being sent by the Southeast Asian trafficking syndicate called the Xaysavang network - which authorities say includes Boonchai - to take advantage of South Africa's permit system for professional trophy hunts. He hired prostitutes to pose as hunters and organised sham expeditions during which 26 rhinos were killed, according to court documents. Customs papers were then doctored for shipping the rhino horns to Laos. The decision to go after Chumlung's assets was made only in 2016, after agents received training in asset recovery. The alleged Laotian kingpin of the Xaysavang network, Vixay Keosavang, remains at large. "We have been looking at this syndicate for over a decade now," said Onkuri Majumdar, a programme officer from Freeland. "They have tentacles all over Africa and Southeast Asia. They are responsible for the slaughter of thousands of endangered animals including rhinos and elephants. And let's not forget rangers in Africa who have died, killed by poachers financed by men like Boonchai." AP For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Paul Bocuse, a highly celebrated French chef who helped redefine the countrys cuisine, has died aged 91. The pioneering chef, who is often referred to as he pope of French cuisine, died in the town of Collonges-au-Mont-dor where he was born and where he ran his main luxury restaurant, which has three Michelin stars. Much more than a father and husband, he is a man of heart, a spiritual father, an emblematic figure of world gastronomy and a French flagship who is gone, said a statement from his wife and children. Paul loved life, sharing, transmitting his knowledge and his team. These same values will continue to inspire us forever, they said. French President Emmanuel Macron led the tributes to the culinary star, who is credited with helping chefs rise to celebrity status. French gastronomy loses a mythical figure ... The chefs cry in their kitchens, at the Elysee [Palace] and everywhere in France, Mr Macron said. Interior minister Gerard Collomb tweeted that Mister Paul was France. Simplicity and generosity. Excellence and art de vivre. Born into a family of cooks that dates to the 1700s, Bocuse presided over the kitchen of his world-famous red and green restaurant, LAuberge du Pont de Collonges, and often greeted guests even in retirement. His renowned dining spot, which features a painting of the master chef himself on a wall, based just outside the Lyon in south-eastern France, has held three Michelin stars continually since 1965. 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 In a 2011 interview with The Associated Press, Bocuse said he slept in the room where he was born, above the dining rooms. But I changed the sheets, he added with characteristic wry humour. Born on 11 February 1926, Bocuse entered his first apprenticeship at 16. He worked at the famed La Mere Brazier in Lyon, then spent eight years with one of his culinary idols, Fernand Point, whose cooking was a precursor to Frances nouvelle cuisine movement, with lighter sauces and lightly cooked fresh vegetables. His career in the kitchen dates back to the years when stoves were coal-fired and chefs also served as scullery maids. There was rigour, Bocuse told AP. You had to wake up early and milk the cows, feed the pigs, do the laundry and cook...it was a very tough school of hard knocks. Today, the profession has changed enormously. Theres no more coal. You push a button and you have heat." While his restaurant was traditional serving quintessentially French food, his personal life was somewhat unorthodox and he admitted in a 2005 biography to sharing his life with three women at the same time. Bocuse, whose signature dishes included truffle soup and fricassee of Bresse chicken, gained many awards and accolades throughout his life. He was named Meilleur Ouvrier de France in 1961, Cook of the Century by Gault et Millau in 1989 and Chef of the Century by the Culinary Institute of America guidebook in 2011. During the Second World War he worked in the First Division of the Free French Forces and was wounded and cared for at a US field hospital. He later opened two brasseries in Lyon in 1995 and 1997, as well as restaurants in the south of France, Geneva and Japan, among other places. He was passionate about passing on his love of cooking to the next generation, and launched a competition and highly coveted award for aspirational chefs the Bocuse dOr. Bocuse underwent a triple heart bypass in 2005 and had also been suffering from Parkinsons disease. He is survived by his wife Raymonde, their daughter Francoise and a son, Jerome. Additional reporting Associated Press For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Police in the Dutch city of Rotterdam have launched a new pilot programme which will see them confiscating expensive clothing and jewellery from young people if they look too poor to own them. Officers say the scheme will see them target younger men in designer clothes they seem unlikely to be able to afford legally if it is not clear how the person paid for it, it will be confiscated. The idea is to deter criminality by sending a signal that the men will not be able to hang onto their ill-gotten gains. Rotterdam police chief Frank Paauw told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf: They are often young men who consider themselves untouchable. We're going to undress them on the street. We regularly take a Rolex from a suspect. Clothes rarely. And that is especially a status symbol for young people. Some young people now walk with jackets of 1800. They do not have any income, so the question is how they get there. He said the young men targeted often have no income and are already in debt from fines for previous convictions but wearing expensive clothing. This undermines the rule of law which sends a completely false signal to local residents, he explained. The trial is due to start in the Rotterdam West section of the city and police say they will target one gang in particular. The scheme comes after a previous pilot which looked at the expensive cars suspected criminals drove despite not having an income. 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 team is also looking at shell companies, drug crime and illegal gambling. In 2016, Rotterdam was able to confiscate 11.5m. But critics have attacked the idea saying it is a slippery slope towards racial profiling. City ombudsman Anne Mieke Zwaneveld told AD: We realised that [they] do not want to create the appearance that there is ethnic profiling but the chances of this happening are very large. She said it would be very legally difficult to prove officers were justified in taking peoples coats in the middle of the street: It is not forbidden to walk around in the street. In addition, it is often unclear how such a piece of clothing is paid and how old it is. Jair Schalkwijk,a spokesman for a national anti-profiling organisation Control Alt Delete, believes the policy is against a previous promise by police not to target people who look like typical criminals. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Gunmen have attacked Kabul's Intercontinental Hotel, seizing hostages and exchanging gunfire with security forces as the building in the Afghan capital caught fire and residents and staff fled. Isis was suspected to be behind the bloodshed, which came after numerous atrocities by its militants in Afghanistan and attacks on hotels around the world, but there was no immediate claim of responsibility. Hotel manager Ahmad Haris Nayab, who escaped unhurt, said the attackers had got into the main part of the hotel through a kitchen and people tried to get out amid bursts of gunfire. Several people had been killed and at least six wounded in the raid, which came days after a US embassy warning of possible attacks on hotels in Kabul, Nasrat Rahimi, an interior ministry spokesman, said. However, officials gave no other details on casualty numbers. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest in a long series of attacks which underlined the city's precarious situation and the ability of militants to strike blows aimed at undermining confidence in the Western-backed government. Officials said there were as many as four attackers and at least two of them had been killed as Afghan Special Forces cleared the first floor and moved up the building, battling the raiders, who appeared to have a large supply of hand grenades. Afghan security officials take up positions near the scene of attack by armed men at a hotel in Kabul (EPA) Hours after the attack began at 9pm local time (4.30pm GMT), firing appeared to ease as security forces settled in, waiting for dawn. According to one witness, who did not want to be named, the attackers took hotel staff and guests hostage. He said some foreigners were among the hotel guests but it was not clear what their nationality was. The Intercontinental Hotel, located on a hilltop and heavily protected like most public buildings in Kabul, was previously attacked by Taliban fighters in 2011. It is one of two main luxury hotels in the city and had been due to host an information technology conference on Sunday. More than 100 IT managers and engineers were on site when the attack took place, Ahmad Waheed, an official at the telecommunications ministry, said. The attack came days after a United Nations Security Council visit to Kabul to allow senior representatives of member states to assess the situation in Afghanistan. Many details of the incident were still unclear, but interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said a private company had taken over security about three weeks ago. Protesters demand better security in Kabul Show all 10 1 /10 Protesters demand better security in Kabul Protesters demand better security in Kabul A woman tries to stop police from firing on protesters during a demonstration in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, June 2, 2017. Hundreds of demonstrators demanded better security in the Afghan capital in the wake of a powerful truck bomb attack that killed scores of people. AP Protesters demand better security in Kabul Afghan security officials use a water cannon to disperse demonstrators as they protest against a suicide bomb attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, 02 June 2017. At least 90 people were killed and more than 350 wounded in a suicide bomb attack near the foreign embassies in Kabul on 31 May. AP Protesters demand better security in Kabul A policeman rests during a demonstration in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, June 2, 2017. Hundreds of demonstrators demanded better security in the Afghan capital in the wake of a powerful truck bomb attack that killed scores of people. AP Protesters demand better security in Kabul Protesters shout anti government slogans during a demonstration to protest against the lack of security in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Jun 2, 2017. Some 500 people are demonstrating in Kabul for better security in the Afghan capital in the wake of a powerful truck bomb attack that killed 90 people. AP Protesters demand better security in Kabul Police forces run as protesters throw stones during a demonstration in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, June 2, 2017. Hundreds of demonstrators demanded better security in the Afghan capital in the wake of a powerful truck bomb attack that killed scores of people. AP Protesters demand better security in Kabul Protesters shout anti government slogans during a demonstration to protest against the lack of security in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Jun 2, 2017. Some 500 people are demonstrating in Kabul for better security in the Afghan capital in the wake of a powerful truck bomb attack that killed 90 people. AP Protesters demand better security in Kabul Protesters throw stones toward security forces during a demonstration in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, June 2, 2017. Hundreds of demonstrators demanded better security in the Afghan capital in the wake of a powerful truck bomb attack that killed scores of people. ( AP Protesters demand better security in Kabul Police forces run as protesters throw stones during a demonstration in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, June 2, 2017. Hundreds of demonstrators demanded better security in the Afghan capital in the wake of a powerful truck bomb attack that killed scores of people. AP Protesters demand better security in Kabul Protesters throw stones toward security forces during a demonstration in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, June 2, 2017. Hundreds of demonstrators demanded better security in the Afghan capital in the wake of a powerful truck bomb attack that killed scores of people. AP Protesters demand better security in Kabul A boy walks past protesters during a demonstration in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, June 2, 2017. Hundreds of demonstrators demanded better security in the Afghan capital in the wake of a powerful truck bomb attack that killed scores of people. AP The US embassy in Kabul had issued a warning to American citizens on Thursday, saying: We are aware of reports that extremist groups may be planning an attack against hotels in Kabul. Captain Tom Gresback, spokesman for the Nato-led Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, said they were watching closely but it was not clear whether international forces took part in suppressing the attack. Afghan National Defense and Security Forces are leading the response efforts. According to initial reports, no Resolute Support or (US forces) members were injured in this incident, he said. Although the Nato-led Resolute Support mission says the Taliban has come under pressure after the US increased assistance to Afghan security forces and stepped up air strikes against insurgents, security remains precarious. As pressure on the battlefield has increased, security officials have warned that the danger of attacks on high-profile targets in Kabul and other cities would increase. After repeated attacks in Kabul, notably an incident last May in which a truck bomber killed at least 150 people outside the German embassy, security has been further tightened. While it shares the same name, the hotel in Kabul is not part of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), which issued a statement in 2011 saying that the hotel Inter-continental in Kabul is not part of IHG and has not been since 1980. Reuters The nation's highest court decided in early December to let the order take effect in full while it worked its way through two appeals courts. The Associated Press is reporting that the justices plan to hear arguments in April and issue a final ruling by late June. The so-called travel ban restricts travel in varying degrees from eight countries, six of them majority Muslim. The Supreme Court has signaled that it will consider the legality of President Donald Trump's order restricting travel. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, California, issued a ruling in late December, saying that the travel order exceeded the president's authority. The court put that order on hold, however, in deference to the Supreme Court. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, has yet to rule after a hearing in early December. At issue is the Trump administration's stated desire to ensure national security. Pro-immigration groups that have sued to stop the order say it is discriminatory and amounts to a ban on Muslims. The travel ban targets people from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen who want to enter the U.S. It also places limits on travelers from Venezuela and North Korea. This travel order is the third one issued by the Trump administration. The first two were not viewed kindly by the courts and were barely issued before they were struck down. The third one is different from its predecessors in that it was written after a review of vetting procedures, and the restrictions varied from country to country. The first executive order restricting travel was signed almost a year ago, on Jan. 27. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Turkish warplanes have attacked YPG and PKK targets as Ankara moves to help opposition fighters entering the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in northern Syria. The Turkish Prime Minister, Binali Yildirim, said the countrys air force had begun its aerial offensive on the region near the border between the two nations, which has been controlled by the Syrian YPG (Peoples Protection Units) since 2012. During a speech in the Turkish city of Bilecik, he said: As of this moment our brave armed forces have started the aerial offensive to eliminate the PYD and PKK and Daesh elements in Afrin. At least seven civilians have been injured so far in the assault which began at 5pm local time (3pm UK time). The Russian defence ministry has said it is removing its military observers from the city of Afrin because of the Turkish attack. A senior Turkish official said it aimed to liberate the region from the control of the Kurdish militants who they say are using their toehold in northern Syria as a base to launch attacks on Turkey. The official said freeing the nearby town of Manbij which the Kurds took back from Isis in 2016 from militant control will follow the operation to Afrin, adding that the operations are aimed at rebuilding social and economic infrastructure in the region. Associated Press journalists at the Turkish border saw at least five jets heading toward Afrin. They also witnessed a convoy of buses, believed to be carrying Syrian opposition fighters, travelling along the border across from Afrin. The convoy included trucks mounted with machine guns. The Turkey-Syria border as seen from the outskirts of the border town of Kilis, Turkey (AP) The assault has been dubbed Operation Olive Branch by the Turkish armed forces. The PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party), the Turkish Kurdish separatist movement, has been involved in an on and off armed conflict with the Turkish state since 1984 and has staged several terror attacks in the countrys major cities in recent years. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ended his two-year ceasefire with the Kurds after he became concerned about their growing military strength from fighting Isis militants over the border. He has claimed the PKK, which operates in Turkey, is trying to trick him by pretending they are the same as the YPG which only operates in Syria. 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 US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said earlier on Saturday that the accusations of cross-border attacks were false and they would have no choice to retaliate if they were attacked. They said the sudden and unjustified attacks on Afrin threatens to breath new life into Isis, which the militants are currently fighting. Additional reporting by AP Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Delta Air Lines is tightening the rules on who can take emotional support animals on flights after a sharp rise in on-board incidents, including urination, defecation, biting and mauling. The American airline will require extra documentation outlining passengers need for a support animal, plus proof of the relevant training and vaccinations, 48 hours before a flight. The new rules come into play from 1 March 2018 following a dramatic increase in the number of people bringing animals on board up 150 per cent since 2017, reports Reuters. This has led to an 84 per cent rise in animal-related safety incidents, including a high-profile incident in which a 50-pound emotional support dog mauled another passenger. The rise in serious incidents involving animals in flight leads us to believe that the lack of regulation in both health and training screening for these animals is creating unsafe conditions across US air travel, John Laughter, Deltas senior vice president of corporate safety, security and compliance, said in a statement. In the US, owners are allowed to be accompanied by their service animals in the cabin under federal law, as long as they do not pose a threat to the safety of others. Emotional support animals are becoming increasingly common on flights, with an estimated 100,000 travelling in cabins in the US every year. Advocates argue these animals can lower blood pressure and help with stress. Airports have also jumped on the bandwagon, with Cincinnati/Northern Ohio Airport introducing therapy miniature horses last year to help calm down stressed travellers passing through its doors. Twice a month, the check-in area gets a visit from a pair of a 34-strong team of therapy horses provided by Seven Oaks Farm in Ohio. Airports with therapy dogs have been on the increase in the States since San Jose started offering the service in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Thirty-odd American airports currently have dogs, while San Francisco has its own therapy pig. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A state of emergency has been declared for the key tourist gateway of Montego Bay and the surrounding area. Thousands of British holidaymakers are in Jamaica, with many more booked to travel in the next few weeks on winter sun trips to resorts or on cruises. Many people have contacted The Independent for advice. This is what we know so far. What has changed? If youre in the Parish of St James, which includes the main holiday hub of Montego Bay, Tourists should stay in their resorts and limit travel beyond their respective security perimeters, says the bulletin. The only times when they should leave the resorts are for travel to and from the airport or for excursions. Transport for these journeys should be arranged by the resort hotels, the FCO advises. This is very unusual Foreign Office advice. Normally the Government says simply its OK or dont go. But this is new: urging British holidaymakers in the Montego Bay area in the north-west of the island not to wander away from their gated, guarded all-inclusive resorts on their own. Why? In the past 48 hours the Jamaican prime minister has declared a State of Public Emergency in the parish of St James. The murder rate is twice as high as in any other parish; last year there were six killings a week on average, and since the start of the year general lawlessness has intensified. Relative to its population, Jamaica has a murder rate roughly 10 times higher than the US and 50 times higher than Britain. Does this warning affect other parts of the island? No, resorts such as Negril in the west and Ocho Rios in the east are unaffected by the new Foreign Office advice. However, flights for most holidaymakers arrive at, and leave from, Montego Bay, so it applies for travel to and from the citys airport. Wherever you are on the island, the FCO still warns of very high crime levels: Be vigilant at all times, even if youre staying with friends and family. Dont walk alone in isolated areas or on deserted beaches, even during the day. Take particular care when withdrawing money from ATMs. Dont carry large amounts of cash or wear eye-catching jewellery. Try to vary which restaurants you use. Using the same place too often might make you a target for thieves. How many British visitors are there in Jamaica and whats happening to them? Based on Foreign Office figures and analysing flight schedules both direct and via the US, I estimate around 5,000 British visitors are on the island a number of them people with family connections to Jamaica. TUI flies in around 900 a week from Gatwick and Manchester, while Virgin Atlantic has three 747s a week from Gatwick. One of them touched down late on Friday night. The new arrivals due to stay in Montego Bay will find that they are confined to barracks, albeit very comfortable barracks, except when they are on an organised excursion or a transfer to the airport. What about insurance? The Association of British Insurers tells me: Tourists already in the north-west of the island should follow FCO advice with travel policies remaining force. If anyone does not follow FCO advice and is injured, and needs emergency medical treatment, then this would be covered. Of course the golden rule is to take reasonable care at all times, which is what your travel insurer will expect you to do. If you do switch destination, then your insurance should be transferable, although if you change to Florida or another US destination then you may need to pay an increased premium. Are holidays still on sale? Yes, and so long as there is no warning against travel, they will continue to be sold. The UKs biggest holiday company, TUI, has some cheap deals going to Montego Bay from Gatwick and from Manchester on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 January respectively, and is selling cruises with its Marella brand for next month starting and ending in Montego Bay. Are other cruise ships still calling at Montego Bay? Yes, there appears to be no change to calls, with ships expected this weekend and through the remainder of winter. Most passengers are on organised tours, and therefore they will automatically comply with the new advice. What are the options for the tens of thousands who have forward bookings for Jamaica? Ive been asked by several imminent visitors: Can I insist on a change of destination without incurring any charges? Im due to fly on Tuesday. The answer is no. Unless the Foreign Office warns against travel, holiday firms are likely to maintain existing terms to customers with forward bookings for Jamaica. They will not be able to switch destination or cancel the trip without penalty. For imminent departures, that will probably mean losing all your money. Would you go there now? I have had nothing but great travel experiences in Jamaica, going independently but relying on advice from local people. Adam Williamson, who arrived back in the UK yesterday, said life had changed little. Gloucester Avenue, the hip strip that is the main tourism artery in Montego Bay, is lively and occasionally intimidating because of hustlers. But he says: There wasnt any time when I thought I might get physically hurt. Yet the UK Government says you should give Montego Bay a wide berth, unless you are staying in an all-inclusive resort. So the Hip Strip could be quiet tonight. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Norwegian the low-cost airline that has made headlines for launching the world's longest low-cost flight is making headlines again. A Norwegian Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner departing from New York JFK reached London Gatwick in 5 hours 13 minutes on Monday the fastest subsonic transatlantic flight recorded on a commercial aircraft. It beat the previous record of 5 hours 16 minutes. There were 284 passengers on board, who, after leaving New York at 11.44 am ET, were probably pretty happy to arrive in London at 9.57 pm GMT 53 minutes ahead of schedule. Strong tailwinds over the Atlantic Ocean pushed the aircraft to a top speed of 776 mph during the flight. Though impressive, the flight time was nowhere near rivalling transatlantic crossings made by Concorde when the supersonic aircraft was in service. The fastest Concorde flight from New York to London happened on February 7, 1996, when it crossed the pond in just shy of 2 hours 53 minutes, according to British Airways. The Norwegian captain, Harold van Dam (pictured below), said: "We were actually in the air for just over five hours and if it had not been for forecasted turbulence at lower altitude, we could have flown even faster." He added: "The 787 Dreamliner is a pleasure to fly and its a great feeling to know that we have set a new record in this aircraft." These flights took off in 2018 and landed in 2017 The airline uses that same aircraft on its two daily flights between London and New York. The day before, Gatwick-based captain Pascal Niewold recorded his fastest-ever transatlantic flight: New York to London in 5 hours 20 minutes. Niewold said: "The passengers and crew were very pleasantly surprised that we were already landing in London. It was a very smooth flight with almost no turbulence and as a result of the jet stream we arrived 25 minutes early." Read more: May tackles new Brexit Rebellion Philip Hammond and Mark Carney are in China to secure 1 billion of trade deals Facebook admits that social media can be bad for you Read the original article on Business Insider UK. 2017. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} My day done, its time to seek vittles in Anson 11, a swanky restaurant in the Anson Mills building in downtown El Paso, only the second concrete-framed skyscraper in all the United States when it was built in 1911. Prosperous then, the city has had its ups and downs for sure, but tonight all is buzzing. Filled with diners, the restaurant has just one seat left, a stool at the bar. I take it. So much for the wild west frontier town we are told to expect. I am but a short walk from the border with Mexico and the much larger city, in population terms, of Ciudad Juarez, yet no one here, even after dark, is afraid for their security. No bandits lurk in the alleyways. That El Paso boasts one of the lowest rates of crime of any city in America, including a homicide rate that is far below that of St Louis, Baltimore, Detroit or New Orleans, is a point of deep pride here. They put it down to excellent policing, growing prosperity, as well as flourishing relations between the civic leaderships of the adjoining cities. John Kelly says Donald Trump has changed his view on the border wall So when Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House spokesperson, took to Twitter (of course) the day I arrived to suggest that El Paso should be taken as Exhibit A in support of building a new mega-wall along the entire border with Mexico, the reaction here was, well, indignant. No topic is more fraught in Washington DC than immigration policy. There is the fight right now over Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the Obama-era programme giving protection from deportation to about 700,000 young people who were brought into this country illegally by their parents when they were young children, known as Dreamers, and the programme is set to expire unless Congress agrees to keep it going. And then there is Donald Trumps confounded wall. John Kelly, the White House chief of staff, was caught privately telling a group of Democrats on the Hill last week that the President was not informed when he vowed to build it back in 2016 and described his thinking as evolving on the topic. Trump was not amused. The Wall is the Wall, it has never changed or evolved from the first day I conceived of it, he responded on Twitter at 6:15am (local time) on Thursday morning. 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 At least he can rely on Huckabee Sanders to stay on message. Her tweet referenced an opinion article by a conservative columnist in Rupert Murdochs New York Post arguing that El Pasos low crime has everything to do with the 18-foot metal fence that already marks the border here. Ask El Paso, Texas (now one of Americas safest cities) across the border from Juarez, Mexico (one of the worlds most dangerous) if a wall works, she wrote. So I did. First, folk here would like to call out some errors of fact. The drop in crime here easily pre-dated the fence going up in 2008. The Post article, headlined, This town is proof that Trumps wall can work, talks of the fence protecting El Pasoans from the high-crime Mexican city of Juarez. But there has been a rapid decline in crime on that side of the border, too. Long before the border fence was built, El Paso boasted some of the safest crime statistics in the entire country, Jon Barela, CEO of the Borderplex Alliance, a group fostering economic development on both sides of the frontier, told me. Our public safety record is attributable to our culture, our people, and the tireless work of law enforcement officers. It also has to do with binding El Paso and Juarez economically, he added, not dividing them. The bottom line is that when people are deprived of jobs and economic opportunity they will always seek a way to provide for their families and no physical barrier, no matter how wide or tall, will stop them, even if it means sadly turning to illegal activities like drug trafficking. Jose Rodriguez, a Democrat representing El Paso in the state legislature in Austin, was more forthright, asserting on Facebook that the author of the piece was cherry picking stats to support lies. He went on: The New York Post allowed a columnist to tell lies about (El Paso). Administration press secretary spreads the lie. In other news, the sun rose in the east today. Also irritated was Beto ORourke, local Congressman and rising Democrat star who hopes to unseat Ted Cruz in the US Senate this year. Walls have nothing to do with it, he tweeted. Weve been ranked 1st, 2nd or 3rd safest city for last 20 years, including before any wall. In addition to great law enforcement, our safety is connected to the fact that we are a city of immigrants. Huckabee Sanders would surely be welcome at Anson 11, but shed be running the risk of someone asking here where she hails from. That would be Little Rock, Arkansas. Oh, Little Rock, ranked first-, second- and third-least safe city for the last 20 years, give or take a ranking or two. Maybe shed be better employed worrying about her own hometown before using El Paso as a prop for a proposal from her boss that most folk down here consider misbegotten or worse. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Do the US Democrats not get it? Trump has danced them into a government shutdown for one reason and one reason only. He thinks it will disrupt the Russia investigation. If they think he cares about anything else or anyone but himself, they have not been paying attention. Amanda Baker Edinburgh Make the politicians pay The use of the threat to shut down government-financed projects by Washington politicians of both parties seems bizarre to us this side of the pond. However, the political system in the US is impenetrable to most people outside of America anyway, unless they have made a special study of US politics. It seems that the effect of the shutdown will mostly affect projects aimed at vulnerable people and non-essential activities such as parks and the like. If the first effect of the shutdown was to stop paying the salaries of White House employees, including the President, and all the other politicians in Washington, perhaps that would focus the minds of those that use such threats to achieve political ends. Patrick Cleary Devon Shutdown does not bode well for our special relationship Given the nature of his support base, it is clever but utterly wicked of Donald Trump to unnecessarily link Congressional agreement on US federal funding to an issue which, although obviously important to the Republicans, is not an immediate budgetary matter. As that is the way he does deals, we should definitely not rely on a trade deal with the US to provide a way forward if Brexit does ever happen. Does our Government really think that whats left of the fading Special Relationship can protect us from such tactics? Patrick Cosgrove Bucknell, Shropshire Trump has inflicted tremendous damage upon the world One asks, a year on, whether President Trump is Americas worst president in history. For us Arabs and Muslims, Trump has personified racism, white supremacy, discrimination and bigotry. His statements are often littered with prejudice and serve to stoke cultural and religious animosities in a region already plagued with violence and insecurity. Sadly, Trump has exceeded terrorists in inflicting tremendous damage to Americas interests and reputation across the globe. Munjed Farid al Qutob London We need solutions in North Korea other than sanctions I am a great admirer of Partrick Cockburns reporting and do not disagree with his article on the effects of sanctions [in North Korea]. It is a pity he doesnt suggest what would be effective and not have dire effects on innocent populations. Perhaps tougher actions against the higher echelons in society should be undertaken. This would involve international arrest warrants issued, bank accounts frozen or seized, children stopped from attending schools abroad and third parties dealing with named individuals also suffering sanctions. David Aldworth London The South Kingstown School Committee announced this week that it is reviewing a proposed memorandum of agreement that spells out the purpose and function of having police officers in its schools. The agreement sets clearly-defined roles about addressing student conduct and says school administrators would be responsible for enforcing the code of conduct and responding to routine disciplinary violations while resource officers would not serve as school disciplinarians or to enforce school regulations but, rather, would be on site to investigate and respond to potential criminal offenses and intervene in situations in order to maintain safety. Do you believe that having dedicated police officers inside locals schools makes students safer? Why or why not? Let us know in this week's poll question below. You voted: A Cleveland woman was shot in the leg by accident last week in a coyote-scaring incident gone wrong. The incident occurred Wednesday, Jan. 17, at about 10:30 a.m. The male resident of the home, on the 1500 block of Woodleaf Barber road in Cleveland, grabbed his gun to shoot a coyote, which was outside the victims home, law enforcement said. The man accidentally discharged the weapon inside the house, according to a report. The victim, Rose Correll, 63, was shot in the leg. Law enforcement said she was alert and conscious when EMS arrived, and emergency personnel took her to the hospital where she was treated and released. The Twitter President By Paul Craig Roberts January 19, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - As my readers at home and around the world know, I supported giving Trump a chance as Trump, and only Trump, addressed the two most important issues of our time for both all of humanity and for Americans: (1) avoiding nuclear Armageddon by normalizing relations with Russia, and (2) restoring the American middle class, on whose success political stability in the United States depends, by stopping the offshoring of US jobs and bringing those offshored home. Inattentive people have mistakenly characterized Trump as the ruling Oligarchys candidate from day one. They dismiss the idea that he was sincere about either goal. There are many large problems with their dismissing of Trumps sincerity. One is that if he were the Oligarchs candidate, why did all their money go to Hillary? The other is that if Trump was insincere about normalizing relations with Russia, why did the military/security complex, specifically the CIA and FBI, invent Russiagate and why is Russiagate being used in an effort to impeach Trump or to drive him from office if Trump is the Oligarchs candidate? The presstitute media is owned by the Oligarchs. If Trump is the Oligarchs candidate, why is the presstitute media trying to drive Trump from office? These most obvious of all questions do not get asked or answered. I have asked them now for more than a year. Instead of answering me, I, like Trump and Stephen Cohen, get branded a Putin stooge. Stephen Cohen knows more about Russia and Putin than everyone in the Trump, Obama, George W. Bush, and Clinton regimes added together and multiplied by one million. Yet, it is the most knowledgeable person who is branded a stooge. The fact of the matter is that Washington and its presstitutes know that neither Trump nor I nor Stephen Cohen are Putins stooges. What they also know is that they do not want any truth introduced into their portrayal of their false picture of the Russian threat and its American collaborators. What they are doing is protecting the $1,000 billion annual budget, and associated power, of the military/security complex and the West Coast and northeastern coasts control over the White House. This small geographical area has a disportionate amount of population and electoral votes and rejects interference with its rule by scarcely populated flyover America. Truth and all respect for truth has disappeared from American political discourse. Truth is no longer even respected in academia or courts of law. The entire purpose of the US system and its subsystems is to achieve selfish aims that are at the expense of truth, justice, and other peoples. Trump has created himself as the Twitter President. He believes, as many before him have, that he can combat powerful ruling vested interests with words, as I attempt to do. However, a President of the United States has powers in addition to words, and Trump does not use them. Indeed, Trump has assembled a government that prevents him from using the powers of the presidency to achieve his two goals. This reduces him to a captive who hyperventilates on Twitter while he is forced to abandon his goals to those of private interest groups more powerful than the US president. My opinion is this: President Trump might have some chance of delivering on the two promises that got him elected (1) normalize relations with Russia, and (2) stop the offshoring of US jobs and bring those offshored back home if he would appoint to his government people who share his goals instead of people opposed to them. Moreover, Trumps constant, off-the-wall threats against Iran and North Korea undermine peoples belief that he ever intended to normalize relations with Russia. President Trump presents himself as a warmonger in league with the Neoconservatives, and his obvious service to Israel is humiliating for proud Americans. President Trump is also undermining his support by permitting corporate polluters to further despoil the environment and the diminishing wildlife of America. The presstitute media is deplorable, but Trump cannot make a success of himself by beating up on the media, which is controlled by Trumps own military/security complex. Why beat up on a corrupt media when you can terminate the government corruption that the media serves? And when you can use the Sherman Anti-trust Act to break up the concentrated media? If Trump is real, he will arrest Mueller, Comey, Brennan, Hillary, Obama, the DNC, and break the presstitute media monopolies into a thousand pieces. He might also arrest senators and representatives who are engaged in a campaign to overthrow the elected government of the United States. Abe Lincoln provided the precedent by exiling a US Representative and arresting 300 northern newspaper editors. If President Trump fails to defeat the agenda of those driving the world to nuclear war with Russia (and China), he will be the US President who failed humanity and snuffed out life on earth. Dr. Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. His internet columns have attracted a worldwide following. Roberts' latest books are The Failure of Laissez Faire Capitalism and Economic Dissolution of the West , How America Was Lost , and The Neoconservative Threat to World Order . Syria - Tillerson Announces Occupation Goals - Erdogan Makes Empty Threats By Moon Of Alabama January 19, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - For a few days now Turkey has threatened to invade Afrin (Efrin), a Kurdish held canton in the north-west of Syria. Afrin (topographic) bigger yellow - Kurdish control, grey - Turks, red - Syrian government, green - al-Qaeda The threat is not serious: Afrin is mostly mountainous. Pictures from Turkey showed (scroll down) the unloading of some tanks near to Afrin but within Turkey. These were old M-60 tanks. They have been slightly upgraded by Israel but can be knocked out by modern Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG) and certainly by Anti Tank Guided Missiles. (ATMG). These tanks would get slaughtered should they enter the tricky Afrin terrain. There are several tens of thousands of Kurdish fighters in Afrin. They are well armed. Afrin is under formal protection of Russian and Syrian forces. The real danger to Turkey is not Afrin but the much larger Kurdish protectorate the U.S. publicly announced in north-east Syria. The Turkish threats and its artillery noise have led to counter noise from Syria and more silent advice from Russia. The Syrian government wants to show that it is the protector of all Syrian citizens be they ethnic Arabs or Kurds. Russia is proud of its role as the grown up who is calming down all sides. The two real issues the wannabe-Sultan Erdogan has are: the upcoming meeting of Syrian opposition and government parties in Sochi and the U.S. backing of the PKK/YPG terrorists in north-east Syria. Russia wanted to invite several Kurdish parties, including the YPG, to the big meeting in Sochi. Turkey rejects any official inclusions of Kurds as a distinct constituency. Russia will fudge the issue by inviting certain personalities of Kurdish ethnic who will take part in their 'private capacities'. The second issue only came up again because of military bombast at CentCom and some uncoordinated and unsound U.S. policy : On Sunday, the U.S.-led military coalition battling Islamic State issued a statement trumpeting the creation of the 30,000-strong Border Security Force. But the announcement, which triggered Turkish denunciations, caught officials in Washington off guard. On Wednesday, U.S. officials said the coalitions declaration was misguidedand the Pentagon issued a statement trying to calm Turkish fears. This is not a new army or conventional border guard force, the Pentagon statement said. This was not the first time the Central Command in the Middle East acted in a overtly hawkish and bombastic way without considering the wider strategic impact. Turkey is a NATO member and to announce the installation of a terrorist force to guard a NATO border from the outside is just nuts. For years now the Pentagon has given way too much leash to CentCom and needs to tighten control over it. The "border guard" force has now been renamed an internal security force which will also make sure that none of the ISIS fighters in the area, which Washington diligently keeps alive in the Syrian east, will escape across the border to evade their next assignments. Never Miss Another Story Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Yesterday Secretary of State Tillerson announced the official "new" U.S. position on Syria. It is essentially a recap of the position the Obama administration had long held and does not make any more sense: Speaking in a major Syria-policy address hosted at Stanford University by the Hoover Institution, Tillerson listed vanquishing al-Qaeda, ousting Iran and securing a peace settlement that excludes President Bashar al-Assad as among the goals of a continued presence in Syria of about 2,000 American troops currently deployed in a Kurdish-controlled corner of northeastern Syria. (The real number of U.S. troops in Syria is around 5,000 soldiers plus an equal number of 'contractors'.) Other listeners detected even wider ambitions : The United States has five key goals in Syria, Mr. Tillerson said. They are: ensuring that the Islamic State and Al Qaeda never re-emerge; supporting the United Nations-led political process; diminishing Irans influence; making sure the country is free of weapons of mass destruction; and helping refugees to return after years of civil war. These goals are mutually exclusive. Nothing will happen in the UN process in Geneva as long as anyone insists in removing the Syrian President Assad. Al Qaeda and ISIS in Syria are a consequence of U.S. action and (covered) presence in the country. Iran currently has little presence and limited influence in Syria. It would only increase again should the U.S. try to militarily attack the Syrian government. Refugees will not return as long as the U.S. threatens to again widen the war. I have yet to read one analyst who believes that the U.S. administration can achieve any of the wishes it announced. It is a hapless policy of "doing something" which will fail when resistance on the ground will ramp up and the political costs of the occupation will become apparent. The YPG Kurds in the north-east, who agreed to their occupation, will be the ones who will have to to bear the wrath. All other parties involved in Syria will hold them responsible. For now the new announcement and its botched presentation only helped Erdogan to again play to his crowd. None of this will be of much consequence. This article was originally published by Moon Of Alabama ==== misspoke. Turkish President Erdogan has repeatedly warned of an imminent Join the Discussion Norman Finkelstein on the Many Lies Perpetuated About Gaza Video and Transcript "Israel leveled 18,000 homes. How many Israeli homes were leveled? One. Israel killed 550 children. How many Israeli children were killed? One." Posted January 19, 2017 AMY GOODMAN: Our guest today, author and scholar Norman Finkelstein, author of the new book Gaza: An Inquest into Its Martyrdom, the book published as Israel is facing a possible International Criminal Court war crimes probe over its 2014 assault on Gaza, which killed more than 2,100 Palestinians, including over 500 children. I want to turn to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talking about the 2014 military offensive in Gaza. He was speaking to Brian Williams of NBC News. PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: You know, at a certain point, you say, What choice have you got? What would you do? What would you do if American cities, where youre sitting now, Brian, would be rocketed, would absorb hundreds of rockets? You know? You know what wouldyoud say? Youd say to your leader, A mans got to do what a mans got to do. And youd say, A countrys got to do what a countrys got to do. We have to defend ourselves. We try to do it with the minimum amount of force or with targeting civilmilitary targets as best as we can. But well act to defend ourselves. No country can live like this. AMY GOODMAN: That was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu justifying the 2014 military offensive in Gaza, that the International Criminal Court is apparently about to open up a war crimes investigation into. NORMAN FINKELSTEIN: Well, Benjamin Netanyahu says two things: Number one, Israel had no option, and, number two, that it used the minimum amount of force. Well, lets look quickly at those two points. Point number one, everybody agreed that the reason they wentonce the fighting began, Hamas had one goal. The goal was to end the siege of Gaza, to lift the siege. Under international law, that siege is illegal. It constitutes collective punishment, which is illegal under international law. The siege has been condemned by everybody in the international community. He had an option. He didnt have to use force. He simply had to lift the siege. And then there wouldnt have been a conflict with Gaza. Number two, he claims he used minimum force. Theres a lot to say about that. You can decide for yourself whether its minimum force when Israel leveled 18,000 homes. How many Israeli homes were leveled? One. Israel killed 550 children. How many Israeli children were killed? One. Now, you might say, Well, thats because Israel has a sophisticated civil defense system, or Israel has Iron Dome. I wont go into that; I dont have time now. But theres a simple test. The test is: What did the Israeli combatants themselves see? What did they themselves say? We have the documentation, a report put out by the Israeli ex-serviceex-combatant organization, Breaking the Silence . Its about 110 pages. You couldnt believe it. You know, Ill tell you, Amy, I still remember when I was reading it. I was in Turkey. I was going to a book festival. I was sitting in the back of a car and reading these descriptions of what the soldiers did. My skin was crawling. I was like shaking. Soldier after soldier after soldier. Now, bear in mind, you want to say theyre partisan, the soldiers? Read the testimonies. Theyre not contrite. Theyre not remorseful. Theyre just describing what happened. Theres no contrition. These arent lefties, supporters of BDS. What do they describe? One after another after another says, Our orders were shoot to kill anything that moves and anything that doesnt move. One after another after another says, Israel used insane amounts of firepower in Gaza. Israel used lunatic amounts of firepower in Gaza. AMY GOODMAN: These were the Israeli soldiers. NORMAN FINKELSTEIN: The soldiers, theyre describing it. One after another says, We blew up, destroyed, systematically, methodically razed every house in sight. What does that mean, every house in sight? Seventy percent of the people in Gaza, theyre refugees. It means they lost their homeland. The last thing they have, the only thing they have, the only thing theyve ever had, is their home. And the Israelis went in like a wrecking crew with their D9 bulldozers. AMY GOODMAN: Explain how it began. NORMAN FINKELSTEIN: How what? AMY GOODMAN: How the 2014 Israeli military invasion of Gaza began. NORMAN FINKELSTEIN: No, these are hard things to explain, because it depends on where you want to start. Where I start is, at the end of April 2014, a national unity government was formed between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas. And the United States and the EU, surprisingly, they didnt break off negotiations with this new unity government, although it included a terrorist organization, and it enraged Netanyahu. AMY GOODMAN: Youre using air quotes. Youre saying what the U.S. called a terrorist organization. NORMAN FINKELSTEIN: Well, what Israel calls a terrorist organization, because, at that time, the U.S. was willing to negotiate. And Netanyahu went into a rage, because he was being ignored over Iran, now hes being ignored over Hamas. And so, he finds a pretextI dont want to go into the details nowhe finds a pretext to try to provoke Hamas into reacting, so that he can say, You see? Theyre a terrorist organization. And then it quickly spiraled downwards, as it typically does. And then Israel went in. There was the air assault. And then, July 17th, the day the Malaysian airliner went down over the Ukraine, Netanyahu used that moment. The plane was downed in the afternoon, and he launches the ground invasion in the evening. You would be surprised how finely attuned the Israelis are to the American news cycle. They begin Operation Protective Edge in 2008 with Obamas election to the presidency on November 4th. They begin the ground invasion of Gaza duringwell, [ 2008 ] was Operation Cast Lead. They begin Cast Lead on November 4th, 2008, when Obama is elected president. They begin Operation Protective Edge, the ground invasion, on July 17th. When the airliner is downed over the Ukraine, all the cameras are now riveted over there, and so they launch the attack. And the attack waswell, let me just quote to you Peter Maurer, who is the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross. And I was even surprised by his remark. Peter Maurer saidand Im quoting him, paraphrasing him, but almost verbatim. He said, In my entire professional life, I have never seen destruction as I saw in Gaza. And thats coming from the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, who is accustomed to seeing, witnessing war zones. What was done there wasit was a crime against humanity. You take a place like Shejaiya. Shejaiya, its a very densely populated neighborhood of 90,000 people. Israel dropped, believe it or notits hard to even fathommore than 100 one-ton bombs on Shejaiya. More than 100 one-ton bombs on Shejaiya. Did the same thing to Rafah. Did the same thing to Khuzaa. Did the same thing to the whole Gaza Strip. And then you have this guy come along, and he said, We used discriminate force. We used proportionate force. AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to go to after thean attack on a U.N. shelter in 2014, the Israeli military attacking, in Gaza, which killed many Palestinian civilians. The spokesperson for UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, broke down and cried during interview on Al Jazeera. His name is Christopher Gunness. CHRISTOPHER GUNNESS: The rights of Palestinians, even their children, are wholesale denied, and its appalling. AMY GOODMAN: Christopher Gunness is starting to cry. CHRISTOPHER GUNNESS: [crying] AMY GOODMAN: Thats Christopher Gunness, as the camera turns away from him, his head in his hands, later tweeting, There are times when tears speak more eloquently than words. Mine pale into insignificance compared with Gazas. Norman Finkelstein, we have two minutes left. NORMAN FINKELSTEIN: I happen to know Chris Gunness. Hes a really terrific guy. I hope he doesnt lose his job because I said that. But he is a special guy. Hes an unusual guy. He worked in Gaza. Hes married to a man, hes married to a Jewish man, and hes married to an Israeli man. So you can imagine that Hamas was not thrilled with him. But hes very principled, and the tears were real. Anybody who lives there, has even passed through there, their heart breaks at whats been done to the people of Gaza. AMY GOODMAN: What do you think needs to be done now? NORMAN FINKELSTEIN: Well, its clear the first thing that has to be done is the siege has to be lifted. And the U.N. Human Rights Council, although its report was a total and complete whitewash and disgraceMary McGowan Davis was the author of itthey did say, according to the law, the siege has to be lifted immediately and unconditionally. Thats the law: has to be lifted immediately and unconditionally. Thats the first thing that has to be done. The siege has to end. The occupation has to end. And the people of Gaza, after 50 godforsaken years, should have the right to breathe and live a normal life. AMY GOODMAN: And how do you think thats going to happen? NORMAN FINKELSTEIN: Its a very tough moment right now, but there are always possibilities. In my opinion, there is the possibility in Gaza of a nonviolent mass resistance, trying to force open the checkpoints and the West Bank. I dont have time to go through it now. I think a mass strategy of smacking Israeli soldierswomen and girlsin the footsteps of Ahed Tamimi, that kind of strategy AMY GOODMAN: Who faces many years in prison right now. NORMAN FINKELSTEIN: Yes. Nobodys saying its without risks. AMY GOODMAN: Ten seconds. NORMAN FINKELSTEIN: But just as the children of Gaza, when they threw stones at the Israelis in 1988 during the First Intifada, shifted international public opinion, I think the peoplethe women of Gaza, if they have a Me Too campaignI smacked an Israeli soldier todayI think that can win international public opinion also. AMY GOODMAN: You talked about a nonviolent campaign NORMAN FINKELSTEIN: Yeah, I dont consider AMY GOODMAN: throughout the occupied areas. NORMAN FINKELSTEIN: Look, Im in the tradition of Gandhi. And Gandhi was very clear: When youre facing huge odds against you and you use kinds of force like scratching, slapping, kicking AMY GOODMAN: Three seconds. NORMAN FINKELSTEIN: Gandhi said thats not violence. And I agree with him. AMY GOODMAN: Norman Finkelstein, author of Gaza: An Inquest into Its Martyrdom. Palestinians Deserve - And Will Get - A More Effective Leadership By Rami G. Khouri January 19, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - BEIRUT The crushing irony for Palestinians today is that their cause remains widely supported by over 120 governments and billions of ordinary men and women around the world, yet the Palestinian leadership is a case study in hapless incompetence that verges on national shame. This was confirmed again this week as the Central Council of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) issued a policy statement after days of deliberations that is a sad example of meaningless cliches uttered by aging men whose track record of political achievement is empty and astoundingly so, in view of the massive and sustained support around the world for Palestinian national rights. The Central Council is supposed to fill the gap between the National Council (parliament-in-exile) that represents all Palestinians around the world, and the Executive Committee that represents the major Palestinian political factions and functions like a government cabinet, headed by the president. In fact, these three organs of government and the presidency are all moribund institutions that have neither impact nor legitimacy, for the leadership has lost touch with the ordinary Palestinians whom it is supposed to represent and serve. So it is no surprise that after another fiery but hollow speech by President Mahmoud Abbas, the Central Council has decided to suspend its recognition of Israel, end security cooperation with Israel, effectively nullify the 2003 Oslo accords, and call on the world to work for the creation of a Palestinian state and end Israels colonization policies. These meaningless words by a powerless leadership will have no impact on anything. It is hard to know what else to say or do in the face of such a failed leadership of a noble Palestinian people that continues to struggle, mostly nonviolently, for their peaceful statehood and end to refugeehood and exile, alongside an Israeli state that would acknowledge those rights for Palestinians. But we must do something, because simply continuing with the same inept leadership that has excluded the vast majority of Palestinians from participating in their national decision-making only guarantees that daily life conditions and future prospects for those millions of Palestinians will only worsen with every passing month and for those in refugee camps or under Israeli siege in Gaza, it is hard to imagine how life could get any more difficult. The Palestinians cannot force major changes in the policies of the Israeli government that continues with the same colonial, Apartheid-like policies that have defined Zionism since the 1947-48 creation of Israel and the dismemberment, disenfranchisement, and dispersal of the Palestinians. But 1.5 million Palestinians of 1948 have become nine million or so today, and they do have the power to do one thing, whether they live in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza, as Israeli citizens inside Israel, or throughout the diaspora around the region and the world. They can and must re-legitimize their national leadership into a single movement that listens to all their views, represents them legitimately, reaches policy decisions on the basis of serious consultations and consensus that allows Palestinians to speak in a single voice, and engages diplomatically around the world with the full support of all Palestinians. None of these dynamics exists today, which is why the current leadership of the PLO under Mahmoud Abbas is not taken seriously in the region or internationally least of all by the majority of Palestinians themselves, who have looked elsewhere for leadership in the years since the Oslo process proved to be a failure and Yasser Arafat started to lose his credibility. The leaderless condition of the Palestinian people today is reflected in how the three most dramatic examples of pubic political action in recent years have occurred without any meaningful input from the PLO, or from the Palestinian Authority (PA) which administers limited services and regions in the West Bank and Gaza where Israel gives it permission to do so. Never Miss Another Story Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Those three examples are: the current campaign around the world to support Ahed Tamimi, the 16-year-old girl from a West Bank village who is detained in an Israeli jail pending a possible military court trial, because she resisted Israeli occupation and slapped an Israeli soldier; the weeks of spontaneous popular protest last summer in Arab East Jerusalem, when tens of thousands of Palestinians there defended their holy sites at the Haram al-Sharif (Temple Mount, for Israelis); and, the ongoing Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement by civil society to pressure Israel to stop its mistreatment and human rights denials of Palestinians in the three arenas of occupied Palestine, the state of Israel, and the disapora. Hamas challenge to the PLO leadership in Gaza is another sign of the PLOs delinquency in protecting, representing, or leading the Palestinians. It is difficult now to create a whole new national leadership, given the fragmented nature of the Palestinian community. Yet the cohesion that all Palestinians feel, wherever they live, also makes it feasible to at least start consultations amongst themselves to find a way out of the current nightmare by giving fresh blood and new life and legitimacy to existing PLO organs. There is no reason why we should suffer this ghastly fate of being plagued by a colonial Zionist Israeli state that steadily eats up our land, ignored by a mostly caring world that is otherwise preoccupied by more pressing issues, and abandoned by a Palestinian leadership that has become powerless, dependent on donors, docile, a purveyor of empty cliches, and largely incoherent. Such situations might lull some observers to see the end of the Palestine issue, while a more likely conclusion would be that this low point will mark the start of a process of re-birth for the nine million Palestinians who have never stopped struggling and working for their national rights since the 1930s. They are certainly not going to stop now, regardless of the poor quality of their current leaders. Rami G. Khouri is senior public policy fellow and professor of journalism at the American University of Beirut, and a non-resident senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Middle East Initiative. He can be followed on Twitter @ramikhouri Copyright 2018 Rami G. Khouri Distributed by Agence Global ==== Join the Discussion "Explosive", "Shocking" And "Alarming" FISA Memo Set To Rock DC, "End Mueller Investigation" By Tyler Durden January 20, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - All hell is breaking loose in Washington D.C. after a four-page memo detailing extensive FISA court abuse was made available to the entire House of Representatives Thursday. The contents of the memo are so explosive, says Journalist Sara Carter, that it could lead to the removal of senior officials in the FBI and the Department of Justice and the end of Robert Mueller's special counsel investigation. These sources say the report is explosive, stating they would not be surprised if it leads to the end of Robert Muellers Special Counsel investigation into President Trump and his associates. - Sara Carter A source close to the matter tells Fox News that "the memo details the Intelligence Committee's oversight work for the FBI and Justice, including the controversy over unmasking and FISA surveillance." An educated guess by anyone who's been paying attention for the last year leads to the obvious conclusion that the report reveals extensive abuse of power and highly illegal collusion between the Obama administration, the FBI, the DOJ and the Clinton Campaign against Donald Trump and his team during and after the 2016 presidential election. Lawmakers who have seen the memo are calling for its immediate release, while the phrases "explosive," "shocking," "troubling," and "alarming" have all been used in all sincerity. One congressman even likened the report's details to KGB activity in Russia. It is so alarming the American people have to see this, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan told Fox News. It's troubling. It is shocking, North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows said. Part of me wishes that I didn't read it because I dont want to believe that those kinds of things could be happening in this country that I call home and love so much. Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., offered the motion on Thursday to make the Republican majority-authored report available to the members. The document shows a troubling course of conduct and we need to make the document available, so the public can see it, said a senior government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the document. Once the public sees it, we can hold the people involved accountable in a number of ways. The government official said that after reading the document some of these people should no longer be in the government. - Sara Carter Immediately #ReleaseTheMemo #FISAMemo & ALL relevant material sourced in it. Every American needs to know the truth! We wouldn't be revealing any sources & methods that we shouldn't; only feds' reliance on bad sources & methods. Lee Zeldin (@RepLeeZeldin) January 19, 2018 Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) nods his head *Yes* before conceding he can't talk specifics when Sean Hannity asks if Comey knew about FISA abuses. #ReleaseTheMemo pic.twitter.com/CyldDY4CuZ Josh Caplan (@joshdcaplan) January 19, 2018 Releasing this classified info doesn't compromise good sources & methods. It reveals the feds' reliance on bad sources & methods. Lee Zeldin (@RepLeeZeldin) January 18, 2018 The classified report compiled by House Intelligence is deeply troubling and raises serious questions about the upper echelon of the Obama DOJ and Comey FBI as it relates to the so-called collusion investigation. Ron DeSantis (@RepDeSantis) January 18, 2018 While the report is classified as Top Secret, I believe the select committee should, pursuant to House rules, vote to make the report publicly available as soon as possible. This is a matter of national significance and the American people deserve the truth. Ron DeSantis (@RepDeSantis) January 18, 2018 Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz (R) echoed Sara Carter's sentiment that people might lose their job if the memo is released: I believe the consequence of its release will be major changes in people currently working at the FBI and the Department of Justice, he said, referencing DOJ officials Rod Rosenstein and Bruce Ohr. Meanwhile, Rep. Matt Gatetz (R-FL) said not only will the release of this memo result in DOJ firing, but "people will go to jail." Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) on FISA memo: "I think this will not just end with firings, I believe there are people who will go to jail!" #ReleaseTheMemo pic.twitter.com/7pxs2mEBQ5 Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) January 19, 2018 Former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino says "Take it to the bank, the FBI/FISA docs are devastating for the Dems." Take it to the bank, the FBI/FISA docs are devastating for the Dems. The whole image of a benevolent Barack Obama theyve disingenuously tried to portray is about to be destroyed. The real Obama, the vengeful narcissist, is going to be exposed for all to see. Dan Bongino (@dbongino) January 18, 2018 My sincere apologies for the expletive but SHIT IS ABOUT TO HIT THE FAN. The former Obama administrations going to have a lot of explaining to do. #Obamagate Dan Bongino (@dbongino) January 19, 2018 The dossier was used in part as evidence for a warrant to surveil members of the Trump campaign, according to a story published this month . Former British spy Christopher Steele, who compiled the dossier in 2016, was hired by embattled research firm Fusion GPS. The firms founder is Glenn Simpson, a former Wall Street Journal reporter who has already testified before Congress in relation to the dossier. In October, The Washington Post revealed for the first time that it was the Hillary Clinton campaign and the DNC that financed Fusion GPS. Never Miss Another Story Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Congressional members are hopeful that the classified information will be declassified and released to the public. We probably will get this stuff released by the end of the month, stated a congressional member, who asked not to be named. - Sara Carter Releasing the memo to the public would require a committee vote, a source told Fox, adding that if approved, it could be released as long as there are no objections from the White House within five days . Reactions from the citizenry have been on point: Obama's FBI colluded with the Clinton campaign to destroy a Presidential candidate - and then an elected POTUS & his family. It's the greatest scandal in American history & the public need to know the truth. https://t.co/PYafr0AqLq Imperator_Rex (@Imperator_Rex3) January 18, 2018 All of this is good to know. And it's perfectly understandable that the members of the House committee are outraged. But if the end results is not a series of indictments and prosecutions for flagrant criminal sedition, the Obama/Hillary corruption will be enshrined as law. Christopher G. Adamo (@CGAdamo) January 18, 2018 The swamp runs deep and it is about to be EXPOSED. #ReleasetheMemo #Obamagate pic.twitter.com/Ylc67MiZKE Mike Tokes (@MikeTokes) January 19, 2018 When you have congressmen getting on National Television stating the Intelligence memo they just read could threaten our Democracy, you damn well better #ReleaseTheMemo . This DC swamp scum game needs end. Kambree Kawahine Koa (@KamVTV) January 18, 2018 . @SenFeinstein is it possible for you to get a bladder infection long enough to leak the FISA Memo? America is asking. #ReleaseTheMemo #MAGA pic.twitter.com/uKwSmvkKSV CarrieAmerica (@carrieksada) January 19, 2018 Even WikiLeaks has joined the fray, offering a reward in Bitcoin to anyone who will share the memo: #ReleaseTheMemo : Do you know someone who has access to the FISA abuse memo? Send them here: https://t.co/cLRcuIiQXz WikiLeaks will match reward funds up to $1m sent to this unique Bitcoin address: 3Q2KXS8WYT6dvr91bM2RjvBHqMyx9CbPMN or marked 'memo2018': https://t.co/lmsmphuH2N pic.twitter.com/j1YEkXqi2S WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) January 19, 2018 Of all the recent developments in the ongoing investigation(s), this one is on the cusp of turning into a genuine happening. US Intelligence Could Well Have Wiretapped Trump: Ron Paul Watch January 20, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - Unable to come to terms with losing the 2016 election, Democrats are still pushing the Russiagate probe and blocking the release of a memo describing surveillance abuses by the FBI, former Congressman Ron Paul told RT. A top-secret intelligence memo, believed to reveal political bias at the highest levels of the FBI and the DOJ towards President Trump, may well be as significant as the Republicans say, Ron Paul told RT. But, he added, theres still to many unknowns, especially, from my view point. Trump connection to the Russians, I think, has been way overblown, and Id like to just get to the bottom of this the new information thats coming out, maybe this will reveal things and help us out, he said. Right now its just a political fight, the former US Congressman said. I think theyre dealing with things a lot less important than the issue they ought to be talking about Right now, I dont think anybody is seeking justice or seeking truth as much as theyre seeking to get political advantage. Trumps claims that he was wiretapped by US intelligence agencies on the orders of the Obama administration may well turn out to be true, Paul said. I would be surprised if they havent spied on him. They spy on everybody else. And they have spied on other members of the executive branch and other presidents. However, he criticized Trump for doing nothing to prevent the Senate from voting in the expansion of warrantless surveillance of US citizens under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) earlier this week. The other day when they voted to get FISA even more power to spy on American people, the president couldnt be influenced by the fact that they used it against him. And I believe they did, and he believes that. Ive always maintained that government ought to be open and the people ought to have their privacy. But right now the people have no privacy and all our government does is work on secrecy and then it becomes competitive between the two parties, who get stuck with the worst deal by arguing, whos guilty of some crime, the politician explained. The fact that Democrats on the relevant committees have all voted against releasing the memo might mean that Trump is probably right; there's probably a lot of stuff there that would exonerate him from any accusation theyve been making, he said. Never Miss Another Story Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Paul also blasted the infamous Russian Dossier compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele, and which the Democrats used in their attack on Trump, saying it has no legitimacy being revealing [in terms of] of Trump being associated with Russia. From the people I know The story has been all made up, essentially. Im no fan of Trump. Im not a supporter of his, but I think that has been carried way overboard. I think the Democrats cant stand the fact that theyve lost the election, and they cant stand the fact that Trump is a little bit more independent minded than they like, he said. This article was originally published by RT - ==== Watters: After 'Apoplectic' Reaction From Congressmen, Memo on FISA Abuses 'Better Be Good' Rep. Tom Cole Wants To Release The FISA Memo [VIDEO] Edward Snowden calls for public release of FISA abuses memo and Trump veto of key surveillance tool Trump Jr. on FISA memo: Media, Democrats working together to deceive Americans Join the Discussion It is not necessary for ICH readers to register before placing a comment. This website encourages readers to use the "Report" link found at the base of each comment. When a predetermined number of ICH readers click on the "Report" link, the comment will be automatically sent to "moderation". This would appear to be the most logical way to allow open comments, where you the reader/supporter, can determine what is acceptable speech. Please don't use the report feature simply because you disagree with the author point of view. Treat others with respect, remembering that "A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still."- Benjamin Franklin. Please read our Comment Policy before posting - Republicans Authorize Sharing of Classified Report on FBI, DOJ officials' Conduct By KYLE CHENEY January 20, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee have authorized their colleagues to access a highly classified report that they say details their concerns with the conduct of top FBI and Justice Department officials, as well as the agencies handling of a controversial surveillance program. We have concerns FISA concerns that all members of the body should know, said Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas), a member of the committee, referring to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Some of President Donald Trumps allies in the House have argued that the program was inappropriately used to surveil a foreign policy aide to the Trump campaign. Democrats derided the release of the report as part of an attempt to discredit senior leaders of the agencies leading investigations into President Donald Trumps ties to Russia and whether any of his associates aided Russias attempt to influence the 2016 election. [T]he Majority voted today on a party-line basis to grant House Members access to a profoundly misleading set of talking points drafted by Republican staff attacking the FBI and its handling of the investigation, Rep. Adam Schiff, the committees top Democrat, said in a statement. Rife with factual inaccuracies and referencing highly classified materials that most of Republican Intelligence Committee members were forced to acknowledge they had never read, this is meant only to give Republican House members a distorted view of the FBI. This may help carry White House water, but it is a deep disservice to our law enforcement professionals, he added. Conaway noted that the classified report would probably remain off-limits to the public, though all members of the House are permitted to view it. But by releasing it to other House members, it gave Trump allies outside the Intelligence Committee a chance to batter FBI leadership and underscore complaints theyve raised about the agencys handling of its investigation of Trump associates contacts with Russia. Throughout the day Thursday, a handful of Trumps top House allies began calling for the immediate public release of the report. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) said the report must be released to preserve our democracy. Another conservative ally, Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), called the report deeply troubling and said the Intelligence Committee should dust off a little-used process to reveal classified information publicly in order to show the public. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) said the report would reveal FISA abuse. Releasing this classified information will not compromise good sources and methods, Zeldin said in a statement. It will, however, reveal the feds reliance on bad sources and methods. Never Miss Another Story Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter A source familiar with discussions between the leader of the Freedom Caucus, Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), and House leadership amid high-stakes negotiations over the government spending bill said Meadows asked Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) explicitly to authorize a vote on releasing the report. The source said Ryan deferred to the House Intelligence Committee chairman, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), who has authority over whether to start the process on releasing the report. Meadows, taking to the House floor late Thursday, said he was shocked by the contents of the report. It is time that we become transparent on all of this, he said. And I am calling on our leadership to make this available so that all Americans can judge for themselves. Conaway, though, told reporters hed counsel his colleagues against revealing classified material. Thatd be real dangerous, he said, suggesting that a version of the committees findings could be made public without getting into the specifics of what drove Republicans decision to share the report with colleagues. Another member of the Intelligence Committee, Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah), said he would like to release an unclassified version of the report scrubbed to protect classified information. He said that in addition to questions about FISA, the report would highlight concerns among Republicans about the judgment of some members of the FBI or some members of the Department of Justice. The report appears to be the result of an inquiry by a subset of Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee, the details of which were revealed last month. That investigation, led by Nunes, focused on what some Republicans on the panel have come to view as abuses of the FISA process by senior FBI and DOJ officials, as well as the handling of a disputed Trump-Russia dossier by intelligence and law enforcement officials. This article was originally published by Politico - ==== Watters: After 'Apoplectic' Reaction From Congressmen, Memo on FISA Abuses 'Better Be Good' Rep. Tom Cole Wants To Release The FISA Memo [VIDEO] Edward Snowden calls for public release of FISA abuses memo and Trump veto of key surveillance tool Trump Jr. on FISA memo: Media, Democrats working together to deceive Americans Join the Discussion Trumps Plan B for Syria: Occupation and Intimidation By Mike Whitney January 20, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - On Wednesday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced the creation of a de facto autonomous Kurdish state in east Syria that will be supported by the United States and defended by a US-backed proxy army of occupation. Tillersons announcement was made at a confab he attended at Stanford University at the Hoover Institute. According to The Hill: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Wednesday outlined a new U.S. strategy in Syria, hinging on maintaining an indefinite military presence in the country with the goal of ousting the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad and keeping militant groups at bay. Speaking at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, Tillerson sought to make the case for an extended U.S. military role, backed by a United Nations-brokered political solution, in the war-torn country. A U.S. withdrawal, he said, would likely have disastrous consequences. Total withdrawal would restore Assad and continue brutal treatment of his own people, Tillerson said. (Tillerson outlines plan for long-term US military role in Syria, The Hill) Tillersons comments underscore the fact that recent setbacks in the 7-year-long conflict, have not dampened Washingtons determination to topple the elected government of Syria and to impose its own political vision on the country. They also confirm that the United States intends to occupy parts of Syria for the foreseeable future. As the article clearly states: The secretarys remarks on Wednesday signaled his most explicit endorsement yet for long-term U.S. military presence in the country. (The Hill) On Thursday, Tillerson backtracked from his earlier statement saying his comments had been misportrayed. That entire situation has been misportrayed, misdescribed, (and) some people misspoke. We are not creating a border security force at all, (Tillerson said) Regrettably, the media did not misportray Washingtons intentions or policy. In fact, the details have been circulating since last weekend when an article appeared in The Defense Post announcing the creation of 30,000 man border security force. Heres an excerpt from the article: The U.S.-led Coalition against Islamic State is currently training a force to maintain security along the Syrian border as the operation against ISIS shifts focus. The 30,000-strong force will be partly composed of veteran fighters and operate under the leadership of the Syrian Democratic Forces, CJTF-OIR told The Defense Post. The Coalition is working jointly with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to establish and train the new Syrian Border Security Force (BSF). Currently, there are approximately 230 individuals training in the BSFs inaugural class, with the goal of a final force size of approximately 30,000, .Public Affairs Officer Colonel Thomas F. Veale said. The BSF will be stationed along the Euphrates River Valley marking the western edge of the territory within Syria currently controlled by SDF and the Iraqi and Turkish borders, he said. (The Defense Post) As we have noted before, Washington is determined to throw up an iron curtain along the Euphrates consistent with its plan to split Syria into smaller parts, support the central governments enemies, and create a safe haven for launching attacks on the government in Damascus. Seen in this light, the 30,000-man border security force is not a border security force at all, but a slick Madison Avenue-type sobriquet for Washingtons proxy army of occupation. The fact that The Coalition told The Defense Post that north army was not a recognized term in Syria, indicates the importance Washington places on its particular product branding. The border security force (BSF) moniker helps to conceal the fact that Washington has armed and trained a mainly-Kurdish proxy-army to pursue Washingtons strategic objectives in Syria which include toppling the government of Bashar al Assad, splintering the country into smaller tribal-run territories, and installing a compliant stooge in the Capitol who will follow Washingtons diktats. Never Miss Another Story Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter In order to achieve those goals, Washington has had to make critical concessions to its Kurdish allies in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is an alliance of militias in northern and eastern Syria dominated by the Kurdish YPG. The Kurds expect the US to honor its demands for a Kurdish homeland, an autonomous statelet carved out of Syrias northeast quadrant, the portion of territory east of the Euphrates captured during the fight against ISIS. Tillersons announcement confirmed that the US will support the defense of this territory by its Kurdish proxies inferring that the Trump administration has thrown its weigh behind the unilateral creation of a Kurdish state in east Syria. (Publicly, the US opposes the creation of Kurdistan, but its actions on the ground, indicate its support.) Naturally, this has not gone-over well with the other countries in the region that have struggled to contain Kurdish aspirations for a homeland. The leaders of Syria, Iran, Iraq and Turkey all oppose the emergence of a Kurdistan, although Turkeys president Erdogan has been the most outspoken by far. According to the Turkish daily Hurriyet: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to thwart the creation of a U.S-backed 30,000-strong border security force manned mostly by the Peoples Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria. Turkeys armed forces completed preparations for an operation against the YPG in their strongholds Afrin, in northwestern Syria, and Manbij, in northern Syria, Erdogan said on Jan. 15 at an opening ceremony in Ankara. The operation may start any time. Operations into other regions will come after, the president said, noting that the Turkish army was already hitting YPG positions. America has acknowledged it is in the process of creating a terror army on our border. What we have to do is nip this terror army in the bud, Erdogan said.We wont be responsible for the consequences. (The Hurriyet) Its worth noting that the US never consulted its NATO ally, Turkey, before initiating its current plan. This suggests that the foreign policy wonks who concocted this misguided scheme must have thought that Erdogan and his fellows would be duped by the paper-thin public relations smokescreen of border security. Washingtons reliance on Information Operations and propaganda may have clouded its judgement and impaired its ability to understand how their public relations scam could blow up in their faces. (which it did.) Despite the foofaraw, theres nothing new about Washingtons determination to establish a permanent military presence in Syria, in fact, that has been the plan from Day 1. The basic US strategy in Syria has been modified many times in the last few years, particularly after Syrian forces liberated Syrias industrial hub, Aleppo, which was the turning point in the conflict. Since then, news has circulated about a Plan B, which accepts the reality that Assad will remain in power after the war has ended, but redirects US efforts towards more achievable goals like seizing the vast expanse of land east of the Euphrates which can be used for future regime-destabilizing operations. The basic outline for Plan B was presented in a Brookings Institute report by chief military analyst, Michael O Hanlon. Heres a clip from his 2014 article titled Deconstructing Syria: A new strategy for Americas most hopeless war: the only realistic path forward may be a plan that in effect deconstructs Syria.the international community should work to create pockets with more viable security and governance within Syria over time Creation of these sanctuaries would produce autonomous zones that would never again have to face the prospect of rule by either Assad or ISIL. (Deconstructing Syria: A new strategy for Americas most hopeless war, Michael E. OHanlon, Brookings Institute) The occupation of east Syria by Kurdish proxies is consistent with O Hanlons basic plan to fragment the country and create pockets of resistance that will be supported by the US. It is a variation of the divide and conquer theme the US has used in numerous times in the past. Plan B is Washingtons fallback position now that regime change is no longer within reach. The strategy suggests that Washington never planned to leave after ISIS was defeated, but always intended to stay on to establish bases in the east, (According to Bloomberg News, the US now has 10 permanent bases east of the Euphrates) support an army of occupation, and continue the war against the current government. Thats still the plan today, notwithstanding Washingtons failed attempt to conceal its motives behind its pathetic border security force. Erdogan and the rest have already seen through that sham and expressed their unhappiness. The problem with Plan B is that it presumes that Russia and its coalition partners will try to liberate Kurdish-held east Syria and, thus, get bogged down in a bloody and protracted conflict that turns out to be a strategic nightmare as well as a public relations disaster. This is the scenario that Washington is hoping for. In fact, Trumps chief national security advisor Lieutenant General H.R McMaster has written extensively on the topic and explained exactly how to undermine the efforts of an advancing army. Heres an excerpt from a presentation McMaster gave at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on May 4, 2016. He said: what is required to deter a strong nation that is waging limited war for limited objectives on battlegrounds involving weaker states is forward deterrence, to be able to ratchet up the cost at the frontier, and to take an approach to deterrence that is consistent with deterrence by denial, convincing your enemy that your enemy is unable to accomplish his objectives at a reasonable cost rather than sort of an offshore balancing approach and the threat of punitive action at long distance later, which we know obviously from recent experience confirms that that is inadequate. Forward deterrence? This needs to be clarified. What McMaster is saying, is that, instead of threatening to retaliate at some time in the future, the US should use deterrence by denial, that is, make it as hard and as costly as possible for Russia to achieve its strategic objectives. (McMasters comments focus on Russias involvement in Syria.) By supporting its Kurdish fighters and establishing permanent US bases, McMaster thinks the US can frustrate Russias effort to restore Syrias borders which is one of the primary goals of the mission. The objective of forward deterrence is not to win the war, but to prevent the enemy from winning. The downside to this theory is that when neither side prevails there is no political settlement, no end to the fighting, and no path for returning people to their homes so they can resume their lives in peace and security. It is, in fact, a plan designed to perpetuate the suffering, perpetuate the destruction and perpetuate the bloodletting. Its a solution that provides no solution, a war without end. More importantly, Forward deterrence is a military strategy that ignores the broader political situation which has been adversely impacted by Washingtons border security forces announcement. Now the cards are on the table and all the main players can see what the US really has up its sleeve. Leaders in Syria, Iraq, Iran and particularly Turkey can see that Washington is not an honest broker, but a crafty and cold-blooded opportunist willing to throw even its allies under the bus to achieve its own narrow geopolitical objectives. As a result, Erdogan has moved closer to Russia which has sent up red flags in Washington as one would expect. After all in the broader scheme of things Turkey is more important to the US than Ukraine. It is the essential landbridge and energy hub that is destined to bind Europe and Asia together into the worlds biggest free trade zone. If Turkey breaks out of Washingtons orbit and moves into Moscows camp, Washingtons plan to pivot to Asia will collapse in a heap. So while McMaster might think that forward deterrence will prevent Russia from achieving its objectives, its clear that the policy is already working in Putins favor. Every miscue that Washington makes only adds to Putins credibility and reputation as a reliable partner. Simply put: The Russian president is gradually replacing Washington as the guarantor of regional security. This is a tectonic development and one that US powerbrokers will definitely regret in the future. A changing of the guard is underway in the energy-rich Middle East, and Washington is the odd-man-out. Mike Whitney lives in Washington state. He is a contributor to Hopeless: Barack Obama and the Politics of Illusion (AK Press). Hopeless is also available in a Kindle edition . He can be reached at fergiewhitney@msn.com . This article was originally published by Counterpunch - ==== U.S. trying to form 'alternative bodies of authority' in Syria: Russia's Lavrov Join the Discussion It is not necessary for ICH readers to register before placing a comment. This website encourages readers to use the "Report" link found at the base of each comment. When a predetermined number of ICH readers click on the "Report" link, the comment will be automatically sent to "moderation". This would appear to be the most logical way to allow open comments, where you the reader/supporter, can determine what is acceptable speech. Please don't use the report feature simply because you disagree with the author point of view. Treat others with respect, remembering that "A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still."- Benjamin Franklin. Please read our Comment Policy before posting - $500 million recovered from the slush accounts of Sani Abacha in foreign countries during the Goodluck Jonathan administration has disappeared, The Nation reports. The money was reportedly released to the Nigerian government after negotiations with foreign governments, the agreements including that the Nigerian government would employ the recovered funds in developments, including infrastructure such as roads, water, healthcare and education. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reportedly found that $500 million out of the recovered funds cannot be accounted for. Of the $500 million, the sum of $250 million has reportedly been discovered by the EFCC to have been released to the Office of National Security Adviser (NSA)while Sambo Dasuki headed the office. The fact sheet of the investigation, as seen by The Nation, reveals that the $250 million was withdrawn between March 2, 2015 and April 21, 2015. $36,155,000 was reportedly found to be withdrawn without any purpose on March 2, 9, 16 and 18, 2015. The fact sheet also revealed that the office of the NSA, in a memo dated January 12, 2015, requested that the former Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, remit the sums of $300 million and 5.5 million. Please refer to our meeting on recovered funds. You are please requested to remit the sum of $300m and 5.5m to the following account being ONSA share as agreed. Account name: CBN (NSA Foreign Operation; Account number: -100367-USD-CABANK30 Bank Address: 28, Finsbury Circus, London. Please accept the assurances of my highest esteem, the fact sheet read. In a memo dated January, 20, 2015, the former coordinating minister for the economy, Okonjo-Iweala, wrote to the President asking for the approval of the remitting of the sum of $300 million to the office of the NSA, the fact sheet read. Attached, please find a request by the NSA for the transfer of $300m and British pounds (5.5m) of the recovered Abacha funds to ONSA operations account. The NSA has explained that this is to enable purchase of ammunition, security and other intelligence equipment for the security agencies in order to enable them confront the ongoing Boko Haram threat. His request is sequel to the meeting you chaired with the committee on use of recovered funds where decision was made that recovered Abacha funds would be split 50-50 between urgent security needs to confront Boko Haram and development needs (including a portion for the Future Generations window of Sovereign Wealth Fund). This letter is to seek your approval to borrow these funds, for now, to disburse to the NSA. These funds form part of projected FG Independent Revenue to be appropriated. In light of this and for accountability, given the peculiar nature of security and intelligence transactions, we would expect the NSA to account to your Excellency for the utilisation of the funds. The former president Goodluck Jonathan had reportedly replied to the memo, writing: CME/HMF, approved. However, it has reportedly been discovered by the EFCC that only $250 million of the $300 million requested by the office of the NSA was remitted. An EFCC source who spoke to The Nation under the condition of anonymity said Okonjo-Iweala would be contacted to explain the contents of her letter. The source said: We will need to interact with the former Minister of Finance, Okonjo-Iweala, to guide us on the contents of her letter, especially on the legality of the withdrawal of the $250million. We will find out what she meant by to borrow these funds and these funds form part of projected FG Independent Revenue to be appropriated. She should assist investigators on whether or not the ex-NSA accounted to Jonathan for the utilization of the funds. -Tori Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has called Delta Airlines out on their policies and the way they treat their Nigerian customers, as opposed to how they treat foreign customers. The famous author was particularly displeased about Delta Airlines policy which requires that Nigerian flights passengers physically present themselves and their credit card after purchasing flight tickets online or over the phone. This, she said, is not required for Delta flights to other countries. She wrote; DEAR DELTA AIRLINES, YOU MUST DO BETTER Seven years ago, I sent this letter to Delta Airlines. X Delta Airlines Nigeria Policy: A Complaint On April 20, 2010 I bought two Lagos-Baltimore return tickets on delta.com for my parents. I paid for the tickets with my credit card. They were scheduled to leave Lagos on June 3 2010 and return on November 1 2010. They arrived the United States as scheduled, with no incident. A few weeks later, our family plans changed. I contacted Delta and changed their return date to December 30 2010. A change fee was paid. Confirmation e-mails were sent. Everything else remained the same. On December 30, I was ill in bed. A family member took my parents to the airport. Delta representatives refused to check my parents in. They insisted that the credit card used to pay for the ticket must be physically produced, and the owner of the credit card physically appear, otherwise my parents would not be allowed to travel. I called and asked to speak to a manager and was rudely told that nothing could be done. I was shocked and unbelieving. My father, a 78-year-old diabetic who had an important family event to attend in Nigeria, was worried about missing his flight. I, unwell, was forced to dash to the airport as quickly as I could. I then physically presented myself and my credit card. My parents ended up missing their flight and were re-booked on the next flight. While I understand that Delta is keen to prevent fraud, and I indeed sympathize about any fraudulent purchases that Nigerians might have made, Delta MUST also treat each case individually and not lump all Nigerian travelers into one group of potential fraudsters. If the Delta representative had been willing to look at the specifics of this incident, it would have been quite clear that this was not in any way a fraudulent ticket purchase. My parents had already travelled on the first leg of the ticket months before and my credit card had already been fully charged. I was fortunately at home, even if sick, but I might as well have been away. What then would have happened if I were unable to physically appear? Does Delta expect everyone who buys tickets for family or friends always to be physically present at a Delta counter? I write to register my profound disappointment and to strongly urge Delta to review its one-size-fits-all policy towards Nigerian travelers. There must be ways to prevent fraud while also recognizing the individual humanity of each customer. Sincerely, Chimamanda Adichie X I sent this in 2010. I received a generic, platitude-filled response, along with an inane one-hundred-dollar domestic Delta voucher that I never used. It has been seven years and nothing has changed. You still have to present yourself physically to show your card. No, you cant have a family member bring the card. No, you cant have a family member bring the card and a matching ID. (What are the odds that you would present a stolen credit card and a stolen valid ID?) You complain and complain until you get tired because nobody cares. You tell yourself to just stop flying Delta but Delta has a monopoly on direct flights from the US to Nigeria, and the convenience, especially for elderly parents, matters. You ask if this is something that Delta does only for Nigerian flights and youre told that its done for all flight tickets bought online or over the phone. But you know that is not true. You have purchased Delta tickets to Europe. You have never been asked to show your credit card. Not even when you purchased Delta tickets to Europe for a family member. And as though its not bad enough that you have to physically present yourself at the airport, Delta gives you no confirmation that the card has been presented. A Delta representative merely taps at a computer and says its done. Which means that your cousin who flew from Lagos to the US, on a ticket you paid for, had difficulty boarding her flight, even though you had shown your card at the Delta counter at BWI, but you had no proof of this. Once in 2015 you were travelling from BWI to Lagos on a ticket purchased by a travel agent and Delta representatives asked for the credit card used to purchase the ticket, and you explained that it had been purchased by your Publishers travel agency and that you had already travelled on the first leg from Lagos to BWI. But you were not allowed to board. A Delta representative said, your only option is to buy a new ticket here and the other one can be refunded later, speaking airily as though buying a flight ticket was like buying candy. You were frustrated and furious but you had to be in Lagos the next day. You were left no choice but to buy a new ticket at the airport. The Delta representatives remained indifferent as you tried to tell them how this made no sense, how you had already travelled on the first leg of the same ticket, how a ticket purchased by an established travel agency could not possibly be fraudulent. Indifferent is inaccurate. The Delta representatives at BWI are decidedly unpleasant. (except for one person, and it is telling that this one person stands out, so rare is her courtesy) The others all glow with hostility. You wonder if this hostility is simply the rage of workers who are not paid a fair wage, or if it is the armor they wear to implement policies that they know very well are ridiculous. On another occasion in 2015 when you are forced to present yourself so that your parents could board a flight, you complain and ask for the manager. The manager looks through you as you try to speak. She manages to be both stone-faced and reproachful. You feel accused. You feel like a thief. Nobody deserves this but even in an aviation industry that rewards frequent fliers with privileges, yours dont count your platinum frequent flier card means nothing because you are a Nigerian and Nigerians are all a blur of fraudulence. God save you if the only time you can go to the airport to physically present yourself and your card happens to be a busy check-in time. You will stand in the special services line forever, ignored, waiting to convince Delta to take your money. If you do show the card but then need to change your travel to a different date, you must again physically show yourself and your card. Deltas policy is crude and contemptuous. Crude because Delta wont bother to figure out a more sophisticated way to address fraudulent ticket purchases. Contemptuous because Delta is indifferent to the unfair burden that this places on Nigerians. Some hardworking Nigerians have two jobs, families, responsibilities. They buy tickets for themselves and their families, they pay with their hard-earned money, and Delta asks them to present yourself at a Delta Airlines counter which may be twenty or fifty or one hundred miles from where they live. Deltas message is this: If you want your family to board their flight then present yourself, and prove to us that you are not a thief because we start with the premise that you are a thief. And it might be a good idea, Delta, to better train your flight attendants on your Nigeria flights (or perhaps pay them a fair wage?) Like the patronizing woman in the business class cabin of the Lagos-Atlanta flight on October 31 2017 telling me that my two-year-old daughter who had a full seat and presumably the normal rights of any passenger was annoying. She was annoying because she was babbling like a two-year-old and had pressed the call attendant button two times. I was stunned. Because I know how easily Nigerian passengers are labeled aggressive and difficult, I chose not to speak to this woman. I feared I might raise my voice. Instead I wrote her a note on the menu card, telling her how unacceptable her manner and language had been and how people deserved to be treated with dignity. She read it and came to my seat and pushed the card back at me and said, I will not accept this from you! Dear Delta Airlines, enough. You must do better. source: Stargist According to some social media reports a young Ghanaian guy has just ordered and got his own female sex-doll. The Ghanaian guy, who goes by the name Kofi Prince posted on his Facebook page that he has finally gotten his own sex doll. With the debate still raging on on social media as to wither this new sex dolls can replace women as far as sex is concerned in a relationship the American company responsible for their production released images of the male version on the internet. The sex doll has caused a divide on social media, some people condemn it while some were so happy about it as it has help reduce some case in relationship. The sex doll was presumed to cost a whooping amount of #800k. Check out their reactions; Kvng wylyam Ladies have u seen what you have driven the guy to do Uncle Rich Mba 10 Reasons why these SEX DOLLS is the best 1. It Wont cheat 2. It wont lie 3. It wont ask for money after sex 4.No unwanted pregnancy 5.No sexual Transmitted disease 6.No mensural Cycle 7. No Vagina Discharges , or body odor 8.You can have sex with it anytime you want 9.It Saves Money , no need to buy gifts or any birthday, or xmas presents 10. It yours forever till you die , it wont complain even when you cheat on her Koyfi Boateng That is awesome all the best man.enjoy your life and dont mind what people will say #no spending,no jealousy, no cheating,and no broken heart move on enjoy it #u can call me so that I will come try it hahahahahahahaha lol Gloria Appiah Dis thing hmmmm an evil spirits can even stay in the doll Pinocchio GH Bcux now adays the only duty these gals play in relationship is sex,so they afraid wen they heard about da doll-mob3ti dwiii-small tym da game boys go shop am more,so the price go come down,ebi der we go see George kojo Atuah You girls have already replaced us with dildo,s Sounds weird to some girls seeing a sex doll yet they use dildos Kwardo Darkwa Makeup bills Brazilian hair iPhone X Phone credit Rent Birthday gift Family issues And others Every Pu**y be Pu**y Bro enjoy koraa , dont mind them Jeffrey G Barnes Am confused here, a sex doll!! for real? Ask your mum if she was a doll could she have given birth to a prick like you? Man I just dont get you, if you spent GH10,000 on just a doll and you cant ask a lady out or either have a relationship. Then sorry to say this: YOU ARE REALLY FUCKED UP!! And if youre already in one then I really think with straight confidence that you dont deserve that lady His actions sure drew the attention of people, check out their reactions; Kvng wylyam Ladies have u seen what you have driven the guy to do Uncle Rich Mba 10 Reasons why these SEX DOLLS is the best 1. It Wont cheat 2. It wont lie 3. It wont ask for money after sex 4.No unwanted pregnancy 5.No sexual Transmitted disease 6.No mensural Cycle 7. No Vagina Discharges , or body odor 8.You can have sex with it anytime you want 9.It Saves Money , no need to buy gifts or any birthday, or xmas presents 10. It yours forever till you die , it wont complain even when you cheat on her Koyfi Boateng That is awesome all the best man.enjoy your life and dont mind what people will say #no spending,no jealousy, no cheating,and no broken heart move on enjoy it #u can call me so that I will come try it hahahahahahahaha lol Gloria Appiah Dis thing hmmmm an evil spirits can even stay in the doll Pinocchio GH Bcux now adays the only duty these gals play in relationship is sex,so they afraid wen they heard about da doll-mob3ti dwiii-small tym da game boys go shop am more,so the price go come down,ebi der we go see George kojo Atuah You girls have already replaced us with dildo,s Sounds weird to some girls seeing a sex doll yet they use dildos Kwardo Darkwa Makeup bills Brazilian hair iPhone X Phone credit Rent Birthday gift Family issues And others Every Pu**y be Pu**y Bro enjoy koraa , dont mind them Jeffrey G Barnes Am confused here, a sex doll!! for real? Ask your mum if she was a doll could she have given birth to a prick like you? Man I just dont get you, if you spent GH10,000 on just a doll and you cant ask a lady out or either have a relationship. Then sorry to say this: YOU ARE REALLY FUCKED UP!! And if youre already in one then I really think with straight confidence that you dont deserve that lady -Gistreel Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, on Friday said that the people of the state were still living in fear and that the state was still under the siege of Fulani herdsmen. Ortom stated this while receiving some northern governors of the All Progressives Congress, led by the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum and Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, at the New Banquet Hall, Makurdi, Benue State capital. Apart from Shettima, other governors in attendance were Simon Lalong (Plateau), Mallam Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna), Yahaya Bello (Kogi) and Mohammed Abubakar, (Jigawa), as well as the Deputy Governor of Osun State, Chief (Mrs.) Grace Laoye-Tomori. Ortom said that the fear of the people stemmed from continuous threats by the herdsmen, who despite the killings on January 1 and 2, 2018, had continued to issue threats on a daily basis that they would take over Benue land. He said, We thank God that peace is gradually returning to the state, but there are still pockets of challenges here; we know the challenges will soon be over because our people are always alert to give useful information to security operatives around. Let me tell you that our people are still living in fear and are under siege because of the series of threat by the Kautal Hore, which started the threat seven months ago. Theirs are not mere threats. We have evidence against them. What we are saying is that the Federal Government should arrest the leadership of Kautal Hore. Ortom, who appreciated the governors visit, said that the state was committed to one Nigeria and assured President Muhammadu Buhari of the states commitment to his administration. The governor, however, expressed confidence that Nigeria would soon take its rightful position as the giant of Africa if leaders were sincere and stood by the truth. This country is blessed with the potential to be great in the world but that is if we leaders would stop pretending and stand by the truth. Though the state was getting over the senseless killings in the new year, there are still pockets of challenges, he said. He said that the crisis had made the people of the state to always be on the alert and give useful information to security operatives. Source: ( Punch Newspaper ) 40-year-old Nigerian returnee from Libya, Omo Harry, has narrated the bizzare and unfortunate things himself and other Nigerians faced while they were trapped in Libya on their way to Europe. In an interview with Vanguard, Omo who recently returned to Nigeria, narrated how his friend, Deniss girlfriend, Rita, whom they all embarked on the journey to Europe in April 2016, was raped to death because she could not afford the money needed for her to continue her journey from Libya to Euope. Omo said Rita was handcuffed and boys took turns to rape her. She died when one of the boys tried to penertate her. Her corpse was abandoned for two days before it was removed. Her boyfriend watched the men take their turns to have sex with her. My friend, Denis, said I could travel to Europe if I could raise at least N500,000. He told me that he was also trying to raise same amount for an agent that would facilitate it. I had to sell all my property , including the parcel of land I acquired at Ogudu Bale area of Ogun state. But I could only raise N350,000 at the end. Denis was able to raise N300,000 while his girlfriend, Rita, had N250,000. The agent said he would complete the money but that we would pay him the balance when we got to Libya. When asked how, he said he would introduce us to someone , who would get us a job and that after paying his balance, we would proceed to Europe. We bought gala, garri and bread and also bought two bags of sachet water as advised by the agent and left Lagos for Kano. On arriving the border between Kano and Niger, the agent told us to bring N7000 out of the money with us. As we approached the border, a Customs officer came, collected the money from us and asked us to wait until he gave the directive for us to cross thorough a bush path. Finally, we arrived Qatrun, the first state in Libya . We were taken to a connection house . In that connection house were tranke which are camps where migrants who do not have the needed amount to continue the journey are kept. On the first day at the tranke, we were welcomed with good food. But at night, they began a roll call and separated those who had completed payment from those who hadnt . Of course, myself, Denis and Rita were in the disadvantaged group. At this point, the agent was nowhere to be found. In fact we were all confused as to what to do next . At this connection house, the head is called Capon. We also had OC Torture . The Capo collects relatives number and demand money for captives to continue their journey. It was at that point that I got to know that Rita did not tell her parents she was traveling. When she was given the phone to speak with her mother, we overheard her crying. Ritas parents sent N150,000, which covered three of us. We thought we were free, not knowing that the horror had only just begun. Sabha connection house. Speaking further, he said From Qatrun, we were moved to Sahba , in Western Libya, where the main tranke called Ali ghetto is located. It is close to the University of Sahba . It was a place of no return . From there , you are expected to pay another sum to cross to another connection house in Inias, from where you will embark on the sea trip to Europe. When they demanded for more money, Rita said she would like to go back home. But they insisted that she must pay before going back. Immediately we got there, they collected our international passports and tore them. They said they dont allow people to embark on the sea trip with anything except the clothes on them. In my excitement, I called my people in Lagos and they sent N150,000. Unfortunately, it could only take me , as Denis and Rita did not have money to cross the second huddle. Instead of leaving them behind, I kept my money and decided to wait until their relations could send money to them. Ritas parents called to say that they had no money. Immediately the call was received, Rita was chained to an iron rod where White Libyans came and took turn to rape her. This continued for two weeks without food . In one of the instances, Denis stood up to challenge one of the men but he had his ear chopped off with a hot iron rod that was plugged to a socket.. On the day she died, five boys first came , had their turns with her and left. At that point, she could only stare into space. Ten minutes later, another set of young men came to have their turn. It was when the third person was on her that she was discovered to be motionless. Her body was there for two days before it was removed Omo also narrated how Libyan men would come to where the illegal migrants are kept, pay some money to take any strong black man they see who would have sex with them. The black men would after sexually satisfying them, will then be brought back in the morning. Omo said he always feigned he was sick whenever the Libyan men came to pick any of the illegal male immigrants for gay sex. Leave a Comment comments It was double tragedy for a young man, Felix Ojirike who was brutally attacked by his neighbour as he lost his eye after the attack by one Chidera Eze who was accused of sleeping with Ojirikes wife in Lagos. The incident happened at Sanni Dauda Street in Ejigbo, Lagos where they resided. P.M.EXPRESS scooped that one of the Ojirikes eyes was badly damaged, he cannot see with it as he was still lying critical ill at West Care Hospital in Ejigbo, Lagos. It was gathered that trouble started after the neighbours informed Ojirike that Eze who was an Okada rider used to sleep with his wife whenever Ojirike went to work. P.M.EXPRESS gathered that after the neighbours had informed Ojirike that Eze usually left early for work but comes back after he had gone to his own work to stay with his wife, an embattled Ojirike then decided to find out if what their neighbours told him was true. He reportedly prepared and informed the wife that he had gone to work but later came back and met his wife on top of Ezes bed. P.M.EXPRESS learnt that it became an issue in the neighbourhood which led to exchange of bitter words that eventually resulted into a public fight between Ojirike and Eze in the compound. During the fight, Eze reportedly took a sharp object and stabbed Ojirikes eye. He was rushed to the hospital where he was being treated. The incident was reported to the police at Ejigbo Division; Eze was arrested and detained at the police station. When our correspondent visited Ojirike in the hospital, he confirmed the incident and narrated how he caught Eze with his wife. However, Eze denied that he had sleeping with Ojirikes wife and explained that it was their neighbours that caused the whole trouble between him and Ojirike by lying against him. But he was unable to explain what Ojirikes wife was doing in his room apartment when her husband was not around. At the police station where Eze was detained, the police source confirmed the assault and detention of Eze and said he will soon be charged to court. P.M.EXPRESS reports that Eze was brought before Ejigbo Magistrates court on Friday and was remanded in prison custody for the alleged offence. -P.M News The Principal of Government Science Secondary School, Nassarawa-Eggon, and three other officials have been suspended for one month for meting out corporal punishment to some students. The state Commissioner of Education, Mr. Tijjani Ahmed, who confirmed this to Northern City News on Thursday in Lafia, said the state government had banned corporal punishments in public schools across the 13 local government areas and 18 development areas of the state. Ahmed explained that the decision followed the beating of some students of GSS, Nassarawa-Eggon, the video of which had gone viral in the social media. He said, We have constituted a committee to investigate the matter and report to the ministry in the next one week to enable the ministry to take appropriate action. Already, three staff members of the school including the Principal have been given a one-month suspension over their involvement in the corporal punishment pending the report of the committee set up by the ministry. He explained that the ministry had also written to all public schools informing their managements of the ban on corporal punishment. He further warned teachers meting out corporal punishment to students to desist as anyone caught would face disciplinary action. The education commissioner stated that even if teachers would want to punish students for any offence, it should be minor punishment. He added that the government would continue to respond to the challenges facing the education sector in the state. When newsmen visited the school, the suspended school officials were not on duty, but it was gathered that the management had decided to stop punishing students who resumed late to avoid sanctions. Source: ( Punch Newspaper ) The Nation President Muhammadu Buhari said on Thursday night that he went temporarily into coma when former President Goodluck Jonathan called to congratulate him on his victory in the 2015 presidential election. Thisday President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday reiterated his surprise that former President Goodluck Jonathan conceded defeat in the 2015 Presidential despite being the incumbent President with all state powers. Vanguard Despite assurances by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, of a return to normalcy in fuel supply, the fuel crisis worsened, yesterday, in Abuja, and other parts of the nation while transportation costs also rose astronomically. Punch At least seven Niger soldiers were killed and more than a dozen others wounded this week in an attack by suspected Boko Haram militants in the countrys southeast, the government said on Friday. Daily Times Embattled Senator Ikechukwu Obiora has taken yet another wrong step towards the fulfilment of his selfish ambition in his case against Folio Media Group (FMG), owners/publishers of The Daily Times Nigeria. President Muhammadu Buhari told Nigerians on Thursday evening, that he was not ready to do anything in a hurry. He said he would sit and reflect on issues before he would continue with a clear conscience. Buhari said this during a dinner he hosted in honour of chieftains of the All Progressives Congress at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. He said, I keep telling people that while I was in uniform, quite reckless and young, I got all the ministers and governors, and put them in Kirikiri. I said they were guilty until they could prove their innocence. I was also detained too. I decided to drop the uniform and come back. Eventually, I am here. So really, I have gone through it over and over again. This is why I am not in a hurry virtually to do anything. I will sit and reflect and continue with my clear conscience. Buhari also denied the allegation of ethnic bias being levelled against him. He explained that the number of substantive ministers he appointed from the South-East, where he got only 198,000 votes, was enough proof that he was not favouring the North as being speculated in some quarters. There is something that hit me very hard and I am happy I hit it back at somebody. Seven states of the North are only represented in my cabinet by junior ministers, ministers of state. In (the) South-East, I got 198,000 votes but I have four substantive ministers and seven junior ministers from there. You are closer to the people than myself now that I have been locked up here, dont allow anybody to talk about ethnicity. It is not true, he said. Buhari also noted that throughout the period of his struggles to become the President, he enjoyed the support of people of other ethnic groups and religious affiliations. He recalled, There is one thing that disabused my mind in a dispassionate way about ethnicity and religion across the country. You know that tribunal for presidential election started at High Court of Appeal. The President was my classmate. I missed only four of the court sittings. Source: ( Punch Newspaper ) The central government in Madrid, pro-independence parties won an absolute majority in regional elections on December 21. As the sole candidate from Catalonias separatist grouping, Puigdemont announced this week that he could govern the region from Brussels if he is re-elected president. The parliamentary vote to choose a new Catalan leader is due to take place by the end of January. But Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy reiterated Saturday that governing Catalonia from abroad would be illegal. Echoing remarks he made Monday, Rajoy said Madrid would maintain its direct control over Catalonia and will take the matter to court if Puigdemont sought remote rule. The Catalan parliaments legal experts say any presidential contender has to be physically present, but Puigdemont insists he has the legitimate mandate of the people to rule. He wants to present his candidacy and government programme to parliament a prerequisite to being voted in remotely via videolink or by having someone else read it for him. His lawyer Jaume Alonso-Cuevillas said Saturday all scenarios were currently being considered. President Puigdemont never dismissed the possibility of presenting and submitting his candidacy in person, the lawyer told Catalonian public television, adding that his client was aware of the risks he faces. Alonso-Cuevillas has previously said that Puigdemont could not be arrested in Barcelona because of his immunity. Source: ( AFP ) Nigerias music sensation Mr. Innocent Idibia AKA Tuface on Thursday visited the Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris, at his office in Abuja. 2face Idibia paid a courtesy visit to the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to appeal to the force to help stop the killings in his homestate, Benue state. Recall that 2face paid a visit to the governor of his state, Governor Samuel Ortom, over the recent killings in the state. He also recently publicly appealed to the government to help stop the herdsmen killings in Benue. Here are some photos from his visit to the police boss: source: Stargist Nollywood actress, Zainab Balogun, relocated to Nigeria about six years ago from London, where she had spent most part of her life. But according to her, since she came to Nigeria, she has not found a man that interests her. She said that she was shocked at Lagos men and advised them to hold a meeting to talk about whatever was wrong with them. Balogun also used the opportunity to pass a message across to her future husband, saying, I am not in a relationship, but when you find my future husband, tell him that I am here waiting for him. I dont know what is wrong with Lagos boys and I think the men should hold a meeting and ask one another what the problem is. Lagos is an interesting city when it comes to romance and I think we have our own unique language when it comes to love. However, since I got to Lagos about six years ago, I have not found anyone that has tickled my fancy. The few criteria I am looking for in a man are that he must be humorous, honest and transparent. He does not have to be rich, but he has to be aspirational because I am a very driven person and I spend a lot of time working. I cannot date a lazy person, we have to match each other when it comes to working hard. She explained that it took her about two years to adapt to the Lagos lifestyle, but was now proud to call herself a Lagosian. The actress said, I am a very aspirational and self-driven person, who is deeply rooted in family. I did not run away from home, I was born and raised in London, but I took the risk of moving back to Nigeria. I came back to Nigeria because I wanted to take on a new challenge. I have been in London all my life and felt that it was time to continue my career in Nigeria. My parents did not want me to come to Nigeria, but it felt like the right time to come to Nigeria. I have been in Nigeria for six years and I am happy with my decision. Moving to Lagos was not that easy and it took me about three years to adjust to the lifestyle. My main problem with Lagos was the traffic situation because I decided that I was going to drive myself. I also had to learn about the culture, but I eventually adapted. Source: Punch Nollywood actress, Zainab Balogun, relocated to Nigeria about six years ago from London, where she had spent most part of her life. But according to her, since she came to Nigeria, she has not found a man that interests her. She said that she was shocked at Lagos men and advised them to hold a meeting to talk about whatever was wrong with them. Balogun also used the opportunity to pass a message across to her future husband, saying, I am not in a relationship, but when you find my future husband, tell him that I am here waiting for him. I dont know what is wrong with Lagos boys and I think the men should hold a meeting and ask one another what the problem is. Lagos is an interesting city when it comes to romance and I think we have our own unique language when it comes to love. However, since I got to Lagos about six years ago, I have not found anyone that has tickled my fancy. The few criteria I am looking for in a man are that he must be humorous, honest and transparent. He does not have to be rich, but he has to be aspirational because I am a very driven person and I spend a lot of time working. I cannot date a lazy person, we have to match each other when it comes to working hard. She explained that it took her about two years to adapt to the Lagos lifestyle, but was now proud to call herself a Lagosian. The actress said, I am a very aspirational and self-driven person, who is deeply rooted in family. I did not run away from home, I was born and raised in London, but I took the risk of moving back to Nigeria. I came back to Nigeria because I wanted to take on a new challenge. I have been in London all my life and felt that it was time to continue my career in Nigeria. My parents did not want me to come to Nigeria, but it felt like the right time to come to Nigeria. I have been in Nigeria for six years and I am happy with my decision. Moving to Lagos was not that easy and it took me about three years to adjust to the lifestyle. My main problem with Lagos was the traffic situation because I decided that I was going to drive myself. I also had to learn about the culture, but I eventually adapted. source: Punch Veteran comic actor, Chika Okpala, better known as Zebrudaya, has said that foreign television channels like Telemundo and Zee World have won Nigerian fans over to the detriment of local channels. He said due to this, indigenous drama series were being ignored. Foreign soaps like Mexican soaps, Telemundo, the Zee World and the rest of them have flooded our TV screens now and our indigenous TV drama series are suffering. Those popular programmes the New Masquerade, Cockcrow at Dawn, The Village headmaster and others were left to slip away. The legendary actor disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria. He added that the lack of sponsorship has hindered production of most television series in the country. The 68-year-old actor also noted that old TV series were left abandoned because sponsors withdrew. He said: The dwindling economy is the major problem of production in the country and lack of sponsorship has contributed to the dearth of programmes on Television stations in the country. The actor expressed optimism that if those programmes were still being aired, actors, actresses, producers, directors and many Nollywood practitioners would be employed and people would be entertained also. The private sector complained about the economy and without the economy being vibrant, you cannot push the programmes forward. People cannot do productions without it yielding something substantial to take care of their families. If you engage an artiste and he performs for free today, tomorrow he may not because he has to pay his bills. He has to pay his rent and take care of other things. Source: Naijaloaded Review: 8K displays and AI breaks through at CES 2018 The 2018 CES proved to be a landmark show for display technologies. Every screen brand seemingly offered up innovative new products, some of which could open huge opportunities for custom installers should they ever come to market. The mood at the show was upbeat, despite atrocious weather. According to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the US consumer electronics industry can expect to make $351 billion in retail revenues in 2018 - 3.9 per cent higher than 2017.It also values the streaming industries at a record high - generating $19.5 billion in revenue, which is 35 per cent higher than 2017. The market for Smart speakers shows no sign of letting up. Unit sales of Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant products are predicted to reach 43.6 million units and earn $3.8 billion in revenue in 2018. Its thought 16 per cent of Americans, thats 39 million people, now own a smart speaker. Amazon Alexa is the market leader, but at CES, it was Google which appeared to be making most of the running, with a huge promotional campaign. Where ever you turned, there was Google Assistant branding. The wider Smart Home business is also finding an audience. The category is expected to grow 41 per cent YoY in the US, to 40.8 million units in 2018, earning $4.5 billion. According to smart energy research released by Parks Associates, 50 per cent of US broadband households say they intend to buy a smart home device within the next 12 months. Virtual Reality is also tipped to grow, although it really didnt seem to generate much buzz on the show floor. Difficult setup, expense and lack of content could be to blame. But that could soon change. Oculus Go will launch in March; this $200 all in one is a simple alternative to the Google Daydream. Similarly, HTC will launch the Vive Pro in February, a 3K headset offering the sharpest VR images yet. HTC also has the Vive Focus which has a wider field of view and inside out tracking, so no external sensors required. The TV market was once again a big driver at CES. LCD 4K UHD TVs are expected to make up half of all TVs sold in 2018, with unit sales forecast to hit 22 million units, although the increasingly fractured HDR scene continues to intrigue. The battle of the Dynamic Metadata standards warmed up, with HDR10+, the open source rival to Dolby Vision, finding support from Hollywood major Warner Bros. Warner joins Fox and Amazon, plus Panasonic (pictured top) and Samsung supporting the format. Dolby Vision still has the edge, both in content and hardware partners, but is increasingly under fire for performance issues. LG OLED TV owners has been suffering from elevated black levels with HDR content, which is undermining one of the principle tenets of Dolby Vision, that of improved image quality. A complex programme of firmware updates looks to be the only way to solve the issue. Panasonic launched two hugely impressive new OLED screens at the show, which will support HDR10+. The FZ952 (pictured above) and FZ802 will launch in 55- and 65- screen sizes and feature a new iteration of the the brands HCX image processor, which introduces a number of refinements designed to improve image quality. A Dynamic LUT (Look Up Table) function significantly enhances the accuracy of bright colours. Typically, Look Up Tables are fixed to the colour space used by the source; on these sets the HCX processor automatically monitors the average brightness level of a scene and uses picture analysis to dynamically load an appropriate LUT. Panasonic has also improved calibration steps. To ensure that its screens match the directors creative intent, Panasonic has been working with Hollywood giant Deluxe for tuning. The FZ952 will come with a new version of the Dynamic Blade speaker, co-produced with Technics. Demos to Inside CI confirmed an improvement in clarity and volume. Panasonic also introduced four new 4K Blu-ray players: the DP-UB820, DP-UB420, DP-UB330 and DP-UB320. Both the DP-UB820 and DP-UB420 will support HDR10+ content, with the DP-UB820 also adding Dolby Vision compliance. The quartet feature an HCX processor which applies chroma and gradation processing developed at the Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory (PHL), as well as an HDR Optimizer, which allows for more accurate tone mapping of HDR content on HDR displays with limited peak brightness. Theres also HDR to SDR conversion, which is optimised tone remapping for SDR TVs. While 4K TVs go mainstream, 8K finally looks to be a key emerging technology. Sony and Samsung both impressed with prototype screens. Sonys 10,000nit 85-incher was a genuine dazzler, offering superb dynamics, startling spectral peaks and stunning detail. The screen employed a new version of the brands X1 processor, the X1 Ultimate, said to be four times more powerful than the X1 Extreme (used on the A1). This processor was also demonstrated having a big impact on a 4K OLED panel, delivering greater contrast and image detail. Although Sony is making no announcements, new flagship screens using the high-power processor are certainly on the cards. Its increasingly looking likely that Samsung will be the first major brand to launch an 8K panel. The 85-inch Q9S 8K TV is expected to launch in Korea and the US mid-2018, with a European launch to follow. The company says newly developed AI algorithms can upscale any source to 8K, from 4K to standard definition. The set boasts an advanced back-lighting system for improved black levels. Certainly it looked very impressive. Samsung also delighted with The Wall, its first MicroLED prototype. JH Han, President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics says the aim is to make the giant screen the center of everyday life. MicroLED is a mash-up of semiconductor processing techniques and LED technology. The pixels in a MicroLED module are much smaller than those in a conventional LED display, and thanks its bezel-less modular design, consumers can add to the screen as required. Advanced processing techniques also promise low input lag and fast frame rate support. Perhaps the most unusual screen prototype at the show came from LG Display. It had a rollable OLED panel, which popped up from a sizable looking cabinet. The screen offered variable levels of visibility. It could raise purely to provide a thin notification bar, perhaps for a news ticker or weather information, or to present a 21:9 ratio cinemascope display. At full stretch, it could extend fully to become a regular widescreen TV. LG also had an 88-inch 8K OLED prototype, presumably just to show it could make such a beast if needed. Elsewhere, Sony took Ultra Short Throw projection to new heights (and costs) with its 4K Laser LSPX-A1, complete with ingenious glass tube speaker system, but it wasnt the only one to bank on the form factor. Changhong and Hisense both had UST projectors. The latter was particularly impressive. Running footage in a theatre room from Planet Earth 2, the 4K laser demonstrated deep blacks, vibrant colours and sharp detail. Itll be interesting to see if Hisense brings this to the UK. Finally, one of the more intriguing partnerships to emerge at CES was Meridian Audio and LG. The first fruit of their union will be a soundbar and a range of party speakers with bright flashing lights. We cant wait to hear what they sound like... LIVE Razboi in Ucraina, ziua 268: Rusii au tras asupra Kievului o racheta din care au desurubat focosul nuclear / Schauble o critica aspru pe Merkel / Trupele lui Putin se concentreaza pe intarirea pozitiilor defensive / Presa rusa se bucura ca Ucraina e in pragul inghetului si al intunericului total Update 6/12/18 SOA has opened its new regional headquarters in Anderson as well as another newly built property in the city. The company held grand-opening celebrations for both facilities earlier this month, according to a press release. SOA completed its purchase of the 230,000-square-foot Warner Press building last year. The first phase of the regional headquarters includes 218 climate-controlled units and a 10,000-square-foot co-work/executive office space under the brand Work, etc. Additional phases will include a 3,000-square-foot retail store as well as more storage units and office space. Once complete, the facility will contain 700 climate-controlled units, the release stated. The ground-up facility at 8805 Pendleton Pike contains 270 units. Plans are underway to add a self-serve kiosk to the site, accordion to the companys website. 1/19/18 Storage of America LLC (SOA), which operates seven self-storage facilities in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, will receive a tax abatement from Anderson, Ind., for moving its corporate headquarters into the former Warner Press building at 1201 E. 5th St., near Anderson University. The project will include 50,000 square feet of self-storage, a retail store, and rentable work space in addition to corporate offices, according to a source. SOA intends to invest about $200,000 and create 15 jobs at $21.63 per hour, Kathleen Lamb, vice president of operations, told a source. The facility will house the companys call center, and may eventually include a manufacturing component that would provide parts to its store locations. The city council granted a 10-year tax abatement that will begin at 100 percent before decreasing annually by 10 percent, a source reported. The abatement was one of three given recently by the council on projects that represent more than $1 million in investment and will create 20 jobs. Warner Press is a nonprofit business-administration service that provides church and ministry resources, childrens products, and greeting cards to its partners. It's been headquartered in Anderson since 1906. It vacated the 5th Street building in the 1990s when it moved its operation to the Flagship Enterprise Center, according to a source. Founded in 2003 and currently based in Indianapolis, SOA has 10 self-storage locations under development, according to its website. It uses a vertical-integration model, in which 12 wholly owned subsidiaries perform most of the design, planning and construction on its projects. The charming French fishing town of Collioure is just miles from Spain, and its culture and dining are influenced by both countries, writes Carolyn Moore. Im about to let you in on a little secret. Ive discovered one of the worlds most beautiful holiday destinations, and its on the south-coast of France. I know what youre thinking: You dont say! But it isnt Cannes, or Nice or Marseille, or any of the usual suspects. Its Collioure, a quiet little French-Catalan fishing town, on the border with Spain, and it is Frances best-kept secret. You might think that depends on the kind of holiday you like, but having spent a few days here eating, wine-tasting, gallery-hopping, soaking up the sun, and even taking to the sparkling Mediterranean waters on a kayak (youd have to know me to appreciate just how improbable that last one is) whatever floats your boat, youll find it here. Located just 26km from the Spanish border, Collioure is firmly French, but it shares a common history and culture with its Catalan cousins, and the yellow-and-red Catalan flag is flown with evident pride. Small, colourful, impossibly picturesque, with a bustling hub and a charmingly laid-back vibe, the town has forged together a mish mash of cultural influences over the centuries. It is a proudly French-Catalan town sur-la-mer. Its slower and less glitzy than its Riviera counterparts, so party animals need not apply, but it has the kind of relaxed pace that allows you to mould your time into the ideal break for you. Maybe thats a romantic getaway, wandering the cobbled streets hand-in-hand and enjoying copious ice cream and coffee pit-stops under creeping clematis vines at little rustic cafes? Or, maybe you prefer to anchor your days around an activity, like hiking into the surrounding hills and vineyards, snorkeling from the pebbled beach just steps away from the town square, or exploring the Cote Vermeille in a kayak? Foodies will love it here. The fusion of Catalan and French cultures is most evident to the average visitor in the food and in the local wine; and if a little bit of culture is on the menu, you can visit the modern art museum, trace the path of Fauvism along the scenic harbour front, or visit one of the numerous, historical fortifications that loom over this medieval trading hub. Once a busy port town, Collioures status as a trading hub began to decline in the 1500s, whereupon it retired into the comfortable, sleepy fishing village status it continues to enjoy today. Under French control since the 1600s, before the Catalans, it was variously in the hands of the Visigoths, the Counts of Roussillon, and the Kings of Majorca. With that much coming-and-going, its little wonder the town became so heavily fortified, as each subsequent occupier left their mark architecturally, whether it be the castles, towers, or the striking hill-top Fort St Elme. Home to dozens of art galleries and a modern art museum, the town has captivated artists for hundreds of years, and its easy to see why. It even has its own signature colour scheme, boiled lobster, a peachy-pinky hue, set against pistachio green woodwork or pastel-painted shutters, so that the winding streets are like a cocktail of sorbets. Having become a hub of artistic activity in the early 20th century, Collioure came to be known as the city of painters, and it continues to be a place of pilgrimage for paintbrush-toting artists. The ridiculously phallic church tower on the harbour is one of the most painted buildings in France. Henri Matisse said: In the whole of France, there is no sky as blue as the one above Collioure, and he should know, as it was here that his artistic exploration gave birth to Fauvism. Sadly, there are no original Fauvist works on show in the town, but dozens of reproductions of the works of Matisse and Andre Derain punctuate the Path of Fauvism, an outdoor tour of the towns most painted vistas and buildings. Mounted exactly where the fathers of Fauvism painted the originals, the reproductions make for a fascinating compare-and-contrast between Collioure then and now; and they really serve to highlight just how little has changed since Matisse turned his eye to these vistas over 100 years ago. The best time to do the tour is early evening, when the unique quality of the light makes clear why it continues to captivate artists. While the brightly coloured fishing boats in the harbour might now be more for show than anything, the hills enclosing the little port are virtually unchanged, with the imposing tower and castle still looming over the harbour, watched over by Fort St. Elme on high. Taking a wander up those hills is well worth the effort. Energetic types can hike it in an hour, but, for a more leisurely experience, take the gravity-defying tourist train from the town square. Called The Little Tourist Train, it might be more aptly named The Little Engine that Could, as its a miracle of modern physics that it can drag four carriages of anchovy-filled tourists up those steep slopes. As the cobbled streets give way to dirt tracks through lemon groves and vineyards, the full expanse of the glittering Med opens out in front you and it genuinely is breathtaking. At the top, a history-focused tour of Fort St. Elme passes an interesting hour, and the view from the castellated tower is sensational. Afterwards, enjoy a lunch at one of the towns many tapas bars, the best of which is the small, but wonderfully authentic Casa Gala, where Iberian hams and melt-in-your-mouth anchovies are served up alongside squid and garlic-infused escargot. Theyll recommend wine by the glass to savour with each delicacy, or serve up a refreshing pitcher of white wine sangria to get you through a leisurely lunch. Whatever your feelings about anchovies (I thought I hated them), park them at the door (I ended up eating nothing but for the duration of my stay!). Theyve been the local speciality for hundreds of years, and are still fished and preserved close to the harbour. At their most delicious simply preserved in vinegar and eaten fresh, they just melt in the mouth. In his book, Salt, Mark Kurlansky described them as the best in the world, and Im not about to argue. Theyre celebrated with an annual anchovy festival each June, when every restaurant in town makes a point to serve them up in new and unusual ways. The nearly city of Perpignan is the gateway to this largely undiscovered part of France, and with Aer Lingus now doing summer flights from Dublin to Perpignan, its opened up the region for Irish tourists, and Collioure, in particular just 30 minutes from Perpignan is a gem of a destination just waiting to be discovered. - Aer Lingus offers four flights per week from Dublin to Perpignan during the summer, with prices for 2018 starting at 69.99 one-way. - Alternatively, Carcassonne airport is 90 minutes away, while Girona airport is just over an hour away. GETTING THERE Where to stay: Nestled into a hillside just a short stroll from the town centre, the Hotel Madeloc (from 75 per night) offers peace and quiet, with spacious rooms that each has balconies or terraces overlooking the surrounding mountains. The pool is a treat, and the views from the outdoor hot tub are pretty spectacular. See madeloc.com. Where to eat: It should come as no surprise that an historic fishing town on the Mediterranean has no shortage of great seafood, but the strong Catalan influences means along with Collioures famous anchovies, Spanish style cured meats and Iberian hams also abound. As with most towns with a strong culture of meat eating, vegetarian dining is tricky, but not impossible. For lunch or an informal dinner, try La Casa Gala Tapas Bar, 18 Rue de la Fraternite. Tucked down an impossibly pretty laneway, this tiny but charming spot serves classic Catalan tapas with a distinctly French twist, but seating is limited so booking is advisable. For dinner, splash out on some great seafood in Le Neptune, 9 Route de Port-Vendres. The five course set menu is good value at 59, but its the views that set this place apart, and dining while watching the sun set over one of the most painted landscapes in the world is simply priceless. What to do: Take advantage of the towns genuine seaside location with wonderful snorkeling just yards from the town square, or for something more leisurely take a cruise or a pedal boat. The best way to experience the sparkling waters of the Med is bobbing gently along on a kayak tour of the caves and coves of this beautiful coastline. All levels are welcome on Kayak de Mers tours, starting in nearby Banyuls-sur-mer. Lessons, sunrise and sunset experiences are available, or spend a half day on the sea, with snorkeling, for 30. See kayakmer.net. Quite some years ago, I took a stroll up the vertiginous incline of Barracka (local parlance for Barrack St) with The Money, a potential investor seeking guidance, writes Joe McNamee. Though scruffy and beaten-up, I was convinced (and still am) it had all the potential to become a creative hotspot, a class of Bohemian quarter with huge footfall, where the right sort of food establishment could really prosper. I make no claims to be the first to tap into Barrack Streets potential for rejuvenation that honour belongs to the original pathfinder, the late, lamented publican, Tom Barry, whose eponymous pub, halfway up the hill, remains one of Leesides most iconic drinking emporiums, for years almost the sole flickering candle on a street grown increasingly dark. In the years since The Money and I went a-prospecting on Barracka, Tom added a further two bars to the streets portfolio but the real gamechanger was the arrival of Miyazaki (around the corner on Evergreen St but still very much in the heart of the neighbourhood), a tiny Japanese takeaway that has become a national smash. Further additions include the excellent Alchemy coffee shop and Barbarella, a funky new boozer with an old school ambience, outside the walls of the splendid Elizabethan fort. Now we have Bao Boi. Masterminded by Bryan McCarthy, Executive Chef at Greenes Restaurant, it is an Asian-themed eatery specialising in the steamed Taiwanese bun known as a bao. Cat swingers would be well advised to practice their craft elsewhere for Bao Boi is tiny: a compact service counter, stools lining one wall and the front window, all leaving room for little else, but tasty woodwork and a meandering mural by West Cork-based artist Corina Thornton make for a pleasant little space. The small kitchen is to the rear. The menu is surprisingly extensive but today we are all about a bao. Our server advises that one makes for a tasty snack, two, a filling meal, so we order five and pass the time with a fresh, crunchy Asian slaw and a funky sweet/sour in-house kimchi. The bao bun is pillow-soft and virginal pale-white, the elongated oval folded back over its filling. Our first rendition is the Vegan, a sweet, rich meatless ragout of Ballyhoura Mushrooms with a clever vegan mayo. It is easily the match of its subsequent carnivorous competitors. We are told Market Fish Bao contains plaice but it looks more like whitefish, probably haddock, delicious breaded fish smothered in a fine Seaweed & Lemon mayo with pickled dillisk. The splendidly-monickered Bao Chicka Bao Wow features tender chicken in a crisp coating with a seaweed salad and pickles while Beef Bao hosts tender braised featherblade, pickled gherkin and wasabi adding a kick in the rear. As one of our party is anaphylactic, a traditional Sticky Pork Bao is delivered with all the caution of a nuclear scientist handling high grade plutonium, in this case, crushed peanut, along with kimchi and Sriracha chilli sauce. Though sweet and tasty, pleasure is drained by the longing looks of the aforementioned anaphylactic, causing it to be wolfed down with scant pause to savour. A Vietnamese-style Ban Mi baguette, with pork and beef, is authentically delivered, particularly, the fine bread from El-Door Bakery, on MacCurtain St. Im left on my own with the Skeaghanore Duck Hearts & Gizzards, the rest of the squad proving squeamish at mere mention of offal. Coated in panko breadcrumbs and deep-fried, they come with a dipping sauce, actually a turbo-charged dashi, but the liquid fails to adequately transfer its hefty umami to the crispy flavour bombs so I end up dunking them instead in a Sriracha mayo every last one of them, criminally addictive little beggars blithely ignorant of my point of satiation. On first glance, passing punters may well be inclined to dismiss Bao Boi as yet another takeaway on Barracka but it is so much more; Asian themes are brought to bear on solid Irish provenance with some mighty fine local producers (including superb Red Strand Coffee) and butchers underpinning the output, punningly dubbed Corkasian. Ally that to some serious craft in the kitchen and you have a fast food menu with a real Slow Food heart. Best of all, were only halfway through it, ensuring a rapid return in coming weeks! The tab 54 (for four, excluding tip, including two desserts, soft drinks) How to Tuesday to Sunday, 12.30pm to 11pm The verdict Food: 8 Service: 9 Value: 9 Atmosphere: 8 Bao Boi, 128 Barrack Street, Cork Tel: 021-4311715; www.baoboi.ie Speaking at the recent Economic Conference on Brexit in Killarney the Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster called for further strengthening of the ties between the two states on this island. Ms Foster said there are more things to unite than divide Britain and Ireland as the UK prepares to split from Europe and said she planned to raise the prospect enhancing Anglo-Irish relations when she meets Irelands Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney. The accused allegedly raped the 19-year-old model after offering a ride from a bar where they partied Thursday night. Former UK Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire has revealed that he has undergone lung surgery. The UK Conservative MP made the announcement on Twitter, less than two weeks after stepping down from the Cabinet post on medical grounds. In his resignation letter to British Prime Minister Theresa May he said he required an operation to remove a small lesion in his right lung. Posting a picture of himself in hospital, the 50-year-old Old Bexley and Sidcup MP wrote: Discharged from hospital this morning after my lung surgery. The #NHS doctors, nurses and support staff were absolutely outstanding and I could not have been in better hands. One hard step done but now the steady recovery and recuperation ahead. Will be taking things steadily. pic.twitter.com/H1zlNfrqMO James Brokenshire (@JBrokenshire) January 20, 2018 He received messages of support from British MPs including Cheryl Gillan, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Guy Opperman, and Ms Mays ex-MP chief of staff Gavin Barwell. Mr Brokenshire had used Twitter to reveal on Tuesday that he was due to have the surgery in upcoming days. Has been a difficult 2018 so far with obvious challenges to come in the days and weeks ahead. Have been strengthened by my wonderful family & after all the kind and humbling comments from so many people thought I would share some of my experience before the op #Keepingpositive https://t.co/aajTprvmhx James Brokenshire (@JBrokenshire) January 16, 2018 Stepping down from the Government on January 8, Mr Brokenshire said the surgery would mean he could not give the "effort, energy and complete focus" needed for the Northern Ireland post, which was filled by Karen Bradley. Efforts to restore the powersharing administration in Northern Ireland and the impact of Brexit on Ireland mean that the role is demanding and sensitive and Mr Brokenshire said he had hoped to lead the "essential work with renewed intent" before his diagnosis. In his letter to Ms May he said: "I recognise that this comes at an important moment for politics in Northern Ireland." Mr Brokenshire, 50, said he had been informed about the lesion "in the last few days" after a series of tests in recent weeks. The Prime Minister appeared to hold out the prospect of a return to government for Mr Brokenshire, who had previously served under her in the Home Office with responsibility for security and immigration. PA and Digital desk Principal investigator at APC Microbiome Ireland in University College Cork, Colin Hill, said faecal transplants are being used to cure very difficult to treat hospital-acquired infections. Also, patients are increasingly taking probiotics following a course of antibiotics to prevent subsequent infection. The professor of microbial food safety in UCCs School of Microbiology said they are also isolating bacterial viruses from hospitals and developing them as antimicrobials. This is not a fight that has been abandoned because there is nothing we can do, said Prof Hill at a meeting of international scientists in Cork yesterday. We can isolate bacterial viruses in the human body. Bacterial viruses kill bacteria so we can turn those viruses on the bacteria that are causing infection. We are at the forefront of research mining the human microbiome to develop new narrow-spectrum antimicrobials that only kill the target species. This will limit resistance in non-target species and the resulting damage to human health. We are also developing live therapeutic bacteria, bacteriophages [viruses which kill bacteria] and faecal microbiota transplants as alternative therapeutics to antibiotics. Every year more than 700,000 people throughout the world die from infections that are resistant to current antibiotics. By 2050 drug-resistant infections will take an estimated 10m lives per year. The conference at UCC held by APC Microbiome Ireland discussed solutions to anti-microbial resistance. HSE clinical chief Martin Cormican warned that a superbug is spreading through Irish hospitals at the rate of about one a day. There is about one new case of carbapenemase-producing enterobacteriaceae [CPE] found in Ireland every day, said Prof Cormican. The HSEs national lead for healthcare-associated infection and antimicrobial resistance said CPE was declared a public health emergency last October. But so far, about three months into this emergency, we are not making progress as quickly as we need to if we are to control this, said Prof Cormican. UCCs head of pharmacy, Stephen Byrne, said studies in Ireland have shown the overuse of antimicrobials in primary care. Some GPs are prescribing antibiotics even if they are unnecessary, said Mr Byrne because they feel pressured by patients. The use of antibiotics in Ireland during the period 2012 to 2016 continued to rise and Ireland, along with Belgium and France, is a higher consumer of antimicrobials relative to other EU countries, said Mr Byrne. Scientific and archaeological analysis of the remains discovered by Michael Chambers on Bengorm Mountain two years ago show they were placed there around 1,200 years apart, some as early as 3,600 BC. Rather than a burial place, osteoarchaeologist Linda Lynch said it was a ritual place where bodies were placed to decompose. Only a very small proportion of each skeleton was found, with the majority of bones apparently deliberately removed. The discovery indicates highly complex processing of the dead, she said. The bones of at least 10 adults, adolescents, and children were identified from those removed in a rescue excavation directed by Marion Dowd of Institute of Technology Sligo, a leading expert in cave archaeology. She was commissioned to undertake the work by the Department of Culture, Heritage, and the Gaeltachts National Monuments service after the bones were determined to be ancient. Bengorm Mountain Mayo, the remote location of the discovery. Mr Chambers came across them in a cave-like chamber among massive boulders in the north-west Mayo mountain in August 2016. The bones were scattered over the rock floor, prompting the investigation that has led to the details released yesterday by Culture, Heritage, and Gaeltacht minister of state Josepha Madigan. She thanked the hillwalking community for reporting the find. This is a fascinating archaeological discovery. Such vigilance is extremely important to us in helping to protect and understanding our archaeological heritage, said Ms Madigan. The excavation and research, commissioned in consultation with the National Museum of Ireland, found that the most recent remains are those of a child who died around 2,400 BC. The pit in the cave which held human remains following the excavation. It is now believed that the bodies were brought into the cave chamber and laid out in a pit. At some later point, the skulls may have been deliberately broken in a complex burial ritual and the larger bones removed. Large pieces of quartz had been placed in and around the bones. When the radiocarbon dates came through it was very exciting, said Dr Dowd. Not only were these bones Neolithic, but the dates showed the site had been used for over 1,000 years. Ms Madigan said the glimpses into prehistoric Ireland more than 5,000 years ago show archaeologys enduring capacity to enthral. Such discoveries... demonstrate how advances in scientific research are affording us a better understanding of Irelands ancient past and its people, she said. The question is deadly serious, but at times its essence is in danger of getting lost in the machinations of the Disclosures Tribunal. Two weeks into this module of the tribunal, there are times when it appears as if Maurice McCabe is on trial. His motives, his alleged utterances, how he changed in the wake of a life-altering experience, are all parsed in the context of why he brought forward allegations of serious malpractice in the force. Thats nobodys fault. Natural justice demands no less, as the question at the heart of the tribunal is a deadly serious one for all involved, including the other senior officers at the OHiggins commission, which was held in private. At this stage, a few matters have crystallised. Evidence has been heard about the run-up to and opening days of OHiggins. At a consultation to brief lawyers on May 11, 2015, three days before the scheduled opening, a picture was painted of Sgt McCabe that was less than flattering. The lawyers were briefed that there had been an allegation from the daughter of a colleague back in 2006, (known as Ms D) which had been dealt with by the DPP, who said no crime was committed. Sgt McCabe, though, was unhappy at how the matter was dealt with, as he had to work with the girls father. The gardai believed he bore a grievance since then. A note from state solicitor Annmarie Ryan stated that the meeting was told that Sgt McCabe said to a senior officer: I will bring this job to its knees. He had said no such thing. Chief superintendent Fergus Healy, who was the commissioners liaison officer, told the tribunal that he may have said that (about McCabe) but it wasnt a direct quote. Well, it was kind of a thing that was known, you know, within Garda management, that had happened. It was pointed out to Ms Ryan at the tribunal that nothing good was said about Sgt McCabe at the meeting. All of this was supposed to be background material, to give the lawyers a picture of the man who had made allegations about poor standards of policing and accountability. None of it was within the terms of reference of OHiggins, which had been set up on foot of a non-statutory inquiry, prompted by revelations in the Dail by Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin. Two days later, Colm Smyth, the senior counsel for Noirin OSullivan and other senior officers, concluded that Sgt McCabes motivation should be challenged based on the fall-out from the historic allegation. The reasons for pursuing motivation were that Sgt McCabe had made allegations of corruption as defined by the Garda charter against senior officers. During the subsequent OHiggins hearings, these allegations were withdrawn or dismissed. Two days into the hearings, the motivation issue exploded. A row blew up at OHiggins when Sgt McCabes counsel, Michael McDowell, objected to a line of questioning. He wanted some basis on which Sgt McCabes motivation would be challenged. That was a Friday. Over the weekend, a document was prepared. The tribunal was told it had three authors, the superintendents Noel Cunningham and Mick Clancy, and retired chief superintendent Colm Rooney. All had dealt with Sgt McCabe in relation to the Ms D allegation and its fall-out. Mr Clancy wasnt physically present to contribute at that time. The actual document was prepared by the commissioners legal team. In an email, Ms Ryan stated that it was of the UTMOST (her caps) importance that the content of the document be factually accurate. As it turned out, it contained a crucial error that changed its meaning. This concerned a line that suggested Sgt McCabe had told Supt Cunningham in 2008 that he made complaints against Superintendent Clancy rather than to Superintendent Clancy. Tribunal lawyer Kathleen Leader suggested the error had Sgt McCabe engaging in blackmail of Supt Clancy to have the DPP directions released to Ms Ds family in order to illuminate how emphatically he had been cleared. A draft was sent to Supt Cunningham, but he didnt spot the error. He told the tribunal he didnt print it out but read it from his phone and has poor eyesight. This was a document to be submitted to a statutory inquiry, outlining an issue Ms Ryan had noted was political dynamite. That was the Saturday night. On Monday morning, Supt Cunningham signed off on the document. He claims he wasnt given a chance to read it. When Sgt McCabe saw the document, he remembered the meeting in question, and produced a recording he had made of it, which was at variance with the document, but coincided with Supt Cunninghams report in 2008. The error was compounded in a submission three weeks later which also suggested that Sgt McCabe had been guilty of the blackmail. There were also other errors in the document, that Judge Charleton characterised as a charge sheet which had a string of errors. The error about the 2008 meeting was eventually addressed by Supt Cunningham in evidence, but nobody apologised to Sgt McCabe for casting aspersions on his integrity in the document. Yesterday, the matter of apology was put to Supt Healy, who was in the witness box. I dont recollect that any thought was given to it or not, he said. Certainly now I would have to apologise for it. It would be completely wrong not to. That was the first occasion since the matter arose on May 15, 2015, that anybody apologised to Sgt McCabe for an erroneous allegation that he attempted to blackmail a senior officer. He will testify as to what effect it had on him when he gives evidence, most likely early the week after next. The tribunals terms of reference specify inquiring into whether a false allegation of sexual abuse was used against Sgt McCabe at OHiggins. On Thursday, Judge Charleton surmised that it is now accepted that such an allegation was not used. Now he has to examine whether anything else was used to attack Sgt McCabe at OHiggins. Minister of state for business, Heather Humphreys, who has responsibility for the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) and the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), which inspects vessels, said that it has 10 WRC inspectors with the relevant safety and survival training to carry out fishing inspections and investigations. She said 181 fishing vessels come under the scope of the new atypical worker permission scheme for non-EU workers of which 174 are currently active or operational. To date, 165 of these vessels have been inspected by the WRC, she said. In total, some 240 inspections of these vessels were undertaken by the WRC in the period July 2016 to December 31, 2017. 202 contraventions were detected by WRC inspectors to the end of 2017. Those contraventions included 71 failures to keep employment records; 29 cases where the non-EU fisherman did not have permission to work; 25 where the vessels were found to have failed to issue payslips; 13 where the vessel failed to comply with the terms of the atypical scheme; six failures to pay correct rates. Ms Humphreys said 112 contravention notices have been issued to date by the WRC with one case going as far as prosecution and initiated in four others. Current investigations by the WRC have been completed in respect of 95 of the 181 vessels, said Ms Humphreys. Five of those cases involved unpaid wages amounting to almost 6,300. The majority of the unpaid wages related to failure to pay the national minimum wage rates and/or public holiday entitlements. Ms Humphreys, in answer to a series of parliamentary questions from People Before Profit TD Mick Barry, also said HSA inspectors had carried out 73 inspections of vessels on health and safety grounds leading to seven improvement notices being served and 40 reports of inspection issued for more minor health and safety breaches. People Before Profit TD Mick Barry. Ken Fleming of the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) who has been inspecting vessels in Irish ports for the last 13 years questioned how the WRC could properly probe the 71 vessels where no employment records were found as these are essential to the rest of the inspection. He also questioned how a cohort of 10 inspectors had still not managed to inspect all the vessels in the space of almost 18 months. The 6,300 recovered is a very small amount and implies the manner in which the WRC applies its inspections is ineffective because there are fishermen out there owed thousands of euro, said Mr Fleming. Those cases are being processed by the ITF through the WRC and we have referred a number of cases to gardai over trafficking and forced labour concerns. Mr Fleming also said the number of permits issued has halved in 2017 compared to 2016. Maybe the industry realises that there is no real enforcement from the various government departments and therefore no consequences. My question is who are now working on theses boats, he said. Boats employers that had convinced the Government to grant a permit scheme because no Irish workers were available. Its far from a mystery what is really going on. GSOC, which investigates complaints and other incidents involving gardai, says its operational independence is compromised by the requirement. It also wants powers to carry out unannounced searches of Garda stations. Under current laws, it must give advance notice to the Garda commissioner. The changes are among a list of demands in a strongly worded submission to the minister for justice in which GSOC says it needs complete independence from the department, more money, and a radical overhaul of its powers if it is to do its job properly. The submission was sent last month after pleas for extra resources and revamped powers over the previous 18 months went largely unanswered. GSOC says the current limits on its powers render many investigations futile, cause unacceptable delays and lead to dissatisfaction for complainants and gardai alike with the bodys credibility and public confidence in it suffering as a result. GSOC says it is not satisfactory that the minister for justice controls its budget and staffing. We believe that independence and public confidence in the system would be enhanced by the designation of GSOC as a fully independent body. It also wants an end to the practice of referring complaints of a non-criminal nature back to gardai for investigation which, it says, is questionable in terms of public confidence. Where a GSOC investigation finds misconduct of a non-criminal nature, GSOC can only recommend that sanctions be applied. It says it must have powers to impose its findings. The Garda Siochana may decide that there is no breach, take no action and provide no rationale to GSOC. This happens often. It contributes to a feeling of futility for a complainant and for us, it says. It also wants stronger legal obligations on gardai to co-operate with investigations, particularly when it comes to handing over documents and other forms of information, saying it experiences difficulty in securing co-operation in this regard. And it wants the power to filter out customer-service type complaints and resolve them, if the complainant agrees, at local station level. Currently they must be individually notified to the commissioner and then put through lengthy investigations focused on retribution rather than resolution. GSOC has dealt with over 23,000 complaints from the public since it was set up in 2007 as well as 900 referrals from the Garda Siochana itself plus numerous investigations requested by ministers for justice, including a long-running one into the penalty points scandal which was abandoned last month after it was decided the investigation was too large and resources too tight to continue with it. Justice Mary Ellen ring. Publication of the submission followed remarks by GSOC chairperson, Justice Mary Ellen Ring, earlier this week when she said the commission had been unable to investigate 20 protected disclosures from garda whistleblowers because it did not have enough staff. The submission states: GSOC acknowledges that its proposals have significant implications for the resourcing of the organisation. The co-leader of the Social Democrats Roisin Shortall called on the minister to act swiftly on GSOCs calls. Recent Garda controversies have taken their toll on both morale within the force and public confidence, she said. We must not have a situation where sensible proposals from the Garda oversight agency are not implemented or resourced. The Department of Justice said the minister had requested the submission from GSOC and he would bring a memorandum to the Government on its proposals. In a surprising and powerful 20-minute speech on Thursday, Mr Martin said that he would support the recommendations of the Oireachtas committee on the Eighth Amendment, including providing unrestricted access to abortion up to 12 weeks gestation. His comments sparked criticism and praise from within his party, whose members have been given a free vote on the matter. Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Mr Martin said there has been a lot of silence in the country and he hopes discussions around abortion and the Eighth Amendment may give people a voice to tell their stories. A lot of people have opened up to me since I gave my speech in the Dail, he said, telling of one woman, who had experienced a fatal foetal abnormality, ringing him yesterday morning. Mr Martin said that his opinions had evolved in recent years, but cited two pivotal moments which helped cement his views. The first came two years ago when he met women who were forced to travel to the UK for abortions after finding out their children had fatal foetal abnormalities. The second was when he had the time to examine the expert and medical testimony heard by the Oireachtas committee over the Christmas break. Two years ago, I would have met with women who had to go to England with fatal foetal abnormalities and those stories were harrowing, said Mr Martin. He said the personal accounts of women who had to transport the remains home in the boot of their cars had a deep impact on him. After meeting those women, I would have heard of other cases that I knew, but there has been a lot of silence in the country. A number of Fianna Fail backbenchers yesterday came out against Mr Martin, including CarlowKilkenny TD Bobby Aylward, who said he would be organising a meeting next week of Fianna Fail members who are opposed to a repeal of the Eighth Amendment to discuss the matter. Mr Martin said he understands that it is a very difficult issue for many in his party and some members will be disappointed by his comments. I understand that people have their own deeply held views, said Mr Martin, adding that he hoped the calm approach which had so far been taken in discussing the Eighth Amendment would continue. He defended his decision to make his comments in the Dail and not during a parliamentary party meeting held earlier in the week. He said: I though the best platform was the Dail itself because I had 20 minutes to lay it out for everybody in the Dail. It allowed me to lay my views out in a structured way. Sometimes in modern politics the platform of the parliamentary speech is not given the same important as it may have previously got. Mr Martin added that he thought it would not have been right to announce his opinions at a media event. Miriam OCallaghan, who was joint MC for the awards ceremony along with RTE Prime Time colleague David McCullagh, announced the special award for Ted Crosbie, pointing out that he had done as much as any other to enhance Corks reputation and to ensure that it makes headlines day by day, and year by year. She said the Cork Examiner/Irish Examiner had survived the Famine, First World War, the War of Independence, Civil War, the Great Depression of 1930, de Valeras Economic War, the Second World War, and a number of recessions. He has been a dominant force in his company and in the civil life of Cork and Munster for decades, during which he has been a relentless pioneer for innovation and a force for constructive change, achieved through consultation and mutual agreement, Ms OCallaghan said. Mr McCullagh noted: This does not mean he is a soft touch. Anyone who has been in a negotiation with this man will know the meaning of the words hard bargain. Tom Murphy, CEO, Landmark Media; Ted Crosbie, director, Landmark Media; and Tim Cramer, former editor of The Cork Examiner. Even now, in his late 80s, he can be found every day walking the editorial floor of the newspaper, talking to reporters and news editors, sharing story ideas with a twinkling good humour and always supporting the freedom of the press. He is, as has been said in the past few weeks, a journalists dream proprietor, Mr McCullagh said. Both MCs said that the principal shareholder of Landmark Media and a former chief executive and director of what was known for many years as Thomas Crosbie Holdings was richly deserving of the award. Mr Crosbie has been a stalwart supporter of the Cork Person of the Year Awards and Ms OCallaghan added that he had lent his name to a host of charities and good causes locally. He is a civic leader who has demonstrated a deep and abiding interest in his local community and its heritage, she said. A proud Corkonian, educated in CBC and UCC, he is a great family man and is here today with his daughters Elizabeth and Sophie, his sons Tom, Andrew, and Edward, and his sister Ruth. Ted Crosbie starts production of the first run of the Cork Weekly Examiner to be printed using the web-offset system at Academy St, Cork, on May 9, 1976. Both congratulated Mr Crosbie on his formidable achievements in a lifetime of service. Mr Cosbie thanked everyone concerned for giving him the honour, and spent some time regaling the audience with stories of the newspapers past, sprinkling his speech with witticisms. Earlier, his son Tom Crosbie, Landmark Media chairman, had spoken about the sale of the Evening Echo, Irish Examiner, and other titles to the Irish Times. Were delighted and relieved that the future is secured by the sale to the Irish Times., said Tom Crosbie. But were saddened that the family connection will come to an end in the next few months, subject to regulatory approval. Chief Superintendent Fergus Healy said that Garda counsel at the OHiggins inquiry had recommended challenging Sgt McCabes motivation and credibility after forming the view that the triggering factor for his complaints about poor policing and corruption stemmed from his unhappiness at not getting the directions of the DPP released in relation to a case involving him. Counsel for the Disclosure Tribunal Kathleen Leader said the strategy adopted by counsel for then-commissioner Noirin OSullivan was that Sgt McCabe had been effectively seeking to blackmail senior officers in making his series of complaints. She said this position was based on a fundamental error contained in a legal document compiled for the OHiggins commission by counsel and gardai over the weekend May 15-18, 2015 that Sgt McCabe had made a complaint against Supt Michael Clancy in order to seek the release of DPP directions, instead of a complaint to the superintendent regarding the release. Cross-examined by Ms Leader, Chief Supt Healy, who was Ms OSullivans liaison officer at the OHiggins inquiry, said it was hard to believe that such a small word made such a huge difference, but said that it had. The Disclosure Tribunal, chaired by Mr Justice Peter Charleton, is examining whether unjustified grounds were inappropriately relied upon by the former commissioner to discredit Sgt McCabe at the OHiggins commission, which was investigating complaints from the whistleblower about policing and corruption in Cavan/Monaghan. Chief Supt Healy said that in consultations, legal counsel for the commissioner was at pains to establish what was the triggering factor behind Sgt McCabes allegations. He said that arising out of counsels reading into their brief and hearing from gardai about Sgt McCabes perceived unhappiness in not securing release of DPPs directions, the counsel had sought instruction to pursue motive and credibility issues. Ms Leader questioned Chief Supt Healy about what information he relayed to Ms OSullivan in phone calls to her on May 15, 2015 after he was directed to urgently seek and confirm her instructions on the matter of challenging Sgt McCabes motivation and credibility. Chief Supt Healy said he told the commissioner that the counsel were advising they challenge Sgt McCabes motivation and credibility and said she was inclined to give instructions to that effect. Pressed by Mr Justice Charleton on what the commissioner knew before issuing her instructions, Chief Supt Healy said he told her about the refusal to circulate the DPPs instructions and how that was the lynch pin that started all these issues and the spark that lit the fuse. Chief Supt Healy pointed out that the commissioner would have had prior knowledge of all of these issues over a number of years. Asked by Michael McDowell SC, for Sgt McCabe, if he had any discussion with the commissioner about the sensitivities of attacking Sgt McCabes credibility and motives or whether it was wise to go down this road, he said that, to his recollection, he hadnt. Questioned about the mistakes in the legal document drafted over that weekend in May 2015, Chief Supt Healy said he was in the dark about them and that he was depending on other people to be accurate. Chief Supt Healy said the first meeting of their lead barrister, Colm Smyth SC, with Ms OSullivan was on May 21, 2015. He said that the main concern of the commissioner was in relation to the allegations of corruption made by Sgt McCabe, which he said was a very serious issue for her. He said Mr Smyth shared this view, but that he felt they would not stick allegations which Mr Justice OHiggins subsequently adjudged to be unfounded and unsupported by evidence. Chief Supt Healy said the prospect of the commissioner having to answer very difficult questioning from Mr McDowell about the motivation strategy when she was due to give evidence on November 4, 2015 rang alarm bells in his head and he feared another eruption like there was on May 15. He said he was relieved when this did not happen, after Mr Justice OHiggins ruled on the motivation issue. He said there was a significant media and political storm when there were newspaper articles (in the Irish Examiner) about the OHiggins commission in May 2016 and that he was called to Garda HQ and basically grilled in a meeting about what had gone on at the commission. Ms OSullivan is due to commence her evidence on Monday morning. The report into the Adults Services Palmerstown Designated Centre 6, operated by Stewarts Care in Dublin 20, highlighted significant concerns identified on both days of inspection resulted in two meetings with the provider and four immediate actions being issued. It found the centre had major non-compliances across all six standards reviewed, concluding the service was not safe and had failed to ensure residents were protected from abuse. One residents meal experience lasted a total of two minutes and 20 seconds, it said. Residents who required assistance were not given this and inspectors observed a resident with a visual impairment was left unsupervised. "It was evident from observations and from the assistive equipment used that this resident required assistance, however, the lack of supervision resulted in a significant portion of the residents meal falling on the floor and the resident eating some of their meal without cutlery. According to the report, inspectors identified a resident with specific hydration requirements was not being cared for appropriately and was presenting with symptoms of dehydration. Staff were not consistent with who was assigned to care for this resident. It also raised concerns over issues including peer-to-peer incidents of abuse, claiming in many cases they were not being adequately addressed by the provider. Hiqa was also critical of the service provided at Adults Services Palmerstown Designated Centre 2, also operated by Stewarts Care Limited and home to 30 residents. The inspection found major non-compliances in eight of the nine outcomes. It said residents were not supported with an acceptable standard of care and support, resulting in poor outcomes for residents, alongside evidence of institutional-type practices and care. Overall, it said that the provider had failed in its requirement to provide a safe and appropriate service. In finding that residents privacy and dignity was not upheld, inspectors observed a resident in one unit walk into the communal area from the bathroom on three occasions in a state of undress. Regarding safeguarding and safety, inspectors observed a number of residents were engaged in inappropriate sexualised behaviour in communal areas in one unit, to which there was a lack of response to protect both the residents engaged in the behaviour and peers in close proximity. In a second unit, there was no response by staff to attempt to support a number of residents, observed with exposed lower body parts. Peer-to-peer incidents were not appropriately reported to the relevant personnel, and healthcare needs at the centre were also not met according to the report. Hiqa said medication practices did not ensure residents were protected, including a reference to how one resident had not received medication as prescribed. The report mentioned how one resident asked to go for a walk mid-morning but was requested to wait until staff breaks were over. Two hours later this resident had still not been brought for a walk and staff cited this was due to staff being too busy, the report said. During this period of two hours, the inspectors observed that for a period of time, three staff were engaged in sorting laundry. The latest data, released by the Department of Housing on Thursday, shows there were 5,508 adults and 3,079 children without permanent accommodation last month a fall of 16 compared with the figure for November. The number of families in emergency accommodation decreased by 122 to 1,408. Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy said that while a lot more still needs to be done, a lot of good work was done last year and the figures are evidence of good progress for those families who were accommodated during the month of December. Focus Ireland welcomed the fall in the level of homelessness but stressed that it could be a seasonal drop due to the possibility of more people taking in extended family for the Christmas period. Focus Ireland director of advocacy Mike Allen said 2017 was still the worst year for homelessness in the history of the State. DePaul, which operates more than 200 One Night Only beds, referred to the increase of 64 in the number of adult males in homelessness in Dublin. Depaul CEO Kerry Anthony said: We need to do better for homeless adults. She added: The decrease in families experiencing homelessness is positive news and welcomed by Depaul, despite the very long way to go in accommodating the still shocking number of 1,408 families struggling in homelessness. As leader of one of the most conservative parties in one of Europes most conservative countries, his decision to back a significant liberalisation of our abortion laws was a courageous one, even if somewhat late. He said that, not only does he support removing the Eighth Amendment from the Constitution, he also supports the recommendations of the Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Ammendment that abortions be made legal in all cases up to 12 weeks. He said that, after a long period of reflection, he feels the Eighth Amendment should be repealed. He will express his opinion on whether the amendment needs to be replaced once the Governments advice is known, but he feels it may be necessary to prevent inevitable court cases. Mr Martin said abortion is a present and permanent part of life. The Eighth Amendment does not mean that Ireland is a country without abortion, he said. Retaining the Eighth Amendment will not turn Ireland into a country without abortion... Nothing we say or do here could make Ireland a country without abortion. It was some distance from where he had stood previously. As someone who has been in Cabinet previously for 14 years, his conservative credentials are well-known and established. In 2001, while he was Minister for Health, he and his Government sought to strengthen the ban on abortion by removing the threat of suicide as a grounds for legal abortion in the State, as well as introducing new penalties for anyone performing an abortion. Speaking in the Dail on October 25, 2001, Mr Martin said: I believe that the majority of Irish people are opposed to any lessening of the protection currently afforded to the unborn and I have no doubt that any proposal to remove Article 40.3.3 from the Constitution, which would be necessary if it were proposed to legalise abortion, would fail. Introducing the 25th Amendment of the Constitution (Protection of Human Life in Pregnancy) Bill, 2001, Mr Martin said the Governments proposal would protect best medical practice, while providing for a legislative prohibition on abortion and underpinning such legislation with an amendment to the Constitution. The Government does not believe that a risk of suicide is a valid basis on which to provide for medical intervention, he said. The Government is aware, of course, that addressing these constitutional and legal issues may have little impact on Irish women who choose to travel abroad for abortions, he added, perhaps acknowledging the limitations of his argument. Even as late as 2013, he said Fianna Fail had an issue with including the risk of suicide in any legislation for the X case on abortion, saying he and the party would wait to see legislation before deciding whether or not to vote for it. He also said then that he would not favour widening legislation or changing the Constitution to include cases where a woman had become pregnant as a result of rape. Just last October, at his partys ard fheis, delegates overwhelmingly backed a motion urging opposition to changing the Eighth Amendment. Delegates at the partys ard fheis voted by three to one to back a motion from Kildare North constituency urging the party to oppose any attempt to diminish the constitutional rights of the unborn. The night before he delivered his speech, Martin too felt the wrath of the majority of his parliamentary party, who are uneasy, to say the least, about any move to liberalise abortion laws. They met over a period of more than three hours and speaker after speaker explained their concerns about what was being proposed. As audacious as Martins speech was in the Dail on Thursday, the ability of his health spokesman, Billy Kelleher, along with Lisa Chambers and Ned OSullivan, to propose the 12-week limit at the committee was seismic. Yesterday, the reaction within Fianna Fail to their leaders speech was mixed. Fianna Fail TDs praised Mr Martin publicly for his leadership, but privately some were horrified at his speech. One TD predicted he would be lynched, killed by his parliamentary party, while another said there would be war, but that it would ease off after a few days. Others said that Mr Martin had taken a very brave step politically and personally. The off-record grumblings are certainly there, but as long as they remain off-record then it would appear Martins gamble will pay off. If we had five of his front bench speaking out against him on the record, then he would genuinely be in trouble. But it was a rare too rare example, of leadership from the notoriously cautious Cork South-Central TD. In an instant, he not only put it up to his own party members to reform and modernise, he stumped Taoiseach Leo Varadkar as well. Varadkar is now the only leader not to declare his hand on the proposals put forward by the committee. His supporters have said he has deliberately stayed quiet to allow the more hardline elements within his own party to come around if at all possible, but Varadkar has made it known that he wants no repeat of the expulsion of party members that occurred in 2013, when Lucinda Creighton and six others walked the plank. He is, though, evidently edgy and nervous and, to be fair, Mr Varadkar is still a novice in a post where pitfalls abound. His silence has seen him lose the political initiative in the short run and could do longer-term damage to his standing. A known social conservative, much more so than his image would lead you to believe, Varadkar is clearly uncomfortable with the recommendations for unrestricted access to abortion for up to 12 weeks. However, he would do well, politically, to remember and argue that the 12-week limit is a far cry from the 22-week limit proposed by the Citizens Assembly. The committee also rejected the Assemblys call for a relaxation of the law on socio-economic grounds and in cases where there is a disability. Varadkar, as Taoiseach, urgently needs to park his own qualms or difficulties, and deliver on his promise to put the question to the people. Any deviation from the recommendations of an all-party committee report is fraught with danger and, while now it is a matter for the Attorney General Seamus Woulfe in conjunction with Health Minister Simon Harris to bring forward a formula of words, at the very least Varadkar needs to stop undermining the process, as he did when he said the 12-week recommendation was a step too far. He has been joined in his silence by his equally cautious Tanaiste, Simon Coveney. His brother Patrick, the head of Greencore, put the cat among the pigeons, by tweeting strong support for Martins speech. Big, brave, personal statement from @MichealMartinTD on his support for removal of 8th Amendment. Centre ground in Ireland (across political divide) moving at last to a more compassionate, trusting, responsible, women centered position on abortion! So, Taoiseach, it is up to you. POLICE have taken a stand against 'so called paedophile hunters' after a vigilante group was founded on the Island. The Wight Rangers group was set up at the beginning of January and claims to have already caught one man with a sting. Their Facebook page states: "We are an organisation established to protect our kids from sexual predators." IW District Commander Supt Sarah Jackson said: "We are aware of a so called paedophile hunter group operating on the IW called Wight Rangers. "We understand the publics desire to protect their children from online abuse, but we do not condone or promote action by these kinds of groups. "There are risks with such groups compromising ongoing police investigations." This is in keeping with the national guidance set by the National Police Chiefs' Council. Supt. Jackson added: "We will, of course, consider any evidence presented to us and reiterate our absolute commitment to identifying and prosecuting those who abuse and exploit children." She said the Island remained a safe place to live and work: "Alongside our prevention activities with schools and partner agencies, a great deal of work continues to protect victims and identify offenders in relation to child sexual exploitation." The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County confirmed Friday plans to sell its property at 610 Coliseum Drive that features the Arts Council Theatre. As a result, officials with the N.C. Black Repertory Co. and the Little Theatre of Winston-Salem have been told they should be prepared to clear their operations by August. We are evaluating available options while planning our 2018-19 season, said Nigel Alston, executive director of N.C. Black Repertory Co. The building and 2.93-acre site are valued at $3.11 million, according to Forsyth GeoData. The building, which contains a 500-seat performance theater, is situated between CVS and the American Red Cross off Coliseum Drive. Jim Sparrow, the Arts Councils president and chief executive, said the move is part of a restructuring initiative that aims to reduce expenses and consolidate offerings into fewer and more appropriate spaces. He cited the age of the building and its location away from the downtown arts district among reasons for deciding to sell it. Sparrow said he is talking with both groups about finding temporary administrative and performance space. We would like to move them with us if we can, which is why were timing the transition for after the end of their current seasons, Sparrow said. Sparrow said the council is considering renovating the Reynolds Place space in the Milton Rhodes Center off Fourth Street into a multiuse facility. The plan for the renovation could accommodate a 300-seat performance theater similar to what is being used in the next-door Hanesbrands Theatre. Weve mocked up the plans and are vetting them with groups that could use that space for what could and couldnt work for them, Sparrow said. Establishing the multi-use space could cost between $1 million to $1.5 million, Sparrow said. By comparison, Sparrow said it could cost about $2.4 million to re-create the Arts Council Theatre with modern amenities. The renovation could be paid for primarily with proceeds from the sale of the Coliseum Drive building, as well as a special fundraising effort that would not conflict with the councils annual budget or fundraising, Sparrow said. The current performance space has only a handful of events that fill it up, whereas there are more events that require 300 to 350 seats, Sparrow said. Even with the use of the classroom space by the two tenants and their administrative office needs, there is a fair amount of space thats not being used all that often. The move of the two nonprofit groups comes as both adjust to a significant council grant reduction for 2017-18. The Black Repertory Co. had its grant reduced from $175,000 to $126,000, while the Little Theatre had its grant cut from $150,000 to $108,000, There are a lot of challenges that we are facing, said Jackie Alexander, artistic director for the Black Repertory Co. Im working with others to find creative ways to share resources and partner on productions. I will do whatever it takes to make sure the economic challenges do not cut back on what we offer. In addition to producing the biennial National Black Theatre Festival, Black Repertory Co. presents professional productions throughout the year and runs the Teen Theatre Ensemble that provides theatrical education and experience for young people. The Little Theatre is diligently considering different options and collaborations for office and performance space, said Michelle Welborn, chairwoman of the theaters board of directors. Monday will remain a teacher workday for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools and will not be used as a makeup day in light of the recent winter weather, Superintendent Beverly Emory said in a video announcement Friday. Students will return to school on Tuesday, and exams will resume that day. The only day students attended classes this week was Jan. 16, as the day before that was Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Schools have been closed Wednesday through Friday because of several inches of snow that fell in the area on Wednesday, followed by days of treacherous and slick road conditions. Monday has been designated as a teacher workday without the option to be used as a makeup day. There are other teacher workdays placed in the 2017-18 school district calendar that do allow for makeup days. Emory said in the video that even if Monday were changed to a makeup day, it would be tough logistically for the schools to function normally. Because it had been designated as a workday with no option for a makeup, it would have been difficult to ensure the district would have enough bus drivers, nutritionists and teachers assistants ready at a moments notice, Emory said. She added that with exams, which would have resumed Monday had schools opened that day, finding enough proctors could have been a concern, as well. Toward the end of the video, Emory said they would use this scenario as they look to different ways to address similar situations in the future. Additionally, because of last weeks closures, Feb. 19, March 29 and June 11 will be used as makeup days, making June 11 the last day of school. The remaining available makeup days are June 12-13 and April 5-6, which are the Thursday and Friday of spring break. RANDELL JONES, Winston-Salem This is not a drill Americas luck surviving nuclear threats in Januaries, as it did in Hawaii on Sunday (Alert error fuels doubts about real emergency, Jan. 15) has a history, and right here in North Carolina, too. Fifty-seven years ago on Jan. 24, 1961, a B-52 with two nuclear bombs broke apart in the sky while approaching Seymour Johnson Air Force Base near Goldsboro. The nuclear payload fell toward the ground. The explosive force of each bomb was 250 times that dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. Each was equipped with four sequenced safety devices. On one bomb, three safeties had failed. One last simple switch is all that prevented killing 40,000 people and transforming eastern North Carolina into a radioactive wasteland. On Jan. 21, 1968, a B-52 Stratofortress with four hydrogen bombs crashed at Thule, Greenland, near the U.S. air base. The base at Thule, part of the militarys early warning system, would be the first to know if the USSR had launched a first strike over the Arctic. An accidental nuclear explosion so near this base could have unintentionally triggered retaliatory actions by others in the system, thus unleashing World War III. Immediately the U.S. ceased its decade-long, Cold War defense strategy Chrome Dome, which kept nuclear-armed bombers continually aloft. Two lessons: If something can go wrong, it will go wrong, eventually. And, if you are not going to learn from your mistakes, dont make them. Voters, President Trumps demonstrated ignorance and petulance put the world in danger. This is not a drill. *** MARSHALL A. MAYS, Winston-Salem Trump tax cuts Is this really the time to cut taxes? Tax cuts will reduce the pool of money necessary to draw from to keep much-needed programs running. FEMA earmarked $7.3 billion to cover disasters for fiscal year 2017. Hurricanes Irma and Harvey together caused damage that could cost FEMA $150 billion to $200 billion. This is no time to cut taxes for the wealthy, who own most of the assets in this country. In December nearly half of Texas residents affected by Harvey were not getting needed help. Congress didnt foresee the need for such an increase in spending. President Trumps tax plan could add $1 trillion to the national debt. Fiscal conservatives may deal with this reality by slashing entitlement programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and CHIP. They could change laws governing eligibility, and benefit-amount payments. This is the new reality, even though Trump promised early in his campaign that he would save Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security without cuts. President Trump wants to take credit for growing the economy by giving tax breaks to corporations, without being responsible for the trade-offs. There are trade-offs because it is not certain that his plan is necessary to grow the economy. It is very possible that Democrats will soon take control of the House, Senate and White House. Maybe Trump is counting on this. I realize that Americans work hard, and they deserve a break. I just question whether the Trump tax cuts are representative of the American way. Please submit letters online to Letters@wsjournal.com or mail letters to: The Readers Forum, P.O. Box 3159, Winston-Salem, NC 27102. Letters are subject to editing and are limited to 250 words. For more guidelines and advice on writing letters, go to journalnow.com/opinion/submit_a_letter. The Burundi government continued its repression of real and perceived political opponents in 2017, according to the annual report of Human Rights Watch published on January 18. This included murder, forced disappearance, torture and arbitrary arrest. In its determination to continue suppressing the population without the outside world's gaze, the regime of Pierre Nkurunziza has also declared all foreign investigators persona non grata. The political and human rights crisis that began in Burundi in April 2015, when President Pierre Nkurunziza announced that he would run for a disputed third term, continued through 2017, as government forces targeted real and perceived opponents with near total impunity. Security forces and intelligence servicesoften collaborating with members of the ruling partys youth league, known as the Imbonerakurewere responsible for numerous killings, disappearances, abductions, acts of torture, rapes, and arbitrary arrests. Unknown assailants carried out grenade and other attacks, killing or injuring many people. In September, a United Nations Commission of Inquiry, established by the Human Rights Council a year earlier, said it had reasonable grounds to believe that crimes against humanity have been committed in Burundi since April 2015. During its session later that month, the council extended the commissions mandate for one year, but Burundi continues to refuse any form of cooperation with the commission. In October, judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) authorized an investigation into crimes committed in Burundi since April 2015. Also in October, Burundis government adopted a plan to revise the constitution to allow President Nkurunziza to stand for two new seven-year terms. If passed by a vote in parliament or national referendum, Nkurunziza could possibly stay in power until 2034. Killings, Rapes, and Other Abuses by Security Forces and Ruling Party Youth The violence in 2017 claimed scores of lives, according to Burundian and international human rights organizations. Dead bodies of people killed in unknown circumstances were regularly found across the country. The Commission of Inquiry confirmed the persistence of extrajudicial executions, arbitrary arrests and detentions, enforced disappearances, torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and sexual violence in Burundi since April 2015, blaming most violations on members of the intelligence services, the police, the army, and the youth league of the ruling party. The commission indicated that some violations have been committed in a more clandestine, but equally brutal, manner since 2016. The Commission of Inquiry collected several testimonies suggesting that intelligence agents or members of the police were involved in the disappearance of Oscar Ntasano, a former senator, in Bujumbura on April 21, 2017. Human Rights Watch documented how in 2015 and 2016, members of the Imbonerakure and policesometimes armed with guns, sticks, or knivesraped women whose male family members were perceived to be government opponents. In some cases, Imbonerakure threatened or attacked the male relative before raping the woman. Women often continued to receive threats after being raped. Human Rights Watch received credible reports that these abuses continued in 2017. In early April, a video emerged showing about 200 members of the Imbonerakure gathered in northern Burundi, singing songs encouraging the rape of political opponents or their relatives. Incitement to hatred, violence, and rape, particularly by the Imbonerakure, has become common in Burundi, almost always without condemnation by authorities. Security forces arrested, ill-treated, and illegally detained many opposition party members. Some detainees were held incommunicado in unknown locations. Several activists of the Movement for Solidarity and Democracy (Mouvement pour la solidarite et la democratie, MSD) and National Liberation Forces (Forces nationales de liberation, FNL) opposition parties were arrested in June. In early April, the government had suspended the MSD for six months and shut down its offices. On January 24, unknown men attacked Camp Mukoni, a military base in Burundis eastern Muyinga province. Seven soldiers, twelve civilians, and one policeman arrested after the attack were sentenced to heavy prison terms. Intelligence agents badly beat and tortured many defendants during interrogations, witnesses told Human Rights Watch. Abuses by Opposition Armed Groups and Unknown Actors Several grenade attacks took place in bars and elsewhere across Burundi in 2017, killing and injuring many, including children. The identity of the perpetrators was often unknown. The UN Commission of Inquiry found that human rights abuses were also committed by armed opposition groups [since April 2015], but these proved difficult to document. Emmanuel Niyonkuru, minister of water, environment, land management, and urban planning, was killed on January 1. The commission was unable to establish who was responsible for this and several other assassinations. Refugees The number of Burundian refugees remained high in 2017, despite claims from the Burundian government that the country was peaceful. More than 400,000 Burundians who fled the country since 2015 remained abroad at time of writing, most in Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In September 2017, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) started repatriating hundreds of Burundian refugees back home from neighboring Tanzania. At least 12,000 Burundian refugees signed up for voluntary repatriation, sometimes because of the dire conditions in the refugee camps in Tanzania, while more than 234,000 refugees stayed in Tanzania. On September 15, alleged members of the Congolese security forces used excessive force to quash a protest in Kamanyola, South Kivu province, in eastern Congo, killing around 40 Burundian refugees and wounding more than 100 others. Civil Society and Media Most leading civil society activists and many independent journalists remained in exile, after repeated government threats in 2015 and arrest warrants against several of them, and after the Interior Minister banned or suspended 10 civil society organizations that had spoken out against government abuses in October 2016. In January, two new laws allowed for increased control by authorities over the activities and resources of Burundian and foreign nongovernmental organizations. On January 3, authorities banned the Ligue Iteka, a prominent Burundian human rights organization. On June 13, security forces arrested three members of Parole et Action pour le Reveil des Consciences et lEvolution des Mentalites (PARCEM), one of the few remaining independent nongovernmental organizations in the country, while they were organizing a workshop on arbitrary arrests in Muramvya province. The national intelligence agency detained Aime Gatore, Emmanuel Nshimirimana, and Marius Nizigama from June 17 to 27, before they were transferred to Mpimba prison, in Bujumbura, and later to Muramvya prison, around 30 kilometers away from the capital. They remained in detention at time of writing, charged with threatening state security. Germain Rukuki, a human rights defender and former treasurer of Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (Action des Chretiens pour lAbolition de la Torture, ACAT) in Burundi, one of the banned organizations, has been detained since July 13 and faces several charges, including rebellion. On August 25, UN experts called for Rukukis release, adding that the charges against him formed part of an overall context of threats and harassment against human rights defenders in Burundi. Authorities continued to severely restrict media space in Burundi. Radio Publique Africaine, Radio Bonesha, and Radio-Television Renaissanceall private radio stations that the government had closed following an attempted coup detat in May 2015remained off the air at time of writing. Other media were allowed to operate in 2017, but faced grave restrictions on their activities. On April 5, intelligence agents interrogated Joseph Nsabiyabandi, the editor-in-chief of Radio Isanganiro, another privately owned radio station, about his alleged collaboration with Burundian radios operating in exile in Rwanda. He was later criticized for having incited the opinion and the population to revolt. Radio Isanganiro had been closed in May 2015, and then allowed by authorities to re-open in February 2016, after it signed an ethical charter with the Burundian National Communications Council, in which it committed to a balanced and objective editorial line, respectful of the countrys security. National and International Justice Impunity for serious crimes committed in Burundi remains the norm. The justice system is manipulated by ruling party and intelligence officials and judicial procedures are routinely flouted. Burundi became the first country to withdraw from the ICC on October 27, 2017. Two days earlier, ICC judges had authorized an investigation into crimes committed in the country since April 2015. The judges found that Burundis withdrawal does not affect the courts jurisdiction over crimes committed while the country was a member. Discriminatory Laws Since April 2009, Burundi has criminalized consensual same-sex conduct. Article 567 of the penal code, which penalizes consensual same-sex sexual relations by adults with up to two years in prison, violates the rights to privacy and freedom from discrimination. These rights are protected by Burundis Constitution and enshrined in its international treaty commitments. In May 2017, President Nkurunziza signed into law new regulations requiring unmarried couples to legalize their relationships through church or state registrations. In November, a new decree banned women from drumming and limited all cultural shows to official ceremonies authorized by the Ministry of Culture. BROKEN BOW Chemigation training will start at 1 p.m. Feb. 16 at the 4-H Building in Broken Bow. The training is required for ag producers who apply chemicals through irrigation systems, whether its gated pipe of center pivot systems. The steps for certification are to register at the local University of Nebraska Extension office, attend the training and pass a written test. Chemigation materials can be reviewed prior to the class. For more information or to register for the Broken Bow training, call the Custer County Extension office at 308-872-6831. KEARNEY Five Nines announced the promotion of Patrick Bukowski to a primary engineer in the Kearney office. Bukowski has been with Five Nines for over two years. He was originally drawn to the field of IT because he grew up around technology and always had a knack for it. He is excited to see client businesses continue to grow and reach success as he consults with them in this new position. Patrick will be a great addition to our Managed Services team, said Julian Staab, Service Manager at Five Nines. His knowledge of the technology industry will help our clients continue to be productive and successful. Founded on the desire to solve problems and build long-term relationships with clients, Five Nines leverages technology to drive business success. With offices in Lincoln, Omaha and Kearney, the company advises IT solutions for Nebraska based businesses, offering managed IT services. KEARNEY Military homecomings, anniversaries, welcome back to school, last day of chemo treatment, birthday wishes and new babies Amy Denny has almost carded it all. The Kearney location manager for Card My Yard, an Austin, Texas-based franchise with more than 70 locations across the country, bought into the yard sign rental company last May after a friend in Omaha started with them. When we were getting started was right when graduation season was happening and so people really didnt know about us too much yet, but we did a handful of graduations last spring and that was kind of our kick start, said Denny, who is also a Park Elementary schoolteacher. We can basically build any message ... with the graphics that we have on hand and the letters. As we get busier well add more stuff to our inventory more letters, more graphics. Those looking to congratulate someone or make a loved ones day can visit the website, www.cardmyyard.com, or visit the Card My Yard Kearney, NE Facebook page to book a sign. Customers can pick from a variety of colors and graphics and rent the signs for 24 or 48 hours. Its big and bold and it makes a statement, Denny said. Denny and her husband, Eddie, set up the cards at night so the sign will be a surprise for the recipient the next morning. They serve Kearney as well as the surrounding area. Many of their card rental requests are for birthdays but theyve also received requests for a variety of other moments to commemorate, and those are the really fun ones, Denny said. And its hard for Denny not to break into a big smile when she talks about those special moments. Weve done grand openings for some businesses that have opened. Weve done open houses for a realtor. ... Weve also done a welcome home for people who just bought a house because thats kind of fun for people as their first day in the house. And then a welcome home for a military person. Weve done new babies. ... Weve done all the holidays. One especially memorable story Denny looks back on was doing a sign for a persons last day of chemo which also happened to be around the couples wedding anniversary. Another of her favorite stories was putting up a best friend ever sign in a womans yard at the request one of the womans friends. The recipient, she explained, was going through a tough time. Denny later found out the woman took a photo of the sign and put it on her Facebook page to which people responded encouragingly and lifted her spirits. Dennys hope is to eventually get to do a yard sign for a marriage proposal. Really the big idea behind it is just really spreading joy and happiness to people, and it does. ... It sounds silly, but it can really brighten a persons day. @AmandaPush In the midst of the cold snap this week, I drove to Norfolk for a family emergency in the early evening on Monday. With the temperatures firmly in the single digits, I first noticed that most sensible people got off the roads and found shelter somewhere warm and snug. Circumstances forced me to keep driving through the wall of frozen air. Next I noticed that my thoughts drifted as aimlessly as the temperature until I began to wonder about zero. I wanted to know the answer to this simple question: What is the difference between zero and absolute zero? If you have nothing, how far do you need to go until you absolutely have nothing even more? Scientists consider minus-459.67 degrees to be absolute zero, a temperature so cold that the fundamental particles of nature have minimal vibrational motion. Is that cold enough for you? But what if it dropped an extra hundredth of a degree to minus-459.66? Would that make it minus .01 below absolute zero? And if a breeze kicks up a little, just think of the wind chill effect. If it helps you on these very cold days, scientists consider the average temperature of the universe to be minus-454.76, just a little less than five degrees higher than absolute zero, unless you happen to be standing on the surface of the sun. While driving in subzero temperatures in northeast Nebraska, it occurred to me that I might be approaching absolute zero. Consider this: With a 65-mph wind and zero degrees, it feels like minus-40 degrees. Take that number times 10 and youre knocking on the door of absolute zero. So if I drove at 400 miles an hour, not only would I reach my destination quicker, I would also arrive at one of the secrets of the universe, the threshold of absolute zero. Temperatures that low would put a stop to the boasting of certain towns who have claimed the title of Icebox of the Nation. International Falls, Minn., calls itself by that title, but the small villages of Fraser, Colo., as well as Big Piney, Wyo., want to claim that honor. International Falls currently holds the trademark for the slogan, as if that makes any difference. The lowest temperature on record at Big Piney was minus-61 or a seventh of absolute zero. For your own personal safety, please avoid dividing by zero, if I remember my high school math correctly. I dont even want to consider the wind chill factor on hypothetical numbers like that. May I just suggest that we capitalize on this entire concept before some other area snatches up the slogan Absolute Zero of the Nation/Universe. Every time some town or village sneers about the cold weather, we can fire back, Well, were less than nothing out here. Later in the week, as the weather warmed, I thought about more important things than the cold. I thought about the rain and sunshine, but decided to wait to write an entire column about such important topics until I resolved my strong feelings about absolute zero. Besides, with the snow melting I wanted to know how scientists can deal with the concept of ice water. Either you have ice or you have water, right? Just one more mystery of the universe. Rick Brown is a Hub staff writer who frequently writes below zero. It wont be easy to fix Facebook, as founder Mark Zuckerberg said will be his personal challenge for 2018. Yet, the first step is recognition of the problems. Zuckerberg met the new year with the admission that Facebook has made too many errors and has a lot of work to do protecting our community from abuse and hate, defending against interference by nation-states, or making sure that time spent on Facebook is time well spent. While Facebook enjoyed record profits in 2017 (revenue grew 47 percent), it otherwise suffered a rocky year, facing criticism for Russian interference in the 2016 election, spreading propaganda and fake news, and driving other societal ills related to technology addiction. Now Congress has been asked to look into whether Facebook has, with Google, established a digital advertising duopoly. On Wednesday, a Senate committee will hear testimony from tech firms on Terrorism and Social Media: Is Big Tech Doing Enough? Zuckerberg plans to consult with experts in history, civics, political philosophy, media, government and technology. He owes it to his users to reveal what these experts say. Experts to date have suggested explaining how news feed algorithms work, verification of real people, an optional filter for unverified accounts, stricter scrutiny of political and interest-based advertising, and less focus on stoking negative emotion resulting in echo chambers and polarization. We question whether cutting back on the sharing of news stories from credible sources, as recently announced, is the right fix for the platform of 2 billion users with a presence in most countries. Nearly half of American adults get some news from Facebook. They will still see articles shared by friends but posts from publisher pages will be less visible, raising questions of whether they will see more content that reinforces their own ideologies and some countries see less diverse news. The problems are complex, as the corrections will be. Facebook must accept responsibility for its impact on the world, and the public deserves to be kept informed all along the way. Dallas Morning News We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Kenosha Bible Church is hosting a live simulcast of the 2018 No Regrets Mens Conference from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3. The annual one-day event is geared for men ages 13 and up who are choosing a lifetime of faith in Jesus. The real-time event, broadcast from Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, will feature popular Christian speakers Stuart Briscoe, Miles McPherson, Steve Sonderman and others. Live worship music and onsite breakout speakers covering a range of topics will be offered to challenge and inspire attendees. According to the Rev. Jim Gudmundson, Kenosha Bible Church adult ministries pastor, the conference was launched 25 years ago at Elmbrook Church. As the event became more popular, it was streamed to some of the churches in the area that they had planted, spreading to other Wisconsin congregations and eventually broadcasting to about 100 congregations around the country. This is the third year Kenosha Bible Church is bringing the conference to Kenosha. The No Regrets Mens Conference is an offshoot of No Regrets Mens Ministries, an organization that exists to empower the local church to develop its men into an army to reach the world for Christ and to be challenged in their relationship with the Lord at home, in their workplaces and in their ministries. The origin of No Regrets stems from the work of William Borden, a 1904 high school graduate and heir to the Borden Dairy Estate. He experienced a spiritual conversion after his parents gave him a trip around the world as a graduation gift. Rather than celebrating and partying, he felt a tug for the lost souls he met in Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The Yale graduate devoted his life to Christ, desiring to become a missionary. Unfortunately, Borden died in Egypt at 25 after contracting spinal meningitis while studying Arabic in preparation. He was known for the inspirational quote written into his personal Bible: No Reserves. No Retreats. No Regrets. This conference brings in nationally known speakers to challenge men to greater faithfulness in their Christian lives, said Gudmundson. As a host church, we will provide our own worship band for the worship music. The conference begins and ends with a main session, streamed from Elmbrook. Between those, they will also stream other sessions, and we have eight men who will lead live breakout sessions. This allows for men to interact with each other and the speakers on site. Some of the local topics surround conflict resolution, building relationships, racial understanding, parenting skills and learning the steps to overcome pornography. A unique element of this conference is that it will draw men from this community together and allow us to build connections, said Gudmundson. In past years, there have been large, national conferences for men, but this allows men from churches in the community to be at one place and therefore to build connections and fellowship. We recently invited men from Christ the King Church to join us at Kenosha Bible Church for a mens breakfast that we hold several times a year. They have had a solid representation at our past No Regrets conferences. Having the event streamed locally is a great benefit for those accustomed to making the one-hour trek to Elmbrook each year. For a few years, Kenoshas Journey Church hosted the streaming option and many members of Kenosha Bible Church attended there, but they opted to host their own conference. I felt that our church would be able to do this, said Gudmundson. Since we have been hosting it, we have many more men from our church and from the area who attend. We also have a team of men and women who work for about six months to plan and run the conference. Feedback from attendees is always positive, and most men return for the conference each year, explained Gudmundson. The men say that it encourages them in their lives to be more faithful as men who follow Christ in their marriages, work life and the community, he said. At Kenosha Bible Church, we follow up the conference with mens groups focusing on the same topics of Christian faith and life. Men are targeted for this ministry because we need to learn how to lead our families and our churches. Its a shame. Thats how the Rev. Dan Remus described the underworld of human trafficking in southeastern Wisconsin. Its up and down Highway 94 right here in our community, said Remus, executive pastor of the Journey Church Offering Hope ministry, which is working to stamp out modern slavery. Between Chicago and Milwaukee there are hotel operators that will tell you that there are people that end up stopping there with girls. Remus and members of his congregation gathered at the church Friday evening to pray for Gods blessing on victims and raise awareness. Its kids of all ages, women, probably some men, too, Remus said. Rarely do people talk about it. It needs to be talked about more. Im thankful for the police department, sheriffs department, and just Kenosha in general learning that the issue is real. Remus said the topic is still taboo, partly because labor and sex trafficking is so disturbing. Its a shame, Remus said. Its very tough to talk about that it could happen on our watch. Remus said the church is also thankful for local media coverage, which helps highlight the problem. People need to be aware of it, Remus said, adding that people should call 911 if something looks suspicious. Dont ignore it, Remus said. Make a phone call. If youre wrong, youre wrong. But if youre right, you could save some little boy or little girls life. Remus said it would surprise us to know how many people abuse children and adults. Maggie Graff, a board member with nonprofit Fight to End Exploitation, said human trafficking is a $150 billion global industry. The truth hurts, but silence kills, said Graff, chairwoman of the organizations faith committee. If (human trafficking) were rated on the Fortune 500, it would be No. 97. Where does that money come from? It comes from everywhere. Graff said the Greater Racine Human Trafficking task force has rescued more than 200 individuals in the last three years. Young girls can be lured into sex trafficking by older boyfriends and are then held by mind control, drugs or stigma. Its everywhere, Graff said. Its been reported in every county in the state of Wisconsin. More vigils Fridays vigil was the first of three being held this month. The second will be held in Racine at the Siena Center, 5635 Erie St. on Jan 29 from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The third will be at Carthage Colleges Todd Wehr Center, 2001 Alford Park Drive, on Jan 29 at 7 p.m. An early morning run for a pack of cigarettes ended up saving a life Friday morning. Brody Chamberlin said he woke up at about 4:45 a.m. Friday and, unable to sleep, decided to walk to Lou Perrines gas station for a pack of cigarettes. I kept hearing this noise, he said, but he couldnt really make out what it was. I kept hearing it, and I yelled Is someone there? He walked about 50 yards further and realized the sound was someone calling for help. Because the sound was echoing, he couldnt tell at first where it was coming from. Then he saw a bike lying near the water along the sidewalk that runs along the sea wall near the 500 block of 54th Street. The bike was on the water side of the raised ledge that runs along the sidewalk I ran up to it and looked down and there he was in the water, hanging onto the ice, Chamberlin said. Chamberlin, 24, said he reached down and grabbed the man, but couldnt pull him up. He said he stopped, called 911 and kept police on speaker while he continued to hold on to the man. I was talking to him and trying to get him to calm down I told him, If you keep pulling, Im going to end up in there with you. According to Kenosha Police, when two police officers arrived, they found Chamberlin holding on to the man in the water, and in danger of being pulled in himself. They positioned themselves behind the wall and held on and grabbed hold of the Good Samaritan, said Lt. Tim Schaal. Even working together, the officers and the passerby were not able to pull the man from the water. Schaal said he likely had lost control of his limbs because of hypothermia. Chamberlin said the mans hands were curled to his chest and he could no longer hold on to him, so Chamberlin grabbed him under his elbows to hold onto him. The police officers were holding Chamberlin by his ankles. When the Kenosha Fire Department arrived, firefighters in cold water rescue gear got into the water and rescued the 41-year-old man. Schaal said the man is believed to have been in the water for 30 minutes, where his core body temperature had dropped to 85 degrees. He is still at the hospital, they are slowly warming him up, Schaal said. In an email, Fire Chief Charles Leipzig said the man in the water was conscious and able to speak to rescue crew. It appears he may have been riding his bike along the sea wall and fell in, Leipzig said. Our crews did not determine why he was in the water, but it does appear to be accidental. The water temperature in Lake Michigan off Kenosha is about 34 degrees. According to data from the Minnesota Sea Grant, a person in the water when water temperatures are between 34 and 40 degrees is likely to become unconscious in 15 to 30 minutes, and to die of hypothermia in 30 to 90 minutes. If Chamberlin hadnt happened along at a time the lakefront is typically deserted, the man would likely have died. I dont believe in guardian angels, but the starter went out on my car yesterday, and if it hadnt, I would have driven to the store instead of walked, and I never would have heard him, Chamberlin said. He said he wasnt really scared he was going to end up in the water himself because adrenaline took over and he didnt think twice about putting himself at risk. You gotta help people out, he said. Agents with the Laredo sector border patrol rescue 35 illegal immigrants from a smuggling attempt in a tractor-trailer. It happened on Wednesday at the border patrol checkpoint along I-35. The people recovered were from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Ecuador. They were all in good health. The driver United States citizen was arrested. LJUBLJANA, Jan 18 (Reuters) - The Bank of Slovenia warned citizens on Thursday that virtual currencies are not a digital replacement for banknotes and coins and are not regulated. It pointed out that according to the European Central Bank virtual currencies in fact "are not currencies" but rather "means of exchange". "Participants that are offering purchasing, depositing or trading with virtual currencies in Slovenia are not systemically regulated and supervised," the bank said in a statement. It advised citizens to inform themselves about virtual currencies before buying them and to be aware of the fact that they could lose the means they invest in those currencies. The bank gave no details on the size of Slovenians' investments in virtual currencies. In December, a Slovenian cryptocurrency mining marketplace, NiceHash, lost about $64 million worth of bitcoin in a hack on its payment system. (Reporting By Marja Novak; Editing by Toby Chopra) NEW YORK, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Commodities trading house Gunvor has hired at least seven Noble Group Ltd biofuels traders, including John Skrinar as the North American head of renewables, four sources familiar with the matter said on Friday. Noble, once Asia's biggest commodities trader, has been winding down oil trading operations amid heavy losses and high debt. It sold its U.S.-focused oil business to Vitol SA and many key traders in London and Singapore are also leaving to join competitors. The U.S. corn ethanol industry has been grappling with overcapacity, limiting profitability in the biofuels sector. Noble in December agreed to sell an ethanol plant in South Bend, Indiana, to Mercuria Investments for about $18.5 million. Skrinar was previously managing director of global renewable fuels at Noble, according to his LinkedIn profile. A majority of the Noble biofuels traders joined Skrinar at Gunvor earlier this year, the sources said. Gunvor began building its U.S trading operations 2016, expanding outside its core markets in Europe, Asia and Africa. The company has hired several traders to launch a crude oil desk in Houston, Texas, and beefed up its Canadian trading desk. Separately, Eric Fobes, also an ex-Noble trader, joined Trafigura as head of ethanol, according to two sources and his LinkedIn profile. Joel Williams, who was senior vice president of ethanol proprietary trading at Noble, joined Vitol, according to three sources. Gunvor, Vitol and Trafigura did not respond to a request for comment. Williams did not respond to requests for comment and Skrinar did not immediately comment when reached by Reuters. The sources declined to be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. (Reporting by Devika Krishna Kumar in New York and Michael Hirtzer in Chicago; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) Shenandoah, IA (51601) Today A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Low near 15F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Low near 15F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Casey Lartigue Jr., co-founder of the Teach North Korean Refugees Global Education Center, compiled these statements from interviews with the refugees. TNKR co-founder Lee Eun-koo translated the material. Q. What do you think about the North Korean cheerleaders, athletes and musicians joining the Pyeongchang Olympics? 1. Kyung-ho (arrived in South Korea in 2009) This was a bad decision by the South Korean government. First, it is ironic because at the same time that North Korea is cracking down on North Koreans who listen to K-pop, South Korea is using resources to spread North Korean ideology. Everything North Korea does is to further its ideology, and South Korea is helping. I cannot understand what South Korea is doing when this is clearly propaganda. Second, all of the players are from the elite. They will only be allowed to come here if they have demonstrated their allegiance to the government. There cannot be any real integration _ the athletes as well as the South Korean government are tools of the North Korean government, plus South Korea is even willing to pay North Korea to use the South as a tool. 2. Sujin (arrived in South Korea in 2014) I do not understand why the South Korean government is doing this. North Korea will see this as weakness and stupidity by South Korea, not as a chance for good relations. North Korea only understands threats and force, that is why North Korea fears and secretly respects U.S. President Trump, but has no respect for President Moon and probably sees him as being a little stupid or naive. 3. Hyuk-cho (arrived in South Korea in 2016) Frankly, I don't pay attention to North Korean issues these days. I am happy that I escaped from there. 4. Cheol-ho (arrived in South Korea in 2017) Indifference. That is my true feeling about this. There are pros and cons, but at the end of the day, this co-operation does not really promise much in a political sense. I know the advocates say there is always the possibility to interact with foreigners, but that is unlikely to happen in reality. How much is it worth it for the South Korean government to pay North Korea for this? I think an even bigger problem than the cheerleaders is that athletes from the South Korean team will miss out in order to give North Korean athletes an opportunity. Musicians perform at Thunderhorse Tavern during last year's HBC Fest in Haebangchon. / Courtesy of Alecia Janeiro By John Redmond Seoul's inner suburb of Itaewon once had the reputation of being the center of the expat music scene, alongside the student neighborhood of Hongdae. Live venues thrived, spearheaded by bars including Ol Stompers, Rocky Mountain Tavern, Tony's Aussie Pub, Woodstock, All That Jazz, VFW and Thunderhorse. With the shift of the indie scene to venues around Hongdae, coupled with rising rents, many venues closed their doors for good. But those that stood their ground not only survived, but prospered. The sound desk at Thunderhorse - The Pit. / Photo by Kirk Kwon While Woodstock on the main street of Itaewon can lay claim to being the original "sticky carpet" (a term related to a live bar with a carpet that sticks to your feet due to spilled beer) venue of Seoul and is still open to bands of all levels of experience, Thunderhorse - The Pit has a reputation for a live stage with recording studio-quality sound. Thunderhorse is the brainchild of musician/audio engineer Kirk Kwon. Canadian Kwon cut his teeth working with demanding international acts such as Motorhead, Slayer, The Tragically Hip, Peter Frampton and Nickelback, as well as producing sound for local bands Harry Big Button, Method and Dark Mirror ov Tragedy. Thunderhorse, originally near the Itaewon main street, moved to Kyungridan in late 2013, making it the first bar dedicated solely to live music. Kwon's original inspiration was always to provide a true band/audience experience. Specifically focusing on the band, knowing that if the band feels comfortable and the sound system is up to scratch, the audience will reap the benefits. Seoul City Suicides perform at Woodstock in September 2015. / Photo by John Redmond "My inspiration for Thunderhorse has always been the bands and the music," Kwon said in an interview with The Korea Times. "I've always enjoyed working with bands and I've mixed so many live shows here in Korea that I wanted to start my own venue where I could showcase bands and try to give them the experience of working with someone like myself who has been doing this for years." Thunderhorse boasts a state-of-the-art sound system that is tailored to the venue. And louder is not always better. "Not to brag, but people have said it is the only place where you can actually hear a band," Kwon said. "As far as having a good PA (public address) system, it depends on the music or bands. A mentor and longtime teacher Monty Wilks, who worked with Nirvana, Prince and so many others, would say, Know your gear and learn to have an ear.' So in short, most PA systems when run properly can handle most things but it is essential to ensure it is the right PA for what you plan to do." Matt Randell warms up at Thunderhorse in 2015. / Photo by John Redmond Asia Institute director Emanuel Pastreich, second from left, and VICAS director Bui Hoai Son, second from right, cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony of the Asia Institute Hanoi Office. The Asia Institute at VICAS #Itaewon Yongsan Ward chief, senior police officer summoned over Itaewon crush probe Police brought in a Yongsan Ward chief for questioning on Friday as part of an investigation into the crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood. Yongsan Ward office chief Park ... Passengers who fly on American Airlines 737 Max planes will probably notice that the lavatories are extra small, with sinks so tiny that fliers can only wash one hand at a time. The manufacturer of the plane, Boeing, designed the compact bathrooms that way to squeeze in about a dozen more seats in the cabin than in older versions of the 737 jets. But now flight attendants are grousing about the new lavatories. Advertisement In a private meeting a week ago with American Airlines Chief Executive Doug Parker, a group of flight attendants complained about the design of the lavatories on the 737 Max, an airlines spokesman said. The lavatories at the back of the plane are located between the passenger seats and the galley where the flight attendants prepare drinks and snacks for the fliers. When both doors to the lavatories are open, the flight attendants are sealed off in the galley, blocking them from getting to the passengers, the flight attendants complained. They also said the sinks in the bathrooms are so tiny that the water from the faucet splashes onto anyone attempting to wash their hands. Joshua Freed, a spokesman for the carrier, said American Airlines has fixed the problem with the sinks by installing aerators on the faucet to cut the strength of the water flow. The carrier is still looking for a fix to the door problem. American Airlines flies three 737 Max planes, between Miami and New York, but expects to have a total of 20 737 Max jets in the fleet by the end of this year, with 20 more added each year for the next four years, Freed said. hugo.martin@latimes.com To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter. Meant to evoke a quiet country lifestyle and the picturesque cottages of old England, Tudor Revival architecture after coming to the U.S. more than a century ago somehow also came to embody wealth and Hollywood fantasy. The style arose in England in the late 1800s, as part of the Arts and Crafts rejection of both Victorian ornamentation and Industrial Age artificiality. The Tudor-style homes were supposed to recall a pre-modern, pre-industrial, pre-urban and pre-class- and ethnic-conflict period, said Kevin D. Murphy, author of The Tudor Home, which was pretty much an escapist fantasy but nevertheless a pretty powerful one. Tudors came to the U.S. in the 1890s and arrived in Southern California in the early 1900s, peaking in popularity through the 1920s, according to the Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources. Advertisement The office said the architectural style caught on because it mimicked permanence in a self-consciously new city but also offered whimsy and escapism welcome traits in the homes of Hollywood. The houses are very warm and cozy, even if theyre large, said Priscilla Wright, who has lived in her 1923 Tudor in Windsor Square for 23 years. We really prefer a non-open floor plan; in our house, every room has a purpose. The homes are typified by an asymmetrical design that features steeply pitched roofs with front-facing gables, leaded-glass windows (often diamond-paned), arched doorways and massive chimneys as well as stone, brick or stucco exteriors with half-timbers gracing the facade a mere decoration recalling the structural timbers that held up such houses centuries earlier. The Getty House, the L.A. mayors official residence in Windsor Square, is one example. Built in 1921, the house was bought by the Getty Oil Co. in 1958 and donated to the city in 1977. And when Charlie Chaplin built his own movie studio complex in 1917, he chose the Tudor Revival style to create an ersatz English village at Sunset and La Brea now the home to the Jim Henson Co. Architect Caroline Labiner, a neighbor and fellow zone-board member with Wright, bought her 1923 Tudor to make a proper home for her collected Arts and Crafts furniture. A Tudor home in the Hancock Park area of Los Angeles. (Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times ) Its got a serious quality to it; its got a certain heft to it, she said of the home, where shes been since 2004. When Wall Street money in the early 1900s gave rise to upscale New York City suburbs, the newly wealthy built homes later dubbed stockbroker Tudors. They wanted to give the impression of being more established, not be so much nouveau riche as old riche, said Murphy, who is also chairman of the department of art history at Vanderbilt University. For some it was also important to establish Anglo-Saxon bona fides and distinguish themselves from the influx of Southern European and Asian immigrants at the time. The style spread to other tony enclaves in Philadelphia, Chicago and Cleveland. But, as often happens, folks of modest means wanted to copy the style as well. The smaller examples were referring to the larger ones, Murphy said. The thing about the Tudor is, you can echo the style of a much bigger house with just a few details. Tudor Revivals in Southern California caught a second wind during the fanciful Period Revival era of the 1920s and 1930s, when developers blended neighborhoods with cottages of Tudor, Norman, Mediterranean and Spanish styles. The L.A. Office of Historic Resources said the mix embodies the fantasy, creativity, industry and use of style as salesmanship that defined Los Angeles before World War II. Not linked to any real or made-up history of Southern California, but to a fantasy of Europe and fictional tales. INFOBOX: Style: Tudor Revival Features: Asymmetrical design, steeply pitched roofs, multiple gables, leaded-glass windows (often diamond-paned), arched doorways, massive chimneys, exteriors of stone, brick and/or stucco, half-timbering Where to find them: West Adams, Hancock Park, Windsor Square, with other groupings in Hollywood, Mid-Wilshire, Westlake, Carthay Circle, Lafayette Square, Silver Lake, Lincoln Heights, Highland Park, Eagle Rock Some prominent architects: Gerard Colcord, Myron Hunt, Wallace Neff, Frederick Louis Roehrig, Paul Revere Williams hotproperty@latimes.com MORE FROM HOT PROPERTY Anna Faris looks to deal her secluded Midcentury retreat in Hollywood Hills Hit-maker Richard Perry sells the Beverly Hills home he shared with Jane Fonda Former SEGA President Hayao Nakayama passes the controller for Century City condo Los Angeles' smaller stages return to full swing this week, offering area premieres of work by established and emerging playwrights: Anna Zieglers A Delicate Ship at the Road, Aaron Posners The Chosen at the Fountain, The Last Wife at Theatre 40 and Nothing Is the Same at the Sierra Madre Theatre. Philip Orazio, left, Paris Perrault and Josh Zuckerman in A Delicate Ship at the Road on Magnolia. (Brian M. Cole) Delicate Ship at Road on Magnolia The essentials: Andre Barron directs the West Coast premiere of A Delicate Ship, a drama by the rising playwright Anna Ziegler about a love triangle among thirtysomethings. Why this? Zieglers nuanced explorations of hot-button issues are getting produced all over the world. Actually, about a rape accusation on an Ivy League campus, ran here at the Geffen Playhouse last spring. Nicole Kidman starred in Photograph 51, about sexism in science, in London in 2015. I have a lot of sympathy for my characters, Ziegler said in a New York Times profile. The people I write are people who are really trying to do their best. Details: The Road on Magnolia, 19747 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays; ends March 11. $17.50-$34. (818) 761-8838, www.roadtheatre.org SIGN UP for the free Essential Arts & Culture newsletter The Chosen at the Fountain The essentials: Aaron Posner first adapted Chaim Potoks novel for the stage in 1999 (with help from Potok, who died in 2002). Last year, for a revival at Connecticuts Long Wharf Theatre, Posner took another look at his work, turning it into what he has described as a more dynamic, more streamlined play. Simon Levy directs the West Coast premiere of this new version at the intimate Fountain. Why this? Posner created faithful literary adaptations for years before his breakout play Stupid Bird, an irreverent contemporary take on Chekhovs The Seagull, which L.A. Times theater critic Charles McNulty called a bright, jocular, not at all offensive modernization. The Chosen, Potoks beloved first novel about two fathers and their sons, is sometimes called the Jewish Catcher in the Rye. Details: The Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., L.A. 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays; ends March 25. $20-$40. (323) 663-1525, www.fountaintheatre.com The Last Wife at Theatre 40 The essentials: King Henry VIII. To six wives he was wedded. One died, one survived, two divorced, two beheaded, goes a jaunty old rhyme about the much-married British monarch. The sole survivor, Catherine Parr, is the heroine of this first play by the Canadian actress Kate Hennig. It debuted at Englands Stratford Festival in 2015. Why this? Its always heartening to learn more about those who got away from historys most lethal tyrants. Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune called The Last Wife a fresh take on this bloody stretch of English history, and a very smart piece of writing. Details: Theatre 40, Reuben Cordova Theatre, 241 S. Moreno Drive, Beverly Hills. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays; ends Feb. 18. $33. (310) 364-0535, www.theatre40.org Nothing Is the Same in Sierra Madre The essentials: As an artist in residence at Honolulu Theatre for Youth, playwright Y York interviewed elderly Hawaiians who had lived through Pearl Harbor as children, inspiring this play about four 11-year-old Hawaiian friends whose lives and relationships are upended by World War II. Why this? Tim Dang was the longtime artistic director of East West Players until 2016. Here hes flexing his directing muscles again at the helm of this double-cast show, which is written in Hawaiian Creole and explores the complexities of Asian American identity. Details: Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Sundays; ends March 4. $20-$30. (626) 355-4318, www.sierramadreplayhouse.org The 99-Seat Beat appears every Friday. Our team of reviewers people with more than 75 years of combined experience tracking local theater shortlist current offerings at 99-seat theaters and other smaller venues. Some (but not all) recommendations are shows weve seen; others have caught our attention because of the track record of the company, playwright, director or cast. You can find more comprehensive theater listings posted every Sunday at latimes.com/arts. See all of our latest arts news and reviews at latimes.com/arts. Consider a report released this week by the highly respected, nonpartisan Rand Corp. The report wasnt about Trump; indeed, he is mentioned only once in nearly 300 pages of text. But it suggests, ominously, that we are living in a period in which the line between fact and fiction is being dangerously muddied. Using examples like the large numbers of Americans who dont believe the scientific consensus on the safety of GMO foods or vaccines or the existence of human-caused climate change and focusing as well on the increasing distrust of formerly respected sources of factual information the report concludes that what it calls truth decay poses a direct threat to democracy. Among the consequences cited by the Rand scholars: the erosion of political and civil discourse, political paralysis at the federal and state level, and increased risk of individual disengagement from political and civic life. Having a constructive discussion about what policies toward immigrants should look like or what objectives and outcomes policy should aim to achieve is difficult without a common set of facts such as the number of immigrants entering the United States, the economic role of immigrants, and the level of crime perpetrated by these immigrants, the report says. But such conversations cant be held, the report suggests, if stakeholders are stuck arguing about the basic terms and underlying facts of the debate.... Sometimes it feels as if Daniel Patrick Moynihans old saying that people are entitled to their own opinions but not their own facts has been turned on its head so that facts are now derived from opinions rather than the other way around. That needs to stop. >> Click here to read more Two senior executives, including a chief operating officer, were appointed Friday at the California High-Speed Rail Authority, filling vacancies that have lingered for months. The hirings aim to bolster the organizations management following the appointment of Brian Kelly as chief executive earlier this week. The authority said Gov. Jerry Brown appointed Washington Department of Transportation engineer Joseph Hedges to the position of chief operating officer and state Department of Motor Vehicles veteran Pamela Mizukami as chief deputy director. Advertisement The chief operating officer, a new position at the authority created more than six months ago, is supposed to ensure that construction and engineering on the program are delivered on budget and schedule. Hedges has 35 years of experience in construction, engineering and project management. He retired as captain from the Navy Corps of Civil Engineers. In Washington, he ran the program to build a tunnel through downtown Seattle, known as the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement program. It was one of the nations most ambitious urban tunneling projects, but also became known for a breakdown in the tunnel boring machine that caused a long delay. Hedges will be paid $337,008 per year. The chief deputy director job has been vacant for more than a year. Mizukami will advise the chief executive on program and administrative issues, the authority said. She has been assisting the authority on administrative, internal and personnel operations previously. At the DMV, where she began working in 2006, she most recently served as deputy director for the administrative services division. Her salary is $169,560. I made a commitment to bring in highly qualified professionals to continue the transformation of the authority from a planning organization to a strong project oversight and delivery organization, said Kelly, who was named chief executive Tuesday after serving as chief of the California State Transportation Agency. Joe and Pam have the necessary qualifications to help us get this done. ralph.vartabedian@latimes.com Follow me on Twitter @rvartabedian People rallied in sub-freezing temperatures for the Womens March in Park City Hundreds came to City Park in Park City, Utah, for the Respect Rally on the one-year anniversary of the national Womens March. Nonstop snow, below-freezing temperatures and Sundance Film Festival crowds didnt stop hundreds from venturing to Park City, Utah, for a Womens March anniversary rally. For some, the Respect Rally conveyed a message of female empowerment and progress. Lisa Williams brought along her inspiration for attending her 3-year-old daughter, Annie. Just being here to stand up for women, and make sure that women are treated equally as men, she explained, teary-eyed. Lisa and Annie Williams. (Colleen Shalby / Los Angeles Times) Emily Gaudet brought two generations with her her mom, Cindy Masumoto, and her children 1-year-old son Bennett and 5-year-old daughter Eloise. After a yearlong media blackout a self-prescription to stay away from the news while pregnant Gaudet attended the rally for a simple reason: to witness hope. I know very little. But I know that its not good, and I want to see something good. Maureen and Satish Rishi. (Colleen Shalby / Los Angeles Times) For others, the rally was a message of resistance to the Trump administration. Im just getting tired of all the stuff happening on Capitol Hill. I think people need to stand up and ask for a change, Satish Rishi said. He and his wife, Maureen, are a biracial couple who live in California by way of Texas. They said their children have faced discrimination in the wake of Trumps presidency. I tell them to embrace their differences. They do a good job with that, but they still feel threatened walking down the street sometimes because of their mixed color, Maureen Rishi said. Gloria Allred, Jane Fonda and Common were among a handful of speakers who addressed the crowd. As the rally continued, the snow didnt stop. The cheers didnt either. PHOTOS: Respect Rally in Park City The University of California is proposing to raise tuition and the student services fee for state residents by 2.7%, an increase of $342 to a total of $12,972 for the 2018-19 academic year. The budget proposal, which UC regents are set to consider Wednesday, would mark the second consecutive tuition increase after a freeze of several years. Nonresident students would pay an additional $978 in supplemental tuition, bringing their total to $28,992. Increased financial aid would cover the higher costs for more than half of the systems 180,000 California resident undergraduates who already pay no tuition, UC officials say. Those students also would receive about $100 more each for other expenses, such as housing, food and books. Advertisement If approved, the increases would raise about $137 million. UC officials say the money would be used for more financial aid, enrollment growth, faculty, courses, graduate student fellowships, expanded mental health services, counseling and academic advising, technology upgrades, library support and building maintenance. A planned increase in contributions to the employee retirement fund would be shelved under the proposal. The proposed 2018-19 budget plan would enable the University to continue to provide extraordinary levels of access, affordability, and excellence to current and future generations of UC students amid a complex set of budgetary circumstances, the proposal says. Gov. Jerry Brown proposed a 3% increase in base funding for the UC and Cal State systems in his 2018-19 budget plan unveiled this month, down from a 4% increase in each of the last few years. University leaders have expressed concern about the smaller increase, but the governor made clear he believed it was enough and that he would oppose any tuition hike. I think they need a little more scrutiny over how they are spending things, Brown said at a Jan. 10 news conference. Theyre gonna have to live within their means. Theyve got to lower the cost structure, and there are tools to do that, and they need to step up and more creatively engage in the process of making education more affordable. Some regents and students have pushed to delay a vote on any tuition hike to give them more time to lobby the Legislature and governor for more money. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, an ex-officio regent, opposes a tuition increase because it lets the Legislature off the hook of addressing the states underfunding of public higher ed, Rhys Williams, Newsoms spokesman, told The Times in a text this week. UC Berkeley senior Rigel Robinson, a leader with the UC Student Assn., said students planned to protest the proposed increase at the regents meeting at UC San Francisco. The UC ought to join students in pressuring the Legislature and the governors office to shape a budget that truly funds the UC, not further pushing the fiscal burden on students, he said in a text Friday. UC says that available per-student funding from the state, tuition and fees, and general university funds has declined by about $11,000, or 31.2% in constant dollars since 2000. Thats in part because spending has grown on financial aid, pension costs and record enrollment increases of 90,000 students since 2000, UC officials say. The vote on the tuition proposal was moved up a day, to Wednesday, to avoid a conflict for ex-officio regents who will attend Browns State of the State address on Thursday. State Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and others had asked UC President Janet Napolitano to change the date so more could attend the meeting. Student regent Paul Monge and two other student leaders had asked that the vote be moved to the March meeting at UCLA, because the Westwood campus is accessible to more students than UC San Francisco, which has no undergraduate campus. Despite the scheduling change, Rendon will not attend the regents meeting because he has a fully booked day in the Capitol, his spokesman said. Newsom is scheduled to attend. MetalRock Films While California's Bay Area is considered to be the epicenter of thrash metal, bands including Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer actually got their start further down the coast in Los Angeles. That scene is documented in The Rise of L.A. Thrash Metal, which was released on DVD today. Narrated by Megadeth bassist David Ellefson, The Rise of L.A. Thrash Metal explores the roots of the genre, which began as a rejection of the '80s glam metal scene. "We were the first generation that owned punk rock and heavy metal records," Ellefson tells ABC Radio. "So what we did is we basically, without knowing it, kind of fused the speed, the politics and the aggression of punk rock into the more refined riffing and guitar solo[s] [and] really good drumming that encompassed heavy metal bands." As The Rise of L.A. Thrash Metal documents, there were many diverse bands in the scene, but most of them had the same goal: to play faster and heavier. Ellefson says for his band mate Dave Mustaine, who was Metallica's original guitarist, the motivation came from a fan letter. "It said, 'Dave, I can't wait to hear your new band, I hope your new s***'s faster than Metallica,'" Ellefson remembers. "And that one letter changed the course of Megadeth forever." While The Rise of L.A. Thrash Metal doesn't concentrate so much on Metallica, who moved from L.A. to San Francisco in 1983, their shadow looms large over the scene. In fact, Ellefson calls Lars Ulrich the "Steve Jobs of thrash metal." "He's the guy who really had the vision for so much of this genre," Ellefson says. "When he put Metallica together...they really single-handedly carved this huge, wide swath for all of us to be able to follow in." Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Video: Weekend Roundup: 6 stories you cant miss A couple in Perris beat, strangled and shackled their children for years, the abuse escalating from neglect to torture over time, prosecutors said Thursday. Daca has been at the center of talks between Democrats and Republicans to avert a government Shortly after Charlie Beck announced he will retire as chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, City Councilman Joe Buscaino declared on Twitter that it was time for a woman to take his place. Others speculated Friday about whether the department should be led by an insider or an outsider, someone who will keep the department on the same path or radically change its course, or someone who reflects the diversity of Los Angeles perhaps a Latino, or an Asian American. The question of who should replace Beck is a pivotal one for Mayor Eric Garcetti. It is a closely watched decision laced with sensitive matters of race and gender, tied to the politically perilous terrain of crime rates, at a time when Garcetti has said he is thinking about a run for president. Advertisement Beck, 64, was sworn in as chief in 2009. Whoever fills his shoes will be the face of a department with a storied and frequently troubled history, charged with policing the second most populous city in the country as it faces surging homelessness, thorny dilemmas spawned by new technology, and clashes with the Trump administration over immigration enforcement. In the past year, local lawmakers have complained that the department needs to put more officers on the street and speed up response times. And then theres the crime rate. In Los Angeles, violent crime was up for the fourth year in a row last year, although homicides fell, according to recent statistics. Mayors feel tethered to the coattails of the police, said Eli Silverman, professor emeritus at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. They feel that if crime has gone up, theyre going to be responsible. Selecting a police chief is one of the most sensitive decisions an L.A. mayor must make. After the 1992 riots, then-Mayor Tom Bradley selected L.A.s first African American police chief, Willie Williams, hoping that would heal some of the citys deep racial wounds. Williams replaced Daryl F. Gates, a deeply polarizing figure who had won fierce loyalty from rank-and-file officers but had long been criticized as running the LAPD like a quasi-military force that mistreated blacks and other minorities. Williams instilled major reforms but had a rocky tenure marked by scandals and distrust from the rank and file. He did not receive a second term. In 2002, in the wake of the Rampart corruption scandal, Mayor James Hahn picked the brash former boss of the New York City Police Department, William J. Bratton, to lead the LAPD. Bratton undertook a major reworking of the department and saw a major decline in crime during his tenure. In a city still scarred by the 1991 beating of black motorist Rodney King, a perennial concern is how the Police Department relates to the community. Los Angeles is not only sprawling and vast but exceptionally diverse, and the new chief must be able to understand and relate to its distinct neighborhoods, Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson said. Los Angeles has got a particular history ... it runs deep in all of our veins, Harris-Dawson said, adding that the new chief needs to have a sensitivity to that. And as the White House champions a federal crackdown on immigrants in the country illegally, it is especially critical that the chief maintain trust with immigrant residents, lawmakers said. The next chief needs to be a source of comfort for immigrants with his or her words and actions, said Kevin de Leon, president pro tem of the California Senate and one of the most prominent Latino leaders in the state. Councilman Gil Cedillo said the new chief must respect the commitment weve made to the undocumented community by honoring longstanding rules that bar officers from contacting people solely to determine their immigration status, as well as a Garcetti mandate meant to clamp down on collecting sensitive information about immigrants that could end up in federal hands. And Connie Rice, a civil rights attorney whose advice has been sought by police commissioners and elected officials for more than three decades, urged the next chief to continue reforms set out by Beck and Bratton. Right now we are about a third of the way along to really getting into the DNA of a cultural change, Rice said. The city needs a chief who continues to build trust, reduce alienation and improve officer safety. Rice said it takes time and trust to ensure real change and totally depart from the policing of the Rodney King years. Community policing strategies such as deescalation, gang intervention efforts and mental health awareness need to be reflected in how every officer patrols the streets, not just the work of specialized teams, she said. The problem for public officials is staying true to a long-term strategy. A culture of change requires decades of commitment and substantial effort, Rice said. Activists who have sharply criticized the department under Beck, meanwhile, stressed that his exit was a chance to change direction. Black Lives Matter organizer Melina Abdullah, whose group had repeatedly called for Beck to be fired amid protests over police shootings, said his retirement was a chance to end this era in which black Los Angeles has been under siege. Abdullah argued that the LAPD should step back from addressing homelessness or truancy, matters that she argued were better handled by social workers and other groups. We should be looking for someone who is most interested in public safety, rather than the expansion of the police state, she said. Someone who might be willing to give up a portion of their budget to invest in the things that actually make communities safe. The new chief will also have to wrangle with complex debates over the use of drones, body cameras and other new technology, Councilman Mike Bonin said. And Silverman, the John Jay College professor emeritus, said any chief in a big city needs to understand predictive policing, which includes using data to concentrate police resources in crime-heavy areas. They dont have to be technocrats, but they should be knowledgeable about whats going on, Silverman said. Mike OGara, a member of the Sun Valley Area Neighborhood Council, said he hopes the LAPD adds to its ranks under the next chief. OGara said a frequent complaint at neighborhood council meetings is that it takes too long for officers to come out after a call is made. He also said more enforcement is needed to control homeless encampments. We need more of a presence, OGara said. Buscaino, the councilman, said he hoped the new chief would come from inside the department. When asked whether his successor should be an insider or an outsider, Beck said that outsider candidates are usually chosen if there is serious unrest or you dont have somebody inside that you have faith in doing the job. Neither, he said, is the case right now. We certainly want to cast the net wide but I think we have talented people inside that could assume the role. And I think it would be an easier transition for them than someone that had never worked or lived in the city of Los Angeles, which has its own unique political dynamics, Beck said. Police Commission President Steve Soboroff said there were spectacular candidates inside the department, but resisted ruling anyone out. Bratton wasnt an insider, he said. Times staff writer Kate Mather contributed to this report. emily.alpert@latimes.com Twitter: @alpertreyes richard.winton@latimes.com Twitter: @lacrimes dakota.smith@latimes.com Twitter: @dakotacdsmith On May 18 about four months before the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history unfolded on the Las Vegas Strip gunman Stephen Paddock was thinking about San Diego. On an HP laptop seized from one of his Mandalay Bay hotel rooms after the massacre, authorities found a web search from that Thursday in May for La Jolla Beach, as well as evidence that he had visited sandiego.org, the regions tourism website. The findings were released by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on Friday as part of an exhaustive report on the shooting. Advertisement From his perch on the 32nd floor of the hotel, Paddock, a professional gambler, sprayed gunfire for more than 10 minutes down on concertgoers attending the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival on Oct. 1. Fifty-eight people were killed and more than 700 injured. The search through Paddocks computers reveals queries into several areas around the country, although it is not clear whether he was considering those places as potential targets. On the same day as the San Diego searches, he searched Google Maps for locales in Southern California, including hotels in Santa Monica and a Venice Beach gastropub, and places in Boston, including Fenway Park and Boston University Questrom School of Business. The Google search for La Jolla Beach was made alongside queries for biggest bear, grant park functions, open air concert venues, biggest open air concert venues in USA, summer concerts 2017 and how crowded does Santa Monica Beach get. Ticketmasters website and the site for the Grant Park Music Festival a summerlong classical music concert series in Chicago were visited through Internet Explorer about a half-hour before sandiego.org was accessed at 5:05 a.m. that same day in May. The search history grows more focused on Las Vegas in September as Paddock finalized his plans, the report shows. To read the article in Spanish, click here Davis writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune. An outdoor advertising company could get another 10 years to install bus shelters, public toilets and other street furniture in Los Angeles, after lawmakers took steps Friday toward altering and extending a contract that has been a financial disappointment for the city. The Los Angeles City Council voted 11 to 2 to instruct city lawyers to negotiate an amended agreement with Outfront JC Decaux. It would adjust annual fees received by the city, expand wireless internet and add bathroom attendants, and extend the term of the 20-year agreement for another decade. That deal would have to come back to the council for final approval. If the negotiations do not wrap up within roughly four months, the city will start seeking proposals from other companies. Advertisement After a short debate, Councilmen Mike Bonin and Joe Buscaino balked at the move. Bonin questioned why the city was extending the longstanding contract instead of putting out a new deal for bidders. If it is not extended, the current agreement would end in three years. We dont know what the best deal is for the taxpayers, Bonin said after the vote. A Bureau of Street Services official told lawmakers that extending the existing contract would ensure that bus shelters and other needed amenities are installed on city streets within months, instead of waiting years as companies went through the process of competing for a new contract. We can start seeing tangible benefits for the community right away, said Councilman Bob Blumenfield, who heads a committee that backed the plan. The decision comes six years after a critical audit from the city controller found that L.A. was not getting tens of millions of dollars in revenue from the contract, chiefly because it was lagging in approving bus shelters and other installations that could be emblazoned with ads. When the exclusive contract was awarded in 2001, city leaders had envisioned the installation of more than 1,000 bus shelters that would shade people from the sun. But a city report last year found that fewer than 700 bus shelters had been installed. And as the city was buffeted by rising homelessness, only 15 automated toilets had been put in well below the 150 that had been expected when the deal was struck. Fifteen years into the agreement, Los Angeles had received more than $54 million in revenue, the report found. That is far short of the $150 million that the company had once been expected to provide over two decades. In a 2012 audit, then-City Controller Wendy Greuel wrote that this contract was unrealistic in terms of expectations from the very beginning. The deal set up a schedule for installing bus shelters and other fixtures that was simply not realistic, especially in light of a cumbersome approval process Greuel wrote. In addition, Greuel said the city had lost the chance to collect millions of dollars because of the way that annual fees had been calculated. In the past, the advertising company has complained that city officials caused the delayed rollout and reduced revenues because they had turned down many proposed locations for bus shelters and advertising pillars. We havent gotten all the amenities that weve asked for over the years but we also havent done all the things that were supposed to do to get those amenities, Blumenfield said. As the city seeks to renegotiate the agreement, L.A. lawmakers want to revise the way that installation sites are approved so they happen in a timely manner a key recommendation from the audit six years ago. They also want to negotiate adjustments to the minimum annual fee and ensure that bus shelters are installed in a way that reflects the types and quantities originally contemplated by the agreement. And they are seeking new and expanded services, including wireless internet at bus stops, attendants to monitor some public toilets, and power washing at some heavily used stops. City staffers said that extending the agreement another decade would ensure enough time for 600 to 700 new bus shelters to be installed, Blumenfield spokesman Jake Flynn said. In a report, the Bureau of Street Services and other city staff said the contract extension would maximize revenue for both parties. emily.alpert@latimes.com Twitter: @AlpertReyes Actress Scarlett Johansson, who is expected to be one of the featured speakers at Saturdays Womens March L.A., is the subject of a separate demonstration. The Palestinian American Womens Assn. (PAWA) announced on its Facebook page that it was withdrawing from the march in downtown L.A. because of Johannsons participation. The group is critical of Johannsons role as a former spokeswoman for SodaStream International, a company that produces seltzer-making machines in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Advertisement The company was the target of a boycott movement of products made on land seized by Israel in the 1967 Middle East War and claimed by Palestinians for a future independent state. The boycott resulted in Johannsons decision to resign as a humanitarian ambassador for the charity organization Oxfam International. Oxfam opposes all trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank, saying companies that operate there do so illegally. SodaStream eventually shut down its West Bank plant in the face of international pressure, The Womens March mission says we believe that womens rights are human rights and human rights are womens rights, Sana Ibrahim, past president of PAWA, said in a statement. Apparently that does not extend to Palestinian human rights, during the WMLA. carlos.lozano@latimes.com Gov. Jerry Brown has reversed a parole boards decision to free Manson family killer Leslie Van Houten. In September, the Board of Parole Hearings found Van Houten, 68, suitable for release. When she was 19, Van Houten took part in the brutal slayings of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca in Los Angeles on Aug. 10, 1969. The question I must answer is whether Leslie Van Houten will pose a current danger to the public if released from prison, Brown wrote in his statement, released Friday night. He said he had to consider Van Houtens young age at the time of the crime, her dysfunctional upbringing and other mitigating factors. Advertisement He also noted Van Houtens exemplary conduct in prison. Supporters and prison staff have described her as a model inmate who earned bachelors and masters degrees and, as Brown put it, exceptional work ratings as a tutor. Van Houten also took leadership roles in self-help efforts among inmates. But in rare circumstances, Brown said, the aggravated nature of the crime alone can provide a valid basis for denying parole, even when there is strong evidence of rehabilitation and no other evidence of current dangerousness. Brown cited the horrific nature of the murders, Van Houtens eager participation and what he characterized as her minimization of her role in them. The reversal marks the second time Brown has overturned a parole board decision in order to keep Van Houten behind bars. The first time was in 2016. Before that, the state parole board denied Van Houtens attempt at winning release 19 times since she was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Manson died in November. Another participant, Susan Atkins, died in prison in 2009. The youngest of Mansons followers, Van Houten has been portrayed by supporters as a misguided teen under the influence of LSD and the twisted influence of Manson on the night of the slayings. A former homecoming queen from Monrovia, she did not join in the Aug. 9, 1969, murders of Sharon Tate, the pregnant wife of film director Roman Polanski, and four others in Benedict Canyon. But Browns statement noted that Van Houten felt left out and that she wanted to participate in the carnage of the following evening. Van Houten was part of the group that stormed into the LaBiancas home in Los Feliz. Van Houten testified to stabbing Rosemary LaBianca in the back at least 14 times, possibly after she already was dead. The group wrote messages in blood on the walls, and Van Houten, Brown noted, drank some chocolate milk from the refrigerator before leaving. Prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi argued during the trial that Manson orchestrated the murders as part of a plan to spark a race war that he called Helter Skelter. He and his followers planned to survive by living underground near Death Valley and then would take power. Van Houten, Manson and three others were convicted and sentenced to death. But after the California Supreme Court struck down the death penalty, their sentences were commuted to life in prison. An appellate court overturned Van Houtens conviction in 1976, and a second trial the following year ended in a hung jury. She was convicted in her third trial in 1978 and sentenced to seven years to life in prison. At a 2002 parole board hearing, Van Houten said she was deeply ashamed of what she had done, adding: I take very seriously not just the murders, but what made me make myself available to someone like Manson. Her supporters have come to include retired reporter Linda Deutsch, who covered the trial for the Associated Press. During her incarceration, Van Houten has demonstrated remorse and, in my first-hand assessment, she is living proof that redemption is possible even for those whose crimes are unforgivable, Deutsch wrote in an opinion piece for The Times. Ive learned that she has spent decades in therapy to understand how she fell under Mansons control, Deutsch wrote. She once told me: I could not have lived without paying for what I did. But she has paid, Deutsch added. At issue is whether a person who earns her release through hard work over many years should be treated differently because her case was in the headlines. Opponents of Van Houtens parole take a starkly different stand. Ms. Van Houten should not be paroled and society cannot trust someone who committed such a heinous murder without showing any remorse for years, according to a statement on a Web site devoted to keeping the Manson Family Killers in Prison. howard.blume@latimes.com @howardblume UPDATES: 10:20 p.m.: This article was updated throughout with additional comments from Brown and background on the killings. This article was originally published at 8:55 p.m. Calling for equal rights for women and waving Dump Trump signs, tens of thousands of demonstrators converged on downtown Los Angeles on Saturday to take part in the second Womens March in L.A., one of dozens of similar protests held around the country. After an early morning rally in Pershing Square, demonstrators marched to Grand Park, clogging the streets around City Hall. There, a number of celebrity speakers addressed the crowd, including actresses Viola Davis, Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman and Laverne Cox. Delivering the most impassioned speech of the day, Davis reminded the women in the crowd that they must fight for their liberties and their rights, saying that it is through human dedication and effort that we move forward. Advertisement I am speaking today not just for the MeToos, she said, because I am a MeToo. But when I raise my hand I am aware of all the women who are still in silence, the women who are faceless, the women who dont have the money and who dont have the constitution and who dont have the confidence and who dont have the images in our media that gives them a sense of self-worth to break their silence. She urged everyone to be politically active and to fight for their cause. No one and nothing can be great unless it costs you something, she said. Weve got to bring up everyone with us. I stand in solidarity with all women who raise their hands and my hope for the future is that we never go back. Time-lapse video taken from the Los Angeles Times building shows marchers arriving in the City Hall area in downtown L.A. between 10:15 a.m. and noon Saturday. (Video by Calvin Alagot / Los Angeles Times) Johansson spoke out about the power men have long held over women. I had many relationships where the power dynamic was so off that I had to create a narrative where I was the cool girl, she told the crowd. It allowed me to have the approval that women are conditioned to need. Moving forward means my daughter growing up in a world where she doesnt have to become a victim of what had become the social norm. Organizers of the march said they expected more than 200,000 people. Several hundred thousand attended last years event, which came one day after President Trumps inauguration in what many consider one of the most divisive elections in recent memory. Activists said their main objectives include ending violence, protection of reproductive rights, LGBTQIA rights, workers rights, civil rights, disability rights, immigrant rights, Indigenous peoples rights and environmental justice. Scarlett Cunningham-Young, 11, stood near 5th and Hill streets next to several of her friends and their families holding a sign with a quote from Malala Yousafzai: I raise my voice not so I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be Herd. It was her second year attending the Womens March, and she said she felt inspired being around thousands of other demonstrators. I hope that this country wakes up and realizes that women and girls have voices too, she said. 1 / 30 Thousands marchers gather near city hall for the Womens March in L.A. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 30 Thousands of protesters converge on Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles during the Womens March in L.A. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 30 Organizers of the Womens March in L.A. said they expect more than 200,000 people. (Maria Cardona / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 30 Thousands of marchers gather near city hall for the Womens March in L.A. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 30 Thousands marchers gather near city hall for the Womens March in L.A. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 30 Thousands participate in the second Womens March in downtown L.A. (Maria Alejandra Cardona / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 30 Thousands of protesters converge on Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles during the Womens March L.A. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 30 Aylin Garcia, 19, wears makeup that says, make America think again, during the Womens March in L.A. (Maria Alejandra Cardona / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 30 Mary Macintyre, 25, holds an LGBTQ symbol made of flowers during the Womens March in L.A. (Maria Alejandra Cardona / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 30 Marchers crowd the streets of downtown Los Angeles. (Maria Cardona / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 30 Thousands participate in the second Womens March in downtown L.A. (Maria Alejandra Cardona / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 30 Thousands participate in the second Womens March in downtown L.A. (Maria Alejandra Cardona / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 30 Marchers attend the second Womens March in L.A. (Maria Cardona / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 30 Thousands participate in the second Womens March in downtown L.A. (Maria Alejandra Cardona / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 30 Thousands of protesters converge on Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles during the Womens March L.A. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 30 A Trump supporter films those attending the second Womens March in L.A. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 30 Phinehas Hogue, 4, of Burbank, holds a Girls Are Strong sign as he joins his family and friends near City Hall for the second Womens March in L.A. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 30 Azucena Goussen, 65, of Long Beach joins others near City Hall on Saturday for the second Womens March in L.A. The inaugural event was held in 2017 and marked a protest against new President Trump. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 30 People gather before the second Womens March in New York. Similar marches were taking place across the country. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 30 People gather before the second Womens March in New York. Similar marches were taking place across the country. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 30 People gather before the second Womens March in New York. Similar marches were taking place across the country. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 30 NEW YORK, NEW YORK--JAN. 20, 2018--Members of Batala New York participate in the second Womens March in New York. Similar marches were taking place across the country. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 30 People gather and imitate President Trump before the second Womens March in New York. Similar marches were taking place across the country. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 30 People gather at City Park for the Respect Rally during the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 30 April Cattell, 31, of New York, cheers for speakers at the second Womens March in New York. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 30 Thousands of men and women hold signs and rally while attending the Womens March in New York. (Spencer Platt / Getty Images) 27 / 30 Protestors dressed in costumes representative of The Handmaids Tale book participate in a Womens March highlighting demands for equal rights and equality for women in Cincinnati. . (John Minchillo / AP) 28 / 30 Participants in the Womens March gather near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. (Cliff Owen / AP) 29 / 30 A man holds a sign at First Ward Park during the Remarchable Women rally in Charlotte, North Carolina. (LOGAN CYRUS / AFP/Getty Images) 30 / 30 Participants gather at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial National Historic Site during the Womens March for Truth in St Louis, Missouri. (Whitney Curtis / Getty Images) Her mother, Shea Cunningham, 46, said she marched in Washington, D.C., last year because she was so outraged over Trumps election. Cunningham worries about the state of healthcare and the environment. She said she finds the tension with North Korea and widespread xenophobia especially disturbing. But she said the silver lining is that her daughter has been able to really participate in democracy and has developed a strong moral compass. Were stuck in a nightmare, she said. It feels like an absurdist reality. Its almost like a dark comedy, but its not funny. Saturdays event coincided with the rise of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements and was being held in conjunction with similar marches planned around the country. Gary Garcia, 55, said he was on hand to support his wife and womens issues and to show support for protections for Dreamers, young immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children. Protected status for Dreamers, which has allowed them to live and work in the U.S. without fear of deportation, could expire soon as Trump tries to end the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Garcia, principal of Marshall High School, said many of his students are Dreamers and theyre really stressed out. He held a sign reading, Dreamers must stay in the country they know. Garcia and his wife, who stood near the corner of 5th and Hill streets, said they left their home in Mid-City at 7 a.m. to get downtown in time for the march. They also attended last years event. Garcia said he wants to continue to send a message to President Trump that his policies are unacceptable. If we dont protest, it implies acceptance, he said. Theres so much thats wrong right now. Many parents, like Malika Dawson, 23, brought their children. Dawson carried daughter Khlo, 1, in a baby carrier strapped to her body. To see all these people who want equality just like me, it gives me hope for my daughter in the future, especially when you see people my age and younger because were the next generation of leaders, Dawson said. She held up a sign that on one side read, Girls just wanna have FUNdamental human rights, and on the flip side said, If you dont fight for all women, you fight for no women. I love your sign! one marcher shouted at Dawson, whose young daughter stared mesmerized at the thousands of chanting marchers with their colorful signs. I want to bring my daughter to events like this throughout her lifetime, Dawson said. Hopefully, its not necessary in the future to still protest for womens rights, but I want her to know she can stand up and take action. Summer Holl, 43, brought her daughter, Esme, 10. We feel so angry and upset, and so isolated in that anger with the country being so divided, said Holl, who got up at 6 a.m. to make the trip from their home in Agoura to downtown L.A. To come out to the march and see all the people we know were not alone. Holl held up a multicolored sign that said, We All Should Be Feminists, while Esme carried a sign with a rainbow on a white background that read, All We Need is Peace. Holl said that marching is an American way to speak our truth and that she wanted to share the experience with her daughter. The two were surrounded by demonstrators who held up signs for peace, love and equality. Its so important to steal the microphone away from the Trump administration and to speak our truth, Holl said. Lenora Marouani, 33, brought her 2- and 5-year-old daughters to the march. She said she wants them to understand what it means to stand up for women, immigrants and black lives. Marouani, who owns a home goods store in Manhattan Beach, carried a sign urging people to vote in the June 5 statewide primary election. This is going to be a really fantastic year for women, she said. We have the power. Marouani said she and her eldest daughter Pash practiced chanting lines from the popular Beyonce song, Run the world. She would say Who run the world? and Pash would yell Girls! I want to instill that notion in her, she said. Its not that were dissing boys, but we have to work twice as hard and you instill empowerment at a young age. Jessica Bautista, 17, sold bacon-wrapped hot dogs with her sister near the speakers stage. The sisters were helping their parents, who had their own hot dog carts nearby. Bautista had taped a sign to her cart reading, Trump is a puppet. She said she has worked at many marches recently, but this one especially resonated with her. She wanted to show her solidarity with other woman but also immigrant rights advocates.. She said she worries Trump will build the border wall and about his other immigration policies. Bautista, who was born in the U.S., said her parents are both undocumented immigrants from Mexico. I feel we need a new president, she said, because hes making really bad choices. Marcher Ali Davis held up a sign that read, Grab Em By the Ballot Box, and stressed that its important for demonstrators to remain politically active. A protest is great, but if you dont follow that up by bothering your politicians and going to vote, it doesnt do much, said Davis, 46. Last year, she said, she was disturbed that so many friends and family members werent registered and didnt bother to vote. You have to gently but firmly bug people to vote in 2018, Davis said. Davis, who came to the march alone by train, said she felt the magnitude of the event from the beginning. From the minute I stepped on the train, it filled my heart to see so many people, she said. A handful of Trump supporters gathered in front of the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters, where they faced off with demonstrators. They waved signs saying, Make America Great Again, and God Bless Donald Trump. Womens march volunteers held hands, blocking the group from some 50 counter-protesters. Dozens of LAPD officers stood guard. The two groups hurled insults at each other, with the Trump supporters yelling, Go back to Mexico, and the marchers yelling, Go home, racists. But most of the marchers were peaceful, and police reported no arrests or major incidents. Anna-Jean Jones, 30, said she was happy that she brought her two young daughters, Ayana Winn, 11, and Leah-Miya Winn, 7, who carried signs that read, Support women now, and There is no force equal to a women determined to rise. I brought two beautiful young daughters into the world, she said, and Im going to advocate for them. andrea.castillo@latimes.com michael.livingston@latimes.com UPDATES: 4:45 p.m.: This article was updated with new comments from Jessica Bautista. 2:45 p.m.: This article was updated with new comments from Ali Davis. 2:10 p.m.: This article was updated with new information about Trump supporters facing off with counter-demonstrators. 1:45 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from speeches by actresses Viola Davis and Scarlett Johansson. 12:25 p.m. This article was updated with additional comments from marcher Summer Holl. 11:20 a.m.: This article was updated with additional comments from marcher Malika Dawson. 11:10 a.m.: This article was updated with additional comments from marchers. 10:55 a.m.: This article was updated with additional comments from demonstrators. 10:30 a.m.: This article was updated with more comments from demonstrators. 10 a.m.: This article was updated with new comments from demonstrators. 9:05 a.m.: This article was updated with new information about the weather. This article was originally posted at 8:40 a.m. Greg Critser, a Pasadena-based writer who explored fear and obsession in books about obesity, prescription drugs and aging, has died after a years-long fight with brain cancer. He was 63. Critser wrote well-regarded books that he referred to as my American pathology trilogy books that touched on health, happiness (or its opposite) and the hapless pursuit of immortality. The books, Critser said, all wrestled with personal demons he once was overweight, he tangled with depression and as the years passed he felt himself slowing down. Advertisement Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World was at the time a sobering look at how the fast-food industry had become an enabler of obesity by offering supersized meals that conditioned people to eat more fries, order bigger burgers and drink virtual vats of soda for modest prices. He traced the roots of the emerging epidemic back to the Nixon administration and the decision to ease regulations on corn and staples such as palm oil, opening an avenue for the mass production of low-cost sweeteners. The 2003 book became a bestseller and was identified by the American Diabetes Assn. as the definitive journalist account of the modern obesity epidemic. In a 2010 interview with The Times, Critser said his own struggles such as once being 40 pounds overweight would typically lead to months of research. Drawn down a rabbit hole, he said, he would absorb himself looking into everything from hormone replacement therapy to calorie restriction to tissue engineering. Another book, Generation Rx: How Prescription Drugs Are Altering American Minds, Lives and Bodies, examined how drug companies had shifted from being science-driven enterprises to mass producers of consumer goods. If they were once inclined to develop new and better drugs, they were now obsessed with identifying new and better ways to sell drugs, he concluded in the 2005 book. Critser said he sometimes used himself as a guinea pig while reporting, trying products or therapies. He said he experimented with testosterone while working on Eternity Soup: Inside the Quest to End Aging, his 2010 book on the pursuit of immortality. The hormone treatment gave him more energy and the impression that his cognitive skills were heightened. But it was short-lived. Critser said his best lesson may have been learned from a 112-year-old man he met during his research. His secret to long life? Hanging out with young people. So Critser, who had no children, filled his Pasadena home with visitors. I try to cram my literary tastes down my nephews throats, he joked. Born in Steubenville, Ohio, on July 18, 1954, Critser earned a bachelors degree from Occidental College and a masters in history from UCLA. His work frequently appeared in national publications, including the New Yorker and the Atlantic and newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times and the Times of London. He was part of the original editorial team at the Pasadena Weekly. He also taught science writing classes at Caltech and USC, lectured and teamed up with a personal trainer on a series of weight-loss and training books. Critser is survived by his wife, Antoinette Mongelli; mother, Betty Critser Newman; and two sisters, Barbara Spence and Linda Critser. steve.marble@latimes.com twitter.com/stephenmarble Florida is still under consideration for offshore oil drilling, a top Interior Department official said Friday, contradicting an announcement last week from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke that energy exploration off the coast of Florida was off the table. The comments from Walter Cruickshank, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management director, came during a congressional hearing where he was grilled by two Democratic representatives, Jared Huffman of California and Darren Soto of Florida. [Zinkes] statement stands for itself, and we have no formal decision yet on what is in or out of the five-year program, Cruickshank said in response to a question. Advertisement Cruickshank later said an analysis would have to be done but that Zinkes statements would be taken into account. Zinke was more declarative last week. We are not drilling off the coast of Florida, Zinke told reporters at the Tallahassee airport, following a 20-minute meeting with Gov. Rick Scott. For his part, Scott said he believed Zinke and was confident Florida wouldnt be involved in any drilling plans. Secretary Zinke is a man of his word, Scott told reporters in Miami on Friday. Hes a Navy SEAL. He promised me that Florida would be off the table, and I believe Florida is off the table. Department of Interior spokeswoman Heather Swift said in an email that Cruickshank simply said BOEM will finish the legally required analysis of the planning areas, as is always done for all planning areas. But Swift did not respond to a follow-up question to clarify whether any official decision to ban drilling off Floridas coasts has been made. Soto said the backtracking by the Trump administration means Florida needs to remain vigilant. Clearly were in the plan and we need to work in a bipartisan fashion to get Florida exempt, Soto said in an interview Friday. We cant let our guard down. Cruickshanks remarks throw confusion over drilling off Floridas shores while complicating a political victory claimed by Scott, a Republican and vocal Trump supporter. Democrats and environmentalists pounced on the news, including Sen. Bill Nelson, whom Scott is expected to challenge this year for his Senate seat. This confirms what we all suspected: There is no deal to protect Florida from drilling, Nelson said in a statement. What we saw last week was just political theater, and the people of Florida should be outraged. Environmentalist groups were taken aback at Cruickshanks statements. The administration is playing Hokey Pokey with Floridas coasts, said Jennifer Rubiello of Environment Florida. First they put them in, then they take them out, and now this morning we hear they arent out after all. Were getting shaken all about. Zinke announced Jan. 4 a plan to allow oil drilling off the U.S. coast over the next five years. The plan wasnt final, and called for public comment before ultimate decisions on which areas to open up to drilling were made. The decision was met with bipartisan backlash in Florida, with Scott and Nelson both decrying the proposal. Five days later, Zinke flew to Tallahassee to meet with Scott, an early supporter of President Trump, and made the announcement to exempt Florida at the Tallahassee airport. Now lawmakers in other states want the same treatment. I want to know every reason why Florida is so unique that it got that spot exemption, Huffman said to Cruickshank. Rohrer writes for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. In an 81-page investigative report released Friday, Las Vegas police gave their most comprehensive timeline to date on how the Oct. 1 massacre unfolded at a country music concert on the Strip. The report did not give any greater insight into why gunman Stephen Paddock, an amateur gambler, opened fire on thousands of people from his room in the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, killing 58 people before killing himself. Nor was it likely to settle questions about why police arrived on the 32nd floor, where Paddock was perched, only after he had stopped shooting. Advertisement But investigators findings gave a little more detail on what police know about Paddocks activities before and during the shooting important because of lingering questions about how Paddocks preparations had gone unnoticed, and why it took so long for his deadly shooting spree to end. Sept. 9: Paddock reserves a room at the Mandalay Bay hotel. Sept. 25: Paddock checks into the hotel, with a check-out date of Oct. 2. He rolls one bag to his room himself, and a bellman uses a luggage cart to bring up four other bags. Then Paddock leaves and returns to his home in Mesquite, Nev. Sept. 26: Paddock wires $50,000 to a bank account in the Philippines, where his girlfriend, Marilou Danley, is visiting family. Paddock then returns to Las Vegas and visits a pair of casino hotels before returning to Mandalay Bay, where he brings another six suitcases on a luggage cart, as well as another rolling suitcase, to his room. Paddock then begins gambling at the hotel overnight and into the next morning for more than eight hours. Sept. 27: Paddock insists on relocating to another room, saying he wants a better view, and is given a suite with two adjoining rooms. That night, Paddock drives back to Mesquite and buys luggage, razor blades, fake flowers, a vase and a Styrofoam ball at a Wal-Mart. Sept. 28: Paddock buys a .308 bolt-action rifle from a gun store in Mesquite and wire-transfers an additional $50,000 to an account in the Philippines. Paddock also goes to a gun range before returning to Las Vegas. He brings another two rolling suitcases and a laptop bag to his Mandalay Bay room, and again gambles for more than six hours, until early the next morning. Sept. 30: After spending Sept. 29 mostly in his room, Paddock places Do not disturb signs on his adjoining rooms, drives to Mesquite, and then returns to his Mandalay Bay suite with four more suitcases. He then drives back to Mesquite. Oct. 1, the day of the attack: Paddock returns to Mandalay Bay early in the morning and gambles for four hours. He brings two more rolling suitcases and a bag to his room, and throughout the afternoon, officials say, he is detected opening and closing the doors to his suite multiple times, probably while preparing for his attack. 9:36 p.m.: Paddock deadbolts the door to one of his rooms, and then deadbolts the door to the other one 10 minutes later. 10 p.m.: Security guard Jesus Campos arrives via elevator on the 32nd floor to investigate an alert of an open door in a guests room down the hall from Paddocks suite. Campos checks a stairwell door that blocked his entry to the floor minutes earlier and discovers that it has been fastened closed with an L bracket. 10:04 p.m.: Campos calls security dispatch to report the blocked door. His call is routed to the facilitys maintenance department, which dispatches maintenance engineer Stephen Schuck to go to the floor. 10:05 p.m.: Paddock fires two initial shots at the Las Vegas Village, the open-air venue across the street from the hotel where the Route 91 Harvest music festival is being held, with more than 20,000 attendees. Then he fires more. 10:06 p.m.: Campos hears what he later described as rapid drilling noises as Paddock fires about 100 rounds at concertgoers. Paddock, who has placed surveillance cameras outside his room, starts shooting through his door and down the hallway at Campos, hitting the security guard in the leg. Campos, who is unarmed, takes cover and radios a hotel dispatcher for help, giving Paddocks room number on the 32nd floor. 10:07 p.m.: Paddock resumes firing hundreds of rounds at concertgoers. Two Las Vegas police officers are already in the building on another call. They head upstairs, presumably to try to find the source of the gunfire, along with two armed Mandalay Bay security guards. Over the next two minutes, Paddock takes several potshots at jet-fuel storage tanks at the nearby airport striking them twice but not igniting the fuel before resuming fire on the concert crowd. 10:10 p.m.: Schuck, the building engineer, arrives on the 32nd floor, and Campos yells for him to take cover. Paddock starts firing down the hallway, and Schuck radios hotel dispatch to send police to the 32nd floor. 10:11 p.m.: The two police officers arrive on the 31st floor one floor below Paddocks as the gunman resumes firing on the concert crowd. 10:12 p.m.: Two armed Mandalay Bay security officers arrive on the 32nd floor, and the police and security officers on the 31st floor realize that the shooting is coming from one floor above them. 10:15 p.m.: Paddock fires his final shots at concertgoers. 10:16 p.m.: The two police officers on the 31st floor enter the stairwell outside the 32nd floor hallway but do not confront Paddock. 10:57 p.m.: Police breach the sealed 32nd-floor stairwell doorway. 11:20 p.m.: Police use explosives to blow open Paddocks door, and they discover him dead. 11:26 p.m.: Police breach the interior door to Paddocks second room, where a police officer accidentally fires three rounds into the room. matt.pearce@latimes.com Matt Pearce is a national reporter for The Times. Follow him on Twitter at @mattdpearce. More national headlines In his first interview since acknowledging an extramarital affair, Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens said Saturday that there was no blackmail and no threat of violence by him in what he described as a months-long consensual relationship with his former hairdresser. Greitens said he has no plans to resign from office as a result of the affair, despite calls to step aside from several Republican and Democratic state lawmakers. Im staying. Im staying, he said twice for emphasis, adding about his relationship with his wife, staff and supporters: Were strong. Advertisement Greitens, 43, has remained out of the public eye since shortly after delivering his State of the State address on Jan. 10. Later that night, St. Louis television station KMOV reported that Greitens had an extramarital affair in 2015 as he was preparing to run for governor. The report included an audio recording of a conversation between a woman and her then-husband recorded secretly by the husband in which the woman said Greitens had bound her hands and blindfolded her, taken a photo of her partially nude and warned her to remain silent during an encounter in his St. Louis home. Greitens did not directly say, Yes, or No, when asked in an interview with the Associated Press on Saturday whether he had bound and blindfolded and taken a photo of the woman. But he firmly denied that he had attempted to coerce the woman or that he or anyone associated with him had paid her to be silent. This was a consensual relationship, Greitens said. There was no blackmail, there was no violence, there was no threat of violence, there was no threat of blackmail [and] there was no threat of using a photograph for blackmail. All of those things are false. Greitens added: The mistake that I made was that I was engaged in a consensual relationship with a woman who was not my wife. That is a mistake for which I am very sorry. The AP has not identified the woman because she has not agreed to an interview. The governor said he has had no other romantic or sexual relationships with anyone else while hes been married. I made a mistake with one woman, he said. A former Navy SEAL officer, Rhodes Scholar, author and founder of a veterans charity, Greitens took his first step into politics by opening an exploratory committee for governor in February 2015. The extramarital relationship began around that March and ended that fall, Greitens said without being more specific. He officially announced he was running for governor in September 2015. He told the AP he discussed and resolved the affair with his wife that same year. Greitens emerged the winner in a crowded and expensive GOP primary before defeating the states attorney general, Democrat Chris Koster, in November 2016 to give Republicans control of the governors mansion for the first time in eight years. After news of the affair broke this month, an attorney for the ex-husband said his client told him that Greitens had slapped the woman, and St. Louis Circuit Atty. Kim Gardner said she was opening a criminal investigation into the various claims about Greitens actions. Asked Saturday whether he had ever slapped the woman, Greitens responded: Absolutely not. He said he hasnt been contacted by the circuit attorneys office and that neither he nor his attorneys have been contacted by the FBI on this or any other matter. As far as my conduct, there is nothing to investigate, Greitens said. On Friday, CNN cited sources while reporting that the FBI had recently opened an inquiry into Greitens. CNN reported that 22-year-old Eli Karabell who said he had volunteered to help with Greitens transition in December 2016 approached the news organization to say he had been interviewed by the FBI last November, though he did not offer specifics about what he told agents. Greitens told the AP he doesnt know Karabell. Greitens spokesman, Parker Briden, said Karabell was a serial liar who had called Briden multiple times acting crazy, including claiming he would donate millions to the governor if he could meet with him. Amid the controversy over his affair, Greitens postponed a scheduled statewide promotional tour this past week for what he had billed in his State of the State address as the boldest state tax reform in America. Instead, Greitens said he has called almost every state lawmaker and also posted a Facebook apology. Greitens said the love and support has been tremendous from people all over the state. Before becoming governor, Greitens wrote a book titled Resilience, which was a collection of letters to a former Navy SEAL friend about overcoming adversity. Greitens now finds himself in a similar position, and he said he recently received a call from that friend encouraging him to hang in there. Im very confident that God has a way of bringing good from difficulty. God has a way of helping people in the midst of pain to emerge with wisdom, Greitens said. God has a way of helping you to move through suffering and actually become stronger. Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It is Saturday, Jan 20. Heres what you dont want to miss this weekend: TOP STORIES Early retirement: Charlie Beck, the son of a police officer whose own career with the Los Angeles Police Department spanned four decades, will retire this summer, ending an eight-year tenure as police chief before finishing out the remainder of his second term. Beck was credited with major reforms in the department and a general decline in homicides but also had some missteps. Los Angeles Times Mayor Eric Garcetti now faces a pivotal choice in picking a new chief tinged with politics, race, gender and philosophy. Los Angeles Times Advertisement Will police shootings be the one dark mark on Becks otherwise strong legacy? Los Angeles Times Beck entered a department that was a military organization that mistreated minorities. He leaves it a majority-minority department that has won praise even from longtime critics. Los Angeles Times Union vote: Journalists at the Los Angeles Times have overwhelmingly elected to form a union, a first for the 136-year-old news organization that for much of its history was known for its opposition to organized labor. Los Angeles Times Plus: Los Angeles Times Publisher and Chief Executive Ross Levinsohn was placed on an unpaid leave of absence Friday as the papers parent company, Tronc, investigates allegations of inappropriate conduct while he was an executive at other companies. Los Angeles Times Deadly flu: The death toll from influenza in California rose sharply on Friday, amid a brutal flu season that has spread across the nation. Los Angeles Times More details in stabbing case: The 20-year-old Newport Beach man facing a murder charge in the fatal stabbing of former high school classmate Blaze Bernstein spoke openly on social media about his Catholic faith and conservative political views. Los Angeles Times Cause of death: Rocker Tom Petty died last year from multisystem organ failure caused by accidental drug toxicity, the Los Angeles County Coroner said Friday. Los Angeles Times One year later: Why Trump has become such a scary word for Republicans in California. New York Times Problematic? Does the marriage of two top California water officials represent a conflict of interest? Sacramento Bee How about one more? Another big skyscraper could be coming to the San Francisco skyline. SF Gate Packing them in: The San Fernando Valley is about to see an increase in building density. Curbed Los Angeles Shield your eyes: The Bay Area housing market has gone from bad for worse if you are a buyer. The Mercury News THIS WEEKS MOST POPULAR STORIES IN ESSENTIAL CALIFORNIA 1. Childrens captivity in Perris: an emaciated girls window escape opened door to nightmarish scene. Los Angeles Times 2. Children found shackled and malnourished in Southern California home; parents arrested. Los Angeles Times 3. Perris family torture case: Experts weigh in on why parents may have done it. The Press-Enterprise 4. An LGBTQ college student was stabbed 20 times, but was it a hate crime? Los Angeles Times 5. Ellen Pompeo, TVs $20-million woman, reveals her behind-the-scenes fight for what I deserve. The Hollywood Reporter ICYMI, HERE ARE THIS WEEKS GREAT READS Famed street: Since the rise of rap in the 1980s, Rosecrans Avenue in South Los Angeles and Compton has served as the musics West Coast spiritual home. Here is a musical tour. Los Angeles Times Costly loans: Over the last decade, a certain type of loan has exploded in popularity as struggling households typically with poor credit scores have found a new source of quick cash from an emerging class of online lenders. Unlike payday loans, which can carry even higher annual percentage rates but are capped in California at $300 and are designed to be paid off in a matter of weeks, installment loans are typically for several thousand dollars and structured to be repaid over a year or more. Los Angeles Times Whale of a tale: How some pranksters broke into Marineland in the 1980s and rode the whales. The Daily Breeze Directors tale: The late Hal Ashby was not a big-name director. But in Hollywood, his legacy remains beloved and somewhat controversial. Bloomberg Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Benjamin Oreskes and Shelby Grad. Also follow them on Twitter @boreskes and @shelbygrad. With nearly every utterance, Donald Trump affirms the conclusion we reached two years ago that he is temperamentally and intellectually unfit to serve as president of the United States. But there he is, a year after his inauguration, waging a war of words with the world from behind the Resolute desk in the Oval Office. He has denigrated fellow citizens and international allies; threatened nuclear war; undermined public faith in the judiciary, Congress, and the media; found some very fine people at a gathering of neo-Nazis; and dispensed utterly with the idea of presidential gravitas. In fact, theres been so much public attention paid to his tweets, to his character and temperament, to the ongoing investigations into how he came to power, that close scrutiny has sometimes lagged into what this administration has actually done. In brief, its bad. Heres a quick look. Internationally, Trump has only partly translated his narrow and historically fraught America first campaign rhetoric into policy. Despite some early drama over NATOs budget, Trump has followed a fairly traditional policy of supporting the postwar alliance. His oft-stated desire for better relations with Vladimir Putin stalled over broad condemnation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election, and Trump signed legislation imposing sanctions on Russia (with some reservations) and also approved selling lethal weapons to help Ukraine fend off pro-Russia separatists. Advertisement Lies and provocations and Twitter rants are only one part of this presidency. The president no doubt deserves some of the credit for routing Islamic State from strongholds in Iraq and Syria, although those victories were built on decisions made by military planners during the Obama administration. But Trump has rattled sabers with North Korea (bragging about the size of his nuclear button), threatened the international deal to limit Iranian nuclear development, and withdrawn the U.S. from a Pacific Rim trade pact (and now has his sights set on NAFTA, a function of his ill-advised protectionist views of trade). He has been less than supportive of the United Nations, withdrawing the U.S. from UNESCO and cutting aid to the agency that works with Palestinian refugees, among other things. His decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital seems certain to damage the prospects for peace in the region. Domestically, Trump has embraced a scorched-earth attitude toward regulations on businesses. He has failed to fill positions across his administration while simultaneously appointing foxes to oversee such henhouses as the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Education and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He has sought to weaken worker and consumer protections, to end policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, to shrink public lands (including slashing the size of national monuments), while seeking to open more federally controlled land and waters to oil, gas and other exploitative industries. His nationalistic opposition to immigration, his decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and his draconian approach to immigration enforcement have made a broken system worse. Trump inherited an economy that, while growing slowly, was fundamentally strong, with steadily rising consumer and business confidence, an epic bull run in the stock market, low unemployment, rebounding median incomes and modestly improving wages. Those trends have continued on his watch, boosted by his business-friendly agenda, but so has the grossly unequal distribution of gains that has sustained wide income inequality. Trumps policies have exacerbated those problems the tax cut he championed disproportionately favored high-income families and businesses, and his administrations relentless attacks on the Affordable Care Act helped cause millions more Americans to go uninsured in 2017 the biggest increase since the ACA passed in 2010. Trump has been successful in quietly reshaping the judiciary. The Senate has confirmed 23 judicial nominees, including Supreme Court Justice Neil M. Gorsuch. Although the American Bar Assn. rated a handful of the nominees not qualified, most are the sort of well-credentialed conservative jurists that any Republican president would be likely to appoint. But Trump has also pushed a racially tinged and outmoded view of law and order, which has played out with directives by Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions to end federal oversight of troubled police departments, endorse asset forfeiture from people not convicted of crimes and reverse Obama administration sentencing reforms by seeking harsher sentences for drug crimes. So where is the nation after the first year of President Trump? Paying attention, in some cases, to the wrong things. Lies and provocations and Twitter rants are only one part of this presidency. Another is the ongoing effort to dismantle not just government agencies but the mission of government itself. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook To the editor: On Inauguration Day in 2017, I wrote a letter to the editor that was published the next day in the Los Angeles Times. In the letter, I recalled staying at a remote tent resort during President Obamas inauguration in 2009, during which another guest from Denmark congratulated me and my country. In contrast, on Jan. 20, 2017, I felt afraid and anxious because of President Trump. My fears when I wrote that letter were tremendous and my depression was quite serious. I could not, however, have imagined just how horrible this would turn out to be a year later. My greatest fears have been realized, as our status in the world has reached an all-time low and our democracy is in serious jeopardy. Advertisement I wish that I could write that I was wrong a year ago. Instead I fear for our country, our world and our precious children. We owed them so much better. Barbara Sobin-Rosen, Fullerton .. To the editor: On Saturday in Los Angeles and elsewhere, we women will march for many reasons. We march because we recognize the value of all people who come to our country hoping for a better life, and because we recognize that immigrants who contribute may come from Norway, Nicaragua or Nigeria. We march because same-sex couples who can now legally love and marry who they choose should be guaranteed the same services as the rest of us. We march because black lives do matter and we will never stop working for the justice that our civil rights heroes were willing to die for. We march because we choose to protect our Earth from those who place profit over pollution. We march because women who have been harassed, abused and paid lower wages or denied promotions deserve better. We march because our free press should never be threatened for reporting the truth. We march because we are at a critical time in our nations history. We are concerned about who we are as a nation and, more important, who we will become. We will march for as long as it takes. Diane Luftig, Pomona .. To the editor: A year into his administration, Donald Trump has proved himself the most straightforward and candid president the U.S. has ever had. Did he not utter vile statements during his campaign? Did he not link the whole religion of Islam to terrorism? Did he not pledge to build a wall along the southern U.S. border to keep out Mexican immigrants, people he called murderers and rapists? Did he not say he would recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital, compromising Americas stance as an honest broker in the Middle East? Did he not promise to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate deal? We should not be surprised by Trumps vulgarity during his first year as president. Instead, we should blame those who raised him to the highest echelon of power. Munjed Farid Al Qutob, London .. To the editor: How ironic! After just one year of his incredibly divisive and rueful, ruinous rule, at both the national but especially international level, we now really do need someone to make America great again. Sad! Michael Ward, Sierra Madre Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook Southern California has seen enough cases of the prolonged abuse and neglect of children, some resulting in deaths, that the Los Angeles Times letter writers recite a familiar refrain when another notable case make the news: How can the suffering of a child happen so long without effective intervention? This time, the case of David and Louise Turpin who are alleged to have starved and shackled their 13 children, many of whom are now adults has caused several readers to wonder how more than a dozen people could have been hiding in squalor while living in a Perris tract home. A handful of readers have mentioned notable tragedies in the past including that of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez, who died in 2013 but instead of targeting systemic lapses, they cite a collective failure on the part of neighbors and everyday passersby to take action. Betty Turner of Sherman Oaks goes a step further than if you see something, say something: Advertisement How the Turpin childrens horrific suffering could have gone unreported for so long boggles the mind. Let us give up a little of our privacy, become a little more vulnerable and build community. Stephen Fischer, Los Angeles Those 13 childrens ages range from 2 to 29. So on average, the wife gave birth to a child every other year over the span of 27 years. Yet no one thought it odd that the couples kids seldom if ever were seen outside the house? Its fine to exhort that if you see something, say something. But dont ignore whats implicit in that old saw: If you think you should see something, but see nothing, say something. Burbank resident Jen Tait credits neighborliness with saving her life: I could not help contrasting the behavior of the Turpins neighbors with that of my own. In July 2016, I had a massive cerebral hemorrhage at 2 a.m., and my husband was out of town. Somehow, I managed to call 911, and the paramedics who arrived came close to leaving me at home because I was lucid. Fortunately, my next-door neighbors were awakened and came over to investigate. They spoke to me and, upon realizing that I wasnt myself, insisted the paramedics take me to a hospital. They even followed the ambulance to be sure I was OK. I had brain surgery the next day and spent the next three weeks on life support. Had my neighbors not come over, my husband would have come home to find me dead. We were taught a huge lesson about being good citizens and neighbors that night a lesson we are determined to pass on. Stephen Fischer of Los Angeles cites Frost: I feel the Turpin case is an indictment of the commonly misunderstood quote from Mending Wall by Robert Frost, Good fences make good neighbors. If one reads further in the poem, we get, Something there is that doesnt love a wall, That wants it down. Let us give up a little of our privacy, become a little more vulnerable and build community. Get to know your neighbors and their children, because it matters. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook Vice President Pence met with Egypts President Abdel Fattah Sisi on Saturday in a 2 1/2-hour session that focused, in part, on Egypts anger over President Trumps abrupt decision last month to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. We heard Al Sisi out, Pence, who is making his first official trip to the Middle East, told reporters after the meeting. He described the Egyptian leaders complaints as a disagreement between friends. Last month, Egypt urged the United Nations Security Council to pass a resolution rejecting Trumps decision on Jerusalem, which upended hopes for a negotiated peace deal with Palestinians. The U.S. vetoed the resolution, but the General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a similar nonbinding resolution. Advertisement Pence is likely to hear similar concerns about Trumps Middle East policies at his next stop, in Amman, Jordan, where he arrived Saturday night for meetings with King Abdullah on Sunday. He goes to Israel after that but will not meet any Palestinian officials. During their conversation, Pence said he told Sisi that the Trump administration would support a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians if both parties agree, long the basis for a proposed resolution of the conflict. My perception was that he was encouraged by that message, Pence said. Pence is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Cairo since before the 2011 Arab Spring uprising ousted Hosni Mubarak, a longtime U.S.-backed strongman. Sisi, a former Army general, became president in 2014 after he helped lead a military coup in 2013 that ousted a democratically elected leader. Pence said he and Sisi spoke about joint efforts to combat terrorism, including Egypts battle with Al Qaeda-linked insurgents in the Sinai. The United States stands shoulder to shoulder with Egypt in their fight against terrorism in this country, he told reporters. Pence also said he brought up U.S. concerns about religious freedom in Egypt and said Sisi assured him that he wants to promote religious diversity in Egypt. Despite warming ties between Cairo and Washington, Sisi did not release any jailed journalists, human rights activists or other political prisoners as a goodwill gesture for Pences visit. Pence said he had raised the plight of two Americans, Ahmed Etiwy and Moustafa Kassem, who are imprisoned in Egypt. He said Sisi assured him he would give very serious attention to both cases, although he did not offer to release them. Etiwy, a 27-year-old student from New York, and Kassem, 52, an auto parts dealer from New York, were arrested along with hundreds of Egyptians after the 2013 military coup. U.S. lawmakers have complained that at least 18 Americans are imprisoned in Egypt and its unclear why Pence focused on only those two. Sisis authoritarian government has effectively banned protests and freedom of expression, jailed political opponents and conducted anti-gay persecution. In September, Human Rights Watch denounced what it called widespread and systematic use of torture by Egypts security forces. Egyptian security blocked a dozen American reporters who had accompanied Pence from Washington from getting out of their bus when Pence arrived for his meeting with Sisi at the Al Etehadiya Palace. After prolonged negotiations by Pences aides, the media was escorted in after 90 minutes. Twitter: @ByBrianBennett brian.bennett@latimes.com The first day of a federal shutdown ended much as it began Saturday, with Democrats and Republicans hardened in a stalemate of angry finger-pointing as Congress and President Trump failed to broker a deal to reopen the government. Lawmakers in both parties spent the day blaming each other and pushing plans for new stopgap measures lasting either weeks or days, continuing a tightrope process that went on for months and finally broke down late Friday night. The White House posted photos of a grim-faced Trump, who had to cancel his plans to attend a Saturday night fundraiser at his Mar-a-Lago beachfront resort in Florida, working in the White House during the Democratic shutdown on the first anniversary of his inauguration. Advertisement Congress convened for a rare weekend session, with lawmakers told to stay in town as negotiations continued behind closed doors. But prospects for a swift resolution appeared dim, with no votes expected until Sunday or even early Monday. The focus of the action remained in the Senate, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) were trying to hatch a plan that could win 60 votes in a bipartisan deal. One problem: The Senate leaders had not spoken. Nor had Trump talked to the minority leader. This is the One Year Anniversary of my Presidency and the Democrats wanted to give me a nice present, the president tweeted early Saturday as tens of thousands of people gathered for protest marches in Los Angeles, Washington and other cities across the country. Behind the scenes, a bipartisan group of 19 senators scrambled to kick-start talks on young immigrant Dreamers facing deportation, along with budget levels, the Childrens Health Insurance Program, disaster aid and other tangled issues that need to be resolved to reopen the government. The effects of the shutdown may not be felt immediately, given that many government employees do not normally come to work on a weekend. During the last shutdown, in 2013, about 800,000 federal employees were furloughed. The Smithsonians 19 museums in Washington and New York and the National Zoo said they would remain open, at least for the weekend. The nations military will stay on duty, although their pay may be delayed, and key veterans services could face disruption. The National Parks Conservation Assn. said about one-third of the 417 national park sites were closed, including such icons as the Statue of Liberty and other historic and cultural sites that could be locked. More than 21,000 National Park Service employees were furloughed, leaving 3,298 essential staff to manage national parks from Acadia to Zion. Lawmakers from both parties face serious political risks with a shutdown of any length, but especially a prolonged one. But for now, both parties felt confident voters were on their side, splitting along hardened partisan lines. Republicans blamed what they called the Schumer Shutdown on Democrats in the Senate, who led the filibuster that halted the House-passed funding bill, which would have continued government operations through Feb. 16. We did our job, said House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) Democrats argued that Republicans, who control the White House and both the House and Senate, are responsible for what they called the Trump Shutdown. I think the American people are smart enough to realize who takes the blame, said Rep. Linda T. Sanchez (D-Whittier). The way forward remains uncertain. Lawmakers could vote as early as Sunday on another stopgap measure to keep the government running for three weeks, until Feb. 8. That vote could push to after midnight under Senate rules, leaving at least the possibility of a resolution before offices open Monday. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who was among the Republicans who helped Democrats filibuster the earlier spending bill, promoted the three-week extension as a way to end the standoff by allowing time to negotiate outstanding issues. In particular, negotiators want a commitment for the Senate to consider by next month immigration legislation on border security and deportation protection for the Dreamers, young immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children. Democrats have objected to a temporary funding bill, the fifth this fiscal year, unless they have assurances that Trump and Republican leaders would actually use the intervening time to negotiate. At one point, Schumer said he thought he and Trump had a deal even agreeing to consider Trumps request for $20 billion in border wall funds over several years in exchange for deportation protections for the Dreamers, sources said only to have the president abruptly reverse course. Negotiating with the White House is like negotiating with Jell-O, Schumer said. Key opponents of Trumps border wall were reconsidering since the fate of the nearly 700,000 Dreamers is at stake. Trump has ended their protection from deportation starting in March. A brick at a time, we will free the Dreamers, said Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (D-Ill.), relaying comments he told his colleagues during a private meeting of House Democrats on Saturday. Any deal must work around Trumps upcoming State of the Union address Jan. 30, when both sides hope to avoid a shutdown hanging over what is usually an agenda-setting presidential speech to Congress. Democrats were seeking a shorter deal with an agreed-upon outline for negotiations. Republicans want to push the next deadline until after the presidents speech, with limits on immigration talks. Five of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats in this falls midterm elections sided with Republicans late Friday in a vote that would have paved the way for a deal to keep the government open, while four Republicans voted against it. Even though the vote was 50 to 49, it did not reach the 60-vote threshold needed to end debate for a final vote. During a dramatic late night in the Senate, lawmakers engaged in bipartisan talks for nearly two hours, the sausage-making playing out in real time on the Senate floor. At one point, some 30 senators Republicans and Democrats gathered around the desk of Schumer as Graham explained his proposal for the three-week stopgap measure to allow talks to continue. Democrats objected. That forced the GOP leader to set up the days-long procedure necessary to break their filibuster, with a vote expected late Sunday or early Monday. Ahead of the shutdown, the promise of a deal rose when Trump invited Schumer to the White House for a meeting Friday afternoon. Last year, the two, with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), had struck an immigration bargain that stunned Republicans. Over lunch Friday in the small dining room off the Oval Office, Schumer thought talks were progressing toward a deal. The two discussed the contours of a possible accord, and Schumer agreed to the higher military funding the Republicans have wanted. In what Schumer later said was a difficult decision, he also considered the possibility of Trumps full border wall request, well beyond the $2.6 billion the administration had initially requested for the fiscal year that was included in an immigration proposal by Graham and Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.). The president was very positive in the room, said a source familiar with the meeting. Schumer thought he had a deal. In the room, it sounded like the president was open to accept it, Schumer told the Senate. But what has transpired since that meeting in the Oval Office is indicative of the entire tumultuous and chaotic process the Republicans have engaged in. Trump largely left the congressional leaders to negotiate, both Republicans and Democrats said. The president seemed to back off the arrangement with Schumer after White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly and others had time to intervene, Democrats said. The president walked away from it after he talked to his hard right, said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) McConnell, who said Republicans were ready to come together in a bipartisan way to clean up this mess, also read White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders statement in which she said no immigration deal could be reached during the shutdown. We will not negotiate the status of unlawful immigrants while Democrats hold our lawful citizens hostage over their reckless demands, Sanders said. This is the behavior of obstructionist losers, not legislators. Times staff writers Brian Bennett and Jim Puzzanghera in Washington contributed to this report. noah.bierman@latimes.com Twitter: @Noahbierman lisa.mascaro@latimes.com Twitter: @LisaMascaro ALSO Government begins shutting down as Congress races to agree on short-term spending bill Trump is transforming the GOP against legal immigration. Will Congress follow? Is this small-town congressman from New Mexico tough enough to win Democrats the House majority? More coverage of Congress More coverage of politics and the White House UPDATES: 5:10 p.m.: This article was updated with new developments from the negotiations. 12:45 p.m.: This article was updated with details from negotiations on Capitol Hill. This article was originally published at 7:20 a.m. Theres no mention of executive privilege in the Constitution. Nor was it discussed at the Constitutional Convention, when delegates gathered in Philadelphia in 1787 to draft the countrys bedrock governing principles. But executive privilege the presidents right to keep some communications and records secret has been part of nearly every presidency since George Washington tried to withhold documents from Congress regarding a failed military expedition against Native American tribes. Washington lost that battle with Congress, but the concept has endured and expanded, providing a reliable flashpoint for political controversies and scandals ever since. Advertisement President Trump has not invoked executive privilege to keep his current and former aides from answering questions to Congress about Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign. But the issue emerged in full glare this week when Stephen K. Bannon, Trumps former strategic advisor, stonewalled the House Intelligence Committee during a 10-hour-long, closed-door hearing by saying the White House had strictly limited what he could say. Another House hearing scheduled for Friday with Hope Hicks, the White House communications director and one of Trumps closest confidantes, was indefinitely postponed after it became clear she might follow Bannons lead and refuse to answer lawmakers questions. I wasnt surprised about the postponement, said Rep. Tom Rooney (R-Fla.), given the committees struggles with Bannon. Bannon clammed up about the presidential transition, his seven months in the White House and his conversations with Trump after he was fired in August a gaping timeline that frustrated both Democrats and Republicans. He didnt open up even when the panel took the unusual step of slapping him with a subpoena during the hearing. Rep. Adam B. Schiff of Burbank, the top Democrat on the panel, said Bannon refused because somehow this was covered by a potential claim of executive privilege down the road, a stance he called breathtaking in its scope. If the White House is permitted to maintain that kind of a gag rule on the witness, no congressional investigation would ever be effective, Schiff said. Bannons position grew more puzzling the next day when Rick Dearborn, the White House deputy chief of staff, fully cooperated with the same House committee in closed-door testimony. Executive privilege also didnt come up last July when Trumps son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, testified to a Senate panel. The inconsistent approach has frustrated Democrats. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said the White House has hinted at executive privilege to deflect questions without actually claiming it. Its like being pregnant, he said. It is or it isnt. You cant have a third category. Lawyers for Bannon and Hicks did not respond to requests for comment. Jonathan Turley, a professor at George Washington Law School, doubts Congress will take the next step of holding Bannon in contempt if he continues to refuse to answer questions. The Congress has tolerated this type of misuse of executive privilege, he said. It would be a curious thing if they actually enforced the principle of congressional integrity and constitutional law. There were no consequences for Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions when he deployed a similar approach to avoid Senate Judiciary Committee questions last June, and again in November, about Russia and his conversations with Trump. Although the president hadnt invoked executive privilege, Sessions said, I am protecting the right of the president to exert it if he chooses. The Supreme Court has never ruled on executive privilege in congressional inquiries. But it has set clear limits for criminal investigations. While Trump can tussle with Congress, he has less power to block special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who is leading the criminal probe into Russian meddling and whether the president or his aides assisted the Russians or otherwise broke the law. The defining case was U.S. vs. Nixon in 1974, when President Nixon refused to turn over crucial White House recordings to the special prosecutor investigating the Watergate scandal. The Supreme Court unanimously said Nixon must turn over the tapes to ensure a fair trial of the Watergate burglars, who had hoped the tapes would show their innocence. But the ruling also formally outlined the presidents ability to withhold information to insulate the deliberative process or protect the confidentiality of some communications. Because of that case, we know theres such a thing as a constitutionally protected executive privilege, said Susan Bloch, a Georgetown University constitutional law professor. Nixon resigned a little more than two weeks after the decision, and the issue has popped up repeatedly since then. President Reagan cited executive privilege to withhold information to Congress on oil leases, environmental enforcement and memos written by William Rehnquist, whom Reagan had nominated to the Supreme Court. He also resisted answering questions or turning over his personal diaries during the Iran-Contra scandal, which involved the illegal funding of anti-Sandinista Nicaraguan rebels with profits from the covert sale of missiles to Iran. President Clinton tried to use executive privilege to avoid testifying about his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, but a federal judge rejected the attempt. President Obama invoked executive privilege to help his attorney general, Eric H. Holder Jr., avoid turning over documents involving the Fast and Furious gun-tracking scandal. He, too, lost in court when a federal judge ruled against him in 2016. chris.megerian@latimes.com Twitter: @chrismegerian ALSO Trump has given dozens of depositions in lawsuit-laden business career, but he could face tougher grilling in Russia inquiry Rep. Devin Nunes plays defense for Trump by going on hard offense against Justice Department 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 Hollywood Burbank Airport launched a new educational program for Burbank Unified School District students this week to hopefully spark an interest for them to pursue aviation careers, officials said. On Wednesday, a mix of 25 students from Burbank and John Burroughs high schools attended the first class of the Airport Academy, a five-day course that teaches students how an airport functions and what it takes for it to operate smoothly. The courses, with one class held per month, will touch on the various aspects of Hollywood Burbank Airport. The students will get a chance to hear about its day-to-day operations from police, fire and airport personnel, learn about the roles of the Transportation Security Administration and Federal Aviation Administration and talk to pilots and flight attendants in the airline industry, said Lucy Burghdorf, spokeswoman for Hollywood Burbank. These kids have an airport right in their backyard, and there are so many career paths you can take in aviation, Burghdorf said. So we have this wonderful resource here, so why not share it and expose our young people to careers in aviation. During the class on Wednesday, each student introduced themselves and why they decided to sign up for the academy, which is held in conjunction with Burbank Unifieds career technical education program. Many of the students said they were generally curious about how the airport operates. However, there were a handful of them who are in the process of getting their private pilots licenses or were looking to major in aerospace engineering in college, which was a surprise for Burghdorf. I was shocked and thrilled, and it reinforces the fact that the reason were doing this is very beneficial to the students, Burghdorf said. Maybe this will solidify more of their desires to pursue a career in aviation. Beth Wilke, a senior at John Burroughs, was one of those students who said they are looking to get their pilots license, and was actually slated to take her test a few days after the inaugural academy class. Wilke, who aspires to become a commercial airline pilot, said her love of aviation was solidified when she and her family were in Belize. They were taking a small single-engine plane from the mainland to an island, and the pilot asked Wilke, who was 12 years old at the time, if she wanted to sit in the co-pilots seat during the short flight. I got to see the crystal blue waters underneath us, and it was the coolest experience, she said. Ever since then, I was really interested in aviation, and it wasnt until my sophomore year that I decided that this was the field that I want to go into. Adrian Hernandez, who was also a senior at John Burroughs, said he wants to pursue a career as an aerospace engineer. Fascinated with how things work, Hernandez said he grew up playing with different erector sets and Legos. When it came time for him to decide what profession he should pursue, he narrowed his decision to something in engineering. I then gravitated toward aerospace engineering because its always been a mystery to me how planes, these big hunks of metal, fly through the air, Hernandez said. When asked what they hope to get out of the Airport Academy, both Wilke and Hernandez said they hope to network with the people at the airport and airlines. The aviation industry is such a small field that you could meet people that could help you later on, Wilke said. anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com Twitter: @acocarpio The Newport Beach Fire Department will honor its Community Emergency Response Team volunteers during the 10th annual State of CERT dinner and awards banquet Wednesday. It starts at 6 p.m. at the Oasis Senior Center, 801 Narcissus Ave., Corona del Mar. Award recipients include Ardith Chaffee as the Marilyn Broughton CERT Volunteer of the Year and Bayside Village as the CERT Neighborhood of the Year. For more information, call (949) 644-3112. Orange Coast College to host opening of food pantry Orange Coast College will host a grand opening for its food pantry from 10 a.m. to noon Monday. The new pantry, called Pirates Cove, will expand on the colleges previous food storeroom with more fresh food options and a workspace where students can connect with community programs. Pirates Cove will be at the journalism building. The colleges student equity program plans to have the pantry fully operational by the spring. Community members are invited to attend Mondays event. OCC is at 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa. Foreign policy program coming to Newport St. Mark Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach will host an eight-week series of meetings about world affairs starting Jan. 29. The 27th annual Great Decisions Foreign Policy Program will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Mondays. Admission is free, though optional study guides are $25. Discussion topics will include The Waning of Pax Americana? Russias Foreign Policy, China and America: The New Geopolitical Equation and Turkey: A Partner in Crisis. For more information, call (949) 644-1341 or visit stmarkpresbyterian.org. OCC to host emergency preparation class Kevin Boyd, an Orange Coast College community education instructor, will offer an emergency preparedness class Feb. 8. It will be on the Costa Mesa campus from 6 to 9 p.m. The cost is $49. For more information, visit orangecoastcollege.edu/commed. Baby Date coming to O.C. fairgrounds The OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa will host the first Baby Date, a family festival featuring indoor activities for young children, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 11. The event is themed Baby Sadie Hawkins. Organizers said it will feature family-friendly activities, matching outfits, face painting, fashion shows and a marketplace. For more information or to buy tickets, visit babydatefest.com or call (909) 282-8727. Costa Mesa fire Engineer Steve Cathey was named Firefighter of the Year on Thursday at an event honoring local police and firefighters. The celebration at Fete the Venue in Costa Mesa was presented by the Chamber of Commerce. Cathey attended Santa Ana College and first became interested in firefighting through the guidance of his cousin, fellow Costa Mesa Fire and Rescue employee Capt. Rob Gagne. Cathey joined the departments Explorer program in 1996. Fire Chief Dan Stefano said Cathey exemplifies the qualities of a firefighter, calling him salt of the earth. Cathey, along with Division Chief Jason Pyle, helped stabilize a 91-year-old man who was having a medical emergency aboard a flight headed to John Wayne Airport in January 2017. He [Cathey] comes in with a smile every day, Stefano said. It doesnt matter what you ask of him. hannah.fry@latimes.com Twitter: @HannahFryTCN A 36-year-old man was sentenced Friday to 15 years in state prison for ramming two patrol cars while being chased by Costa Mesa police in 2012. Juan Manuel Reyes was found guilty by an Orange County Superior Court jury in November of two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon, one felony count of evading arrest and one misdemeanor count of hit-and-run with property damage, according to the Orange County district attorneys office. The pursuit began just before 5 p.m. Sept. 11, 2012, when a Costa Mesa police officer saw Reyes driving a Toyota Camry in the 3000 block of Coolidge Avenue. Santa Ana authorities had asked Costa Mesa police to keep an eye out for Reyes, who was wanted on suspicion of kidnapping his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint and keeping her in hotels for 11 days, police said at the time. The officer tried to get Reyes to pull over, but he led officers on a high-speed chase through Costa Mesa, according to police testimony at Reyes preliminary hearing in November 2013. Authorities said Reyes struck two patrol cars and accelerated toward an officer during the pursuit. At one point, an officer fired three shots at Reyes car, but he was not hit. The Camry eventually broke down near the intersection of Sunflower Avenue and Main Street in Santa Ana, and Reyes was taken into custody, authorities said. Reyes attorney, Renee Garcia, argued during the preliminary hearing that her client was afraid and fled when police opened fire and that he was not trying to hit them. In connection with the kidnapping allegations, which are being prosecuted separately, Reyes is facing 11 felony charges, including carjacking, assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping and criminal threats. He has pleaded not guilty to all those counts and is scheduled for a pretrial hearing Feb. 5, according to court records. hannah.fry@latimes.com Twitter: @HannahFryTCN About 200 people filled a room in the Adult Recreation Center Thursday night to learn more about Glendales proposal to overhaul Central Park in order to make room for the planned Armenian American Museum and reconfigure the open space. In 2016, city officials agreed to carve out an area in the Central Park block for the museum and also used the opportunity to reimagine the space so it could integrate nearby facilities as well as create new public and recreational spaces. The proposed redesign by Sausalito-based architectural design firm SWA Group places the museum in the southwest quadrant of Central Park at roughly 61,000 square feet. The redesign leaves the Central Library and Adult Recreation Center mostly intact and compensates for the reconfiguration of Central Parks current location with an expansion of open space, going from 76,000 square feet to almost 93,000 square feet. Gerdo Aquino, SWA Groups chief executive, gave an overview of the proposed design and addressed a few questions from the audience. Some of the concerns raised from audience members were about parking, the L-shape configuration of open space and the drastic upheaval of Central Park given Glendales overall lack of park space. The goal in terms of open space is to make sure that you still have the same amount of open space even with the museum, Aquino said. Four information stations were set up in the back of the room where attendees could find out more details about the design and speak directly with city planners and members of SWA Group. At one station, Mark Berry, principal development officer with the city, spoke one-on-one with a crowd of Glendale residents, some of whom asked about flexibility on the size of the museum, its affect on shade and visibility as well as concerns over the lack of a study on pedestrian traffic. We worked with the museum committee to make sure that the museum wasnt too large and overwhelming, Berry said. It was a balance between that and their programming needs It was a push and shove. A second meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday on the second floor of the Glendale Central Library, 222 E. Harvard St. For more information about the Central Park design plans, visit bit.ly/2DhniK7. jeff.landa@latimes.com Twitter: @JeffLanda As ecstatic crowds in Peru greeted Pope Francis on the penultimate day of his weeklong visit to South America, the church hierarchy sought to deal with continued fallout from his controversial remarks stemming from an infamous clerical sex-abuse case in Chile. The pope said in Chile that victims in that abuse case were slandering a bishop allegedly involved in a cover-up of what happened, triggering outrage in Chile and beyond. Cardinal Sean OMalley the archbishop of Boston and Francis top aide on the issue of clerical abuse on Saturday sought to soothe the indignation on an issue that has done massive damage to the churchs credibility in recent years. Advertisement It is understandable that Pope Francis statements were a source of great pain for survivors of sexual abuse by clergy or any other perpetrator, Cardinal OMalley said in a statement that amounted to a church effort at damage control. Words that convey the message, If you cannot prove your claims then you will not be believed, abandon those who have suffered reprehensible criminal violations of their human dignity and relegate survivors to discredited exile. OMalley said he could not address why the Holy Father chose the particular words he used to the Chilean media. What I do know, however, is that Pope Francis fully recognizes the egregious failures of the Church and its clergy who abused children and the devastating impact those crimes have had on survivors and their loved ones, OMalley added. To many critics, the popes comments recalled decades of church cover-ups and a strategy of protecting pedophile priests while attempting to discredit their accusers. Some questioned whether the 81-year-old Jesuit understood the gravity of the clerical abuse scandal, despite his seemingly heartfelt apologies for past abuse and his declared no tolerance policy for such misconduct. While in Chile, the pope addressed the case of Bishop Juan Barros, whom Francis appointed to head the diocese of Osorno in southern Chile. Victims of Chiles most notorious pedophile priest have accused Barros of engaging in a cover-up. There is not one shred of proof against him, Francis told the Chilean media, referring to Barros. The day they bring me proof against Bishop Barros, Ill speak. The pontiff said those accusing the bishop were engaging in a calumny. Barros was a protege of Father Fernando Karadima, a Santiago cleric who was found to have abused children and adults for years. The Vatican ultimately sentenced Karadima to a life of reflection and penance. He was never charged criminally. But abuse victims say the church ignored their allegations against Karadima for years and that Barros and others helped cover up his crimes. Barros has called the allegations lies, and appeared last week at an open-air Mass celebrated by Francis in central Santiago. The issue of clerical sexual abuse has not arisen during the popes visit to Peru, where he arrived Thursday evening, after spending most of the first four days of his South American trip in Chile. Huge and enthusiastic crowds have welcomed the pontiff in both countries. The popes trip here to northern Peru echoed his ongoing concerns about the plight of the poor, the status of the environment and the effects of climate change. In a 2015 encyclical letter, Francis backed the conclusion of scientists who argue that human activity, especially the burning of fossil fuels, is a major contributor to climate change. At a Mass attended by some 200,000 people in the seaside town of Huanchaco, Francis showed solidarity with victims of devastating flooding triggered by a climate phenomenon in the region known as El Nino Costero. You know the power of nature, you have experienced its force, Francis said. You had to face the brunt of the Nino Costero, whose painful consequences are still present in so many families. The flooding in early 2017 killed more than 150 in northern Peru and left tens of thousands homeless, most of them poor. Almost a year later, many victims remain without proper housing and complain bitterly about a lack of government aid. As in other stops, many people lined up beginning in predawn hours to get a glimpse of the pope, whose status as a defender of the downtrodden and as the first pontiff from the Americas has contributed to considerable popularity throughout Latin America. Many spent the night in tents and on sleeping bags. We arrived last night and slept here, said Patricia Moreno, 48, who traveled more than 250 miles to attend the Mass in Huanchaco, along with her husband and two children. It has been a great sacrifice to come, but its worth the trouble. It is a marvelous feeling to see him, to know that he is praying for us, that he loves us. She and her family were among the many who suffered damage to their homes in last years flooding. The government hasnt done anything for us, Moreno said, echoing the sentiments of other flood victims. There is no reconstruction. ... Hopefully the words of the pope will make [the government] react because we cannot continue living like this. During his trip here, the pope also spoke about the victims of violence, especially women, in a zone where insecurity linked to drug trafficking and other criminal activity has been taking an increasing toll in recent years. The pope said organized violence, such as inadequate housing and unemployment, were among the many storms the region has had to endure. Times staff writer McDonnell reported from Lima, Peru, and special correspondent Leon from Trujillo, Peru. UPDATES: 7:50 p.m.: This article was updated with staff reporting and additional comments from Pope Francis, Sean OMalley and Patricia Moreno. This article was originally published at 3:20 p.m. An 88-year-old man died after an explosion and a fire Friday at his Bethlehem Township home. One person succumbed to injuries from the fire at 3722 Ironstone Rd., Bethlehem Township Volunteer Fire Co. said. Walter Proding, who owned the home, was pronounced dead, according to Northampton County Coroner Zach Lysek. Lysek said the cause and manner of death will be determined after an autopsy and the fire investigation. He said he does not release the dates on which autopsies are scheduled. Neighbors said Proding lived alone in the home he had owned since 1981. "I heard an explosion and ran outside," neighbor Scott Crouse previously said. "By the time I went over, the side of the house was on fire." Dwelling Fire (Fatal) - 3722 Ironstone Rd - Bethlehem Twp, Northampton County PA (Updated) Posted by Lehigh Valley Drone on Friday, January 19, 2018 Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. A crowd of women and girls filled Bethlehem's Payrow Plaza on Saturday to mark the anniversary of last year's Women's March. The Owning Our Power rally was organized by FIERCE: Lehigh Valley and NextGen America, and coincided with marches and rallies across the country ahead of the Women's March in Las Vegas on Sunday. Supporters wore the iconic pink hats, as well as black, in solidarity with the #TimesUp legal defense fund, and carried signs and placards. The defense fund subsidizes legal support for people who have experienced sexual harassment or related retaliation at work. Lizzie Morasco, an organizer with NextGen America, said Bethlehem's empowerment rally was just one of a series of events to keep people engaged. Other events include letter-writing campaigns, protests and watch parties. "We are hoping to empower women by supporting women, by holding each other up, rather than in-fighting or being negative, because positivity always does more than negativity," she said. Morasco said Lehigh Valley is often overshadowed by events in New York City, Philadelphia or Washington, D.C., but she wanted to create a local opportunity to recognize the anniversary of the first Women's March. She stressed that the event was nonpartisan and focused on issues that she hopes everyone can relate to: mental health treatment, sexual assault, racism and LGBT issues. "Everything we're fighting for is for a better future for everyone," Moraso said. The event included poetry readings and speakers, including a woman who shared her story of sexual assault as her five-year-old daughter cheered her on. Dr. Paige Van Wirt, who ran a write-in campaign for Bethlehem city council and plans to apply for the current council vacancy, carried a sign that said, "Grab this: The women are coming." Van Wirt said she came to the rally because "there's limited opportunities for (women) to speak together as a whole." Betty Jo McDonald, from Emmaus, wore a hat and a sign that read "Strong women: Know them, raise them, be them." She said she was concerned about inequality for women and what she considers discriminatory remarks by the president, especially because she has two teenage daughters. "I'm really afraid for them going forward in this country if this kind of rhetoric continues," McDonald said. Sharon Brown, the former director of institutional diversity at Moravian College, said she has always been a fierce advocate for women, particularly women of color. When it comes to social justice education, she said, "I write about it, I speak about it, and that's why I'm here today." But Brown added she was at the plaza "to also make a statement, that here in the Lehigh Valley there are women of color who are engaged and involved, and who do believe in women's issues ... I believe this is an area where women organizations here in the Lehigh Valley, we need to get together and become an inclusive organization." John Paul Marosy, also from Bethlehem, carried a sign that said "Another man against violence against women." "I'm here for my wife, my daughters, my mother-in-law, my nieces," he said. "It's all one fight." Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. A burglar kicked in a side garage door Friday morning at a Lehigh County home and stole a firearm, cash and jewelry from upstairs bedrooms, Pennsylvania State Police at Fogelsville said. Police were called about 11:30 a.m. to the burglary in the 2200 block of Beechwood Street in Lowhill Township. The male perpetrator had fled when the home's audible alarm sounded, police said. A surveillance camera captured video of the burglar walking through the house as the alarm chirps a warning, then running off as the system shrieks. A burglary is seen about 11:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 19, 2018, inside a home in the 2200 block of Beechwood Street in Lowhill Township, according to Pennsylvania State Police at Fogelsville. Investigators canvassing the neighborhood spoke to a resident who said the perpetrator had been knocking on the front doors of homes in the area. He is believed to have been driving a dark-colored sedan, police said. Investigators asked anyone with information to call state police at Fogelsville at 610-395-1438. The incident number to reference is PA2018-62338. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. The PennEast Pipeline Co. LLC consortium of natural gas companies received federal approval Friday to build the roughly 116-mile, 36-inch-diameter line from Pennsylvania into New Jersey. PennEast had planned to begin construction in 2018, pending a certificate of public convenience and necessity from the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. FERC awarded the certificate Friday in a 4-1 vote, capping a contentious review that started with the announcement of the proposal in August 2014. Saying he disputes the need for the pipeline and that the benefits outweigh its harms, commission member Richard Glick dissented from his colleagues, Chairman Kevin J. McIntyre, Cheryl A. LaFleur, Neil Chatterjee and Robert F. Powelson in the decision. The pipeline is designed to provide up to 1.1 million dekatherms per day of natural gas from Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale region for domestic energy use. Its route takes it from Luzerne County through Carbon, Northampton and Bucks counties, then across the Delaware River into Hunterdon County to Mercer County. This PennEast Pipeline Co. LLC shows the route of its proposed 116-mile, 36-inch-diameter natural gas line from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, to Mercer County, New Jersey, as of September 2016, the most recent map available on the energy company consortium's website. Visit penneastpipeline.com for a more detailed version. (Courtesy image | For NJ Advance Media) "We find that PennEast has sufficiently demonstrated that there is market demand for the project," the order issuing the certificate states. "PennEast has entered into long-term, firm precedent agreements with 12 shippers for 990,000 Dth/d of firm transportation service, approximately 90 percent of the project's capacity. ... "Those shippers will provide gas to a variety of end users, including local distribution customers, electric generators, producers and marketers and those shippers have determined, based on their assessment of the long-term needs of their particular customers and markets, that there is a market for the natural gas to be transported and the PennEast Project is the preferred means for delivering or receiving that gas." Construction is expected to take about seven months, PennEast spokeswoman Patricia Kornick said last month. BREAKING! FERC approves the PennEast Pipeline, which is set to deliver lower electric and gas bills, cleaner air, and thousands of jobs. pic.twitter.com/GAyKKnRBz0 PennEast Pipeline (@PennEast) January 20, 2018 The New Jersey Sierra Club, a staunch opponent of the plan, described as shameful the decision announced late Friday night, shortly before a federal government shutdown over a budget impasse in the U.S. Senate. Jeff Tittel, the club's director, maintains PennEast's environmental impact statement "has missing and even false information" and that its New Jersey-issued and federal permits for the project are incomplete. "FERC is basically working for the pipeline companies rather than for the people they are supposed to represent," Tittel said in a statement. "It's shameful that FERC can approve a pipeline without even applications for state or federal permits. FERC is the 'Federal Expedited Rubberstamp Commission.' "Now the fight begins," he continued. "We will organize to stop this pipeline that people vigorously approve. PennEast has a long way to go and many permits to get. We also have a new Governor who opposes the project. We won't stop until we stop this dangerous and unneeded pipeline." FERC's certificate sets numerous requirements for PennEast to satisfy prior to construction. They can be found toward the end of the document on file under Decisions & Notices at ferc.gov. "Regarding the project's impacts on landowners and communities, the project would impact approximately 1,588 acres of land during construction, and approximately 788.3 acres of land during operation," Friday's order states. "Approximately 44.5 miles, or 37 percent of the 120.2 mile-long pipeline route, will be located alongside existing rights-of-way. "While we are mindful that PennEast has been unable to reach easement agreements with a number of landowners, for purposes of our consideration under the Certificate Policy Statement, we find that PennEast has generally taken sufficient steps to minimize adverse impacts on landowners and surrounding communities." PennEast is a joint venture owned equally, with 20 percent stakes each, by Red Oak Enterprise Holdings Inc., a subsidiary of AGL Resources Inc.; NJR Pipeline Co., a subsidiary of New Jersey Resources; SJI Midstream LLC, a subsidiary of South Jersey Industries; UGI PennEast LLC, a subsidiary of UGI Energy Services LLC; and Spectra Energy Partners LP. New Jersey Resources is pursuing a separate natural gas pipeline running through Northampton County, as well. Its subsidiary Adelphia Gateway applied Monday to FERC for a certificate of public convenience and necessity. That line would convert the remaining length of an 84-mile oil pipeline to natural gas between Martins Creek in Lower Mount Bethel Township to Marcus Hook, Delaware County, outside Philadelphia, and would carry 250,000 dekatherms of Marcellus Shale natural gas per day for domestic energy use. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Frankenstein: the mother of all fantasies Since it was first published in 1818, Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' has spawned an enduring cult in literature, cinema, music and the arts. What explains the novel's persistence in pop culture and why is it worth revisiting after two centuries? /news/talking-point/frankenstein-the-mother-of-all-fantasies-111645674957080.html 111645674957080 story Most readers with a passing interest in the classics would have heard of the story of the 18-year-old Mary Godwin conceiving of a fantastical tale that bestowed literary immortality on her on a stormy night in June 1816. She and her soon-to-be husband Percy Bysshe Shelley were guests of Lord Byrons at the Villa Diodati in the village of Cologny, near Lake Geneva, in Switzerland. Frankenstein, the novel she wrote inspired by a frivolous dare among friends, turns 200 this year. Apart from spawning a rich tradition of science fiction and horror in literature, cinema and the visual arts, the iconic gothic novel has added the word Frankenstein" to the English vocabularyborrowed from the name of the hapless scientist who raises a monster" from the dead, bringing disastrous consequences upon himself. The Oxford English Dictionary classifies it as noun: Frankenstein is a thing that becomes terrifying or destructive to its maker". In its contemporary usage, though, the word has far exceeded its specific connotation, becoming synonymous, albeit misleadingly, with a range of other referencesa creature of pure evil, a signifier of hubris, the devil incarnate, a baleful, destructive force. If the term conjures up a vision of the living dead, most commonly represented by a zombie with putrefying flesh and repulsive face, that is the effect Shelley (she was married to the poet by the time Frankenstein was first published in 1818) had possibly intended for the reader. The idea to entertain themselves with self-composed horror stories had struck the assorted company at Villa Diodatithe Shelleys, Lord Byron and his friend, John William Polidorias a sport and pastime. But what began as fun and games resulted in a prose fragment by Byron, which appeared as part of a long narrative poem, Mazeppa, in 1819. Polidori wrote The Vampyre, also published in 1819, which heralded an immensely popular supernatural genre that reached its epitome with Bram Stokers Dracula (1897) and persists well into the 21st century in franchises like Twilight. Shelleys masterpiece had a stranger gestation, progressing through multiple editions to reach its present avatar, which was substantially edited by her husband, but was published in its current form in 1831, long after his death. In spite of its spooky provenance, Frankenstein has been called the mother of the modern science fiction fantasy by Brian W. Aldiss, one of the genres most celebrated practitioners, and with good reason. Born to Mary Wollstonecraft, the feminist writer who died giving birth to her, and William Godwin, a liberal political thinker, Mary Shelley grew up in an ambience of free thought. At 16, she fell for Percy Bysshe Shelley, while he was still married to his first wife Harriet and had had the distinction of being expelled from Oxford for propagating atheism. The two eloped shortly afterward, lived a peripatetic life, enjoying the company of fellow Romantics, and soaked in the spirit of scientific rationalism that had flourished with the Enlightenment in the 18th century. Although Shelley didnt go deep into the mechanics of resurrecting the dead in Frankenstein, she quoted the authority of the renowned physician, Erasmus Darwin, the grandfather of Charles Darwin, in the opening passage of the preface, to emphasize the credibility of her plot. The central moment in the narrativethat of the animation of the dead by Victor Frankensteinis not of impossible occurrence", she wrote, attributing this view to the revered scientist. Lest her claim might be deemed heretical, she balanced this proposition by drawing generously from the creation myth described by John Milton in Paradise Lost, which gave credence to the Biblical narrative of Adam and Eve, but also tempered it by mentioning the theories of Italian polymath Galileo Galilei. From the epigraphs to each of the three volumes of Frankenstein to sporadic references to Adam and Satan along the way, the influence of Paradise Lost is all-pervasive in Shelleys novel, as it was on the work of most other Romantics. Yet, while drawing on literary history, she was keenly aware of the advances made in the sciences during her time. By the time Frankenstein was written, Newtons laws of nature, gravity and his theory of the universe were over a century old, Keplers laws were still being debated and Michael Faraday was making headway into the discovery of the properties of electromagnetism and electricity (its not a coincidence that Frankenstein is fascinated by the power of the latter to inject life into dead flesh and bones). But Shelleys scientific temper and taste for the macabre were also inflected by a more personal, indeed primal, impulse. An illustration from the 1831 edition. Photo: Wikimedia Commons One of the most moving readings of Frankenstein can be found in a chapter titled Ice" in Rebecca Solnits autobiographical book of essays, The Faraway Nearby. A year before she began the novel, Solnit writes, Shelley, then barely 17, lost a baby girl, born prematurely, who lived for two weeks and faded away quietly in her sleep. My dearest Hogg my baby is dead," she wrote to her friend Thomas Jefferson Hogg, evidently distraught but still capable of going over her loss in excruciating detail. It was perfectly well when I went to bedI awoke in the night to give it suck it appeared to be sleeping so quietly that I would not awake it. It was dead then, but we did not find that out till morningfrom its appearance it evidently died of convulsionsWill you comeyou are so calm a creature & Shelley is afraid of a fever from the milkfor I am no longer a mother now." Days later, she noted in her journal a haunting dream. Dream that my little baby came to life againthat it had only been cold & that we rubbed it before the fire & it lived. Awoke and found no baby. I think about the little thing all day." Theres a record of a similar dream again sometime lateronly Shelley knew how many more such visitations she might have had. In the next few years, Shelley would give birth to three more children, only one of whom would live, and nearly die of miscarriage herself, narrowly escaping the fate of her own mother who had died shortly after she was born. Saved by the quick thinking of her husband, Shelley would lose him too, as he drowned after his sailboat was hit by a tempest. Wedged into this series of births and deaths in Shelleys life, the appeal of Frankenstein goes far beyond its promise of terror and titillation, crossing over into the realm of plaintive tragedy. At its heart, there is a yearning for the dead to come back to life, a cry every individual who has ever lost a loved one will recognize. But the fulfilment of that impossible wish, even within the make-believe world of fiction, exacts a devastating price. Having suffered several agonizing losses by the time she was 25, Shelley knew no other way to end her story but to let her monster", once lovingly called back to live among humans, disappear into a vast expanse of unending ice. Also Read: The postmodern Prometheus Frankenstein at the movies: Bad parents, problem children Music of the monster The anatomy of Frankenstein book covers Frankenstein at the movies: Bad parents, problem children From high tragedy to slapstick comedy, 'Frankenstein' has remained a favourite with film-makers through the decades /how-to-lounge/movies-tv/frankenstein-at-the-movies-bad-parents-problem-children-111644478760095.html 111644478760095 story Among the many ways of looking at Frankenstein, and by Frankenstein" one necessarily means not just Mary Shelleys groundbreaking book but what that book birthed over 200 yearsas other authors, playwrights, theatre producers and film-makers prodded away at it, moving body parts around in their sinister laboratorieshere is one interpretation. It is about terrible and unhappy parents, terrible and unhappy children, and how, to misquote Philip Larkin, we pass misery back and forth. Youre Victor Frankenstein, you think youve done your best, but heres this monster you created, which refuses to be what you hoped it would be. Worse, it turns around and blames you for everything thats wrong. Look at the Paradise Lost lineDid I request thee, Maker, from my clay, To mould me Man?which serves as an epigraph for Shelleys novel, and then listen to director Guillermo del Toro, who is currently working on a Frankenstein film: Its the quintessential teenage book. You dont belong. You were brought to this world by people that dont care for you and you are thrown into a world of tears and hunger." Most parent-child relationships, when looked at over a period of time, bring high tragedy and slapstick comedy together in the same frame. Little wonder then that cinematic Frankensteins have inhabited every mode from deep seriousness to goofy, pseudo-science-driven humourand that the most enduring films accommodate both extremes. Consider one of the most effective scenes, gentle, idyllic and horrifying all at once, in James Whales 1931 Frankenstein. Boris Karloffs monster comes across a little girl, joins her in placing flowers on a lakes surface and watching them floatand then, in all innocence, dunks her into the water too, causing her death. So iconic was this momentoften censored in early screeningsthat 40 years later the Spanish director Victor Erice made it the focal point of his coming-of-age narrative The Spirit Of The Beehive: the six-year-old protagonist Ana is traumatized when she watches the scene; in the days that follow, she becomes aware of subtler monsters in her own world. Or see Whales 1935 sequel, Bride Of Frankenstein, in which Karloffs plaintivenessas the monster yearns for a companion who will love and understand himbrushes up against Elsa Lanchesters brief but delightfully lunatic performance as his bride-not-to-be (the actress also played an impish Mary Shelley in a short scene). Those are still the two best-known Frankenstein films, and to modern eyes they can seem creaky and overwrought. Taking cues from theatre adaptations staged in Mary Shelleys lifetime, they turned Victor Frankenstein into the prototype of the mad scientist, shrieking that he knows what its like to be God" (in the book he is a diligent, conscientious man). But Karloffs performance helps erase some of the differences. While the creature in Shelleys novel gains in eloquence and dignity once he learns to use language, the dumb" movie monster is sympathetic by other means, conveying childlike pathos through his gestures and expressions. In fact, one can argue that in the broader-comedy scenes where he grunts wordsthe refrain of Good! Good!" when an old hermit makes him taste bread and winehe becomes less likable. A still from Mary Shelleys Frankenstein. Photo: Alamy Of course, there are other films where the monster is not meant to be at all likablesee the 1957 Curse Of Frankenstein, starring those two masters of the Hammer Horror franchise, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, and watch Lee play the role as a deformed, inexpressive zombie, starting with the shocking moment where he rips the bandages off his face as the camera zooms in on him. Another dominant mode is that of parody mixed with affection for the source material. Mel Brooks 1974 Young Frankenstein, shot in atmospheric black and white, has madcap scenes like the one where the doctors assistant brings along a brain labelled Abnormal"thinking it belonged to someone named Abbie Normal"but the film also understands the sense of wonder and danger that permeates the original story. This is equally true of three 1980s filmsGothic, Haunted Summer and Rowing With The Windwhich arent straight renderings of the Frankenstein tale but dramatize the famous 1816 summer house party involving the Shelleys and Lord Byron, where both Frankenstein and the John Polidori horror story The Vampyre were conceived. And, of course, there are serious" Frankenstein movies, which usually err on the side of earnestness. Kenneth Branaghs 1994 Mary Shelleys Frankenstein set out to be faithful to the book, in a way the Karloff films never did, but the promise was marred by half-hearted executionand ironically its best moments were the more inventive ones such as the scene where the naked creature (played by Robert De Niro, channelling a middle-aged Travis Bickle) slips about like a newborn baby in what looks like amniotic fluid. Frankenstein is often regarded as the first true science-fiction novel, and this perception has become increasingly relevant in our time, where Artificial Intelligence has taken on forms that Mary Shelley couldnt have envisioned. The idea of an imitation human being more humane in some ways than the flesh-and-blood people around him is a theme that has informed a lot of modern sci-fi about automatons: from the replicants in Blade Runner to the 1999 Bicentennial Man (adapted from Isaac Asimovs The Positronic Man) and Steven Spielbergs A.I. Artificial Intelligence (based on Brian Aldisss Supertoys Last all Summer Long, and often seen as a futuristic version of the Pinocchio story). But its just as instructive to go back in time, to two decades before the Karloff films, when a 12-minute Frankenstein was made by Thomas Edisons studio in 1910. Watching this relic (youll find it on YouTube) is like getting into a time machine: given that the world of the Shelleys seems so impossibly distant to us today, its unsettling to realize that the Edison film is closer in time (a mere 92 years) to the publication of the book than to our present day. What I find fascinating about that ancient filmas a cinema student and as someone who thinks of the Frankenstein story as being rooted in honest scientific curiosityis how much it does with the very limited motion-picture technology of the time. For instance, for the challenging scene in which the monster comes alive, a wax replica of a skeleton was placed in a vat and set afire until it dissolved and crumpled. They then played the film backward, so that the impression we get is of something hideous being forged out of fire and sitting upright after its limbs have formed. To watch that scene is to think of the imagination and daring required of early film-makers when they wanted to do something more ambitious than simply record reality. One could say those pioneers were kindred spirits of Victor Frankenstein, tinkering in their workshops until their children grew and became something vast and uncontrollable, slipping out of their godlike hands. New York State Office of General Services workers set up metal barriers Friday for Saturday's Women's March in Albany. The event will begin with a 1 p.m. rally at West Capitol Park and end with a march around the city to voice opposition to GOP leaders in Washington. Jury acquits city man in Albany stabbing trial ALBANY - A jury acquitted a city man who authorities accused of repeatedly stabbing a 27-year-old man while yelling "I'm going to kill you." Jorge Obregon-Castro, 23, told jurors he acted in self defense and jurors sided with him. The jury began deliberations on Friday and delivered a verdict Tuesday, clearing Obregon-Castro of attempted murder and assault charges in connection with the Sept. 18, 2016, stabbing of a man outside 502 Washington Ave. At the time of the arrest, police said he told his victim "I'm going to kill you," and "Die (expletive)." But Obregon-Castro testified he acted in self defense, his attorneys said. Obregon-Castro told jurors the victim, Francisco Saban, tried to rob him with a knife and he was protecting himself. Assistant Public Defender Michael Feit said Obregon-Castro wept upon hearing the verdict. Obregon-Castro's relatives, many of whom traveled from New York City for the trial, cried as well in Albany County Judge Peter Lynch's courtroom. Obregon-Castro spent more than a year in the county jail awaiting trial. Cocaine distributor gets a decade in prison ALBANY Francisco Rivera, 37, of Watervliet was sentenced Friday to 121 months in prison, to be followed by eight years of supervised release, for conspiring to distribute cocaine, federal authorities said. On Sept. 18, Rivera admitted he arranged for someone in Puerto Rico to mail him kilogram and half-kilogram quantities of cocaine that were hidden within everyday items such as scented candles and board game boxes, officials said. He arranged for cocaine shipments to be mailed to homes in Albany, Rensselaer and Schenectady counties, where he would pick them up and then deliver them to his customers. U.S. District Judge Mae A. D'Agostino ordered Rivera to forfeit $24,500 in cash drug proceeds seized from his home, as well as a 2011 BMW X6 that he used to transport the cocaine, according to the Justice Department. Woman admits misusing name of Treasury, IRS ALBANY A Wynantskill woman pleaded guilty Thursday to misusing the names of the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service, a misdemeanor, federal prosecutors said. Kristina Gross, 37, admitted she worked for a construction services company in Rensselaer County, whose bank account had been levied by the IRS on Feb. 14, 2017, officials said. On Feb. 23, Gross twice emailed a bank employee what she claimed was an IRS release of levy form, in an unsuccessful attempt to induce the bank to provide her company with access to funds that the bank had frozen as a result of receiving the IRS levy. Gross faces up to a year in jail and a maximum $10,000 fine when sentenced May 18. Ex-state worker admits vehicle benefits misuse ALBANY Former state Department of Transportation bridge repair supervisor Alfred Weber admitted he used a state-owned work vehicle for personal errands during work hours and stole nearly $3,400 in salary and vehicle use benefits to which he was not entitled, the state inspector general's office said. Weber, 64, of Albany who is retired, pleaded guilty Friday in East Greenbush Town Court to petit larceny and handed over a $3,376.91 check as full restitution to the state, according to the inspector general. Robert Gavin contributed Pastor Andrew Brunson a Presbyterian cleric in Turkey sits in a Turkish jail, a pawn in an international game of hostage diplomacy. Since he was detained in October 2016, his life has been arbitrarily suspended. As representatives of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, we met with Brunson in Kiriklar Prison, where he's been held since October 2016. We flew from Istanbul to Izmir, spent a restless night at a local hotel and, before the sun came up the next day, we headed to Kiriklar. Dressed plainly, as instructed, we walked into the prison on Oct. 5, After inspection, we were escorted into a room padded with black foam and divided by a rectangular table at the center of which, attached by a beaded metal chain, was the only pen available. Several minutes later, we heard the metallic, heavy clang of a gate that opened and closed. The door to the visiting room flung open and in walked a pale, slender version of the Andrew Brunson we had only seen in photos. Since his imprisonment began, he had lost over 50 pounds. What followed was an almost surreal hour of discussion with a man still in shock at what had happened to him. He wanted to know how this could occur in a country where he had spent more than two decades helping people? What were the charges against him? When might he get a trial? If convicted, would he be in jail for the rest of his life? Brunson eats, sleeps and lives in a cell that he is allowed to leave only once a week for a scheduled visit with his wife or a consular officer. The Turkish government, for almost a year at the point of our meeting, has given him no information about the charges against him and no court date. The case seems to be based on secret evidence and a secret witness that allege his involvement in trying to overthrow the Turkish government a charge he denies. Brunson initially was held with more than 20 men in a cell built for eight people. He now is in a cell with two others, but he is the only American, the only English speaker, and the only Christian in the prison. He lives in a world of physical isolation and psychological dislocation. Since the attempted coup in 2016, much has changed in Turkey. Human rights, including freedom of expression and association, have worsened. Arbitrary arrests, explained by "involvement" in the failed coup, are in the tens of thousands. In the chapter on Turkey in USCIRF's 2017 Annual Report, we state that "no religious community including the majority Sunni Muslim community has full legal status, and all are subject to state controls limiting their rights to maintain places of worship, train clergy, and offer religious education." Turkey chose to arrest an American Christian cleric who for more than two decades was fulfilling his religious duties by serving his congregants and others in need. Post-coup Turkey faces a number of serious problems domestically and internationally. Pastor Brunson need not be one of them. Turkey already has stolen more than a year of his life. We cannot let it steal all his tomorrows. Sandra Jolley and Kristina Arriaga are the vice chairwomen of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Ann Snyder serves on The Woodlands Township Board of Directors, being first elected to the board in 2015. Re-elected in November, 2017, Snyder's term current expires in November, 2019. Snyder also is the chairperson of the Ad Hoc Economic Development Committee and as secretary of the board. In her day job, Snyder is the executive director of generosity for The Woodlands United Methodist Church, where she oversees funding for the foundation, missions, stewardship, school and capital campaign. She also serves as head of schools for The Woodlands Methodist Schools. Prior to her position at The Woodlands United Methodist Church, Snyder served as president and CEO of Interfaith of The Woodlands as well as president & CEO of Interfaith Community Clinic where she oversaw staff and volunteers including doctors, nurses and others. Snyder holds a Bachelor of Science degree in education from Colorado State University, a Master of Education degree from the University of Missouri, and a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from Baylor University. Question: Can you tell us about your background and how it led you from your current career to your position as a member of The Woodlands Township Board of Directors? Snyder: My family and our two children and I moved here in the late 80s. What's amazing is we had thought we'd live inside the loop and the chairman of the board suggested to us, my husband and I, why don't you go out and look at a place called The Woodlands. We came out and we never went back. We met a wonderful builder, lived in our same home for almost 30 years until just recently. We raised our two children, both of whom went away to school, one MIT the other Baylor. Their best (job) offers were right here in the The Woodlands, so they came home. So it's a parents, at least Jerry's and I, a dream to have our family right here. So that personally, my background is education, I've taught from preschool, but predominantly at the university level. When we moved here, I was part-time, adjunct, with the University of Houston and then went full-time and left there in the summer of 2004. I was most recently their director of clinical and field experience in the College of Education. So students, be it undergraduate or doctoral, would go through my office for clinical student-teaching advisement, clinical intern. And it was a wonderful, wonderful position. That summer of 2004, I started working at Interfaith of The Woodlands. It is what has really made The Woodlands so unique and so different. Mr. (George) Mitchell started The Woodlands Religious Community, which DBA is Interfaith of The Woodlands, before he officially opened The Woodlands, to bring the faith-based, to bring what I call the software, not meaning to be disrespectful, to this community. And we are an incredibly generous community. And I attribute it to Mr. Mitchell's foundation of what was really truly important. Part of serving as the president and CEO of Interfaith of The Woodlands, I also was the president and CEO of Interfaith Community Clinic. (it) Was not salaried (position), it was just something that we needed, that Interfaith needed to support. It was after a Sunday sermon in 2015 that, as I shared with my board of directors, God gave me permission to do something. So in the spring of 2016 I left Interfaith, I never said I was retiring, because if something wonderful came I wanted to have that opportunity to, perhaps, be considered. So fast forward, six months later, Dr. (Ed) Robb-when he knew he was no longer going to be on the township board-approached me but he and I did not talk about it until Dec. 1, when he was officially off the township board and I started with the United Woodlands Methodist Church as part of his ministry staff. And it has been a wonderful, wonderful gift to me. Question: Do you see a correlation between your work and your serving on the board. Snyder: I do. I was brought up in a family where service is part of what you did. Volunteering is part of who you were. My parents were both very, very much in tune with that. And also under the auspice of, so to speak, that good things are for sharing. At the university, when I taught for all those years, at Interfaith, at The Woodlands United Methodist Church, and I think all of those have helped me to become the person I am. In addition, of course, to an incredible family. But also I see a correlation with The Woodlands. Interfaith is the foundation. Mr. Mitchell started it, bringing the faith-based community here, be it Protestant, Hindu, Muslim, regardless of the faith, that we would all be welcome. So I think it's very much a part of who I am and who The Woodlands is. Question: What do you see as far the future of The Woodlands, including possible incorporation? Snyder: My passion of serving on The Woodlands Township board is to ensure that we in our next steps, which there will definitely be next steps, benefit the community as a whole and the residents who live here. If I was the artist painting the picture, (it would) still (be) a place that we can live, work, play and pray, but that it also embraces all faiths, all social-economic, ethnicities and all ages. That's the foundation of who we are. Incorporation? We are, as a township board, having planning sessions that will occur throughout the year. We are also looking at hiring a company, an entity that will help us as a township board, be able to outline the costs, the benefits, probably the pros and the cons of becoming incorporated. We have, I feel one chance to do it right. I think it's our job to ensure that we have the most accurate information to give to the residents. Once I feel comfortable that we have that information and we can tell the voters that it will cost 'X,' not more than 'X,' and that these are benefits, and that they outweigh the cons, or not being incorporated, then calling that election. If the board passes it, it will be up to the residents to decide. Question: You don't have a position right now whether you are for or against incorporation? Snyder: No, mine is the very same as when I ran the very first time. It's because I want to know how much it will cost. And that's where I think we're taking a great analysis in the four entities that we've asked to come to tell us what is the best, what is not. I'm a big believer that I want The Woodlands to be in charge of its own destiny, not someone else outside The Woodlands, and have always felt that way. Question: Your colleague John McMullan said during a recent Sunday Conversation interview that the county uses The Woodlands as its "piggy bank." How would describe the relationship between The Woodlands and the county right now. Snyder: Well, I think there's somewhat of a disconnect. I grew up in a culture, and when I was on the school board, and I served for 15 years, we agree to disagree, but then we find the solution that will make good things happen for the community. Our goal on the school district was "what's best for the kids." So as a seven-member board, and geographically, the school district is very eclectic. But as long as what we did was best for the children then you could stand and support that. I think that the county needs to, in its deliberation and its decision-making, to look at the entire county, but the different, be it areas, such as The Woodlands, and when they make they decisions do what's best for The Woodlands. And I think that you would find people who do not feel that always happens. On a personal note, the constant conflict, to me, has not resulted in moving forward. It seems like there's so much friction and that is not a means that I've ever operated on. We may disagree, but let's sit down. If the end result is to do what's best for the county, as the end result of the school district is to do what's best for the children, then you have to take into consideration that perhaps what is best for the northeast part of the school district may be different than the northwest, then you do what's best for both. I really think all this conflict and constant...and that's why I ran for the board. It disheartened me to see The Woodlands be so combative with each other, on a local level, just in The Woodlands. Because that's not the vision of Mr. Mitchell. I had the true privilege of visiting him, asking him advice, and I can't speak for him, of course, but I had never seen the discord prior to the year that I ran. Question: Let me ask you about flooding issues. Where do you see the township going in preventing future flooding? Snyder: We have to do something. Hopefully we can be part of bringing people together. Unfortunately Montgomery and Harris County have more control than we do. But something has to be done to mitigate, to stop that. Different agencies, local as well as state and federal officials, must come together and fix this. It's awful what happened. What we have, hopefully the power to do, is making sure it won't happen again. I think the board, with its limited authority, has made great strides. One of our directors, Bruce [Rieser] is the appointed person. Again, I cannot speak for the board members, but I don't think there's a board member that would not think it was important. So it's something we need that we need to be part of. Question: Is the Drainage Task Force making any progress at this point? Snyder: I think it is making more (progress). We've just hired an engineering firm and I think that it has taken great strides in five months since Harvey. Question: Do you have any ambitions for higher office? Snyder: No, no. I did have ambitions to serve on the school board. Education is my passion, helping people is my passion. What brought me to the township is my friends outside the great state of Texas, where we used to live, said it should be called the Goodlands, for how I describe it. And I want to be a part to ensure that the quality of life that my children, my grandchildren now, and that families that enjoy, that we maintain, if not better. KASUR, Pakistan - The second-grader's homework assignment on Jan. 4 was to describe herself. "I am a girl," wrote Zainab Amin, who had a perky smile and a pageboy haircut. "I am seven years old. I live in Kasur. I love mangoes." The next morning, while walking to a Koran class at her aunt's house, the little girl vanished. Five days later, her battered corpse was discovered in a garbage dump nearby. The medical examiner's terse report hinted at the horrors she had endured while the community was frantically searching for her. There was "mud, fecal matter, and blood on the body," it stated. There were strangulation marks on her neck. There was semen and other "signs of sexual assault," including sodomy. Zainab's gruesome rape and murder followed several waves of child abductions, murders and sexual abuse that earned this economically struggling city a macabre reputation as Pakistan's capital of child sex abuse. But it also triggered an unprecedented national bout of soul-searching, outrage and public confessions from victims of sexual abuse. Pakistan is a conservative Muslim society; child abuse is common but rarely reported, and sex education is too controversial for public schools. Rape victims are often charged with adultery and jailed, and tribal councils - part of a traditional parallel justice system - have sentenced women and girls to be raped as retribution for forbidden dalliances or elopement committed by their male relatives. In most instances, state authorities do not intervene unless the case is especially egregious and attracts news coverage. But Zainab's case, which coincided with the #MeToo phenomenon in the United States, thrust a long-verboten topic into the public arena. Headlines screamed "Pakistan's Shame!" The #JusticeforZainab hashtag went viral. Celebrities sent out tweets revealing childhood secrets of being molested by older men. Clerics from competing Muslim groups rushed to lead funeral prayers and protests. Provincial government officials, facing calls for their resignations, fired Kasur's police chief and offered a reward of 10 million rupees (about $100,000) for information about the culprit. "There is no shame in having been a victim of abuse," tweeted Frieha Altaf, a silver-haired public relations star who confided that she had been molested by her family's cook at age 6. She said the experience "scarred me for life" but that she had remained silent until now because the issue was a social taboo in Pakistan, "shushed away by victims' families." Fashion designer Maheem Khan reported on social media that she had been sexually abused as a child by a Muslim cleric "who came to teach me the Koran. I froze in fear day after day." She urged her fellow Pakistanis to "take a look at ourselves as a society" and parents to "listen to your children, teach them, warn them, talk to them openly about what is appropriate and what isn't." Zainab's death set off three days of violent rioting in Kasur, a gritty industrial city near the border with India where residents were already on edge after a spate of similar crimes - including a video porn ring that reportedly targeted nearly 300 children. Most cases were never solved, and some suspects were freed by the courts. Last week, as anger at authorities boiled over, three protesters were shot dead. Rights activists said they fear that the furor will die down and little will change, though, largely because of the entrenched political interests, clan loyalties, legal limits and cultural taboos that work against justice in such cases. Witnesses often refuse to testify, police are discouraged from investigating, and courts routinely free accused abusers. There is almost no sex education in public schools, and it was not until two years ago that sexual abuse of minors was made a criminal offense. Already, in the days since Zainab's abduction, a similar case has come to light in northwest Pakistan - this time with an even younger victim, a girl of 4 named Asma. Her body was found in a sugar cane field with signs of strangulation and rape. Her father was away at the time, working as a construction laborer in the Middle East. "The whole society has reacted strongly in Zainab's case, but only punishment will deter the recurrence of such crimes," said Manizeh Bano, executive director of Sahil, a nonprofit group that fights child abuse. In the 2015 pedophile porn case, rights groups claimed that as many as 280 children were abducted and forced to participate in videotaped sex acts. There were protests and calls for justice, but an investigative panel found no evidence of abuse and said the accusations stemmed from a land dispute. Bano, whose group found that most cases of child sexual abuse are never reported, said she was encouraged by the surge of about 100 reported cases since Zainab's abduction. But in Kasur, she said there were "powerful circles" protecting the abusers, reportedly including politicians and police. "Unless such circles are broken, it will be difficult to prevent such cases in the future," she said. On Thursday, in a working-class district of Kasur, TV satellite trucks and police vehicles clogged cement alleys leading to the Amins' modest home across from a textile factory. A makeshift press podium had been set up in a vacant lot, and posters had been put up showing Zainab's face surrounded by bloody palm prints. Her father, a soft-spoken school supply custodian named Muhammad Amin Ansari, received a stream of well-wishers in his dimly lit living room. He and his wife were in Saudi Arabia on a Muslim pilgrimage when their daughter vanished, and they had asked an uncle to look after her. "I was in Mecca praying for my children, and I came back to this," said Ansari, 50, a slight man with a gray beard. He said he was frustrated by the lack of police progress in finding Zainab's killer but that he hoped the tragedy would help prevent similar crimes in the future. "We need justice for all such cases," he said. In a cramped bedroom down the hall, his wife Nusrat, 42, spoke in a murmur. She described Zainab, the youngest of her four children, as a studious girl who loved to get up early to study the Koran before school. "I want to look in the eyes of the person who did this so he can see what I suffered during those five days we were all looking for her," she said. So far, though, no progress in the case has been announced, although a special investigative team has been working around the clock. Officials said that DNA samples suggest that at least half of the 11 other girls found raped and killed in the city over the past two years were victims of the same attacker, raising the fearsome specter of a serial predator at large. At the local headquarters of the Punjab province police, a map of the city was pinned to the wall, with labels marking Zainab's house and the garbage dump where her body was found. Zahid Marwat, the newly named police chief, said more than 200 officers from several security agencies were investigating the case, including young women acting as decoys. "Our job is to arrest the culprit, and we will not rest until he is caught," Marwat said. He did not comment on police actions before his arrival but said everything possible is now being done to find Zainab's attacker. "More children could be in danger. Society is in a panic, and people feel very insecure. There is no way we would take this lightly," he said. But community leaders complained that police had failed to take serious action after the girl was reported missing and security camera tapes showed her walking with a man whose face was clearly visible. Volunteers combed the area for five days, finding nothing until the morning of Jan. 10, when her remains were discovered. On Thursday, cars periodically pulled up at the garbage dump and visitors got out, staring at the sea of trash for a few moments before turning away. A bony dog sniffed among the new piles of trash, and backhoes chugged back and forth, methodically crushing and covering up what lay below. Paul Booth, a progressive activist who organized one of the first major rallies against the Vietnam War - a 15,000-student march on the White House in 1965 - and who later oversaw efforts to boost wages and preserve Social Security benefits as a top strategist for one of the nation's largest unions, died Jan. 17 at a hospital in Washington. He was 74. The cause was complications from chronic lymphocytic leukemia, said his wife, activist Heather Booth. On the day he died, Booth was working on an article for the American Prospect and had encouraged his wife to attend a Capitol Hill demonstration, where she was arrested while protesting on behalf of "dreamers" protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The lanky son of a left-leaning economist and social worker, Booth engrossed himself in organizing as a student at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, where in the early 1960s he founded a chapter of Students for a Democratic Society - a fractious, sometimes anarchic organization whose calls for peace, social justice and political reform came to define the movement known as the New Left. "We're really not just a peace group," he told The New York Times on April 17, 1965, the day he led the SDS-organized war protest in Washington. "We are working on domestic problems - civil rights, poverty, university reform. We feel passionately and angrily about things in America, and we feel that a war in Asia will destroy what we're trying to do here." Booth was described by Alan Haber, first president of SDS, as a rare "cheerful spirit" in the organization, singing and telling stories to maintain morale during the contentious drafting process that resulted in the organization's 1962 manifesto, the Port Huron Statement, under student leaderTom Hayden. Rising to the position of national secretary, the group's de facto leader, he worked with civil rights and women's groups to organize events such as the antiwar march on the White House and an earlier rally at the New York headquarters of Chase Manhattan Bank, which the coalition labeled a "partner in apartheid" for giving loans to the South African government. Still, Booth was viewed as insufficiently radical by many of the organization's younger members. When he espoused a policy of "build, not burn," recommending that young Americans perform volunteer work or humanitarian service in lieu of military service or draft-card burning, he was censured by some SDS leaders. Sociologist Todd Gitlin, a fellow SDS activist who helped organize the bank and antiwar rallies, described Booth's politics as akin to what writer and socialist leader Michael Harrington described as "the left wing of the possible": "Don't go out on a limb, don't break your contact with ordinary people and mainline institutions." A protege of community organizer Saul Alinsky, Booth left SDS to become a labor organizer in 1966. He worked on environmental efforts in Chicago before joining the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the country's largest public-services employees union. He went on to serve as the chief assistant to union president Gerald W. McEntee and as an executive assistant to his successor, Lee Saunders. His titles belied the full range of his work, which included behind-the-scenes efforts to support Democratic politicians and maintain or expand social benefits for working-class families. In addition to leading campaigns that opposed cuts to Medicare and the privatization of Social Security, Booth was credited with organizing a coalition in Baltimore that successfully pressed for the country's first living-wage law. Passed in 1994, the legislation raised the base pay for city contract workers in Baltimore above the federal minimum wage and has since been mimicked in cities across the country. The law also formed the seeds of the recent campaign for a $15 minimum wage - an issue that made it onto the Democratic Party's official platform at the 2016 national convention. Booth, selected by presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, was a member of the committee that wrote the platform. Paul Robert Booth was born in Washington on June 7, 1943. His father was a Labor Department economist who later worked for the International Labor Organization in Geneva; when he suffered a heart ailment, the family returned to the United States and became dependent on his mother's income as a social worker. Booth graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in the District and, in 1964, received a bachelor's degree in political science from Swarthmore. He met Heather Tobis two years later at a University of Chicago sit-in protesting the Selective Service, and after three days on the floor of the school's administration building asked her to marry him. She later formed the Midwest Academy, a Chicago-based training center for social-justice organizers, where Booth was a board member. In addition to his wife of 50 years, survivors include two sons, Gene Booth of Chicago and Dan Booth of Concord, Massachusetts., named for the socialist leaders Eugene V. Debs and Daniel De Leon, respectively; a brother; and five grandchildren. Booth was research director for the United Packinghouse Workers of America before joining AFSCME in 1974. As the international union representative for Illinois, he secured union contracts for state workers and city employees in Chicago - "further speeding the demise of the patronage system," the Chicago Tribune reported in 1988. He retired in 2017 but remained engaged in national politics, even when he was hospitalized last week. On a CaringBridge site for Booth created shortly before his death, his wife noted that alongside notes or calls from well-wishers, "Paul particularly welcomes any news about more Republican retirements." What he really wanted, she continued, was for friends and strangers "to organize and build the resistance." A newly released Pentagon strategy document proposes a new vision of America's national security priorities - one in which competition with China and Russia is more important to the United States than the fight against international terrorism. After almost two decades of a "war on terror" that came at huge expense but often had few tangible benefits, such a strategy would mark a noteworthy change in the way the United States conducts its foreign policy. However, the new strategy also raises a question: Do American voters agree? Perhaps not. A number of polls conducted over the past year show that Americans remain deeply concerned about the threat posed by international terrorism, while they appear to be underwhelmed by the risks posed by a rising China or a belligerent Russia. That disconnect between U.S. voters and the U.S. national security apparatus may become an issue down the road. The National Defense Strategy was unveiled Friday morning at Johns Hopkins University's Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. Speaking to reporters, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis explained that the document, which calls for a sustained financial investment in the military to overcome "a period of strategic atrophy," reflects the real priorities for the United States at this moment in time. "We will continue to prosecute the campaign against terrorists, but great power competition - not terrorism - is now the primary focus of U.S. national security," Mattis said. Beijing and Moscow are seen as the primary rivals. In its text, the National Defense Strategy states that "long-term strategic competitions with China and Russia" are the "principle priorities" for the Defense Department. North Korea and Iran were listed as "rogue regimes" that the United States would work to deter. The shift in priorities detailed in the National Defense Strategy reflect concerns in the national security community about China and Russia's foreign policy ambitions. At the same time, it may also be a reflection of the idea that international terrorist groups like the Islamic State have had their capabilities seriously diminished over the past year and that they do not pose the same level of threat that they were once thought to. Notably, a report released by Jane's Terrorism and Insurgency Center on Thursday showed there was a global drop in terrorist attacks in 2017. Notably, there appears to have been a significant drop in the number of terrorism-related civilian deaths last year - if you look at the average for the previous five years, it was a drop of 45 percent. Despite this shift, there is little sign that the U.S. public is more concerned about the threat posed by China or Russia - or that it has stopped caring deeply about international terrorism. According to a poll conducted for the Chicago Council for Global Affairs last June, international terrorism was listed as a critical threat to the United States by 75 percent of respondents. That was the highest ranking for all choices given. Comparatively, only 38 percent listed China's military power as a critical threat to the United States, and only 30 percent listed Russia's territorial ambitions. A separate poll from Pew Research Center conducted in February and March last year found a similar result - 74 percent of Americans listed the Islamic State as a major threat to the United States, compared with 47 percent who listed Russia's power and influence and 41 percent who listed China's power and influence. These results may seem surprising. You don't have to look far to see worrying aspects of Chinese and Russian foreign policy - the situation in the South China Sea or Ukraine are two obvious examples. Alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election is an additional sign of how Moscow's foreign policy can hurt the United States, and there is also more subtle evidence that Beijing has undertaken its own effort at covertly influencing U.S. politics. However, the threat from terrorism is simple to understand and specifically designed to instill fear. In contrast, the threats posed by a rising China or Russia are complicated; the United States does not have a purely adversarial role with either. Pew's data show that Americans aren't alone in prioritizing terrorism over Chinese and Russian threats. In 38 countries polled, it found concern about the Islamic State was double that found for Chinese or Russian power. Though some East Asian nations like South Korea and Vietnam were notably concerned about China, concerns about the Islamic State were generally far higher - a majority listed it as a threat in 29 countries. In the United States, concerns about terrorism are largely a bipartisan affair, according to the Chicago Council data. In contrast, majority-level concerns about China's military power or Russia's territorial ambitions were limited to Republican leaders (the greater Republican-leaning public did not seem to be especially perturbed by China or Russia). The Pentagon is not bound by public opinion, of course. Many have long argued that concerns about terrorism were exaggerated in the West: One widely-shared statistic suggests that Americans are more likely to be killed by a lawn mower than an Islamist militant terrorist. But perception can be as important as reality, and Mattis and others in President Donald Trump's administration may want to be wary of too quickly dismissing the threat from terrorism. Ahead of the 2016 vote, Pew's polling found that terrorism was one of the most important issues for voters, second only to the economy. And Trump, the election's eventual winner and a candidate who talked frequently about terrorism during the campaign, was narrowly favored by voters for his ability to defend the country from future terrorist attacks. WASHINGTON For Texas, home to some 124,000 Dreamers and nearly 800 miles of the Mexican border, the stakes in Friday's government shutdown showdown couldn't have been greater. In the front lines of the battle over immigration, a slew of lawmakers from the Lone Star State also found themselves in the center of the drama, with Texas U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican leader, serving as a top behind-the-scenes negotiator to avert a shutdown on the first anniversary of the Trump presidency. But a final 50-49 Senate vote - posted just after midnight fell short of the 60 needed to extend the government's funding past midnight, precipitating the second shutdown crisis of the past five years. In the 11th hour, just five Democrats joined in voting for a stop-gap funding measure to keep the government open. Five Republicans voted no. Moments later, a visibly flustered Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader, proposed another stop-gap measure keeping the government open until Feb. 8. "We'll continue to talk," he said. Democrats said they were open to new talks, even as the White House said it would not negotiate on immigration until the shutdown ends. "We will not negotiate the status of unlawful immigrants while Democrats hold our lawful citizens hostage over their reckless demands," White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. Nevertheless, House members were advised to stay in Washington for possible new votes. Moments before the climactic Senate vote, President Donald Trump, who had run for office as a consummate deal-maker, acknowledged that that there was no deal to be had. "Not looking good for our great Military or Safety & Security on the very dangerous Southern Border," he tweeted. "Dems want a Shutdown in order to help diminish the great success of the Tax Cuts, and what they are doing for our booming economy." Democrats saw their stand differently. When the Democrats' top negotiator, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, emerged from a highly anticipated, one-on-one meeting with Trump earlier at the White House, he had no breakthrough to report, only "a good number of disagreements." According to Cornyn, President Donald Trump turned down the Democratic leaders' request for a four-day extension until Tuesday for further talks on immigration. Cornyn, the Republican whip, immediately bid Schumer to return to the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. "No agreement," Cornyn remarked on Twitter. "Work it out with @SpeakerRyan and @SenateMajLdr" a reference to House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Whether any deal remained to be struck in Congress still remained to be seen, with less than 12 hours before the midnight deadline for a government shutdown. It was an outcome both sides said they wanted to avoid. According to Cornyn, who "implored' Democrats to support a stop-gap funding deal until February 16, the paychecks of about 200,000 federal workers in Texas were hanging in the balance. "Paychecks will cease, and services will be disrupted," he said. In the final hours of the standoff a slow-motion game of political chicken the two sides were hardening their respective positions: Republicans insisting on funding Trump's border wall, and Democrats holding out for a deal to protect young immigrants from deportation. The deal the Republican leaders offered Democrats in the end would do neither, pushing off negotiations for another month, keeping the lights on in Washington until for another 30 days simply setting up a new deadline. As sweeteners to liberals, the stop-gap funding measure would extend the popular Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for six years; for conservatives, it would push back two Obamacare taxes. Democrats, under pressure from their base to restore the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, balked. With Trump setting a March 5 expiration for the program protecting Dreamers, Democrats were refusing to go along with any more delay in striking a deal on immigration. Negotiations devolved into a blame game, and Texans were echoing many of the same points as the national leaders in both parties. The Woodlands Republican Kevin Brady, in a House floor speech on Thursday, chided Democrats for passing on the CHIP and Obamacare tax provisions. "It's regrettable because these are bipartisan issues, and politics are shutting this government down," said Brady, a close ally of Ryan and chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Austin Democrat Lloyd Doggett, a member of Brady's tax-writing committee, pointed the finger back. "The cause of any government shutdown now will be the same as in the past-Republican intransigence," he said. "If they continue to insist upon an entirely partisan bill that excludes Dreamers, they should not expect Democratic votes. I want the government to remain open for everyone, including our Dreamers." Amid the logjam came dire warnings for a government stoppage, which would be the first since Republicans forced a shutdown in 2013 in an unsuccessful attempt to defund the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. "Amid all the squabbles and finger-pointing, congressional leaders should be ashamed of their choice to play political games with the fate of 9 million American kids 400,000 Texas kids in the Children's Health Insurance Program," said Ann Beeson, executive director of the Center for Public Policy Priorities in Austin. Under an earlier deal with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Texas received $135 million to continue the program through February. Apart from Dreamers and CHIP kids, the people most directly hit by a closure would be the state's large military population, which would mostly stay on duty but receive on paychecks for the duration of any funding lapse. Social security checks would still go out because they're not subject to annual appropriations from Congress but national parks and other tourist sites could be closed unless the White House makes special arrangements. Facing the uncertainty of which side the voters would blame for a government shutdown, both sides vented their frustration and calculated the political risks. After mollifying members of the conservative Freedom Caucus about holding fast on border security and future military spending increases a sticking point that divided Republicans the House voted 230 to 197 Thursday night to approve the one-month continuing resolution. In the end, only 11 conservative Republicans voted against the resolution, none from Texas. Among those voting with the GOP majority was San Antonio Republican Will Hurd, a top Democratic target in a heavily Latino border district in West Texas. Six Democrats broke with their leaders and voted for the temporary funding measure. Among them was Laredo Democrat Henry Cuellar. That pushed the showdown into the Senate, where the GOP's narrow 51-49 seat edge was not big enough to pass the funding measure without Democratic support. It takes 60 votes to overcome Senate procedural hurdles, and the votes of at least three conservative Republicans remained in doubt over spending and budget issues. 'Dreamers' showdown Cornyn has long advocated for GOP outreach to minorities. But he accused the Democrats of using their leverage to hold the entire government "hostage" for Dreamers, with whom he expressed sympathy. "These 690,000 young men and women are truly, should be, the subject of our compassion," Cornyn said Friday evening on the Senate floor. "But why would we hold 320 million people hostage?" Cornyn, like other Republicans, argued that there was no emergency and there would still be time to negotiate a resolution to the DACA program. "We have been negotiating in good faith on a solution to the DACA recipients, and we will continue to do so," he said. But it was clear in the endgame of the shutdown maneuvering that a lack of trust had permeated the talks. Democrats blamed Trump, whose remarks calling some Third World countries "shitholes" in private immigration talks earlier in the week seemed to have poised the well. Houston Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee, an outspoken Trump critic, argued that Republicans, who control the White House and both chambers in Congress, had to take responsibility for any government shutdown. "This is not a bill," she said of the temporary funding measure in the House, the fourth since September. "It is an affirmation of the inability of the Republicans to govern." Republicans countered that the onus should fall on Senate Democrats, who had the power to keep the government open. Rep. Joe Barton, a Republican from Arlington who supports legislation legalizing Dreamers, expressed bewilderment that Democrats would vote against a funding measure that contained nothing that they opposed. "Where I come from, you vote for what's in the bill," he said, "not what's not in the bill." But in the end, Democrats rejected the choice between funding the government and a deal-in-the-hand to protect Dreamers. They argued its' a population that has been under the gun since Sept. 5, when Trump declared that Obama did not had the legal authority to protect them unilaterally kicking the issue over the Congress, where it has remained for five months. "People who say it's one or the other present a false choice," said El Paso congressman Beto O'Rourke, the Democrats' best hope of unseating Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018. "We can do both." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate As the Texas congressional delegation tried to help broker a deal to end the government shutdown Saturday, concerns and confusion continued over what the real-life impact of the impasse could mean in the Lone Star State if it lasts more than a few days. One thing was clear, though: There were few, if any, public signs of the shutdown impacting everyday life in Texas on Saturday. While federal officials reassured that Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts would continue through the shutdown, there were unresolved questions about whether it could add even more delays to more permanent housing repairs Texans are still waiting on. What is clear is that the 3,898 federal employees deployed to help with Texas' recovery are still on the job and working. And short term temporary housing programs are not expected to see any impact for now. "Disaster recovery personnel are deemed as essential," said Brian Sullivan, a public affairs specialist from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. But Sullivan said he couldn't say if the shutdown would have any impact on Texas's long wait for more permanent housing repair money from the federal government. Congress approved $7.4 billion in relief funding last year, but HUD officials are still working on the rules for how that money will be distributed and how it can be used. HUD contingency plans in an event of a shutdown are not clear as to whether those rulemaking efforts will continue during a work stoppage. Texas officials have lamented that historically it can take HUD more than two years to get that funding out. State officials say that isn't the only potential delay that worries them. The Texas Land Office said they need language in the federal budget bill to pass that would allow them to use previous HUD disaster funding to help pay for temporary home repairs that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is mostly covering. FEMA covers 90 percent of those basic repairs to the building structure, plumbing and electricity. But the Texas Land Office is pushing to use HUD funding to cover the final 10 percent. But that cannot happen without specific direction from Congress that remains tangled up in the budget showdown, said Brittany Eck, a spokeswoman for the land office. Most national parks in the nation - including the 14 in Texas - mostly remained opened but with limited services. At Big Bend National Park, for instance, visitors could still enter the park but the visitor's center was closed. Similarly, presidential research centers were mostly opened but with some portions closed. At the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, officials said the facility remained in mostly normal operations, but the research room and archival activities administered by the National Archives and Records Administration would be closed during the shutdown. At the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Center in College Station, officials are warning the public on its website that archival facilities are closed and some activities cancelled. Meanwhile in Washington, top Texas lawmakers worked with leaders in both parties to end the impasse, even as they continued to accuse each other of playing politics. Senate Republican sought to pass a three-week, stop-gap funding patch lasting until Feb. 8, while Democrats held out for a shorter period to reach a deal on immigration the main sticking point in the shutdown showdown. "We find ourselves here in a completely unnecessary situation," Texas U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a key negotiators, said in a floor speech Saturday. "Our colleagues across the aisle have listened to the most extreme elements in their political party and shut down the government over an unrelated immigration issue." Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who had sought a shorter-term deal expiring on Tuesday, said he thought he was close to an agreement with President Donald Trump on Friday, only to hear that the president preferred the longer term GOP plan. "Negotiating with the president is like negotiating with jello," Schumer said. "He can't stick to the terms." After a flurry of dueling speeches, the House moved toward a vote on a rule providing for same-day consideration of bills, laying the groundwork for quick action in case the Senate struck a deal. But the two sides remained far apart. Heading the GOP side of the debate was Dallas Republican Pete Sessions, chairman of the House Rules Committee. In an opening speech that sparked objections from Democrats for impugning other lawmakers, he called the shutdown a "manufactured crisis" and a "political game." A move to have his words stricken from the record was unsuccessful, but it delayed the afternoon proceedings. Meanwhile, few House lawmakers appeared ready to cross party lines, any more than they had on Thursday in a largely party-line vote for a temporary government funding measures lasting until Feb. 16. One of the few was Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar, a Democrat from Laredo, one of a handful of lawmakers who broke from his party. "I voted on the House floor in order to continue federal funding to keep the government open," he said Saturday. "I voted yes, and I will vote to keep it open again." At the same time, the campaign arms of both parties went into high gear. The Republican-allied American Action Network announced new ads against Democrats, while the Democratic National Committee announced new digital ads targeting five Senate Republicans, including Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. Democrats also said they were launching ads against several Texas Republican House members, including U.S. Reps. John Culberson of Houston and Will Hurd of San Antonio. In a statement, Culberson lamented that the fight over Dreamers immigrants brought into the country illegally as children was being used by Democrats as a "political weapon." He also accused Democrats of holding up final passage of a Hurricane Harvey relief bill, although the GOP funding measure passed by the House on Thursday did not contain disaster aid. Houston Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee cited the lack of disaster aid, along the Dreamer impasse, as a reason to oppose the GOP funding measure. "I cannot in good conscience allow so many families to suffer any longer than they already have," she said. But Friendswood Republican Randy Weber, whose district was also heavily damaged by the hurricane, sought to de-link the funding and immigration battles. "We need to separate politics from policy, and focus on the priorities and deadlines at hand," Weber said. "We have a job to do." WASHINGTON President Donald Trump and Senate leaders scrambled Friday to avert a midnight shutdown of much of the government, with Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, declaring that progress had been made in a private meeting with the president at the White House. But with the clock ticking, no votes were even scheduled before federal funds were to run out at midnight. We had a long and detailed meeting, Schumer told reporters at the Capitol after leaving the White House. We discussed all of the major outstanding issues. We made some progress, but we still have a good number of disagreements. The discussions will continue. By Friday afternoon, it appeared that only a last-minute congressional deal could stop what would be a rare shutdown of a federal government under one-party control. The House cleared stopgap spending legislation on Thursday night that would keep the government funded through Feb. 16, but Senate Democrats were seeking concessions on their own priorities, including protecting young undocumented immigrants from deportation, and an increase domestic spending, disaster aid for Puerto Rico and bolstering the governments response to the opioid epidemic. Our Democratic colleagues are engaged in a dangerous game of chicken, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Senate Republican, warned in a speech on the Senate floor. Trump, who described his session with Schumer as an excellent preliminary meeting in a tweet Friday afternoon, did not appear able or willing to suggest his own solution. Cornyn said Trump had rejected a proposal by Schumer to fund the government through Tuesday to allow negotiations to continue. The president told him to go back and talk to Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell and work it out, Cornyn said, referring to the House speaker and Senate majority leader. Senate Democrats still held out hope that Trump, scorched by the firestorm prompted by his vulgar, racially tinged comments on Africa last week, would be willing to make concessions. Its time for us as Democrats and Republicans to sit down in a room together, think about this great nation and the frustration they have with our political system and those of us in political life, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, said in a speech on the Senate floor. He went on: Nine out of 10, maybe even more, would say to us, For goodness sakes, will you stop your fighting, will you stop your bickering, will you stop your debating, would you get into a room and act like grown-ups and do something together for the good of this nation? Around the country, state and local officials were left scratching their heads at the dysfunction in Washington. Were the United States of America, lamented Gov. Matt Mead, the two-term Republican governor of Wyoming, in an interview Friday. We should be able to figure out these problems without going to the cliff every so often whether its with Republicans or Democrats in office. There certainly has to be a better way. In the Capitol, it was unclear when or if a vote would be held, as each party prepared to blame the other for a shutdown. Democrats delivered speeches on the Senate floor in front of a huge placard that blared: Trump Shutdown. But at the White House, Trumps budget director, Mick Mulvaney, said the Trump administration is preparing for what were calling the Schumer shutdown. Tempers were flaring within the Republican Party as well. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a moderate Republican on immigration who has been trying to broker a deal with Democrats, laced into Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas on Friday, deriding him as the Steve King of the Senate in an interview with MSNBC, a reference to the Iowa congressman who is perhaps the most virulent anti-immigrant voice in Congress. Cotton, who has helped thwart Grahams efforts, retorted with Grahams failed 2016 presidential bid. The difference between Steve King and Lindsey Graham is that Steve King can actually win an election in Iowa, Cotton told reporters. Cotton went on to argue that it was Trumps views on immigration that powered him to be the Republican Partys nominee, while Graham was relegated to the kiddie table at the primary debates. Across the Capitol, House Republican leaders pressured Senate Democrats to capitulate and give their blessing to the stopgap measure. Make no mistake about it: Senate Democrats are the only ones standing in the way of a fully funded government and a reauthorized health insurance program for children, Ryan, R-Wis., said. This is no time to play politics and force a shutdown. The House has done its job. House Republican leaders told their members late Friday morning to remain flexible, in case the Senate reached an agreement and sent the House a spending bill. Trump canceled plans to travel to his Florida resort on Friday and will stay in Washington until a spending bill is passed, a White House official said Friday morning. In an early-morning Twitter post Friday, Trump put pressure on Democrats to keep the federal government open. Still, with great uncertainty on Capitol Hill, the government began bracing for a shutdown. National parks will remain open even if the government shuts down, the Department of Interior announced Thursday in a move that could help assuage public anger at Republicans if Congress fails to agree to a budget. The Defense Department, however, warned that military personnel would not be paid until Congress makes funds available. If Democrats vote the stopgap bill down, the move would hold undeniable risks. Ten Senate Democrats are running for re-election in states that Trump won in 2016, and many of those states such as Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota and West Virginia may hold little sympathy for one of the primary causes of the looming shutdown: protecting young unauthorized immigrants known as Dreamers. Five of those red state Democrats introduced legislation Friday to withhold the pay of members of Congress during a shutdown. If members of Congress cant figure this out and keep the government open, then none of us should get paid, said Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri. McConnell, of Kentucky, warned that the Senate was just hours away from an entirely avoidable government shutdown. This vote should be a no-brainer, McConnell said, and it would be, except the Democratic leader has convinced his members to filibuster any funding bill that doesnt include legislation they are demanding for people who came into the United States illegally. The stopgap bill, which passed the House by a vote of 230-197, would keep the government open for a month, provide funding for the Childrens Health Insurance Program for six years and delay or suspend a handful of taxes imposed by the Affordable Care Act. About dozen, or possibly more, Senate Democratic votes will be needed to approve the measure because some Republican senators are expected to vote no. The standoff on immigration dates back to September, when Trump moved to end an Obama-era program called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, which shields the young immigrants from deportation. Democrats have been eager to enshrine into law protections for those immigrants. At the same time, congressional leaders from both parties have been trying to reach an agreement to raise strict limits on domestic and military spending, a deal that would pave the way for a long-term spending package. So far this fiscal year, they have relied on stopgap measures to keep the government funded. By Friday evening, it was still far from clear how the political blame would be divvied if the government does shut down on Saturday, the anniversary of Trumps inauguration. At some point, Congress needs to do better than government-by-crisis, short-term fixes, and sidestepping difficult issues, said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del. That time is now. Proud of his deep Texas roots and of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets, John Edmiston was a longtime Texas journalist who twice worked for the San Antonio Light. The first time, as he once wryly noted, he fared badly. The second time, he emerged as a respected wire, news and business editor. John was a larger-than-life character and had a very, very dry sense of humor, recalled reporter Alan Turner, who worked with Edmiston at the Light in the 1980s. He was very intelligent, and very well-read. He was very interested in history and was proud of his long Texas family history, he said. More Information John E. Edmiston Born: Jan. 13, 1950, in San Antonio Died: Jan 10, 2018, in San Antonio Survivors: Son Jason; grandsons Tristan and Conner Edmiston Services: Private family services. See More Collapse One great-grandfather, James Edmiston, rode with Texas Rangers Jack Coffee Hays and Rip Ford. According to family lore, other Edmistons were bound for the Alamo when it fell in 1836. Edmiston, 67, died Jan. 10, while recovering from knee surgery. Born in San Antonio, he graduated from MacArthur High School in 1967 and went to Texas A&M, forming friendships that lasted a lifetime. The tightest bond you have at the Corps are the guys in your outfit, and even more than that, the guys in your class. John and I were in the Class of 1971, recalled Bill Avant, 68, of Nacogdoches. Back in the old days it was pretty rough. We went through nine months of what could be called Marine boot camp. We started out with 44 guys, and three years later, only 11 of us made it to graduation, he said. Over the decades, some kept in very close contact. He just kind of became part of my family. For my kids, he was the crazy uncle, said Avant. Edmistons newspaper career included stops in Taylor, Paris and Greenville, and culminated at the Houston Post. He was very devoted to the truth, as most journalists are. He was very proud of what he did, recalled Jay Brakefield, who worked with him at The Light. He returned home after his father died, and for a while taught journalism in the South San Antonio Independent School District. Edmistons love of books and writing was equaled only by his fascination with Bob Dylan, John Lennon and other 1960s musicians. I grew up in bookstores and vinyl stores. Right now Im going through a mountain of books in his home, recalled his son, Jason Edmiston, 38, an only child raised by a single parent. He was kind of a strict dad, but we always got along. He was always there when I needed him, he said. In their last telephone conversation a month or so ago, Avant and Edmiston joked about health problems and mortality. I told him, You will not check out before I do. You will not leave me the last man standing, but Ill be goddamned if he didnt leave me at the checkout, Avant said of his friends sudden death. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. If you do not have a current print subscription to the Lodi News-Sentinel, but want to view unlimited articles for the month, please choose this option. Properties / Homes Jan 20, 2018 | By Palace Le Nouvel KLCC stands tall as one of Kuala Lumpurs latest high-rise luxury residences developed by Wing Tai Asia. Its bold facade is accented by abundant, well-kept tropical vines creeping down the towers. Situated within this highly sought-after address and sitting on premium real estate, Le Nouvel KLCC faces the Petronas Twin Towers and Suria KLCC, and is well-situated amid high-end shopping centres, top hotels and corporate offices. There is a RapidKL LRT station nearby and the upcoming Singapore-Kuala Lumpur high-speed rail station is just a short drive away, making it a convenient address for a second home within the region. Le Nouvel KLCC offers 195 luxurious apartments that are spread across two towers spanning 43 and 49 stories respectively, seamlessly connected by a pool deck on level seven and a Sky Bridge on level 34. Here, you will be privy to an exquisite panorama of the city from the Sky Gallery, housed inside the linked bridge on level 34. It also houses the Sky Lounge, Sky Kitchen and Sky Dining where you can indulge in delectable cuisine as well as cushy cigar and wine lounges. Tower One features 78 units comprising two, three and four-bedroom suites, two Simplex units and two penthouses. Tower Two offers 117 units of two to three-bedroom suites and two penthouses. Selected units in Tower Two are now available for preview, of which some of these are fully furnished and in move-in condition. The plush and refined interiors feature beautifully appointed furnishings and artful, elegant detailing such as bespoke silk-screened window panels, with unique designs in each residence. White marble flooring, Poggenpohl designed kitchens, Miele household appliances and Lema wardrobes enhance the luxurious settings. Premium facilities abound. Swimming pools, a state-of the-art gym, and an expansive yoga room beckon, as do family-friendly facilities such as spacious game, theatre and karaoke rooms. Starting at 1,722 sqft, layouts are offered in 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom configurations, including duplex units. For a private viewing to Le Nouvel KLCC, be sure to call ahead for an appointment. Price: From RM 5 Million (Approx. USD 1.17 Million) www.lnklcc.com MARTINSVILLE The number of city residents being considered to fill an unexpired term on the Martinsville School Board is down to two, as one person has withdrawn from consideration. In a phone interview, Efigenia Cuenca Mota said she no longer is interested in the seat because she has realized that now is not a convenient time for her to serve on the board. That leaves two candidates, Sammy Redd and James Hyler, who will be interviewed privately by the Martinsville City Council when it meets Tuesday night. The council is expected to publicly announce its choice for the board after the interviews are conducted. Cuenca Mota used to operate a tailoring business uptown but now is a substitute teacher in the city school division. She unsuccessfully ran for a city council seat in the November 2016 election. If she was to be chosen for the school board, she would have to quit being a substitute teacher. She said that she is enjoying her work too much to give it up. I like to be in the schools, serving the kids, Cuenca Mota said. Should she seek a school board or council seat in the future, having personal experience working in schools will give her valuable insight into educational issues that she otherwise would not get, she said. I know whats going on in the schools, she added. When youre on the inside, you can see what they really need to be successful in the future. Cuenca Mota said she might consider seeking a school board seat again at some point. Unlike in many localities such as Henry County where school boards are elected by voters, the Martinsville School Board is appointed by the council. Redd is coordinator of student services for the New College Institute. His duties in that job include helping students understand their higher education options and helping families find ways to afford to send students to college upon graduating from high school. He works with local school divisions in his efforts to reach students. He previously was a counselor with the Henry County Public Schools. Redd said he thinks that his career experiences in both K-12 and higher education give him a unique skill set not currently represented on the school board. Such skills will be needed more and more in the future, he said, as the need for students to obtain some type of education beyond high school increases. I think I have a lot to contribute in terms of making connections between K-12 schools and higher education, he added. Hyler is on the Martinsville Planning Commission, another council-appointed panel. He is a retired information collection coordinator for the U.S. Department of Education. He is interested in the school board seat because he wants to be part of continuing efforts to improve the citys schools, he has said. The names of Cuenca Mota, Redd and Hyler were spoken during a public hearing held by the council on Jan. 9. Under state law, only people who speak their names during a hearing, or have someone else speak their names, can be considered for appointment to school board seats. Whoever is chosen by the council Tuesday night will replace Andy Hall on the school board. After only several months on the board, Hall had to resign when he recently was named Martinsvilles new commonwealths attorney. Hall had been selected by the council to fill the unexpired term of Lawrence Mitchell, who resigned from the board in August, citing irreconcilable differences with other members. Mitchell also has said he believes the relationship between the council and its appointed board is too political. The new board member will fill the remainder of Mitchells unexpired term, which ends on June 30. The person then will be eligible to be reappointed to the board for a full three-year term. We value your privacy. Focus Taiwan (CNA) uses tracking technologies to provide better reading experiences, but it also respects readers' privacy. Click here to find out more about Focus Taiwan's privacy policy. When you close this window, it means you agree with this policy. Prospera Business Network is the lead non-profit organization advancing and supporting community-centered economic development in southwest Montana. Our focus is helping people start and grow their business in turn strengthening our regions economy and communities. Your MWED Team is ready to rock n roll this year, starting out with a new series of classes offered to businesses that need help with plans for growth. Sue Thompson, from The CFO Agency, will be the Instructor, and we have high hopes for a good turnout with great results. Please contact us if you are interested or know of a business that might be. More on the class can be found below. Also, new on our agenda this year will be "Business Over Breakfast" a morning session with Jerry that will be offered once a month to a small group of members. This meeting is intended to give valuable connection time between members and our CEO, with a rotation of members throughout the year. Expect an email invite from Dorothy when your month rolls around, and if you have a particular month that would work better for your schedule, please let her know. Keeping the successful format of the Member Meeting that was held in Columbia Falls last October, Kim and Dorothy are in the planning stages for the March Member Meeting to be held in Bigfork, Junes in Whitefish, with the Octobers Member Meeting and Decembers Annual Meeting still in the brainstorming stages. Once set, these events will be added to the Gatherboard/Flathead Events Calendar on our website, along with other useful events HERE. Check out the resources for businesses there, and let Dorothy know if you have an event that should be listed. Thanks for choosing to Do Business In Montana! Full Newsletter: http://mailchi.mp/2e2b06ed62bc/mwed-january-2018-newsletter?e=a3d12a888b To activate the text-to-speech service, please first agree to the privacy policy below. Consumers in the United Kingdom have been concerned that after they leave the European Union, they could face increased prices in leafy crops that the country depends heavily on other EU members for-- but they may find a remedy from a plant factory in Taiwan. Please complete this form and we'll send you a personalised information that is requested You may use this for your own reference or forward it to your friends. Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice. U.S. Senator Rand Paul's alleged attacker charged with federal crimeAssociated PressMore from Associated PressPublished:January 19, 2018Updated:January 19, 2018 8:23 PM ESTSen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., speaks to reporters as he walks towards the Senate as Congress moves closer to the funding deadline to avoid a government shutdown on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018.Andrew Harnik / AP PhotoLOUISVILLE, Ky. The man accused of tackling U.S. Sen. Rand Paul in the Kentucky lawmakers yard has been charged with assaulting a member of Congress as part of a federal plea agreement. And his lawyer confirmed whats long been suggested by neighbours: The attack stemmed from a dispute about yard maintenance.Rene Boucher has signed the plea agreement but no date has been set for his guilty plea for the attack on the Republican senator, according to Josh J. Minkler, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.Assaulting a member of Congress is an offence we take very seriously, Minkler said in a release. Those who choose to commit such an act will be held accountable.Boucher faces possible prison time. His attorney says Boucher is very regretful about the attack and that it had to do with the upkeep of their yards. Paul and Boucher are longtime neighbours in Bowling Green.This is over a matter that most people would regard as trivial, Bouchers attorney, Matt Baker, said in a phone interview Friday. It has to do with yards and the maintenance of those.Boucher is very meticulous about how he maintains his yard, while Paul takes a much different approach to the upkeep of his property, Baker said.It all goes to large piles of leaves and branches and yard clutter that were placed on the property line, Baker said.Rene Boucher. (Warren County Regional Jail via AP)Some residents of the gated neighbourhood had speculated the attack was motivated by a dispute over yard debris. But Pauls office has rejected that. Paul told the Fox News Channel in November that ultimately, the motive does not matter.Boucher, a retired anesthesiologist in his late 50s, already faces a misdemeanour assault charge in state court in Kentucky. He has pleaded not guilty to that charge.Baker said Friday that hes hopeful the state charge will be dismissed now that Boucher has reached the plea agreement on the federal charge.Paul, a former presidential candidate, was attacked Nov. 3 while mowing his lawn at his home. A close friend of Pauls said the senator had gotten off his riding lawn mower to remove a limb when he was tackled from behind. Paul has said he never saw the attacker because he was facing downhill and wearing ear protection from the noise of his lawn mower.Paul suffered six broken ribs in the attack.He returned to Washington less than two weeks later but developed pneumonia when he returned to Kentucky. Paul has since said hes recovering well from the attack.Baker said Friday the attack was completely, 100 per cent out of character for Boucher. He said his client is looking forward to getting the case resolved.Boucher faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine in the federal case.He is facing the possibility of incarceration, but Im hopeful that it wont be anything toward the top end, Baker said.Minklers office was assigned the case after a U.S. attorney in Kentucky recused himself. The case was investigated by the FBIs Louisville office. A former runway at Fremont Municipal Airport will become a taxiway. The taxiway was among topics discussed Friday when the Fremont Airport Advisory Committee met. The group continued discussion on progress for construction of a new airport terminal. Dave Goedeken, director of public works for the City of Fremont, told the committee about a talk he had with a state official regarding what was formerly called Runway 1-19 on the airports easterly side. That runway was taken out of service by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) about two years ago. Goedeken previously said the FAA told him the runway had been converted to a taxiway and to have large Xs painted on it. But the Xs have caused confusion. Pilots, who reach the south end of the main runaway and plan to go up the former Runway 1-19, see those Xs. At Decembers meeting, Jim Kjeldgaard, fixed base operator at the airport, cited a situation where the pilot of a three-engine jet saw the Xs and then turned around and back-taxied up the main runway. Kjeldgaard pointed out the safety concern with planes taxiing on the runway. If they claim its a taxiway, then the Xs ought to be gone and a yellow stripe put down the center and the signage changed, Kjeldgaard said. That way it designates that it is a taxiway. Then we dont have the confusion of people saying, I cant go up that way, because you have Xs on it. Goedeken told the committee on Friday that hed talked about the situation with Anna Lannin, planning and programming division manager of the Nebraska Department of Transportation, Division of Aeronautics. Lannin asked if they were comfortable using the former 1-19 as a taxiway. Goedeken said yes. So after the weather improves, the Xs, stripes and numbers will be painted over on the asphalt surface. A yellow line for a taxiway will be painted on it instead, and a NOTAM (notice to airman) filed with the Federal Aviation Administration which alerts pilots to changes at an aeronautical facility. Signs will be put in place when it is designated as a taxiway. Goedeken also spoke with Lannin about differences in cost estimates for construction of a new aircraft parking apron at the airport. In August, Burns McDonnell submitted an engineers estimated cost of construction for an aircraft parking apron at the airport at a cost of $952,490 or almost $1 million. Of that figure, the estimated design and administration cost was $184,353. However, in an FAA Capital Improvement Program (CIP) data sheet released last month, the estimated cost for the apron project has risen to $1.4 million an approximately 40 percent increase with the estimated cost of $237,625 for design services, survey and geotech costs and $151,200 for construction services and administration costs. Goedeken said Lannin believes these figures were taken from an FAA perspective of what would be done at an Eppley Airfield in Omaha versus the airport in Fremont. He said Lannin believes some of the costs will be less. She instructed Goedeken to sign the CIP document, due at the end of this month, to provide the information to the states transportation department, which sends it to the FAA. This does not commit us to anything financially, Goedeken told the Tribune. This is the engineers estimate of what its going to take to do the project. Anytime youve got an engineers estimate, youve still got the bid (for the project.) A contractor will bid the price. This is an estimate so you can complete budgetary purposes. Goedeken also said he will talk to Robert Crain, project manager of aviation services for Burns McDonnell, about how the most recent estimates were generated for the parking apron. In a presentation to the Fremont City Council in September, Crain said an aircrafts wingspan determines the width of pavement that the FAA requires for parking, taxiways and runways. Wingspans of aircraft that fly into Fremonts airport range from less than 49 feet and up to 79 feet, Crain said. Goedeken told the Tribune that the parking apron is no longer large enough. The new parking apron would encompass an area of approximately 6,000 square yards. It would fit up to 10 smaller or four larger aircraft. Crain told the council that the FAA would like to see the apron in place before a new terminal is constructed. Goedeken also is working to meet with an FAA representative and Lannin regarding the site for construction of a new airport terminal. The current terminal, built in 1964, needs new heating and air conditioning systems and other upgrades. Crain told the city council last fall that 18 businesses use the airport on a regular basis. They include: Hormel Foods Corp.; HyVee Food Store; Walmart; Menards; Taylor & Martin; ADM; 3M; Fremont Beef; and Oil Gear. It seems theres quite a few companies that use your airport that employ quite a bit of the local population, Crain said. In a Burns McDonnell study, three different sites at the airport were examined for the new terminal a westerly location, an easterly site south of the gas pumps, and the site of the current one. The need for a larger parking apron eliminates the option of building a new terminal at the site of the current one. Goedeken said the easterly site could accommodate whats needed. But one of the desires was to have a location where you could see the entire runway, Goedeken told the Tribune. You cant see the entire runway from over there (the easterly site). So we went to the westerly site which gives the view of the entire runway part of the airport. The westerly side is also where the city would like to expand the airport. Eventually, wed like that to become the epicenter of the airport, Goedeken said. Our preferred site is the westerly one. Now, the FAA has to review that document and determine what they feel the best location, because the airport is paid for with state and federal dollars. So the FAA makes the final say. Goedeken wants to meet with the FAA representative and Lannin to learn if theyre unwavering on the easterly location. The bad side of that is its pushing us ever closer to our timeline as far as doing this in 2018 and kicking it possibly back into 2019, he told the advisory committee. Its trying to convince them that the site we chose is the good site. SEBEWAING -- Christ the King Lutheran School recently announced its December recipients of the Ruth and Isaac award winners. These students exemplify Christian behavior and are nominated by their teachers and staff for the behaviors and actions while they attend Christ the King Lutheran School as well as outside the school. The Ruth and Isaac awards are given as a form of student of the month at Christ the King Lutheran School. These awards can be given to students in grades preschool through 8th grade. The Christ the King Ruth Award winner is Sarah Boyer. Boyer was nominated by Deb Kundinger, the 3rd grade teacher at Christ the King. According to Kundinger, Boyer is a great student. She is truly polite in her words and actions. She is there whenever someone needs to have a friend or wants to play on the playground. Her classwork is done well and she is not afraid to share her faith about Jesus. She shares her musical talent through her voice as well as her playing recorders in church. "The third grade just studied the book of Ruth in Religion," Kundiner said. "When I asked them (the class) to describe Ruth, some of the words used to describe her were kind, polite, giving, hardworking, and loyal. When I think of Sarah, many of these words I would use to describe her." "She works hard in school and shows kindness to her classroom," she added. "She is loyal in her friendships. However, for me, the one attribute that stands out about Sarah is how polite she is. She never fails to say please or thank you. She waits her turn, even letting others go ahead of her." The Christ the King Isaac Award winner is Luke Gremel. Gremel was nominated by his preschool teacher, Jenni Vermeersch. Gremel always makes good choices when he is in preschool. He asks for permission before he is able to do an activity. He goes above and beyond what he is expected to do during class as well as when it is time to clean up. He will take time to help others clean up their centers after he finishes cleaning up his center. He follows directions, sits quietly and listens to his teacher. He shows kindness to his classmates and always puts his best effort into his class work. He is polite and uses his manners when addressing faculty and staff of Christ the King. He is delightful to have in preschool. "He is just a wonderful student," Vermeersch said. "When I have him come up and ask if he could help someone else clean up their center because he got done cleaning up his center, you can see why I nominated him. He does his work well and does not get into trouble when he is finished. He is just a special student." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate GAGETOWN -- John (Jack) Laurie has lived in the Gagetown area his entire life. Most of his family lives within a few miles of his home, and he seems pleased to call the small community his hometown. Nonetheless, he can remember when Gagetown was much larger and life was quite different. He was born on the family farm in 1940. His parents, Grover and Gladys Laurie, were farmers and he grew up loving the farm life. When he was a child, his older relatives would relate stories of the good old days -- time long before he was born. One of those stories was about the passenger train stopping at Gagetown and continuing to Pontiac each day. "Gagetown was a pretty thriving community at the turn of the century," Laurie said. "There was the great fire, I think about 1924, in Gagetown. At that time, it was bigger than Cass City. They had an opera house and both main streets were filled with stores." He went on to say that even after the fire, Gagetown was still a thriving community. "We went to Gagetown two to three times a week and always on Saturday night," he said. "On Saturday nights, everybody was in town. At that time, Gagetown was a hub. When a community had a school and a church, it was the hub." "In those days, everyone knew everyone, but that isn't as true today as back then," he added. "That's one of the big differences." Even after the great fire, Gagetown was a drawing card to everyone in the area. "Gagetown was the hub," Laurie explained as to how important the town was to area residents. "You could do anything you needed to do in Gagetown. There was a locker plant and people rented freezer space there." He explained few people had home freezers at that time and renting space at the locker plant was a common practice. He named a few of the businesses he could remember as a child. There was a bowling alley, a bank, a Ford dealership, and a dry goods store. The town was also the home of Square Deal Hardware. "It sold hunting licenses and hunting equipment," he said. "I can remember people lined up to the stoplight to get a (pheasant/hunting) license." Laurie continued with his list. He said there were four gas stations, a Michigan Bell Office, and three bars. The town had a drug store, a post office, an appliance store, and a couple restaurants. There was even a chicken hatchery in the area. Laurie's first recollection of education was when he attended a country school in his early years. It closed, and everyone transferred to the Gagetown School. But the high school was closed before he was old enough to attend it. "Some kids went to Owendale and some went to Cass City," he said. "I went to Cass City and graduated in 1958." He went on to say the entire school system closed in Gagetown and the district became Owen-Gage. All of the elementary students were required to go to school in Owendale. He feels the loss of the school and the bank were unfortunate situations and helped lead to the decline of Gagetown. Stories about Laurie's school days would not be complete without mentioning a little girl who he met in grade school, Betty Lynn Morell. "Her dad owned the hardware in Gagetown," he said. Somewhere along the line, he fell in love and the two were married while he attended college at MSU. To say their relationship was strong would be a misnomer. "I've known her since the 4th grade," he said. "We went to the same church in Gagetown. We had our 57th anniversary this past October." As soon as Laurie graduated high school, he went to Michigan State University. He feels fortunate he was able to go on a 4-H scholarship. He graduated in 1962 after studying agriculture economics. He mentioned he had one regret while attending MSU. "I should have stayed one more year and got a master's degree," he said. It may surprise some he did not look for a job after graduation. "I went right back to the farm," he said. "I love to farm and that was about all I did." For the next few years, he continued to farm and began raising a family. Fortunately for Laurie, he joined the Michigan Farm Bureau. Although he calls himself a farmer, his involvement with State Farm was huge. He soon began to unveil his involvement with the organization. "I joined the Michigan Farm Bureau in 1962," he said. "I went on the State Board of Directors when I was 26. I was president of the Michigan Farm Bureau in 1986, and I retired in 2000." Although he is a retired officer, he is still a member of the organization. While working with Farm Bureau, Laurie traveled extensively throughout the United States and the world. His first real experience was through a program funded by the Kellogg Foundation. "I was part of the (first) Kellogg Farmers' Study Program," he said. "It was a group of 30 young farmers and funded by the Kellogg Foundation." The program he was in lasted for three years. While with the group, he traveled with his wife to Washington, D.C., to California and throughout Michigan. He also toured 13 countries from Europe to Japan. "It was quite an experience," he said. "That was as big a life changing situation as I could have imagined. It expanded my view of what happens around the world." Throughout his career, Laurie has continued to travel for Farm Bureau. Much of it has been in Michigan, but he and his wife have also traveled throughout the United States. They have attended many conferences and conventions. And this unassuming farmer has rubbed shoulders with a lot of very important people. While talking to the Huron Daily Tribune, Laurie failed to mention he has met numerous United States presidents. Only while showing some of his memorabilia did he show a photograph of himself and President Gerald Ford. After some questioning, he admitted meeting Presidents George Bush, George W. Bush, Ronald Raegan and Bill Clinton. In addition, he has met General Colon Powell. Meeting with this famous general seemed to be one of his favorite encounters. Retiring from Farm Bureau did not mean Laurie was going to sit and vegetate. Afterward, he spent two years as a faculty member with the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at MSU. It should be mentioned he received one of the university's highest honors. Although he did not earn his master's degree, the university gave him an Honorary Ph.D. in agriculture. In 2002, Laurie was appointed to the Tuscola Road Commission. After two terms with the commission, the rules were changed and it became an elected position. "I was appointed twice and elected once," he said. He still sits on the commission today. And Laurie still does what he loves to do most. He continues to work on the family farm. Although the operation has been turned over to one of his grandsons, Laurie is still an active worker on the farm. In addition, he and Betty are very close to their local house of worship, Hillside Community Church. It was originally a Methodist church, but is now non-denominational. "I was baptized at that church," he said. "Betty and I have held almost every office in our church. Mark Gerrish is our pastor. He's a great guy." Laurie sees no reason to change his life style. "Our family is pretty close," he said. "We have nine grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren." He went on to say almost all of the family lives within 15 miles of Gagetown. "We've talked about moving someplace else, but then we wouldn't be here with our family," he said. "We've talked about going somewhere in the winter, but it hasn't happened yet. We're pretty happy sitting here on a cold day. Our long range plans is to stay right here." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate When 600 cryptocurrency enthusiasts set sail from Singapore on Monday night for their second annual Blockchain Cruise, the price of bitcoin was hovering comfortably above $13,500. By the time their 1,020-foot-long ship pulled into Thailand on Wednesday, for an afternoon of bottomless drinks and crypto-focused talks on a sun-soaked private beach, bitcoin had cratered to $10,000. The group consisted largely of young men, many of whom became wildly rich -- at least on paper -- as bitcoin and other digital tokens skyrocketed last year. In all likelihood, they had just lost millions. But if anyone was fazed, they didn't show it. The party rolled on as the sangria and Red Bull flowed, bitcoin-themed rap music blared and drones filmed it all from above. "Nothing goes up in a straight line," explained Ronnie Moas, the founder of Miami Beach-based Standpoint Research, who was one of the event's speakers on Wednesday. In a best-case scenario, he said, bitcoin could jump to $300,000 in as little as seven years. For skeptics of the crypto craze, it's hard not to see all this as another sign of runaway exuberance -- a repeat of the boosterish Las Vegas securitization conference, immortalized in The Big Short, that preceded the subprime mortgage meltdown of 2007. But the steadfast optimism on display during the Blockchain Cruise also carries a warning for anyone betting on a cryptocurrency crash: It's going to take more than a 50 percent drop in bitcoin from its Dec. 18 high to drive out the diehards. "This is something that you either believe in or not," said Moas, who has become a crypto-celebrity after issuing stratospheric price forecasts for bitcoin. The cruise's eclectic list of speakers included Jose Gomez, a former aide to the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez; Kaspar Korjus, the head of Estonia's e-residency program (which may issue its own cryptocurrency); and Jorg Molt, an early digital currency backer whose claim to hold 250,000 bitcoins (worth $2.8 billion at the current price) couldn't be verified. But perhaps the biggest draw was John McAfee, the anti-virus software pioneer with a checkered past. In 2012, while living in Belize, McAfee had run-ins with local police for alleged unlicensed drug manufacturing and weapons possession, but was released without charge. At one point, Belize police started a search for him as a person of interest in connection with the murder of his neighbor. McAfee said he was innocent and that he fled Belize because of persecution by corrupt officials. He now helps run MGT Capital Investments Inc., a small-cap tech company with a bitcoin mining business. He has become a cryptocurrency evangelist on Twitter, touting the technology and various tokens to his more than 700,000 followers. Coinsbank, the digital currency exchange and wallet operator that organized the cruise, made him a headline speaker. On Wednesday, McAfee blamed the recent market slump on unfounded fear of government intervention. He urged cryptocurrency holders -- one of whom sported a "Buy The Dip" T-shirt -- to stick with their bets. "You cannot force a ban on a distributed system," McAfee said in an interview after his speech. "It's like how do you ban smoking weed? You can't ban it. People will come back." Not every conversation on the Blockchain Cruise revolved around cryptocurrencies. Attendees, unsurprisingly, had plenty to say about blockchain -- the distributed ledger technology that underpins bitcoin -- and its potential to improve industries from finance to health care. Charity was also a topic raised by speakers including Moas, who urged the audience to donate some of their newfound wealth and help reduce global inequality. Many attendees have far more than they need. Rowan Hill, a former coal miner in Australia, said he retired by 26 after getting in on the crypto boom early. After the cruise, he's heading to Japan for a four-week snowboarding trip. "A lot of people can't stand the price swings" in digital currencies, Hill said, donning a fedora and sunglasses as he lounged on the beach. "The average person just sells, and they lose out." Joe Stone, an Australian who invests in digital assets, said market declines are easier to bear in the company of fellow enthusiasts. For many on the cruise, the next stop is another cryptocurrency conference in Bangkok. "There's nowhere I'd rather be," said Stone, after a late night of mingling at the ship's cigar bar over whiskeys. "Otherwise I'd just be at my computer." The smiling face of the pilot greeted me as I climbed into the small plane in Shell, Ecuador. I was setting out on an arduous adventure with my friend Juan Carlos Garcia who works for the World Wildlife Fund of Ecuador. We had flown together several times into the Amazon rainforest on many adventures including taking students into the jungle. For a few years, Garcia and I explored and talked about the idea of floating down a section of the Capahuari River deep in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador. On several occasions, we had drawn plans and maps on napkins and now it was coming true. According to stories and conversations Garcia had with the Achuar people who lived in this section of the Amazon, only one person from Ecuador and his son had ever attempted to float this section of the river. And that was 10 years ago. The opportunity to potentially be the first person from the United States to float this section of the Capahuari River was just too tempting to pass up. I would gain an insight as to why this section of the river is rarely floated on our first day of paddling. The small plane glided past large trees and landed on a dirt brown airstrip carved out of the green jungle in the Achuar village of Pukuan. Outsiders, especially those carrying with them an inflatable kayak, rarely visit the village of Pukuan. Many smiling and curious faces along the edge of the runway greeted us as we unpacked our provisions from the plane. The intense heat of the tropical sun pounded on us from above. One of the reasons there is so much growth in the jungle is the constant energy from the sun, 365 days a year, 12 hours a day. Winyahi, or hello, I said as the sindico or village chief as he approached. Winitia, or welcome, he replied with a smile of a surprise that I would know some of his language. The sindicos name was Antonio Ruben Santi, who also served as teacher. Garica explained during introductions that I have been coming to the Achuar Nation territory for six years and that I was a friend of their people. After we carried our gear to a grass-roofed hut down by the river, we returned to the main house of the village to state our intentions and introductions. This is always started by being presented a bowl of chicha, the fermented drink of all the Achuar communities in the jungle. Chicha is made from the starchy roots of Yuca. They are peeled, cooked and mashed into a mush inside a large pot by the woman of the village. To stimulate the fermentation process, the mashed Yuca is chewed by the woman making the sacred drink and then spit back into the large pot. The bacteria in the saliva help kick-start the fermentation process. The longer it sits in the pot, the higher the alcohol content is in the chichi. There is no getting around this ritual, especially when I am there to make new friends and gain their support for this adventure. In addition to being given my private bowl of chicha, the women took turns going around with a communal bowl from their prized batch. It is something of which they take great pride in making and refusing to drink is not an option. Soon a woman stood in front of me and lifted her bowl to my lips while she looked away. It is considered rude for a stranger to look into the eyes of an Achuar woman. I took a sip. Apparently, a sip was not good enough, as she continued to stand in front of me and held the bowl to my mouth and tipped it higher. I took a large gulp. Satisfied, she moved next to Juan Carlos who received the same treatment. At the meeting, I was introduced to our Achuar guides who would accompany us down the river: Edward Santi and Benancio Cuji. We were in luck because Santi accompanied the journey ten years ago. Hopefully, he would be able to offer some insight. After working for two months, they had just finished making by hand a dugout canoe that would carry some of our gear and the guides. You are welcome here, stated the sindico, Santi. Juan Carlos informed me, some of the women in the village said I looked like a man they saw once in the movies. I asked, What kind of guy was he? Juan Carlos replied, Apparently the bad guy, but dont worry, they like you, they think you are funny. Good to know, I answered as a parrot landed on my shoulder. We planned to leave early the next morning to begin the first leg of paddling down the Capahuari River. Darkness came fast in the jungle but was pushed back by the light of the full moon a magical way to start a special journey. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A flood of changes to federal environmental law by the Trump administration is raising alarms among environmentalists and worry over the impact on clean air and water, toxic sites and coastal areas. Building standards designed to protect homes, railways and infrastructure from storms are being eliminated or rewritten. The environmental review process for large projects is being streamlined, leaving less space and time for exhaustive review. Obama-era prohibitions on offshore oil drilling in federal waters of the Atlantic Ocean have been lifted, opening the possibility of dangerous oil rigs off the New York or Massachusetts coast. Clean air rules for coal-fired power plants and water regulations protecting small streams are being scrapped We are seeing a slew of maligned measures taken by (Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt) that decimate environmental protections, said U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. He has undercut enforcement by reducing staff and resources. He has corrupted the process as much as the policies have. Under Pruitt, EPA has cut its funding by 40 percent, resulting in a 50 percent reduction in its workforce. The New York Times recently reported that during the first nine months of Pruitts leadership, the EPA began about one-third fewer enforcement cases than President Barack Obamas initial EPA director. The agency sought about 39 percent of the civil penalties for pollution and other violations than during the same period under the Obama administration and about 70 percent of what the Bush administration sought over the same time period, the Times reported. Its all about politics and campaign contributions and the effect of special interests, Blumenthal said. Failing to enforce means violators are not held accountable. Its a matter of life and death. Its making people in Connecticut have to breathe foul air or endure the effects of climate change. Chris Collibee, a spokesman for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said the agency is deeply concerned about Trumps rollback of environmental regulations. If the Trump administration seeks to reduce regulations they should do so in a matter than acknowledges that climate change is real and that we are witnessing those impacts all around us, Collibee said. It is deeply troubling the fundamental lack of sound scientific input at virtually all of their decision making. Pruitt, an appointee of President Donald Trump, is a long time critic of the EPA. As Oklahomas attorney general, he repeatedly sued the EPA over strict regulations. Oil drilling For Connecticut, ocean oil drilling has never been much of an issue. The debate over whether to drill long favored by national Republicans generally centered on coastal Alaska or the Pacific west coast and the Gulf of Mexico. Thats because oil drilling in federal waters of the Atlantic Ocean was prohibited. But Trump recently issued an order opening oil and gas drilling in those waters and elsewhere, including previously banned waters off Alaska. Its anyones guess whether oil companies will seek to drill off Connecticut or Massachusetts or New York. If they drill the operations could impact coastal areas and there could be spills and other disasters that harm Connecticuts coastline and its multi-million dollar fishery. It stands only to hurt Connecticuts economy, our natural resources, and our coastal communities, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said. We need a federal government that will stand up and protect our environment. On Jan. 11, Blumenthal and U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, D-Conn., joined a bipartisan group of New England senators in introducing legislation to ban offshore drilling along the New England coast. President Trumps disastrous and irresponsible proposal has the potential to devastate economies and environments up and down the New England coast, Blumenthal said. Connecticut DEEP Commissioner Robert Klee said officials at his agency are shaking our heads over Trumps drilling decision. Connecticut has a long and proud fishing tradition and this decision further endangers that industry, Klee said. Protecting our natural resources has been a core American value for more than a century, and this decision is antithetical to that core value. Storm rise Obama in 2015 signed an executive order requiring the federal government consider sea level rise and storm surge when designing infrastructure and building in flood-prone areas, such as Bridgeport, Stamford or Greenwich, or other coastal communities. The move reflected a central tenant of climate change that larger and more powerful storms will occur more frequently in the future. But just days before Hurricane Harvey hit and flooded Houston, Texas, Trump signed an executive order revoking Obamas rule. For Connecticut towns prone to flooding, the rule change could be devastating. That could be a serious issue along the Connecticut and New York coasts especially for projects like high-speed rail, said Leah Schmalz, chief program officer for the Connecticut Fund for the Environment and Save the Sound. Investing in new coastal rail without (considering) sea level rise could waste billions of taxpayer dollars, Schmalz said. There are other concerns, Schmalz said, that go beyond homeowners and large building projects. Birds, sea turtles and fish rely on the same coastal marshes and dune systems that we do, but the Trump administration has proposed exempting FEMA from certain Endangered Species Act requirements, Schmalz said. The federal government should be partnering with state and local leaders to rebuild dunes and marshes that absorb wave impact and provide food and shelter to wildlife at the same time, she said. Streamlined regulations In August, the federal Department of Interior streamlined how federal agencies analyze the environmental impacts of major actions, such as dredging or building a large private or federal project. The move mandated that agencies cannot spend more than a year to complete an Environmental Impact Statement, or submit a report more than 150 pages long, or 300 pages for unusually complex projects. Federal Environmental Impact Statements in the past often ran hundreds of pages for small projects and minor cleanups. Environmentalists say the move is a way to limit negative information and complicated review. They point out that smaller reports for new railway corridors, or the sale of Plum Island in Long Island Sound, would render the environmental assessment a paltry review. Many times, a full year-long study of wildlife use or water flow is needed before the statement can even be written, Schmalz said. The EPA has also scuttled Obamas clean water rules for discharge into small streams and water courses, a move favored by business interests. Environmentalists say that will ultimately add pollution to the larger rivers the smaller water bodies flow into. Obamas Clean Power Plan that set higher standards on coal-fired plants is also being dismantled. Connecticut has sued mid-western states over ozone from coal plants that drifts into the state and endangers the health of residents. They are delaying the implementation of laws that would provide environmental and health benefits; in Connecticut the delay of ozone attainment areas and improvements to the Toxic Substances Control Act continue to concern us, Collibee said. Superfund sites The EPA is now reviewing Superfund sites, the polluted old factories and other areas that require huge funding and special administration. The sites often contain cancer causing chemicals and compounds that can impact health or water quality. In a recent press release, Pruitt hailed EPA initiatives that made strides in cleaning up the nations most contaminated toxic land sites by the deletion of all or parts of seven Superfund sites from the National Priorities List. That is more than triple the number of sites removed from the list in 2016, Pruitt noted. We have made it a priority to get these sites cleaned up faster and in the right way, Pruitt said. By creating a streamlined task force and making major remedy decisions that hold potentially responsible parties accountable for cleanup, the Superfund program is carrying out the agencys mission of protecting human health and the environment more every day. WASHINGTON - Congressional leaders in both parties refused to budge publicly from their political corners Saturday on the first day of the government shutdown, avoiding direct negotiations and bitterly blaming each other for the impasse in speeches. President Trump joined the fray with a series of charged tweets. But private glimmers of a breakthrough were evident by late Saturday, as moderate Democrats and Republicans began to rally behind a new short-term funding proposal to reopen the government through early February. That plan could include funding for storm-ravaged states, reauthorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program - and an implicit agreement to hold votes at some point in the coming weeks on a bipartisan immigration deal, according to senators involved in the discussions. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., vowed on the Senate floor late Saturday to take up a new spending plan by Monday morning, or sooner, that would keep government open through Feb. 8 but would not contain a solution for "dreamers," undocumented immigrants who were brought into the country as children. "He wants to keep the government shut down until we finish a negotiation on the subject of illegal immigation," McConnell said of his Democratic counterpart, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. McConnell then repeated himself: "Shutting down government over illegal immigration." The moderate senators, meanwhile, are trying to reach a deal on immigration in hopes that, after the three-week spending deal is approved, McConnell would allow it to come up for a vote alongside a longer-term spending plan. Democrats, however, remained intensely opposed to a short-term spending measure, frustrated by Republicans' refusal to meet their demands on immigration while government is closed. At issue for Democrats is the fate of thousands of young immigrants eligible for protection from deportation under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Trump canceled the program in September, and it is set to expire in March. Lawmakers are scrambling to enact a legislative solution. Democrats also questioned the ability of the negotiating group to reach an agreement that can pass the Senate and House and also earn Trump's approval. "The conversation that needs to take place is the conversation at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, where the president of the United States brings in the four leaders from Congress," said Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del. "We can come up with the best compromise in the world. The key is how to get it through the House and the way to do that is for the president to provide the air cover that he has not so far provided." Lawmakers in both chambers were scheduled to return to work Sunday afternoon. McConnell and Schumer did little in public Saturday besides trade insults in brief speeches on the Senate floor or on television. "Do you know what number CR this is? This has been going on for six months," Schumer told CNN, using the legislative term for a short-term spending deal, a continuing resolution. "This is the fourth time. They can't get it done and they just use these CRs." McConnell hunkered down in his office and played phone tag most of the day with Trump, updating him on where things stood and projecting an air of confidence that he was in a strong position, according to GOP senators. There were no substantive talks between Schumer and McConnell. The real effort at bridging the divide was a bipartisan collection of roughly 20 senators from the less ideological corners of their respective caucuses. That group met and was trying to advance deal that would open the government for three more weeks and set up a series of votes on competing immigration proposals. However, several Senate Republicans said that McConnell was in no mood to give Schumer any assurances to open up the government. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. Joe Manchin III, D-W.Va., are leading the moderate group, with Sens. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., both of whom have worked closely with Schumer on immigration issues in the past, serving as go-betweens for the two parties. The duo shuttled back and forth between Schumer's and McConnell's offices on the second floor of the Capitol trying to create peace, but they left for dinner shortly after 6 p.m. with no solid agreement with either leader. It's unclear whether there is enough bipartisan support for the immigration proposal being offered by Flake and Graham - or for one that Senate conservatives are also drafting. One danger for everyone involved: the possibility of no resolution to the immigration standoff three weeks from now, leaving Congress and Trump back in the same spot where they are now. So far, Trump, McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., have refused to consider Democrats' demands until there is a bipartisan agreement to reopen the federal government. "Senate Democrats shut down this government, and now Senate Democrats need to open this government back up," Ryan said in a midday speech. And Trump weighed in on Twitter: "Democrats are far more concerned with Illegal Immigrants than they are with our great Military or Safety at our dangerous Southern Border. They could have easily made a deal but decided to play Shutdown politics instead. #WeNeedMoreRepublicansIn18 in order to power through mess!" Saturday marked the straight day that the moderate senators had hunkered down in Collins' office. Collins led a similar bipartisan group in working to resolve the last shutdown in 2013. Moderates are "trying to find a pathway forward," Manchin said. Democratic leaders, meanwhile, made their case for blaming Republicans for the shutdown. As thousands of women gathered along the Mall in Washington to protest Trump's first year in office, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., stood at a news conference at the Capitol pointing at a poster depecting a Trump tweet from last May calling for a "good shutdown." "Happy Anniversary, Mr. President," Pelosi said. "Your wish came true. You wanted the shutdown? The shutdown is all yours." Trump, who marked the first anniversary of his inauguration on Saturday, canceled plans to visit his resort Palm Beach, Florida, for a weekend of celebrations. His scheduled trip to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland this coming week was also up in the air, according to an aide. At the White House, a phone line for comments directed callers to voice mail with a message slamming Democrats. "Unfortunately we cannot answer your call today because congressional Democrats are holding government funding, including funding for our troops and other national security priorities, hostage to an unrelated immigration debate. Due to this obstruction, the government is shut down," a woman's voice said on the message. The White House said it supports the Feb. 8 plan, eliminating a potentially significant hurdle to its enactment. But simmering tensions between Trump aides and Schumer, who said Saturday that negotiating with the president was like negotiating with "Jell-O," underscored the delicacy of the moment. Schumer and Trump had met privately on Friday afternoon, giving some lawmakers hope their discussion would advance a deal to avoid a shutdown altogether. Schumer left the meeting buoyed, telling others that Trump seemed willing to strike a deal on a days-long funding extension in exchange for concessions such as border wall funding. But by midnight, he complained to his members that Trump had suddenly reneged on the possibility. The White House told a different story. Briefing reporters at the White House on Saturday, budget director Mick Mulvaney disputed Schumer's claim that he offered Trump his desired border wall funding during their meeting. "Mr. Schumer has to up his game and be more honest with the president of the United States if we are going to be seeing progress," Mulvaney said. Schumer spokesman Matt House fired back on Twitter that Mulvaney was not present for the meeting was "not telling the truth" about what happened. Democrats pushed for a shutdown to spite Trump for his accomplishments, White House Director of Legislative Affairs Marc Short argued to reporters. "Their reaction is, 'Because we can't beat them, what we're going to do is shut down the government," he said in a news briefing Saturday. There was little productive activity on the House and Senate floors. McConnell sought to bring up the four-week spending bill that failed Friday night; Democrats blocked the attempt. Democrats asked to vote on a bill guaranteeing federal workers their back pay for the period of the shutdown; McConnell objected, saying they deserve a full funding bill. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee who objected to McConnell's attempt to revive the short-term bill, questioned McConnell's embrace of the GOP proposal to extend funding of the Children's Health Insurance Program. "He sounded like Marian Wright Edelman last night, the founder of the Children's' Defense Fund, with his newfound interest in the children's' health plan," Wyden said in an interview. "It sounds like I'm listening to Ted Kennedy talk about health . . . I've never heard of this being a priority [for Republicans]." In the House, lawmakers prepared for a possible deal by debating a special rule allowing them to consider any bill that passes the Senate on the same day. The debate devolved into a shouting match over displaying disparaging photos of other members - such as Schumer - on the floor. - - - The Washington Post's Elise Viebeck and Juliet Eilperin contributed to this report. --- Video Embed Code Video: Senators on both sides of the aisle remarked about the government shutdown on Jan. 20. Sen. Robert P. Casey (D-Pa.) expressed optimism but said the Senate "had a lot of work to do."(Jordan Frasier,Victoria Walker/The Washington Post) Embed code: The Fremont Airport Advisory Committee learned on Friday about letters sent to hangar tenants for required information. Dave Goedeken, director of public works for the City of Fremont, told the committee that the city received a letter stating it must provide information of all aircraft housed at the airport. The information, sought by the Nebraska Department of Revenue, must be filed with the county assessor of where the aircraft is located by Feb. 1. Those who dont comply will be subject to fines. Tenants will get letters in the mail requesting the following information: date aircraft was first based at the location; name, address of aircraft owner; make and model or type, horsepower and year of aircraft, number of engines; and aircraft FAA registration number. The information can be sent via email or postal mail to the city. In other business, Goedeken told the committee that he sat down with Fremont attorney Dave Mitchell, who at the December meeting, said he saw numerous areas of inconsistencies in a recent a hangar rental agreement prepared by the former city attorney. The biggest thing he (Mitchell) had issues with was the insurance requirements, Goedeken said. Hes going to rewrite that and put it into better lease-tenant-landlord terms. There were some redundancies in the lease so he was taking all of that out. Goedeken said tenants will pay the old rate for hangars until the new lease takes effect. Rent for a T hangar will increase from $165 per month to $181.50 and for bulk hangars from $330 to $363. Lease rates were last adjusted in 2012. In November, the Fremont City Council approved the hangar lease agreement and adopted the Fremont airports rules and regulations. Leases will extend for five years with tenants having the option to renew after that time. In a report to the council, Goedeken said the increase in rates will generate an additional $12,672 of total rent per year at full hangar capacity. A visit to the Mercedes-Benz exhibit during the Detroit auto show offered a snapshot into how the show influences Michigan businesses. In the back corner, the German automaker set up a sleek cafe. Stark white counters and walls were canvases for the showcased coffee brewing equipment that - along with high-end snacks - beckoned guests. The automaker wanted to show its good taste and European flair. And it found a Flint businessman to help them do it. Ken VanWagoner worked the coffee bar like a pro - which he is, given the fact that he owns one of Flint's treasured coffee shops. Working for a few days every year at the Detroit auto show gives him a break from routine, a quick paycheck and a chance to work in a high-style environment that, in turn, really likes his coffee. That, VanWagoner said, is a good match. "It's a great atmosphere," he said. "It's a great environment." It's also a front-row seat to the auto industry. "I've watched Detroit come back for eight years," he said as he paused during a mid-morning rush. "It's an economic indicator, if you will." VanWagoner is one of 3,500 temporary workers who makes the North American International Auto Show Possible every year, according to representatives at Cobo Center. They include models, floor assembly staff and the food service crews that automakers - like Mercedes - bring in to make their media and industry guests feel special. VanWagoner's Good Beans Cafe is located in Flint's Carriage Town neighborhood, where the cafe sits at 328 N. Grand Traverse St. near downtown and Kettering University. He's run it for nearly 18 years, setting it up as he moved to the area for family reasons. The auto show job helps give him perspective on running a coffee shop. "It takes me out of the elements at my place," VanWagoner said. Working dozens of hours per week as an independent coffee shop can be insulating. Stepping out of that pattern, even if it's just for a few days, can invigorate his spirit. "When I'm here, I'm seeing trends or what the real world is doing." More so, he said, it immerses him in what he considers his core business: "The true Italian experience." He serves imported coffee, so an order for a cappuccino or macchiato gives him a chance to showcase his Lavazza coffee creations. "It's Italy's number-one coffee," he says with pride. In Flint, he provides what he describes as a "nostalgic, unique, coffee-drinking atmosphere." His coffee shop is a warm atmosphere with natural wood, original art and staff encouragement for customers to sit around and enjoy the atmosphere. The sleek and temporary coffee shop at the auto show is different, but he's just as comfortable there. And his drive to deliver excellent coffee is the same. The orders will be the same, they're just made in a different setting. Making people happy, he said, "is what the customer service industry is all about." Before the 2018 NAIAS opens to the public from Jan. 20 to Jan. 28 at the Cobo Center in Downtown Detroit, automakers show off new models and make world debuts in scheduled press conferences. View full coverage here. Joe Ford, 86, and his wife Georgiana Ford, 83, have been married for 67 years and moved from Tennessee to Michigan in 1952. YPSILANTI, MI - Joe and Georgiana Ford meant every word of their vows when they recited them to each other nearly 68 years ago. The Fords, who live in Ypsilanti, were admitted to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in late December - just two days apart from one another. While Georgiana Ford, 83, was placed on the fifth floor and Joe Ford, 86, on the ninth, they refused to be separated. The couple asked the nursing staff to allow them to be together as much as possible. The staff obliged and went out of their way to make sure they ate every meal together, slept in the same bed during the day and got regular updates on each other's health when they couldn't be together, Joe Ford said. Georgiana Ford, left, and her husband, Joe Ford, right, pose for a photo. "It meant everything," he said. "We've been together for so many years and love each other very much." James Bell, their grandson, said he had never seen a hospital staff so accommodating and his family appreciated it. "It was amazing. We weren't sure exactly how long each one had or how everything was going to pull through," he said. "With them being so close to each other, it was almost like one of those love stories you don't see anymore." James Bell lives with his fiance and mother across the street from his grandparents in Ypsilanti. He said they refuse to go into a nursing home, so they stay close to keep an eye on them. Linda Bell, the Fords' daughter, said her parents had to be together while in the hospital to hold one another's hand as they always do. "Every time they go for a walk, they hold hands. Any time they drive in the car, they hold hands. They hold hands while in church too," she said. "You name it, they're holding hands." The Fords grew up near Knoxville, Tennessee and met one day at church in the early '50s. They were inseparable after that. "I was at church and seen her through the window and that's all it took," Joe Ford said. "I decided right then: 'That's my woman.'" After getting married in 1951, the couple moved to Carlton the next year looking for work. They relocated to Ypsilanti years later and have stayed there since. Georgiana Ford suffers from Dementia and Parkinson's Disease, while Joe Ford carries an oxygen tank and a pacemaker. After leaving St. Joseph's Mercy Hospital, the Fords were admitted to the Heartland Health Care Center in Ann Arbor for rehab, where they were also allowed to stay together before returning home. Joe Ford said he and his wife have a special bond that has kept them together for well over half a century. "Whatever she wants to do, I'm with her," he said. "Maybe we aren't like some people, but whenever we want to do stuff we just do it." BAY CITY, MI -- A parolee is heading back to prison for a few more years for having drugs and a gun. Bay County Circuit Judge Harry P. Gill on Tuesday, Jan. 16, sentenced 37-year-old Christopher M. Ovalle Sr. to three terms -- one year straight, two to eight years, and two to 10 years. The terms are concurrent to each other, but consecutive to the remainder of the time he has left to serve on the offense he had been paroled on. Due to Ovalle's parolee status at the time of his latest crimes, Gill gave him no credit for time served in jail. The judge also ordered Ovalle to pay $344 in fines and costs. Ovalle in November pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, and felon in possession of a firearm. Prosecutors dismissed three felony firearm counts. The afternoon of Aug. 22, the Bay City Department of Public Safety's VIPER Unit and a parole officer conducted a search on Ovalle's home at 1725 Green Ave. Ovalle was home at the time. Inside the house, police found $261 in cash, marijuana, digital scales, items bearing suspected cocaine residue, a box of ammunition, six handgun magazines, and a loaded Ruger semiautomatic 9mm pistol concealed in a pillowcase. Ovalle declined to give a statement to police, who arrested him and lodged him in the Bay County Jail. Later that day, Ovalle had a recorded phone conversation with a woman. On the recording, Ovalle tells the woman he had only had the gun in his house for a short time and that "weed don't count." Police determined the gun was owned by a Rhodes man, but that it had not been reported stolen. The Michigan Department of Corrections had paroled Ovalle on Dec. 16, 2015. He was to remain on parole until Dec. 16, 2017. Ovalle's criminal history includes convictions of assault with intent to cause great bodily harm and failing to register as a sex offender. ROMULUS, MI - A mother and her boyfriend were arraigned Saturday and held without bond in connection with the death of the woman's 4-year-old daughter, according to a video of the proceeding posted online by WDIV-TV, Channel 4. Candice Renea Diaz, 24, and her boyfriend Brad Edward Fields, 28, are charged with felony murder, second-degree murder, torture and first-degree child abuse for allegedly causing the injuries that killed Gabrielle Barrett, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy's office reported. The two appeared before District Magistrate Elizabeth DiSanto, and a preliminary examination is scheduled for Feb. 7, according to news reports. Fields' attorney spoke on both defendants' behalf, saying they suffered various mental illnesses. The couple evaded police for more than a week, until their arrest Jan. 9 in Lowndes County in southern Georgia. About 10:45 a.m. Jan. 1, emergency personnel, summoned for a report of an unresponsive child found family members trying to revive Gabrielle inside a trailer in Rawsonville Woods Mobile Home Community in Sumpter Township, where the couple was living. Gabrielle had obvious, severe burns on her body and was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office called the death a homicide. Her burns were so severe that she lost her big toe and police found melted skin in the bathtub drain, reported the Detroit Free Press, citing a court document. A 1-year-old child was also in the home and has been removed by Children's Protective Services, police confirmed. Gabrielle had been in the custody of her grandmother and recently moved to the mobile home park to attend school, township police Chief Eric Luke said. Fields is a habitual domestic violence offender with two prior incidents, according to court records. Fields allegedly faked a gunshot wound on May 25, 2016, when he was accused of assaulting Diaz and possibly shooting her dog, police said. Fields was charged with aggravated domestic violence, possession of a firearm as a felon and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony, but the charges were ultimately dropped, according to court records. During the same time period, police found Diaz attempting to alter the identification marks on a firearm and possessing a controlled substance without a prescription, court records show. She pleaded guilty to both counts and was sentenced to three days in Wayne County Jail and two years probation. In 2006, Fields pleaded guilty to carrying an unauthorized concealed weapon and served a year of probation. A GoFundMe account established for Gabrielle's memorial service had raised more than $6,000 by Saturday. "She was an overall amazing kid. She was loveable. She was sweet. She was just an outgoing kid," an aunt, Leah Barrett, earlier told MLive. DETROIT -- Thousands of car lovers and industry insiders got an early look at Detroit auto show Friday night in a swanky gathering at the Cobo Center. The black-tie event known as "Auto Prom" offered attendees a peek at the auto industry's latest vehicles and technological advancements in a massive showroom ahead the weekend opening to the public. Detroit's own Four Tops performed at this year's event. The Charity Preview is known as the largest single-night fundraiser in the world. $5.1 million dollars was raised this year for southeastern Michigan children's charities, $118 million since 1979. "Detroit will always be the heartbeat of the auto industry," said 2018 NAIAS Chairman Ryan LaFontaine before cutting the ribbon welcoming Charity Preview guests to the showroom floor. "The Motor City capital is back." The North American International Auto Show opens to the public Saturday, Jan. 20 and runs through Jan. 28. Media and industry previews took place this past week, with dozens of new vehicles revealed. View full coverage of the Detroit auto show here. More highlights from the Detroit auto show EAST GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Leah Wendling and her girls were at Wealthy Elementary's "movie night" when a friend rushed over. Her house was on fire. They ran home Friday, Jan. 19, and found firefighters attacking flames that broke through the roof. The fire gutted the master bedroom and bathroom upstairs, and caused smoke damage throughout, but Wendling said firefighters told her the two-story house at 1934 Sherman Street SE could be repaired. She and her husband, Eric, had been remodeling the home, including the master bedroom, since August. "No one was hurt, the girls didn't have to see it, the dog's fine. That's really all you can hope for," she said. She said everyone in the neighborhood came out to see how they could help. They were "amazing," she said. Her husband, on business in Kentucky, was trying to arrange a flight back in the morning. She said firefighters rescued the family dog. "Thank God they were able to get Wesley out," she said. She said that a neighbor called her friend who was at Wealthy Elementary to tell her that the house was on fire. The Wendlings have lived in the house for five years. ISLE ROYALE, MI - Two wolves are still alive on Michigan's remote Isle Royale, researchers determined today. The news that the island in Lake Superior remains home to two wolves comes despite speculation by some media last year that the once-strong wolf population had dwindled to a single wolf. Members of the Isle Royale Wolf and Moose Project, based out of Michigan Tech University in Houghton, did their second 2018 winter flyover on the island today. "We followed tracks of two wolves for over 30 miles at the east end of the island, where the pair has spent most of their time for many years. The male would be 9 years old and the female 7 years old," the group posted on Facebook on Saturday. The nonprofit research group has been studying the interaction of the island's wolf and moose population for six decades. The pictures they shared show a long string of wolf tracks, and the tracks mingling with that of an otter. The two wolves left on the 200-square-mile island in northwest Superior are from a family tree with such tangled branches that they are not likely to produce any viable pups, researchers have said. Longtime researcher Rolf Peterson had this to say about the pair in 2016: "While this is a male-female pair, they are also father-daughter and half siblings, having shared the same mother - another way of trying to summarize their inbred status is to point out that the female is the product of the male's mating with his own mother." Scientists have said a strong wolf pack is needed to keep Isle Royale's growing moose population under control. Isle Royale is a national park, and federal officials have been weighing the possibility of reintroducing more wolves into the park. A decision may come this spring. Wolves first arrived on the island in the 1940s, via ice bridges from the mainland. An ice bridge to the mainland did form last winter, but no new wolves arrived. In their heyday in 1980, wolves numbered about 50 on Isle Royale. The dramatic decline that followed likely was due to outbreaks of canine parvovirus among the packs, dropping their number to 14. The wolf population rebounded to about 30 a decade ago, then dropped again as the moose population - a food source for wolves - was on the decline. The roller coaster continued in recent years, with the nine wolves counted in 2014 dropping to three in 2015, and falling to two in 2016. TRAVERSE CITY, MI - Scores of people turned out at the City Opera House of Traverse City Saturday afternoon for a memorial service for Piper, Michigan's famous airport dog. Piper died earlier this month after a year-long bout with cancer. The memorial service was livestreamed at the Cherry Capital Airport K-9 Team's Facebook page. Those watching the livestream and sending well wishes included people in California, New Jersey, the Dakotas, and even Germany, Australia and Rome. Piper's main job was the four-legged half of Cherry Capital Airport's K-9 team. He was trained to chase wildlife away from the airport's runways, keeping the space safe for planes and passengers. He was trained by his owner, Brian Edwards, the airport operations supervisor. Edwards always said the best part of the partnership was being able to work with the dog he loved. Through Piper's work, he became a social media star and ambassador for Northern Michigan. The energetic border collie drew thousands of fans by sharing his adventures on Facebook, Instagram, even doing an AMA on Reddit. Piper regularly interacted with crews at the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City, and welcomed the Navy's Blue Angels and the Air Force's Thunderbirds to town. He even took up skydiving to help a good cause. In the last few weeks, Edwards has thanked his friends and Piper's fans for their continued support. "That is what I hope part of Piper's legacy will be. Whether it's cancer or anything else crappy going on in your life, don't let it define you. Stay positive, smile, be courageous... be you." KALAMAZOO, MI - One person died and another was critically injured when a car collided with a minivan Friday afternoon on Sprinkle Road at East Main Street. The crash occurred shortly after 3 p.m. Jan. 19, on the north side of the intersection of Sprinkle Road and East Main Street. Kalamazoo County sheriff's deputies did not immediately release details of the incident or the names or ages of those involved, but said three people -- in total -- were injured. Two were hospitalized. First responders indicated that the crash primarily involved a four-door Toyota Corolla automobile and a GMC Envoy minivan. It appeared that the minivan was westbound on Main Street, turning north onto Sprinkle Road before it collided with the Toyota, which appeared to have been southbound on Sprinkle. Both vehicles came to a halt in the southbound lanes of Sprinkle. A deputy said a third vehicle, which appeared to have rear-ended the car, was involved in the mishap after the main collision. The deputy said all of those who were badly injured appear to have been riding in the Toyota. There was no word on injuries to the driver of the minivan. And no word on whether that vehicle had passengers. Traffic along southbound Sprinkle Road was closed off from H Avenue to East Main Street as Comstock Township firefighters worked to clear the crash scene. They used hydraulic tools to help free one of the crash victims from the wreckage. The road was reopened at about 5 p.m. The incident happened less than a quarter mile west of where a car crash took the lives of five Kalamazoo teens on Sept. 2, along East Main Street. KALAMAZOO, MI -- A Kalamazoo man serving a life sentence for murdering another man as a teen was re-sentenced to a shorter term Friday. Derone Huffman-King, 36, was sentenced by Kalamazoo County Circuit Court Judge Pamela L. Lightvoet to 30 to 50 years in the Michigan Department of Corrections, with credit for the more than 15 years he has already served. King was convicted of first-degree murder and felony firearm for shooting Mitchell Elmer, 35, in the back several times during a robbery near Beacon Street and Fairbanks Avenue in Kalamazoo in 1999. Huffman-King's co-defendant, Anthony Williams, received three to five years in prison after he admitted to throwing the gun used to shoot Elmer into the Kalamazoo River and agreed to testify against Huffman-King. Huffman-King was one of several prisoners in Kalamazoo County who are serving mandatory life without parole or for murders they committed, or assisted in, in Kalamazoo County at the age of 17 or younger. They now may be eligible for parole after U.S. Supreme Court decision. Kalamazoo County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Scott Brower said re-sentencings of at least six prisoners from Kalamazoo County are on hold pending decisions by state appellate courts on juvenile lifer cases that have arisen out of other counties. Before being re-sentenced, Huffman-King expressed his remorse for the killing and the "terrible loss" Elmer's family has suffered. He said he had the chance to walk away before the altercation, the chance to call an ambulance and attempt to save Elmer's life, but he didn't. He said he was a child and immature when he entered into the prison system, but said he has found hope in the darkness. He said he doesn't expect forgiveness and doesn't forgive himself, but said he is deeply sorry. "Mr. Elmer deserved to see his daughter grow up," Huffman-King said. "His daughter deserved her father." Huffman-King said he hopes one day to leave prison and take control of his life. Huffman-King's defense attorney, Anant Saraswat, asked Lightvoet to sentence Huffman-King to time served. Saraswat said Huffman-King has an exemplary prison record and has become a good worker and a positive influence on his family members. Saraswat said Huffman-King has overcome a chaotic upbringing, including serious trauma which made him particularly susceptible to peer pressure and led him to participate with his co-defendant in the robbery that led to Elmer's death. "Derone is not the same person he was on the night of Mr. Mitchell Elmer's death, " Saraswat said. Kevin Bramble, an assistant Kent County prosecutor, served as a special prosecutor on the case because Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting had served as Huffman-King's defense attorney in the trial. Bramble asked Lightvoet to follow the recommendation from the Michigan Department of Corrections pre-sentence investigator, which was 40 to 60 years. "He's expressed remorse but I don't think he ever really ... admitted what he's done," Bramble said. He added the court should "honor, accept and respect" the jury's verdict. Before handing down the verdict, Lightvoet acknowledged Huffman-King's steps toward rehabilitation, but said she's also considering the "extremely unforatunate" crime that resulted in Elmer's death. "You have a victim here who did nothing on that particular night," Lightvoet said. "I'm certainly taking that into consideration, too." District 15 Sen. Lynne Walz on Thursday introduced LB1093, a bill designed to identify and address risks to resident safety at state-licensed facilities in Nebraska that operate with a history of continuing and repeated violations, released information from Walz office says. The September 2017 death of a military veteran at Life Quest in Palmer, Neb. occurred one month after a Department of Health and Human Services inspection and subsequent report on the failings of the facility. The lack of any action taken by the state to address the risk to residents at Life Quest before a death occurred, along with several similar cases in recent years, caused Sen. Walz to believe this legislation was necessary, released information says. We cannot allow facilities that are not meeting the standards for protecting and caring for people who need assistance to operate if they do not take action to fix their mistakes, Walz said through a released statement. Legislative Bill 1093 would establish the office of Inspector General of Nebraska Public Health within the office of Public Counsel. The Inspector General of Public Health would be tasked with conducting investigations, audits, inspections and other reviews of the Nebraska state facilities and state-licensed care facilities. The recent failings at state-licensed facilities, and subsequent inaction in light of these issues, has shown the inability of the Department of Health and Human Services to adequately inspect and ensure resident safety at these facilities in their current capacity, Walz said. LB1093 is a step towards improving resident safety and establishing accountability from state-licensed facilities in Nebraska, she added. The Inspector General of Public Health would work for the Public Counsel, or directly on behalf of the citizens of Nebraska. There needs to be someone looking out for the people without the conflict of interest of also protecting the facilities or the Department of Health and Human Services. In the next few days, Walz will also introduce a legislative resolution that would establish a legislative Investigative committee comprised of members of the legislature. The committee would study the lack of adequate conditions and treatment of individuals residing in state-licensed facilities; the effectiveness of the Division of Public Health Regulation and Licensure to provide effective oversight; and how the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services implements and administers its Behavioral Health services through the Behavioral Health Regions. The committee would also investigate whether the Department is taking adequate steps to ensure behavioral health services are administered in the most integrated setting, as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. The resolution would require the committee to issue a report with its findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than Dec. 15. The Legislature needs to act. Im presenting two options for the body to consider, Walz said. We need to put politics aside and do what is best for the people. The health and safety of our kids, our parents and our friends is on the line. Brandon Bayer, Sen. Walz legislative assistant, said that the bill and resolution work hand-in hand. The two items work together, the bill and the resolution give the Legislature two different ways to address and look at issued, he said. And what she really wants to accomplish out of all of this is making sure that all healthcare facilities that are licensed through the state are providing the best healthcare and safety to all the people who they provide services for. The senator, Bayer said, is feeling optimistic that these items could make a real difference for those who are supposed to be benefiting from state-licensed facilities. She is feeling really good, there are a few stories that weve heard that will bring light to some of the problems that currently exist within our system, Bayer said. Weve heard enough of these stories that there really is growing concern about what is going on at some of these licensed health care facilities. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Pharma stocks extended losses for the second consecutive week, ahead of the announcement of third-quarter results. The overall bullish sentiment prevalent in the stock market didn't rub off on pharma stocks. The BSE Healthcare index declined 0.85 percent in the past week, while the benchmark Sensex rose 2.38 percent. Biocon was the biggest gainer in the pack, rising 4.94 percent. Torrent Pharma and Dr Reddy's too posted gains of 3.45 percent and 2.75 percent, respectively, while Lupin and Divis Labs gained 0.11 percent and 0.14 percent. Most stocks, including Sun Pharma (-2.24 percent), Cipla (-1.79 percent), Aurobindo Pharma (-3.98 percent) and Cadila Healthcare (-2.1 percent), saw declines over this past week. Here's what kept the sector buzzing: Sun Pharmaceutical Industries said it had reached an agreement with US-based Ironwood Pharmaceuticals and Allergan Plc to resolve the patent litigation regarding submission of an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for a generic version of Linzess capsules in the US. Sun Pharma will get a license to launch a generic of Linzess in the US starting February 1, 2031, or earlier under certain circumstances, subject to US FDA approval. Vaccine maker Panacea Biotec said it had signed a pact with rival Serum Institute of India to source the critical Injectable Polio Vaccine (IPV) component from the latter for its own Hexavalent vaccine. Biocon and Sandoz, a division of Swiss-pharmaceutical major Novartis, on Thursday said they had entered into a global partnership to develop, manufacture and commercialize multiple biosimilars in immunology and oncology for patients across the globe. As Indian drug makers prepare to report their third-quarter earnings in the days ahead, analysts predict Q3 FY18 to be mixed bag , with revenues expected to remain almost flat on a year-on-year basis. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Top banks of the country have suspended some accounts of major Bitcoin exchanges in India on suspicion of dubious transactions. Banks including leading ones such as State Bank of India, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Yes Bank are said to have suspended some accounts of top ten such cryptocurrency exchanges/platforms in the country such as Zebpay, Unocoin, CoinSecure, BtcxIndia, among others. These banks have reportedly asked for additional collateral with 1:1 ratio on the loans the exchanges had taken. They have also capped cash withdrawals for the few accounts which are operational, , the Economic Times reported citing multiple sources. Though most of the exchanges ET contacted did not respond, Unocoin said no bank has contacted them in this regard. "The banks have not contacted the company or the promoters regarding the actions you have mentioned," Unocoin Promoter Sathvik Vishwanath said. Queries sent to the banks taking the action also did not elicit any response. Eight accounts have likely been suspended after the banks found the funds were utilised for something which it was not intended for. "Reserve Bank of India has not issued any directive to us - it's a cautionary move on our part. We are wary about the purpose for which some of these current accounts are being used," a banker involved in the matter told ET. The total revenue of top ten exchanges in India could well be worth Rs 40,000 crore and they operate at margins greater than 20 percent, the ET reported citing sources. Tax scrutiny The tax department also recently sent tax notices to tens of thousands of people dealing in cryptocurrency after a nationwide survey showed more than USD 3.5 billion (RS 2,234 crore) worth of transactions have been conducted over a 17-month period. Tech-savvy young investors, real estate players and jewellers are among those invested in bitcoin and other virtual currencies, tax officials told Reuters after gathering data from nine exchanges in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Pune. In recent weeks, Japan and China have made noises about a regulatory crackdown, while South Korean policymakers said they were considering shutting down domestic virtual currency exchanges. An Indian finance ministry official said a committee was looking into the possibility of imposing restrictions on virtual currencies and that eventually parliament would have to legislate a regulatory regime. Seeking to allay fears among builders over the Real Estate Regulatory Act (RERA), Vice president M Venkaiah Naidu today said "it is a regulation and not strangulation. "Speaking at the 27th All India Builders' Convention of Builders' Association of India, he said some fly-by-night operators were misusing the confidence reposed in them by consumers, bringing a bad name to the entire industry. "I must assure you that Real Estate Regulation is for promotion and not for strangulation for the development of the country....," he said. Asserting that everyone has started welcoming RERA, he said initially there would be some problems, which would be overcome in due course of time and the system would be simplified. He pointed out that several income tax concessions,rebates and relaxations have been given to boost the housing sector. In this context, he said there was enough money with banks due to demonetisation. "That was the objective behind demonetisation," he said. "The objective was to bring the money back to the bank with the address. 'Paisa Pata Ke saath Aya, Pita Ke Saath Aya, Pati Ke Saath Bank me Pahunch Gaya' (Money returned to the bank with the addresses,with the father and husband),"he said. He asked RBI to make clear the amount of black and white money it has received and hoped it would complete the work at the earliest. Naidu said the union government was working towards a single window clearances to remove exploitation, corruption, middlemen and unwanted delay in approvals. "We are working towards bringing transparency.There should not be delay.If anybody does not give approval within 60 days, it should be deemed approval and action taken against the person. That is the long-term aim of the government." He said there was a change in the thinking of the government and the policy makers that everything should not be left to them alone and "government has no business to be in the business." "Government has no business to be in the business. That's why government wants to dispose of Air India also. Government constructing hotels, sugar factories, scooter factories and then incurring losses and putting taxes on people is not a good thing." The Vice-President asked the real estate sector to curtail the speculative land rates as it was not helping anybody. "Land rates have gone up like anything. They are not realistic. They are not helping the real estate sector. Due to your speculation, rates in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai are equivalent to Washington and New York." He reminded people to gear up for his description of LPG. "We are living in the LPG - Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation. You have to compete with the rest of the world and see that you do not lag behind." Now that the FDI is allowed, others also will also come to compete with you. So you have to prove your efficiency and take care of the deficiency," he said. Moneycontrol Research Both our operating and investment experience cause us to conclude that turnarounds seldom turnand the same energies and talent are much better employed in a good business purchased at a fair price than in a poor business purchased at a bargain price..Warren Buffett, Letters to Shareholders, 1979. When the guru of value investing, Warren Buffett asks you to stay away from a type of investing, you pay heed. Unless you are the kind who does not believe in taking sermons at face value. That is exactly how Madhusudan Sarda is. Sarda, the Executive Director of Vallum Capital, who has about 18 years of market experience under his belt, likes to test every thesis and hypothesis. A chemical engineer by qualification, Madhu, as he is commonly known, attributes this aspect of probing to his educational background. Madhu has been dabbling in stocks from the age of 15 when he used to monitor his fathers portfolio. He approaches investing like a businessman would before a joint venture. The obsession with a thorough due diligence before every investment also comes from the pressure of managing other peoples money. This discipline, he says, can be attributed to the business background he has. Madhu, currently co-manages a fund with Manish Bhandari at Vallum Capital. With their Catch them young and ride them to their prime strategy, the firm has, in its seven years in existence, grown clients money at a compounded annual growth rate of 40 percent. To add the cherry on top, the growth excludes the firms commission on trades. In fact, in the calendar year 2017 Vallum Capital gave a return of 68 percent excluding commissions. Simply put, if Rs 1 lakh was invested with Vallum Capital on its inception, the investor would be sitting on around Rs 10.5 lakh now a 10-fold increase in just seven years. Madhu is a voracious reader and uses his free time to catch up on reading on latest developments in industry and technology to keep abreast with the fast-changing global economy. Madhusudan Sarda in an interview to Moneycontrol Researchs Shishir Asthana shares the recipe for his successful investment strategy. Q: Madhu the first question I would like to pop up to you is Vallum Capital has a unique investment strategy, can you take us through your buying and selling decision-making process? A. We look at businesses that are turning around, the ones that have had a difficult past. But the difficult past should not be for the company alone but for the entire sector. Their scenario will change only when external environment changes, either because of macroeconomic issues or on account of regulatory issues. Take for example the steel sector which saw a change after the government put hurdles for importing cheap steel. So our investment will only be after there is clarity on the external environment. We will have our list of companies where we would wait for a catalyst to trigger the investment call. Our hypothesis for the company that we are looking at would be that it would do better than the others because of its inherent competitive advantage. Business turnarounds do not happen overnight, it takes time. This enables us to invest in companies with a substantial margin of safety. If times would have been good these shares would have been available at either fair price or at a premium. We prefer to pick up stock with sufficient margin of safety. The key, however, is to bet on businesses within the sector that have a competitive advantage over others. Q: Do you only invest in turnaround stocks. A. These turnarounds are not regular occurrences. In a year there might be very few cases. But in the portfolio management service (PMS) structure that we operate in we have to buy when the client gives us money. But at the time of initiation or our first buying around 80-90 percent of our investments have been in turnaround stocks. As we grew many of these companies became growth story which coincided with the money that came in our fund so they became growth stories for the subsequent investors. We continue to buy these businesses as we feel there is still enough steam left. We do not tend to buy in a company where the investment timeframe is less than three years. If a turnaround is a cyclical small turnaround we would not look at it. Like agro commodities do not have a structural turnaround lasting for a longer time. We prefer to bet on structural turnarounds. Our time horizon for investing is minimum of three to five years. We prefer to have investors in our fund who also have a similar timeframe. Q: Have there been cases where you thought that turnaround would take place and it did not. A. Sure there has. In nearly 20 percent of the cases, it has happened. As Warren Buffett says turnarounds seldom turn, we are always worried about holding companies that fail to turn, that is our biggest fear. Q: So when do you exit your investment, does it coincide with the turn in industry cycle? A. Turn of the business cycle can be one of the reasons, but as a fund house, we have a risk management strategy in place. As a portfolio, we would not like to have a stock to weigh more than 15 percent of our fund. If it goes to 15 percent we may trim it down to 10 percent. We use this trimming to manage the portfolio risk. We completely exit a stock only if we feel that the business has lost its competitive advantage. Since our inception, we would have bought 60-65 stocks and would have sold around 25 stocks. The average holding period is three years and we intended to hold them for a few more year. As long as the company grows its profit by 15 percent year-on-year we are comfortable. Q: Madhu you do not have a finance background can you walk you us through how you ventured into investing A. I am a Chemical Engineer but do not have any formal educational qualification in finance. However, I now have 18 years of professional experience in finance. I started looking at the share market from the age of 15. My father had a portfolio which I used to monitor during the early 1990s. I saw valuation shoot up and fall during this time. My own baptism by fire in the market started from my engineering college days. I made mistakes but learned from them and moved forward. In those, I used to understand businesses and then invested without giving too much weight to financials. I tried to get information from various papers and magazines, especially industry magazine. A simple approach I used then was to monitor advertisement of companies. If a company increased the size of advertisement then there was some interesting happening in the company. I got my first job in Atul Ltd but after a year realized I was not cut out to be in the manufacturing sector. There is a big transition from being a science student to an engineer. I was a good engineer but an average science student. Engineers generally have an analytical mindset. I then searched for a job in the financial markets and found one where I worked as an analyst and later headed the research team. We used to look for companies in the micro and small-cap space and looked for interesting businesses which had a competitive advantage but were out of favour. We followed a scuttlebutt approach to investing (see box below). Q: In your scuttlebutt approach to investing can you describe the depth of your research? A. Our analysis has changed its dimensions over the year. Earlier we used to do a third party reference check of the promoter from someone from the industry. Then we realized this is not enough and we need to check each and every aspect of the companys business. We now check the companys customers, suppliers, its HR policies, compliance, government engagements, accounts, legal and some other aspect. We have a checklist which needs to be filled to the extent of 80-90 percent for each company. Earlier this checklist had 5-7 components, these have now increased to 15-20. Since we generally hire interns it is normally difficult for them to get access to competitors and other stakeholders. But then we attend industry seminars, annual general meetings to get a viewpoint on the company. We try to touch as many points in the ecosystem of the company as possible. The checklist keeps on growing as we learn from our mistakes. Before investing in any company we do the checks religiously and post investing we monitor it regularly. In cases where we do not trust the accounts of the company, we call for a third party forensic check. Otherwise, we have internal systems to do forensic checks. For us, these tools decide the long-term quality of our investment. Q: Going back to your early days, how did you invest in a company without using too many financial analysis tools. A. I looked at every investment as a business opportunity. I would analyze the business by stripping through its cost sheet. I would get an idea of the contribution of fixed cost to the cost structure of a product. Variable cost is generally available with the industry. You then know the gross and operating margin of the product. To me, this is the minimum I should know about the company, without which I am not comfortable investing in it. Q: So what changed in your analysis process when you became an analyst? A. A number of tools were added to my arsenal. I would look at the quality of the balance sheet, more importantly, the stress in the balance sheet, the quality of receivables, the quality of payables among other things. I would check if a company has a history of pricing power during good as well as bad times. As an analyst, I was focused on small and mid-cap companies. We were required to come out with a good idea every month. So between 2004-06, we might have come out with around 50-55 ideas some of which were at ridiculous valuations if ones look at it now. Like we picked Mayur Uniquoters at Rs 30 crore market capitalization (current MCap is Rs 2,370 crore), Poly Medicure at Rs 50 crore MCap (Current Rs 2,300 crore) among many others. I picked up Atul Ltd at a Mcap of Rs 100 crore (current Rs 8,560 crore) since I had been an employee I understood the business well. Q: And how did your progression from an analyst to a fund manager change the way you look at a company? A. The biggest change is to look for companies that are substantial value compounders. It would thus require looking at companies beyond the operating matrix of the company and beyond its current financials. Fund managers and investors have in India invested in many value stocks, but there have been very few value compounders. In a country like India with a population of 120 crores we have produced only 200 odd value compounders. There is enough scope to produce more either through innovation or creating brands. We have been a country of manufacturers. So to cut the story short I would prefer to have companies that have graduated from operating efficiency based positive cash flow model to one that has created a brand and franchise of their own. But having said that I would still be happy to bet on a company with a solid operating efficiency model and walk with them in their journey to create a brand, their own franchise or their own customer base because of the value system they have created. But in the last seven years of existence of Vallum Capital, we have not got an opportunity to invest in a company with branded franchises at a good value. So we have invested in companies which have good operating efficiencies and believe that if cash flows come these companies will be in a position to create a franchise and brand. The downturn of 2008-2013 of these companies has thought them that operating efficiency has been a key to their sustainability and the future of their business depended on creating a brand or a franchise for their company, be it a product or a service or a business-to-business kind of business. Q: Madhu, lets take an example over here for the benefit of our readers of one of your investment where this transition has taken place. A. Lets look at a pharmaceutical company, Shilpa Medicare which I have tracked as an analyst when it had an MCap of Rs 200 crore to Rs 1,500 crore when we picked it up in our fund and currently is valued at around Rs 5,000 crore. What I liked about Shilpa Medicare when I first researched it there were only two companies in the space it was operating in oncology. The other player was Fresenius Kabi. Fresenius India operation was a small part of the bigger company and the Indian arm was focused on only local operations. Shilpa Medicare, on the other hand, was developing molecules that would also reduce the price of the API (active pharmaceutical ingredient) and would be exported. The cash flow from this high margin business was used by the company to add other APIs but in different therapeutic segments. The company also tied up with other global players for technology transfer to produce their APIs in India, a typical contract manufacturing model followed by many pharmaceutical companies. Where Shilpa Medicare differentiated from others is that it added a formulation division to its business, created world-class plants to cater to the most developed markets and created a library of new molecules to launch through their ANDAs (Abbreviated New Drug Applications) filings. Apart from these initiatives the company has invested money in start-ups that are focused on developing novel drug discovery systems (NDDS). It has acquired a company that is in bio-similar research and was on the verge of transitioning itself into manufacturing. What we have here is a company that used its expertise in growing a single line of business into many diversified lines with each contributing to its future growth and cash flows for further opportunities. Q: So what you have essentially captured is uniqueness in business, a good promoter, and good valuation to invest. Is this the model you follow in all your investments and what is the order of preference? A. Yes, thats basically it. For us, we prefer companies with unique attributes, unique business or a product line. On promoters, we take a leap of faith initially but only after we do a thorough reference check and finally it is valuation which should give us a good margin of safety. Q: Madhu turnaround is something that excites a lot of retail buyers, what would be your advice to them on how to approach this style of investing. I completely agree with Buffetts statement that turnarounds are seldom sustainable. So if these investors understand the business only then they should venture into turnaround investing. I have seen a lot of investors do very well in turnaround investments only because they belong to that business. Only when you have that kind of insight should you venture into this type of investing. Otherwise, investors should stick to growth companies. Morningstar Investment Adviser In a recent circular (https://goo.gl/XokX4n), SEBI has instructed fund houses to start benchmarking the performance of all their funds with Total Return Indices, effective February 1, 2018, (or TRI) vis-a-vis the current practice of using Price Return Indices (or PRI) as benchmarks. So, what is the difference between TRI and PRI and how important is it to benchmark fund performance to TRI? Listed securities typically generate returns from two sources a) capital gains or losses accruing due to appreciation or depreciation in the price of the security and b) coupons or dividend from the security. The performance of a Price Return Index (PRI) captures only the capital gain or loss and not the coupon or dividend received from the security, whereas a Total Return Index (TRI) captures both. Due to this, Equity Total Return Indices (such as S&P BSE 100 or S&P BSE Small & Mid cap index) show a return that is around 1.5 percent p.a. higher than PRI variants of the same index. On the other hand, mutual fund performance includes both capital gains or losses and dividends or coupons received from securities held. Hence, to provide an apples-to-apples comparison the performance of a mutual fund should be benchmarked against a Total Return Index. Morningstars research shows that 69 percent of largecap funds outperformed the S&P BSE 100 PRI over the last five years (i.e. based on 5-year CAGR as of December 29, 2017). When compared with the S&P BSE 100 TRI, the percentage of largecap funds outperforming the index comes down to 52 percent. Why is this comparison relevant for investors? In case one has investments in a fund that was outperforming its benchmark based on its Price Return Index but is underperforming the Total Return Index over the medium to long-term (3 to 5 years), it would be advisable to review the performance in further detail and probably consider alternate fund options. Going ahead, are actively managed equity mutual funds expected to continue outperforming benchmark indices. Historically, over longer time periods, such as 5 to 10 years and above, a sizeable share of equity mutual funds have outperformed benchmark indices. But, as industry assets (or AUM) managed by actively managed equity funds as a whole grows further, the size of alpha or additional return generated over benchmark indices by these funds may start to reduce as the market becomes more efficient in terms of pricing securities, particularly in the large cap space. As the proportion of actively managed equity funds outperforming benchmark indices drops further, one may need to start considering investments into lower-cost investment products such as ETFs and index funds that passively track benchmark indices. This trend is being observed in developed markets such as the US, where over the last few years, the alpha being generated by actively managed funds has reduced considerably and investors are moving investments to low-cost ETFs and index funds. In India, such a scenario is probably a few years away. Meanwhile, investors should regularly monitor & review their portfolios and compare fund performance to relevant Total Return Indices. : The author is Director, Portfolio Strategist, Morningstar Investment Adviser (I) Pvt. Ltd. The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on moneycontrol.com are their own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. The IMF and the World Bank have commended the Reserve Bank of India for its "remarkable progress in strengthening banking supervision" saying the regulation by the central bank has improved in recent years. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank had released two separate main Reports of the 2017 India Financial Sector Assessment Programme (FSAP) in December 2017. In continuation, the IMF and the World Bank yesterday released two detailed assessment reports (DARs) relating to the 2017 India FSAP. The report providing 'Detailed Assessment of Observance Basel Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision' has been released by the IMF and the World Bank. The report providing 'Detailed Assessment of Observance of Clearing Corporation of India Limited (CCIL) Central Counter Party (CCP) and Trade Repository (TR)' was released by the World Bank. Market regulator SEBI in a statement noted that the DAR on the observance of Basel Core Principles commends the Reserve Bank for the remarkable progress in strengthening banking supervision since the last FSAP. "It notes that the supervision and regulation by the Reserve Bank remain strong and have improved in recent years," the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) said. The DAR states that the system-wide asset quality review (AQR) and the strengthening of prudential regulations in 2015 testify to the authorities' commitment to transparency and a more accurate recognition of banking risks. The report also notes that most of the Basel III framework (and related guidance) has been implemented and cooperation arrangements, both domestically and cross-border, are now firmly in place. The DAR, SEBI said, acknowledges that banking reforms, including the Indradhanush Plan for revitalising the public sector banks and the Bank Board Bureaus have helped usher in an era of transparency and improved discipline and will go a long way in resolving the problem of bad loans in India. The DAR relating to the assessment of the CCIL on CCP system and TR systems' benchmarking against the applicable principles of financial market infrastructure concluded that the CCIL systems have a high degree of observance of the principles. 9:45 am 2 bombs found in Bodh Gaya amid tight security for Dalai Lama 2 bombs found in Bodh Gaya amid tight security for Dalai Lama Two bombs were found from the Bodh Gaya pilgrimage centre following PTI a small explosion-like sound amid stringent security measures in view of the Dalai Lama's stay, reports The bombs were found from the vicinity of the Kalachakra ground during an intensive combing operation by a police team led by DIG (Patna Range) Vinay Kumar, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Patna Zone. 10:08 am US court imposes $5 mn penalty on Dr Reddy's over drug packaging A federal court in the US today imposed a USD 5 million civil penalty on the North America subsidiary of India's Dr Reddy Laboratories for distributing prescription drugs in blister packs that were not child resistant, the Department of Justice said. "Dr Reddys failed to ensure that children were protected from potentially harmful prescription drugs," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Chad A Readler of the Justice Department's Civil Division. 10:21 am Top lenders suspend accounts of major Bitcoin exchanges in India, list includes SBI, HDFC Bank After several warnings issued by the Indian government and Reserve Bank of India (RBI), now top banks including State Bank of India (SBI), Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Yes bank have decided to suspend some accounts of major Bitcoin exchanges in India, reports Economic Times. The decision was taken after the banks suspected dubious transactions. Banks have been mandated to file Suspicious Transaction Reports with the Financial Intelligence Unit in a time-bound manner. 11:00 am US government shuts down, Trump blames Democrats The US government officially shutdown today for the first time in five years after lawmakers failed to agree on a spending deal. US President Donald Trump blamed Democrats for the shutdown which comes exactly a year after he was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. The shutdown began at 12:01 am (local time) soon after the Senate rejected a short-term spending bill to keep federal government running. The bill was passed by the House on Thursday. 11:39 am Pakistan raises Jadhav's case in UNSC debate on Afghanistan Pakistan raked up the issue of Indian death-row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav in the UN Security Council after it was accused by India, the US and Afghanistan, for providing safe havens to terrorists. Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN Maleeha Lodhi was responding to Indian Ambassador to the UN Syed Akbaruddin who said Pakistan needs to change its "mindset" of differentiating between good and bad terrorists. India urged the UN Security Council to focus on challenges posed by terrorism emanating from the safe havens from across the border. 12:46 pm India's entry into elite nuclear groups reaffirms its non-proliferation commitments: PM India's entry into elite nuclear groups in the recent past has reaffirmed the country's strict non-proliferation commitments, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today. His remarks come in the backdrop of India becoming a member of the 'Australia Group' (AG), a move that is expected to raise New Delhi's stature in the field of non-proliferation and also help it acquire critical technologies. 01:26 pm We will not screen Padmaavat in whole of Gujarat, says Director of Gujarat Multiplex Association We have decided not to screen the movie in whole of Gujarat. Everyone is scared, No multiplex wants to bear the loss. Why will we bear the loss, Rakesh Patel, Director, Gujarat Multiplex Association told ANI. The announcement comes despite Supreme Court's order of suspending the ban order by the four states of Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan on Thursday. 01:55 pm Army jawan among three killed in ceasefire violation by Pakistan Three people, including an Army jawan, were killed and six injured in firing by Pakistani troops along the International Border (IB) and Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu division for the third day today, reports PTI. Nine persons have been killed so far in ceasefire violations over three days, police officials said. An Army jawan was today killed after being hit by a bullet during cross-border firing in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district, the officials said. A defence spokesman identified the slain soldier as sepoy Mandeep Singh (23), a resident of Alampur village of Sangroor in Punjab. 01:58 pm Declare Vivekananda, Netaji b'days as national holiday: Mamata Banerjee West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today urged the Centre to declare the birthdays of Swami Vivekananda and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose as national holidays. Banerjee said in a tweet that she has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard. "Swami Vivekananda and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose are national and international icons. I have written a letter to the PM urging the GOI to declare both their birthdays as national holidays," she tweeted. 2:34 pm I-T Pune region crosses 75% of annual target The Pune division of the Income Tax department has topped the country to cross 75 per cent of the annual collection target, reports PTI. The region also leads the rest of the country in terms of overall growth in mop-up at 24.12 per cent year-on-year against the national average of 18 per cent as of January 16. "This puts the Pune region on top across the country to reach 75 per cent of the budget estimate for the current fiscal year as of January 16," said principal chief commissioner of the region AC Shukla. 15:15 Are Indian insurers ready for risk-based capital regime? By 2021, Indian insurance companies will be required to a risk-based capital (RBC) model of solvency. Solvency is the minimum capital that has been prescribed by the insurance regulator to be maintained at all times. Once regulations change, the type of business risk will decide the amount of capital to be held. At present, solvency capital is factor based. This is based on the mathematical reserves of the company and the sum of risk for the particular business. This is also called as Solvency I. In contrast, RBC is a method of measuring the minimum amount of capital appropriate for a reporting entity to support its overall business operations in consideration of its size and risk profile. Read the full report here. 15:22 Trump's one year in White House: The 'covefefe' moments of the 'stable genius' On this day exactly a year ago, Donald Trump assumed the office of the President of the United States. He has given the world many occasions to scratch their heads in wonder ever since. From 'covfefe' to 'little rocket man' to 'stable genius', the last one year has been full of online and offline mishmash of ideas by the US President. Read the full story here. 15:31 Two laborers were killed, two were injured due to the collapse of a multi level parking basement in Kanpur's Filkhana. Rescue operations are underway, reports ANI. 15:39 Bodh Gaya blast update: NIA said that the Information was received about a blast that had taken place opposite the Kalchakra ground at 4.45 pm on January 19 in Bodh Gaya. It is said that the blast happened in a flask kept under a generator at a tea shop/kitchen opposite the ground. The police found some wires coming out. Later searches were conducted in the vicinity by police and two objects, suspected to be IEDs were recovered. On receipt of this preliminary information, a team of NIA officials including one SP and one explosives' expert has been dispatched on January 20 to visit the site, reports ANI. #Delhi : The ritual 'Halwa Ceremony' attended by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley at the Ministry of Finance. The annual ceremony is observed before the commencement of the process of printing of budget documents. pic.twitter.com/sM6o42tFGi ANI (@ANI) January 20, 2018 15:45 No central bank official posted at Dewas Bank Note Press: RBI The RBI today said it does not have any official posted at the Bank Note Press in Dewas, where a person has been apprehended allegedly for stealing currency. In a statement, the central bank said it has been reported in a section of the media that an RBI officer has been apprehended by CISF for stealing printed currency at the RBI printing facility at Dewas. However, the Bank Note Press (BNP), Dewas is a unit of the Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd which is not under the control of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), it said. 15:55 Fifteen people are arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force after raids were conducted in Agra, Allahabad, Sultanpur and Noida regarding an online lottery racket, reports ANI. American aerospace and defence major Lockheed Martin has proposed to manufacture custom-built F-35 fighter jets in India, which its officials say will give Indian industry a unique opportunity to become part of the world's largest fighter aircraft ecosystem. "We plan to introduce two new words into the lexicon of international fighter aircraft manufacturing: 'India' and 'exclusive'," Vivek Lall, vice president, strategy and business development, at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics told PTI in an interview. "India-specific state-of-the-art fighter production in India will be exclusive, something that has never before been presented by any other fighter aircraft manufacturer, past or present. There will also be a significant export market available for Indian-made fighters," he said. 16:07 Land Rover launches Range Rover Velar at Rs 78.83 lakh Tata Motors-owned luxury sports utility vehicle brand Land Rover has launched the Range Rover Velar in India at prices starting Rs 78.83 lakh (ex-showroom). Derived from the Latin word Velare, meaning 'to cover' or 'veil', Velar is a direct reference to the code name used on the original, pre-production Range Rovers of the late 1960s. Available in three powertrains, a 2.0 litre 4-cylinder 132 kW diesel, a 2.0 litre 4-cylinder 184 kW petrol, and a 3.0 litre V6 221 kW diesel, the Velar competes against Audi Q7, Porsche Macan, BMW X5, Mercedes GLE and even the Jaguar F-Pace. Read the full story here. 16:11 Kamala Mills fire update: Police custody of Mojo's Bistro owner Yug Tuli extended till January 22 by Bhoiwada Court, reports ANI. Pharma Pharma Pharma stocks extended losses for the second consecutive week, ahead of the announcement of third-quarter results. The overall bullish sentiment prevalent in the stock market didn't rub off on pharma stocks. The BSE Healthcare index declined 0.85 percent in the past week, while the benchmark Sensex rose 2.38 percent. Biocon was the biggest gainer in the pack, rising 4.94 percent. Torrent Pharma and Dr Reddy's too posted gains of 3.45 percent and 2.75 percent, respectively, while Lupin and Divis Labs gained 0.11 percent and 0.14 percent. Read the full report here. 16:29 An earthquake measuring 4.2 on Richter scale hit Manipur today at 3:36 pm, reports ANI. 16:33 Pakistan raises Kulbhushan Jadhav's case in UNSC debate on Afghanistan Pakistan raked up the issue of Indian death-row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav in the UN Security Council after it was accused by India, the US and Afghanistan, for providing safe havens to terrorists. Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN Maleeha Lodhi was responding to Indian Ambassador to the UN Syed Akbaruddin who said Pakistan needs to change its "mindset" of differentiating between good and bad terrorists. India urged the UN Security Council to focus on challenges posed by terrorism emanating from the safe havens from across the border. 16:51 ONGC-HPCL Deal Update | ONGC to pay Rs 36,915 cr for Govts 51.11% stake in HPCL. The acquisition to complete by January-end, reports Cogencis. 17:08 Rupee wobbles on gushing trade deficit woes amid rising crude The Indian rupee skidded further against the beleagured dollar as forex market sentiment took a hard hit on the back of suring global crude prices and growing trade deficit concerns. Stretching its losses for the second-straight week, the home currency depreciated by 21 paise to end at 63.84. Overall trading mood turned into dismay after the countrys trade deficit widened to a three-year high on higher oil and gold imports. 17:24 This week in Auto: SIAM estimates over 100 launches at Auto Expo, bookings open for new Maruti Swift The buzz for Auto Expo is rising by the day as companies tease their line-up for the biennial event which kicks off on February 7. Scores of new launches and unveiling of models will set the tone for the week-long event. Meanwhile, companies that are not participating in the event have started launching products to swim with the tide. Read the full report here. 17:33 Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said that the capital investments in Indian Railways are expected to almost triple between 2013-14. Such massive ramp up of capital investments could not have been possible without support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, reports ANI. German luxury car manufacturer Audi today launched new second generation Audi Q5 in the region, with eight percent increase in power delivery and 20 percent increase in fuel efficiency than the previous model. Priced at Rs 53.25 lakh, the new Audi Q5 proves to be the perfect vehicle in its segment and delivery of the car in India will be from March onwards, Audi Coimbatore General Manager, Vivek told at the launch. It was expected to sell 20 to 25 vehicles during this year, as against the usual average 15 to 18 previous model, he said. 17:49 Bus fare hike in Tamil Nadu draws flak from political parties The bus fare hike in Tamil Nadu drew all round flak from political parties, including the main opposition DMK, which accused the government of being 'sadistic' and giving a 'thunderbolt' to the people. The parties demanded that the fares be immediately rolled back. The Tamil Nadu government last night hiked the fares of buses under State run transport corporations and private entities approximately by 20 to 54.54 percent, after a six year gap, saying it was inevitable. DMK working President M K Stalin today accused the Palaniswami-led government of being "sadist" and said the steep hike to the tune of Rs 3,600 crore a year was unacceptable and was a 'thunderbolt' imposed on the people. 18:08 Rs 414 cr fine imposed by I-T dept on firm in Herald case: Subramanian Swamy to court BJP leader Subramanian Swamy today told a Delhi court that a Rs 414 crore fine was recently imposed on Young Indian Pvt Ltd by the Income Tax department in connection with the National Herald case filed by him against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others. Swamy submitted before Metropolitan Magistrate Ambika Singh that the I-T department had launched a probe against Gandhis, YI, and four other accused after taking note of his complaint in the case. The court directed that the I-T department documents submitted by Swamy be kept in a sealed cover till further orders. 18:16 DIPAM Secretary Neeraj Gupta said that HPCL will continue to be a listed, professionally board managed CPSE and as a part of a large oil and gas group, can exercise various possibilities of economic expansion within and outside the group company, reports CNBC TV18. 18:23 Goa will achieve ODF status by October: Union minister Hardeep Puri Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri today said he was confident that Goa will become hundred per cent 'open defecation free' by October 2018. Puri, who held a press conference in the presence of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar here, said 2,260 cities in the country have become open defecation free so far. "I was told by the Goa chief minister that the state will be hundred percent open defecation free by October 2018. I have no doubt that the state will achieve this goal," the minister said after chairing meetings to review various urban development initiatives in Goa. 18:29 L&T Shipyard launches 2nd Coast Guard offshore patrol vessel The second offshore patrol vessel (OPV) built by the Larsen and Toubro Shipyard near here for the Indian Coast Guard was launched today. The indigenously built vessel 'Vijaya', equipped with state-of art radar, navigational and communication system, will be utilised for day and night patrol and surveillance, anti-terrorist, anti-smuggling operations and coastal security, the Coast Guard said. According to a Rs 1,432 crore contract signed with the Defence Ministry, the L&T Shipyard at Kattupalli, about 45 km from here, would indigenously design and build seven OPVs. The first OPV, the country's first-ever such defence craft to be built in a private shipyard, was launched in October 2017. 18:44 CBI arrested three people for demanding and accepting bribe of Rs 1.80 lakh, allegedly on behalf of SDM Saraswati Vihar, from owner of a club in Pitampur, Delhi, after his club was sealed by the SDM, reports ANI. NMDC Odisha State-run NMDC Ltd has offered to augment mineral production in Odisha, which is likely to be hit by shortage of iron ore due to closure of mines. N Baijendra Kumar, CMD of NMDC, has written to the Odisha government in this regard, official sources said. A delegation from the company had also recently met Odisha Chief Secretary A P Padhi to discuss the matter. "NMDC is interested to operate three mining leases of OMDC (Orissa Minerals Development Company Ltd) in case Odisha government allots in favour of NMDC," an official said, adding that the Ministry of Steel had already requested the state government to consider the operation of OMDC leases by NMDC. 19:04 Banking sector this week: Axis Bank hikes loan rates, HDFC Bank posts NPA divergences; FDI buzz cheers stocks Still fresh from the weekend news of IDFC Bank and Capital First merging, the banking sector this week saw the government considering a proposal to allow 100 percent foreign direct investment (FDI) in private banks and 49 percent in public sector banks. Vaidyanathan, Founder and Executive Chariman of Capital First, is set to leadthe merged entity after the IDFC Bank-Capital First merger goes through. On the FDI news, banking stocks rallied as investors cheered the possible introduction of FDI in banking. Read the full report here. theatre Padmaavat Uncertainty over the release of controversial film "Padmaavat" in Rajasthan looms large as theatre owners are still clueless whether distributors will purchase the rights despite the Supreme Court's ruling against the ban on Sanjay Leela Bhansali's period drama. The audiences have already started enquiring about the release of the film in cinema halls but there is no advance booking or confirmation whether or not the movie will be screened in the state. "I am not going to purchase the rights of the film as I am going out of the country on a family holiday on January 24," a leading film distributor Raj Bansal told PTI. bourses Apollo Micro Systems, which caters primarily to the defence and aerospace sectors, will debut on bourses on Monday. The issue price is fixed at Rs 275 per share. The Rs 156-crore initial public offer (IPO) has seen huge oversubscription of 248.51 times during January 10-12, 2018. As the market is in strong momentum and the issue has seen tremendous response from investors, the listing price premium could be around Rs 200 per share over IPO price, experts suggest. Read the full report here. The bulls seemed unstoppable as the market continued its record-hitting spree in the first three weeks of the current calendar year, even in the face of rising crude oil prices. Encouraging earnings numbers, a cut in GST rates on 83 goods and services, favourable global cues, buzz on allowing 100 percent FDI in the banking sector, and easing of fiscal deficit worries after lowered borrowing requirements, have driven the Nifty above the 10,900 level and the Sensex above the 35,500-mark for the first time ever. Read the full report here. Haryana MSP Manohar Lal Khattar Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today said that after restarting the process for the purchase of bajra and sunflower seeds on minimum support price, it has now been decided to purchase maize also on MSP. Bajra and maize purchased on MSP would be used for public distribution system (PDS) stock, he added. Khattar was addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone of new cooperative sugar mill here. He said with the setting up of a new cooperative sugar mill, 60 lakh quintals of sugarcane would be crushed during the crushing season besides generating 15 MW of electricity. 20:09 Blind Cricket World Cup update: Consulate General of India will organize a felicitation program for the players and officials of Indian blind cricket team on January 21 at the Indian Consulate Auditorium in Dubai, reports ANI. 20:14 Axis Bank Q3 profit seen up 22% to Rs 706 cr, slippages from watchlist key to watch Country's third largest private sector lender Axis Bank is expected to report a 21.9 percent growth in profit at Rs 706.2 crore for quarter ended December 2017, compared to Rs 579.4 crore in year-ago. Net interest income during the quarter is seen rising 3.8 percent to Rs 4,498.5 crore from Rs 4,333.7 crore in same quarter last year, according to average of estimates of analysts polled by CNBC-TV18. 20:16 IMF, World Bank laud RBI for 'strengthening' supervision The IMF and the World Bank have commended the Reserve Bank of India for its "remarkable progress in strengthening banking supervision" saying the regulation by the central bank has improved in recent years. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank had released two separate main Reports of the 2017 India Financial Sector Assessment Programme (FSAP) in December 2017. In continuation, the IMF and the World Bank yesterday released two detailed assessment reports (DARs) relating to the 2017 India FSAP. The report providing 'Detailed Assessment of Observance Basel Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision' has been released by the IMF and the World Bank. The report providing 'Detailed Assessment of Observance of Clearing Corporation of India Limited (CCIL) Central Counter Party (CCP) and Trade Repository (TR)' was released by the World Bank. Even as Indian audiences keenly await the release of controversy-mired flick Padmaavat, which is scheduled to hit screens next week, they seem to have given their nearby movie halls a miss this week. Despite as many as 5 new films having released on Friday, the Box office did not have any lick with collections. The films -- Kashmir Daily, Medal, My Birthday Song, Nirdosh and Vodka Dairies -- collectively brought in a mere Rs 40 lakh. Read the full report here. 20:42 Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu said that the state cabinet has decided to supply 70 litres per capita per day water to every household in all villages. According to the new policy, a drinking water supply corporation will be setup, for which Rs 22,000 crores is required Naidu added, reports ANI. "The project will be taken up with the support of various banks. We will complete this on a war footing. Technology will also be efficiently used. Quality work will be done through outsourcing", Naidu said. 20:53 Year one in office: Donald Trump rides economic boom, xenophia wave Just as the Donald Trump administration turned one, the US government was plunged into a historic shutdown the third in a quarter of a century after Democrats stalled a spending bill in order to oppose the governments decision to rescind the Obama-era DACA policy. The DACA protects undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children. But by forcing a US government shutdown, the Democratic Party just doubled down on a bet it has lost badly recently -- that it is willing to stare down Trump on the cornerstone subject of his politics, race. Even at the risk of angering traditional white, the real, Americans. The US President, of course, did not waste any time rubbing this in. Read the full story here. US President Donald Trump has completed a year in office. While Trump has been claiming he has worked more than any of the previous office bearers during this one year, the approval ratings suggest otherwise. Trump's score stands at merely 38 percent in a Presidential approval ratings poll by Gallup released on January 18. This is the lowest average first-year approval rating for any US President. Having said that, his first year came to be a mix of hits and misses. Here's a list of what Trump achieved or missed in his first year in the White House: HITS > Tax overhaul The passage of the most sweeping US tax overhaul bill, estimated around USD 1.5 trillion, was Trump's first major legislative accomplishment as the bill had been lying in the House of Representatives for nearly 35 years. Overall, the tax overhaul bill aims to trim the corporate tax rate in US to 21 percent from 35 percent. It also lowers taxes for the vast majority of Americans, as well as small-business owners, and preserves certain tax savings for the middle class, including the student-loan interest deduction, the deduction for excessive medical expenses, and the tax break for graduate students. I promised that my policies would allow companies like Apple to bring massive amounts of money back to the United States. Great to see Apple follow through as a result of TAX CUTS. Huge win for American workers and the USA! https://t.co/OwXVUyLOb1 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 17, 2018 Trump has fulfilled the promise he made to millions of Americans struggling in this economy, to cut taxes across the board for working families and businesses large and small. > War on ISIS Donald Trump had reaffirmed the strategic partnership between the United States and Turkey, particularly in combating terrorism in all its forms and fostering regional stability. He had also spoken to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan and discussed implementing a United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254 for the peaceful settlement to the Syrian crisis and defeat of the ISIS terror group, the White House had said. According to media reports, the Islamic State has been losing grounds in Syria and Iraq, as the US-led coalition and Russia-backed Syrian troops had been focused on driving Islamic State from the country's east. ISIS is in retreat, our economy is booming, investments and jobs are pouring back into the country, and so much more! Together there is nothing we cant overcome--even a very biased media. We ARE Making America Great Again! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018 > Improving economic picture The US economy grew at its fastest pace in more than two years. The economy saw a surge in consumer demand and spending that led to an increased factory activity indication a brighter economic outlook. Trump claimed the unemployment rate was at an 18-year low, and the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits hit a 45-year low. Media reports suggest the jobless claims in the US indeed decreased by 41,000 to 2.20 million the lowest level since February 1973. Although Trump said his administration created nearly 2. 2 million jobs since the election, there are no official figures available to verify this claim. > Deregulation The Trump administration rolled back various rules and regulations petaining to banking, finance, labour, and environment that were adopted earlier. In October 2017, the US Treasury released a blueprint for the financial deregulation, with proposals for derivatives, stock markets and corporate bonds seeking to rein in post-financial crisis rules. Some of these de-regulations are believed to have added over USD 27 billion of gross profit at the six largest US banks, lifting their annual pretax income by about 20 percent. In November, US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told CNBC in an interview that Trump had cancelled 860 rules and regulations that had been imposed by the Obama administration. MISSES > Obamacare repeal Trump had clearly stated his intention to repeal ObamaCare during his election campaigns in 2016. "We will immediately repeal and replace ObamaCare - and nobody can do that like me. We will save $'s and have much better healthcare!," Donald Trump had tweeted. As expected, when he joined office he made repeated efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act; however, the GOP-controlled Senate never mustered a simple majority. Trump tried to sabotage the healthcare program by scrapping cost-sharing subsidies to insurance companies and slashing its marketing budget. Despite that nearly 9 million people signed up for Obamacare coverage. > Build a border wall with Mexico Donald Trump had been repeatedly pushing to build a Wall on the US-Mexico border to increase security. "We need the Wall to help stop the massive inflow of drugs from Mexico, now rated the number one most dangerous country in the world. If there is no Wall, there is no Deal!," Trump had tweeted. He reiterated his intent to go ahead with building of the wall as early as this week. "The Wall is the Wall, it has never changed or evolved from the first day I conceived of it,"he had tweeted. Trump wanted the building of wall to be funded by Mexico. "The Wall will be paid for, directly or indirectly, or through longer term reimbursement, by Mexico, which has a ridiculous $71 billion dollar trade surplus with the U.S. The $20 billion dollar Wall is peanuts compared to what Mexico makes from the U.S. NAFTA is a bad joke!," he had tweeted. > Court intervention on several decisions In the first year of office, Trump already had several legal interventions following his various decision regarding the ending of an immigration program for hundreds of thousands of children (DACA) or bar travel to the US by residents of six predominantly Muslim countries - Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi hugs U.S. President Donald Trump as they give joint statements in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, U.S., June 26, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RTS18QSB India and the US have seen their share of ups and downs in the recent past, but have always maintained a cordial relationship. The relationship between the two countries,till date, has never been bitter. Since the time US President Donald Trump came to power this relation seems to have moved from being just cordial to a much stronger one. Here's a look at how the relationship between the two countries evolved in the past year - Modi-Trump meetings Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the US. Reports pointed that US officials said, "The partnership between the US and India has never been more important." The meeting between the top officials, according to them, bore fruit. The two countries were successfully able to sign key defence deals, energy deals - US will start flowing liquefied natural gas to India, agreeing to fight terrorism together, among others. PM Modi again met Trump at the ASEAN Summit in Philippines's capital, Manila, in the second half of last year where they were expected to talk about evolving the security situation in the Indo-Pacific region. US Visa The H-1B visa issue was by far the only point of bitterness between the two countries. The issue was also highlighted by PM Modi in his visit to the US; however, it remained to be resolved. The Trump administration had even gone to the extent of considering norms that meant deportation of nearly 500,000 Indian workers in the country. Recent reports though suggest the US has since eased its stance on the H-1B visa rules. This could mean some damage control. Trump's stand against Pakistan India and Pakistan have had a strained relation, and multiple cases sucha s that of Kulbhushan Jadhav or Hafiz Saeed have led to growing bitterness. The US has also tightened its stance on terrorism and extended its support in its recent decision to chargesheet Hafiz Saeed for his alleged involvement in Mumbai's 26/11 attacks. In fact, PM Modi and Trump agreed to counter terrorist outfits such as al-Qaeda, ISIS, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, D-Company, and their affiliates - when the Indian PM visited last year. Ivanka Trump's visit Trump's daughter Ivanka led the US delegation to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) held in Hyderabad last year. The strengthening of the ties between the two nations was displayed in the summit, where she said PM Modi is "a symbol of hope to the world" and that he has "proved that transformational change is possible." Not only for Modi, but Ivanka showered compliments on India's economy and its people. She termed Indians to be inspiring in terms of being hard working and in terms of speedily advancing in the medical field, among others. Community Life as seen on social media An influenza virus infection claimed the life of a fifth Santa Clara County resident earlier this month. County officials are recommending those who havent already received the flu vaccination to do so, according to an announcement from the Public Health Department. The most recent death was an individual under the age of 65 years. All five deceased residents had not been vaccinated, according to county health officials. Along with the Emergency Medical Services Agency and Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, the Public Health Department recommends that any residents experiencing flu-like symptoms to stay home, drink fluids and take medicine for fever. People should monitor their own symptoms and if they are getting worse, contact their medical provider, the Jan. 10 announcement states. County health officials recommend that all individuals six months of age and older, including pregnant women, be vaccinated against influenza. The influenza vaccination is the best way to protect your family from complications of influenza, said Dr. George Han, the countys Assistant Health Officer. Its not too late to get vaccinated. Even if the vaccine does not prevent you from getting the flu, it will make it less likely for you to be seriously ill and require hospitalization. People at risk for complications from the flu have chronic conditions, are pregnant, or are very young or very old. For the vast majority of us who are not in a risk group, we will get better, said Dr. Jeffery Leinen, Medical Director at SCVMC Emergency Department. If youre sick, stay home and take care of yourself. But if you are seriously ill and at risk for complications from the flu, contact your medical provider because you may need additional treatment or hospital care. Santa Clara Valley Medical Centers Emergency Department has seen an increase of patients who have been diagnosed with the flu. In the first week of December 2017, only 5 patients were diagnosed as having an influenza virus. The numbers continued to increase and for the week of January 1-7, 40 patients were diagnosed with influenza. We see increased flu activity with the higher daily ambulance traffic to hospitals. Typically we have 220 emergency medical transports a day. In December 2017, there were 240 daily transports, said Dr. Kenneth Miller, Medical Director of the Emergency Medical Systems Agency. And so far this year, Jan. 1-10, 2018, we averaged 264 daily transports to local hospitals. That compares to an average of 253 daily transports for the same time period last year. Needless to say, emergency departments are extremely busy and wait times are long. Health officials recommend that people take the following additional steps to protect themselves and loved ones from the flu: Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or your elbow when you cough or sneeze. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth, since hands may become contaminated with live influenza virus. Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. If soap and water are not available, an alcohol-based hand rub may be used. Try to avoid close contact with sick people. Stay at least six feet away from individuals who are visibly ill. If you are sick, stay home from work or school until you have been symptom-free for 24 hours. Going to work or school while ill may pass the disease to someone who is at risk for serious complications. For more information about influenza, visit sccphd.org/flu. Current Flu Season Oct. 2017 to date: 5 Oct. 2016 to April 2017: 2 Oct. 2015 to April 2016: 6 Santa Clara Valley Medical Center Influenza Patients Dec. 4-10, 2017: 5 total patients, 1 diagnosed with influenca Dec. 11-17, 2017: 4, with 2 diagnosed Dec. 18-24, 2017: 15, with 11 diagnosed Dec. 25-31, 2017: 42, with 24 diagnosed Jan. 1-7, 2018: 40, with 20 diagnosed Morgan Hill Unified School Districts Board of Trustees is seeking qualified candidates to serve on the independent Citizens Oversight Committee for the implementation of the Measure G school facilities bond program, according to a Jan. 11 announcement. The two openings on the COC currently are for an At Large Community Member and a representative of the Senior Citizen Group. Each term is set at two years and the committee meets quarterly at different school sites for an hour to two hours each meeting. Approved in November 2012, Measure G is a $198.25-million bond measure that authorizes funding for needed repairs, upgrades, and new construction projects to the Districts schools. Measure G was passed by 64.89 percent of the voters. State law requires that the MHUSDs Board appoint a Citizens Oversight Committee to work with the district, according to the press release. Responsibilities of COC members include: Inform the public concerning the Districts expenditure of Measure G bond proceeds; Review expenditure reports produced by the District to ensure that Measure G bond proceeds were expended only for the purposes set forth in Measure G; and Present to the Board of Education in public session, an annual written report outlining their activities and conclusions regarding the expenditure of Measure G bond proceeds. Measure G projects include Burnett modernization, Charter School of Morgan Hill multipurpose room, the Britton fencing project, renovations at San Martin/Gwinn and Paradise Valley, various roofing projects and the districts $22 million technology infrastructure. A major project on the horizon is the $50 million New Britton Project. Anyone interested in joining the COC, must complete an application, available on mhusd.org, by Jan. 26 and submit it to: Allison Murray, Morgan Hill Unified School District, [email protected], 15600 Concord Circle, Morgan CA 95037, (408) 201-6052. Heres a solution to High Speed Rail through Morgan Hill: I read an article that the city of Hawthorne, Calif., has signed a contract with the Elon Musk boring company to bore a two-mile tunnel for traffic. Why cant the state do the same thing with the High Speed Rail to bypass Morgan Hill downtown? Since there are no stops in Morgan Hill, this should be easy to do. Make it big enough for two trains (four tracks), and you can run the regular Union Pacific trains through it too. Morgan Hill could chip in for that as it will be a big benefit to the quality of life along the current Union Pacific tracks, where there have been a lot of homes built up lately. I dont understand why Gov. Jerry Brown hasnt proposed that solution. It would make his HSR less expensive. Seems like an easy, cheaper solution. Regards, Mark Ziebarth Morgan Hill Reams have already been written about the demise of Carillion (CLLN), and with it, one would like to hope, the disastrous PFI programme, but one point is worth noting. It is rare indeed for any company in the UK to go bust without there being ample warning signs over several months. If you stay in as a shareholder against all reason then Im afraid you have to take what is coming to you. Way back in August 2015, after David Camerons election victory which now seems like a distant dream, I tweeted that Carillions share price underplayed its contract wins. But you always have to take into account changing circumstances, and the unexpected Brexit vote plus Theresa Mays disastrous election campaign certainly changed the political landscape even without the main cause of Carillions demise, its hapless management. The shock is not that Carillion shares are now worthless, it is that anyone thought they were worth 14p right up to the point that trading in them was suspended. Its the hardest thing in the investment world to admit you bought a dud, but when profit warning follows profit warning, do need to face reality. Provident - It's Not Too Late to Sell Perhaps those who clung on at Carillion have made the same mistake at Provident Financial (PFG), the subprime lender that achieved the remarkable distinction of a double-digit share price fall on two consecutive days this week. The shake-up of its sales team last year, which saw the vital men and women on the doorstep cycle off to employment elsewhere, will take some unravelling, hence its warning this week that losses from the consumer credit division would be at the top end of the 80-120 million range indicated previously. Provident is struggling to re-engage with customers, a salutary lesson for all dealing directly with consumers that it is more expensive to win new customers than it is to keep existing ones. The shares were worth 36.25 last May but were already sliding before suffering the first sharp fall in mid-June. Those who ignored that ominous sign saw the shares drop off a cliff to 675p in August but they had the opportunity to cut their losses after a rebound to north of 900p on several occasions up to this week. If you didnt get the hint then, you surely have got it now at 700p. Unlike Carillion, I think that Provident will claw its way back but it will be a long, hard slog with possibly a rights issue along the way when shareholders will be asked to throw good money after bad. Its not too late to get out. Carpetright's Multiple Profit Warnings That all pales into insignificance, though, with the latest warning from Carpetright (CPR). Ben Marlow on Twitter reckons the floors and bedding company has issued 11 in the past 15 years, which is some going. In between there have been many false dawns but the overwhelming feeling has been one of disappointment. I can only hope that, unlike Carillion, Carpetright doesnt go bust as I have bought carpets and wooden flooring over the years and been very happy with my purchases. On the other hand, Ive never felt much temptation to buy the shares even in the better times. On a more cheerful note, homewares retailer Dunelm (DNLM) has reported a second quarter of sales growth to show that we are still prepared to spend money on our homes. It, too, has had its bad times over the years and the acquisition of Worldstores has altered the sales mix for the worse, so lower margins means sales will not fully flow through into profits. Remembering the lesson of Carpetright, where a sales pick-up can soon disappear, Id like to see a third good quarter at Dunelm and some evidence that the squeeze on margins is easing before even considering the shares but the drop in the share price after the trading update looked overdone. Rodney Hobson is a long-term investor commenting on his own portfolio; his comments are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment advice, nor are they the opinions of Morningstar. Midland ended 2017 with a labor market as strong as it was several years ago when crude prices were above $100 a barrel. The Texas Workforce Commission said Friday the Midland metropolitan statistical area had an unemployment rate of 2.5 percent in December, down marginally from 2.6 percent in November and well below the 4 percent recorded in December 2016. For the third consecutive month, Midland tied with Amarillo for the states lowest unemployment. Odessa saw a similar dip, dropping to 3.3 percent from 3.4 percent in November. Odessas unemployment rate in December 2016 was 5.6 percent. Willie Taylor, chief executive officer of the commissions Workforce Solutions Permian Basin, applauded the continued stability of the areas labor market -- from the labor force to industry composition to wages. With the holidays, we see few people filing for unemployment, but this year we saw very, very few. Thats a sign employers are maintaining their workforce, Taylor said. The offices he oversees continue to place 300 to 500 people in jobs each month, he said. Were seeing people from all over El Paso, Louisiana, all parts of the U.S. Some are skilled workers, some are semi-skilled workers. The area continues to need skilled workers, from drivers with commercial drivers licenses to teachers to medical technicians, he said. Our colleges expect solid enrollments for the spring semester, Taylor said. I look at our feeder system our schools, our community colleges, our university, and thats a positive sign for the region. A jump in the number of employed Midlanders, which rose by about 300 from November to December, combined with a drop in the number of unemployed Midlanders and an increase in the civilian labor force, helped send Decembers rate lower. The commission said Midland added 300 jobs from November to December, as the Tall Citys dominant mining, logging and Construction sector added 100 jobs, as did the Manufacturing Sector and the Leisure and Hospitality sector. All other industrial sectors were unchanged. For the 12 months from December 2016 to December 2017, Midland added 2,700 jobs for a growth rate of 3.1 percent. The mining, logging and construction sector added 2,200 new jobs for a 9.1 percent growth rate, while the government sector added 300 jobs and the manufacturing sector and other services sector added 200 jobs each. The leisure and hospitality sector added 100 jobs during that time. Taylor said he was pleased to see the addition of jobs in the manufacturing sector. Its always great to see any growth in manufacturing, he said. Those gains were offset by the loss of 100 jobs each in the trade, transportation and utilities sector, the information sector and the professional and business services sector. For anyone coming to the area, I strongly urge them to contact our workforce centers, and I guarantee we can put them to work, Taylor said. Statewide, the unemployment rate inched up to 3.9 percent from 3.8 percent in November. The commission said the state added 400 jobs in November and has added 306,900 seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs over the last year. Texas marked 92 consecutive months of annual job growth, with Decembers growth rate 2.5 percent. While Midland and Odessa reported the lowest unemployment, Beaumont-Port Arthur and McAllen-Edinburg-Mission reported the highest rate at 6.7 percent each. Midland unemployment January 2017 4.1 percent January 2016 4 percent February 2017 4.2 percent February 2016 4.2 percent March 2017 4 percent March 2016 4.4 percent April 2017 3.5 percent April 2016 4.5 percent May 2017 3.4 percent May 2016 4.5 percent June 2017 3.5 percent June 2016 5 percent July 2017 3.2 percent July 2016 4.9 percent August 2017 3.2 percent August 2016 4.7 percent September 2017 2.8 percent September 2016 4.6 percent October 2017 2.4 percent October 2016 4.3 percent November 2017 2.6 percent November 2016 4 percent December 2017 2.5 percent December 2016 4 percent Preliminary numbers for November with October numbers in parentheses: Amarillo 2.5 (2.6) Midland 2.5 (2.6) Austin-Round Rock 2.7 (2.7) College Station-Bryan 2.7 (2.7) Lubbock 2.7 (2.7) San Angelo 3.0 (3.1) San Antonio-New Braunfels 3.0 (3.0) Sherman-Denison 3.0 (3.1) Dallas-Plano-Irving 3.1 (3.1) Abilene 3.2 (3.2) Fort Worth-Arlington 3.2 (3.2) Wichita Falls 3.2 (3.3) Odessa 3.3 (3.4) Laredo 3.4 (3.4) Tyler 3.4 (3.5) Waco 3.4 (3.5) Killeen-Temple 3.5 (3.6) Victoria 3.9 (4.1) El Paso 4.0 (4.0) Longview 4.1 (4.2) Texarkana 4.1 (4.0) Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land 4.3 (4.3) Corpus Christi 5.2 (5.3) Brownsville-Harlingen 6.0 (5.8) Beaumont-Port Arthur 6.7 (6.5) McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 6.7 (6.2) This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Small Bites returns with your news on area restaurant and food trends. This week a new beverage spot opens but a favorite dining spot closes. Appetizers We reported Thursday that a sign had been placed on Furr's Fresh Buffet stating it was closed. No reason was given and attempts to reach out to Furr's have been unsuccessful. On Monday, we reported that HTeaO announced its opening on Thursday. The shop's grand opening however is today complete with a ribbon cutting held at 2 p.m. During the grand opening weekend, guests can enter to win one of three giveaways of free tea for a year. The store will also offer perpetual free beverages for law enforcement and uniformed first responders inside. See photos of the opening day above. On Monday, the Planning and Zoning commission approved a zone change for Tall City Brewery. Pending City Council approval, the new microbrewery will move forward in complete its indoor/outdoor tap room to open next year. Read more here. See photos from Sunday's Urban Market above. The downtown event featured local vendors, a brunch menu by Bus 22 and adult beverage from The Garlic Press. Read our preview of "Food Truck the Play" here. The play runs today and Saturday at the Yucca Theatre with, appropriately enough, food trucks available for bites before curtain and at intermission. Moving Out Steak 42 is moving from its Big Spring St. location into downtown. The restaurant announced that regular hours end Saturday in its current spot before moving to 106 A. St. The restaurant will take over the old Rue 432 space. With renovations to be made, an opening date will be announced later. On the Menu The Midland Odessa Symphony and Chorale will host another Symphony SoundBites before it's Feb. 3 "Fanfare" concert. The pre-concert supper is held int he Rea-Greathouse Recital Hall and will feature a talk by maestro Gary Lewis and featured musician timpanist Michael Tetrault who will perform the Timpani Concerto No. 1 later that evening. SoundBites tickets are $26 and reservations must be made by Jan. 29. Call 432-552-4437 to purchase. The Symphony SoundBites menu includes: Grilled lemon-oregano chicken Salmon cakes with cucumber sauce Tabbouleh Greek salad Lemon bars The French Press Cafe in Odessa is taking reservations for its Valentine's Dinner. The dinner will be held at 6:45 p.m. on Feb. 14 but reservations must be made by Feb. 8. Guests will be treated to live music and treated to a dozen roses. Reservations are $250 per couple and can be made by calling 4352-307-6592. The menu includes: Heart-shaped pesto pasta with French bread Choice between Chicken or Beef Wellington or Chicken Cordon Bleu Bacon-wrapped asparagus Twice-baked potato Heart shaped brownie Complimentary bottle of champagne or wine Snack Time National Popcorn Day is Jan. 19 which is today. Popcorn Premiere is getting in on the celebration. The shop is offering a 10 percent off all orders for the day. Thus, it's a perfect time to try their best selling flavors like extra buttery caramel, fried pickle and extra cheesy cheese. The store also sells old-fashioned sodas and candy as well. Regal Cinemas is also offering a discount for today only with 50 percent off any size popcorn on Friday only. Just Desserts Saturday is the last day to snag a free pie from Buttermilk Sky Pie Shop. The pie store is offering a free mini pie with the purchase of another. Just present this coupon to the cashier for your item. The shop also posted on its Facebook page that it will now begin offering Twelve Gate Coffee. On Saturday, the shop will offer free coffee samples from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. of the drink with a representative there to talk about the product. As an added bonus, pie samples will also be available. Susie's South Forty Confections is now taking reservations for tours for adults and children. See how the magic is made inside the candy factory. Guests will also get to use the chocolate fountain for dipping and can receive discounts for taking the tour. To book, call 1-800-221-4442. Good Food Abuelo's recently raised $8,325 for Homes for Our Troops, a nonprofit that builds adapted homes for injured veterans. Upcoming food, drink and restaurant events Today| Friday Tasting with Mardi Gras Bock beer Chateau Souverain wine. 4-8 p.m. at The Cellar, 5100 E. University Blvd., Odessa. Fridays | Steak Night featuring sirloin, strip, flank and ribs by Midland Meat Company. Steaks are limited. 5:30-10 p.m. at Basin Burger House, 607 N. Colorado St. Thursday | Four to Sixer Mixer by VisitMidland with refreshments and giveaways for guests. 4-6 p.m. at Sleep Inn and Suites of Midland. 5612 Deauville Road. visitmidlandtexas.com. Jan. 27 | Winter Market II by the Midland Downtown Farmers Market. 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Museum of the Southwest, 1705 W. Missouri Ave. Feb. 2 | Empty Bowls 2018 hosted by West Texas Food Bank. The event features handmade ceramic bowls created by students and faculty of Odessa and Midland Colleges, UTPB, The Odessa High School International Baccalaureate Program, Boys & Girls Club of Odessa and Midland and Trinity School. Bowls are $15 each. 7-9 p.m. at Trinity School, 3500 W. Wadley Ave. wtxfoodbank.org. Feb. 26 | Shrimpfest. Sponsor cocktail hour, 5:30 p.m., general admission 7 p.m. at Ector County Coliseum. $40 advance, $45 door. Noelartmuseum.org. Iowa is shirking its responsibility to help people with mental health problems, Fred Hubbell, a Democrat running for governor, said in Davenport on Thursday, calling the state's response "embarrassing." Hubbell spent about an hour Thursday afternoon at the River Music Experience with participants and officials from the Scott County Mental Health Court, part of a tour across the state the Des Moines businessman and candidate is conducting this week. The mental health court, a local pilot project, is aimed at keeping offenders with chronic mental health conditions out of prison through intensive intervention. The court has long-term funding challenges, though. In addition, lack of transitional housing is an issue. Longer-term inpatient psychiatric care is needed to help with people whose problems are so severe they can't be accommodated in other settings. Hubbell has proposed adding 50 to 75 long term in-patient psychiatric beds, and he criticized the state's decision to close two of its state-run mental health facilities. Hubbell is one of seven Democrats running for governor, and mental health has been a key part of the campaign. A mental health forum was held among the candidates in Des Moines last month. This is the second time in the last couple of months that Hubbell has heard from participants and organizers of the mental health court. One participant, Shane Wheeler, said he is determined to get through the five-step program, which involves five levels of supervision. Wheeler said without it, he would likely be in prison or dead. "I love this program and everyone in it," he said. Hubbell noted his mental health plan, which was released last month, does not include programs like the mental health or drug courts. But in an interview afterward, he said they and similar initiatives could be included in community-based programs. Hubbell said there could be a role for state funding. But he added, "It could also come from the state allowing local counties to consider whether they want to not limit so much the levee for mental health." Scott County, as well as other parts of the state, have complained about state-imposed limits on their ability to raise property taxes to fund mental health services. Hubbell said he would consider removing those limits. Musician Aaron Carter's twin sister, Angel Carter ConradShe has broken her silence about the death of her brother, with whom she had a turbulent relationship in the last years of his life. The former child singer was found dead at his home We have independently selected these offers and products because we love them and we think you might like them at these prices. E! has affiliate relationships, so we may earn a commission if you buy something through our links. Items are EAGLE GROVE | Earlier this month, the Wright County Board of Supervisors approved up to $1.5 million in county dollars for a $6 million, 13,200-square-foot addition to the Eagle Grove elementary school. Eagle Grove Superintendent Jess Toliver and Belmond-Klemme Superintendent Dan Frazier disagreed on whether that move should have taken place, and whether tax increment financing also known as TIF, a type of public financing used to subsidize redevelopment, infrastructure and other community-related projects was the best route for funding the addition. The TIF financing is directly related to the incoming Prestage pork processing plant, which will be located in rural Eagle Grove. In the first 10 years, the $250 million plant is expected to generate $1.8 million annually for taxing entities in Wright County, the company said on its website, and more than $2 million each year after that. Multiple people who have studied TIF issues for decades told the Globe Gazette this week that while Eagle Grove and Wright County's use of TIF funding seems rare, it's a fair use of county money. Dave Swenson, an associate scientist in the Department of Economics at Iowa State University, said the type of financing is typically used for other infrastructure needs, like water, sewer or fixing roads. He does, however, believe Eagle Grove is right in receiving the money, because the TIF district only includes Prestage and the Eagle Grove school district, and not neighboring school districts in Wright County. "That school district (Eagle Grove) is the only district that was impacted directly by the granting of the tax increment financing to Prestage," Swenson said. Peter Fisher, research director at the Iowa Policy Project, has taught TIF-related courses at the University of Iowa. Like Swenson, he said he hasn't seen this particular use of TIF funding like the Eagle Grove addition. Fisher said TIF has changed since it was initially introduced decades ago, because the concept was additionally only intended for "blighted" areas. Now, he said, the money can be used for "economic development," allowing it to be used in a much wider range of projects. According to Fisher, what makes Eagle Grove's situation unique is that school districts typically suffer when it comes to similar funding situations. "School districts are often left having to raise taxes," he said about similar situations. "But here, its almost like the county was doing a TIF on behalf of the school district So theyre (county and school officials) saying, well, the (Prestage) plants gonna cause population growth ... it's an innovative use of TIF." Larry Sigel is another academic who has studied finance issues including TIF. He currently works for Iowa School Finance Information Systems, which helps "provide electronic finance tools and financial consulting services to Iowa public schools," according to its website. Like Swenson and Fisher, Sigel said Eagle Grove's funding is fair use of TIF dollars. He's seen similar examples before, but indicated it's rare to see counties and public school districts working together to solve a common issue in this case, an education shortage because of expected population growth. "That doesnt mean its bad," Sigel said. "If I could get 99 counties to work with over 300 school districts, we could solve some problems." Swenson, Fisher and Sigel all indicated that using TIF money for a school addition seems like a positive use of funds. Swenson, however, is skeptical of how many people will live in and near Eagle Grove, simply because of a new pork processing plant. He added he disagrees with some of the studies Wright County has used to determine population growth and expansion because of Prestage. "This is just one of those interesting things where local governments try to get creative," Swenson said. "I dont know how its going to play out." Fisher, however, said he is in support of what Wright County and Eagle Grove is trying to do. "Overall, Ive seen some pretty egregious uses of TIF, but building an addition for school children seems to be one of the better uses," he said. Hopefully, Eagle Grove's example can serve as an indicator for other school districts and communities, and how they can properly use TIF dollars, Sigel said. "The more that people understand what the process is, the better," he said. "Ive been working in the area over 20 years, and its complex ... the simple explanations often dont work, it does require people to sit and find out about this stuff." Kathy Ann (Dirksen) O'Dell October 22, 1952 - January 16, 2018 MASON CITY | Kathy Ann (Dirksen) O'Dell, 65, died Tuesday (January 16, 2018) at Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa, Mason City due to a heart attack. Upon her wishes she was cremated. A private family memorial will be held in Mason City. In Lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Kathy A. O'Dell Memorial Fund in care of the family. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.majorericksonfuneralhome.com Kathy was born October 22, 1952, in Mason City, the daughter of Robert and Theodora Babe (Pappas) Dirksen. She was a graduate of Mason City High School. On February 27, 1971, she was united in marriage to Bill O'Dell and to this union four children were born. During her time as a homemaker, Kathy received two Bachelors Degrees (Early Childhood Development & Elementary Education) and a Masters Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Northern Iowa. She went on to teach in various locations, but most noteworthy were the positions she held for many years in Texas and Alaska. This was part of the rewarding and challenging adventure she took with Bill as they became the parents of adult children. Kathy also worked at the Rockwell and Mason City libraries. Kathy could be as stubborn as the day was long, but she had a heart of gold. She tried to go the extra mile to ensure the people in her life felt special and loved through her kind gestures and baked goods. Her easygoing personality and laughter made time spent with her priceless. Her grandkids were the beneficiaries of her tender heart. She encouraged her grandchildren to share her love of reading and silliness. She applauded their imaginations and rarely told them no (often to their parents' dismay). Instead of a brag book, she carried a large brag album in her purse to showcase each of her treasured grandchildren. Kathy's declining health eventually lead to her being homebound where she still enjoyed spending time with family, reading, and sharing a laugh. She relished in listening to others and many will miss her attentive, selfless nature. Kathy is survived by her spouse, Bill; her children, Bill O'Dell of Colorado, Dan (Toni) O'Dell of Rochester, MN, Tracie (Ryan) Behr of Grimes, and Fred (Stacey) O'Dell of Grimes; grandchildren, Billy, Deacon and Peyton O'Dell, Morgan and Jamison O'Dell and Anais Lambertson-Clayton, Halie, Lexie, Rylie, and Griffin Behr, and Bradley and Elizabeth O'Dell; her mother-in-law, Donna O'Dell of Mason City, one sister, Linda (David) Nolte, of Mason City; along with several nieces and nephews, other relatives and friends. Kathy is preceded in death by her parents Bob and Babe Dirksen; father-in-law Bill O'Dell; her brother-in-law Bob O'Dell; and grandparents, Ole and Eva Dirksen and George and Elizabeth Pappas. Arrangements are with Major Erickson Funeral Home & Crematory, 111 N. Pennsylvania Avenue, Mason City, Iowa 50401, 641-423-0924, www.majorericksonfuneralhome.com. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Investigators on Thursday raided Newsweeks offices in New York as part of a probe into the magazines connection to California-based Olivet University, according to the New York Post. An anonymous source told the Post that the investigation was believed to be connected to Olivet University, which was started in 2000 by pastor David Jang, leader of a Christian sect that calls itself the Community. The evangelical Christian school, which counts four campuses across the country and offices on Howard Street in San Francisco, has close ties to Newsweeks parent company. The Post reported that roughly two dozen investigators from the Manhattan district attorneys office arrived at Newsweeks offices early Thursday morning before leaving with several of the magazines computer servers. Olivets San Francisco campus, located at 1025 Howard St., was mostly deserted Friday morning. Blinds were drawn in many of the windows, though the front door was propped open and lights were on near the front desk. A stack of newspapers sat untouched, and a bulletin board was empty of flyers. A woman who answered the door said that an Olivet official inside was unwilling to be interviewed about the university and shut the door. A grand jury investigation of Newsweek Media Group, formerly known as International Business Times Media, has been ongoing for at least 17 months, a source familiar with the matter told Newsweek in the publications own story about the raid of its offices. In 2014, Mother Jones reported extensively on the convoluted relationship among International Business Times Media, Olivet, Jang and, by extension, the newly acquired Newsweek. Although IBT carefully avoided public association with the Community, behind the scenes the connections were clear, reporter Ben Dooley wrote in the Mother Jones report. Newsweek, a weekly magazine founded in 1933, was purchased in 2013 by International Business Times Media, which has since changed its name to Newsweek Media Group. The founders of IBT, Etienne Uzac and Jonathan Davis, both have deep ties to Olivet. Davis is married to Tracy Davis, the president of the university, and Uzac is married to a translator for Jang, who is Korean. Tracy Davis did not respond to The Chronicles requests for comment. Mother Jones reported that some employees at the university, often brought to the U.S. with their IBT-employed spouses, violated immigration laws and were denied proper wages. Since International Business Times Media bought Newsweek, Olivet has experienced significant revenue growth. Between 2012 and 2015, Olivets revenue has nearly tripled. According to forms filed with the Internal Revenue Service, the universitys 2012 revenue was just over $11.7 million. In 2015, the amount grew to $28.2 million. The organizations reported expenses have grown during that period, too: from about $5.5 million in 2012 to about $19.7 million in 2015. Newsweek Media Group confirmed the search Thursday by investigators, but the company emphasized in a statement that it was unrelated to editorial operations. No information regarding the companys content, stories, personnel, or sources was given and Newsweek Media Group has been assured by the DAs office that the investigation is not about any content-related issues, the statement said. Sophie Haigney is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sophie.haigney@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SophieHaigney California Highway Patrol / A Pleasanton woman was sentenced Friday to seven years in state prison after she was convicted of driving under the influence in a crash that killed a 3-year-old boy, prosecutors said. Yarenit Malihan, 41, pleaded guilty to felony gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated with an enhancement for multiple victims, said Contra Costa County Deputy District Attorney Alison Chandler. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 1 of 5 Billy Calzada /Staff photographer Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Billy Calzada /Staff file photo Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Express-News file photo Show More Show Less 5 of 5 The Botanica Music and Arts Festival has named three of the citys top food industry pros as culinary and beverage ambassadors to the festival. Chefs Diego Galicia and Rico Torres, co-owners of Mixtli, have been tapped as culinary ambassadors, and their duties will include organizing a food truck park and a food program for the festivals VIP Village with eats from more than 15 local, regional and national chefs focused on the flavors of San Antonio and South Texas. Galicia and Torres recently were named two of the 12 best new chefs in the U.S. by Food and Wine magazine. Dear Mr. Premack: A few years ago, a good friend asked me to keep the original of her will in my lockbox. Her kids do not get along with each other. She said that if she kept the will at home, she feared one of her kids might find and read the will, triggering some argument. Last week my friend died, and I realized I dont know what I am supposed to do with the will. It doesnt seem right to give it to one of her kids. Any suggestions? L.C. You are right to be careful. If you gave the will to one of her adult children, you have no idea how the will could be mishandled. You do, however, have a legal obligation to take action. So, what is the best procedure to follow? VARUN MONDAIYKA Background: He was born in India in Bangalore. His family immigrated to the United States when he was 11 months old. He lives in Latham with his father Sumit, is senior director for GE Digital, and his mother, Prachi, a business architect in state government. He's 15 and has a beagle named Buddy. He's in 10th grade at Shaker High School in Colonie. You sent me an email, saying you enjoy Faces of Faith throughout the year and liked seeing all the 2017 Faces of Faith on the page last month. You wrote you were "praying for universal peace not just one faith, one country or one race," and for the universe as one family through nonviolence. Nonviolence is one of the founding doctrines of Hinduism. Yoga and meditation, with their roots in Hinduism emphasize nonviolence, self-improvement and common threads of our existence as the human race. I have shared stories from my childhood and culture and have always been touched by the great similarities in the core of all faiths. I have collaborated with many religious groups through storytelling as part of Children of the Well since I was 9. Performing in Congregation Ohav Shalom, the Schenectady mosque, the Hindu temple in Albany, the Unitarian Universalist congregation in Schenectady, St. Paul's Church in Troy, at the UAlbany interfaith center and other places has widened my understanding of cultures and exposure different upbringings, countries and faiths. Sharing messages from representatives of various faiths helps us build a better community with conscious and confident citizens, which sees folks of different cultures, countries, faiths as belonging to the human race. Are you and your family members of a Hindu congregation? We go to several different temples. We say prayers at home during the day and before we eat, spending a few minutes thanking God for what we have. At home we have pictures of various gods, incense, candles and books. Some are in Hindi we speak Hindi at home but I don't read and write it. Prayer is all about your own individual judgment. There are different ways to understand God on your personal journey. A lot of people focus on one God or one person, but eventually we all come to understand God and be close to him. What are your favorite subjects in high school? I've always liked science and math. They make sense to me. I love technology because it's the application of science and math. At my school, we have good mentors and teachers, who know their stuff, have a passion for sharing it and are willing to spend the time with us. My courses are English, pre-calculus, physics, Spanish, engineering manufacturing, computer science and world history. History fascinates me. It teaches us of our past and how to apply that to today. We're studying the time between the world wars. I was fascinated by Harrapan civilization. It was an advanced society in the Indus Valley during the Bronze Age extending from modern-day Afghanistan to Pakistan and India with science, farming, art and architecture but it was not engaged in wars. It could advance and evolve ahead of other societies because it did not invest in war. What do you see in the future? It's up for grabs. Sometimes it sounds like everything is chaotic. There are all these issues about wars, tensions in the Middle East, terrorist groups like ISIS, mass shootings. But there is lot more good than bad. When I look at all the people around me, I want to learn about them. I've never met a person I couldn't talk with. We might not agree but we can respect each other's views. I always walk away learning something positive from them. They say, you never know what you'll learn when you listen and not just hear. I am an optimist. I know that the more we open ourselves and understand each other, the better are our chances of making the world a better place. Rob Brill On this date in ... 1918: In a break from the Heatless Mondays order to conserve coal consumption, grocery stores, meat markets, both wholesale and retail, and other food purveyors were granted the concession to remain open all day. Albany County food administrator G. William McEwan received the order from Federal Food Administrator Herbert Hoover and set about contacting local stores and food dealers. Local fuel administrator G.Y. Lansing had not received any communication from the federal fuel administration to that effect, but after conferring with McEwan, sent the order out. 1968: A committee of state leaders in medicine, law and theology, and representatives of civic groups was appointed by Gov. Nelson Rockefeller to review the state's abortion laws. The panel was given two points of focus: the conditions under which abortions should be authorized and procedures to verify existence of such conditions. Under the 84-year-old law, an abortion could be performed only when the life of the mother was imperiled. The governor had stated at a recent news conference that he was for some liberalization of abortion laws this year. 1993: The expected high-power role of the nation's new first lady began coming into view, with White House officials saying that Hillary Rodham Clinton would be a key player in shaping domestic policy proposals, particularly in the area of health care reform. It was not clear what her job officially would be called. White House communications director George Stephanopoulos said that those details had not yet been worked out. But, Stephanopoulos said, "She'll be closely involved in developing health policy with the president, and she'll be a part of those discussions." 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/ MASON CITY | The state agency with the money to help fund Mason City's River City Renaissance Project is willing to wait for the city to meet all requirements for the money but it must be done by June 30, a spokeswoman said Friday. The Iowa Economic Development Authority Board deferred action "until further notice" Friday on Mason City's request for up to $10 million to help leverage the city's $38 million downtown project. There was no discussion. The board has given the city several extensions on meeting its requirements but has not grown impatient, said Kanan Kappelman, marketing and communications spokeswoman for the board. "The board's stance on this is that we understand some projects take longer than others and we are willing to work with the cities," she said. "The board wants to make sure all the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed. "But the program ends on July 1 so June 30 is the absolute deadline," she said. Interim City Administrator Kevin Jacobson said last week there were three major hurdles for the city to meet the state requirements signing a development agreement with the developer; G8 Development dropping a lawsuit it had against the city for an earlier hotel deal that fell through; and proof of appropriate financing. Jacobson said the first two requirements have been fulfilled. The missing link is the proof of financing. Chodur claimed in an email Thursday he has the financing and blames the city for dragging its feet. The River City Renaissance Project includes a hotel in the Southbridge parking lot, connected to The Music Man Square via a skywalk; a conference center inside The Music Man Square; building a museum adjacent to the Square; and putting a performing arts pavilion and an ice arena/multipurpose center in Southbridge Mall. The money would come from the Iowa Reinvestment Act which the IEDA oversees. The hotel is a key component in the city's project because one of the requirements is $10 million in private investment. The hotel is valued at $15 million. Chodur originally planned to build a hotel next to City Hall. When he failed to meet several construction deadlines, the city found him in default and the deal fell through. City officials said at the time that Chodur could not get financing. After he defaulted, the city put out requests for new bidders. G8 and Gatehouse Capital responded. The City Council approved Gatehouse's proposal. The council negotiated with Gatehouse for several months during which major changes were made in the proposed agreement. Because of that, the city was required by state law to put the project out for bids once again. G8 submitted a bid that the council found more favorable than Gatehouse's, council members said. They voted to go with G8. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Jefferson Award nominations sought COLONIE Nominations are wanted for the Jefferson Awards, which recognize local people doing extraordinary volunteer work in the community. The American Institute for Public Service, which established the Jefferson Awards, was created in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, U.S. Sen. Robert Taft Jr. and Sam Beard. Send nominations online through Feb. 27 to timesunion.com/JeffersonAwards. Nomination forms also may be printed and mailed to: Charmaine Ushkow, Times Union, 645 Albany Shaker Road, Colonie 12211. Locally, the Jefferson Awards are sponsored by St. Peter's Health Partners, WNYT NewsChannel 13 and the Times Union. One of the Jefferson Award recipients will represent the Greater Capital District at the national Jefferson Awards in June in Washington, D.C. Patrick Kelsey of Latham, who had been a volunteer with the American Red Cross since 1985, was selected to represent the region at the national event last year. From biomedical services to disaster recovery efforts, he has responded to hundreds of local crises. In 2016 alone, he worked 932 hours and was on call 5,964 hours. Judges from the sponsoring partners will select the finalists and medalists, who will be honored April 19 at a reception at the Century House in Latham. Meeting on corridor slated Wednesday CLIFTON PARK A public information meeting on the project involving Sitterly Road at Woodin Road and Crossing Boulevard will be 6 p.m. Wednesday, at the Clifton Park Halfmoon Emergency Corps station. The night starts with an open house, then a 6:15 p.m. presentation, followed by another open house, according to the town website. Working with the town of Halfmoon, Clifton Park has secured grant funding for traffic and pedestrian improvements in the corridor, Supervisor Phil Barrett has said. The idea behind the project is to improve traffic flow and extend the sidewalk network. Three projects on planning agenda GUILDERLAND The Town Planning Board meets at 7 p.m. Wednesday, on three projects, according to the agenda on the town website. They are: M.A. Schafer Construction, 2794 W. Old State Road. Public hearing on the preliminary plan of a proposed five-lot major subdivision of 3.91 acres. Hiawatha Land Development, 6051 and 6025 State Farm Road. Advisory opinion to rezone 43.8 acres of land to allow a four-story, 256-unit independent senior housing complex and two-story 30,000-square foot commercial office building on 23.1 acres. Remaining 20.7 acres to be donated to the town for park purposes. Ritano 6232 Johnston Road. Continued site plan review for two 36-unit senior apartment buildings on 8 acres. SCCC speaker to address biases SCHENECTADY "You Are More Than A Label: Changing the Narrative on Student Success" will be the topic of a free talk by Bryant Marks, from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Thursday at the Carl B. Taylor Auditorium, SUNY Schenectady County Community College, 78 Washington Ave. He will demonstrate that stereotypes are often based on unconscious, "implicit" biases. Marks has served as a senior adviser for the Obama White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and as the commissioner for the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African-Americans. Details at https://sunysccc.edu. Grafton state park hosting Winter Fest CROPSEYVILLE Outdoor and indoor events will be part of the free 33rd Winter Fest scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday at Grafton Lakes State Park, located off of Route 2. The festival, which will feature exhibits, food vendors and family friendly recreational activities, is sponsored by the park and the Friends of Grafton Lake State Park. Enjoy a guided snowshoe or cross-country ski outing, horse-drawn carriage rides, a guided morning walk for dogs, a demonstration by the Parks K9 Unit, snow bowling hill, snowshoe races, sled rides with the Northland Newfoundlands, snowmobile rides, snow fort building and an ice dive demonstration. The Polar Plunge, benefiting Our Lady of the Snow Parish's food pantry, will kick off the main events at 10:30 a.m. To register, call Ray Dozois, 518-663-5648 or 518-279-1155. Tax services effort to begin on Friday MECHANICVILLE The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program of the Internal Revenue Service and the United Way of the Greater Capital Region will start its free tax preparation and filing services season Friday at various locations in the Capital Region, including the Mechanicville Area Community Services Center Inc., 6 S. Main St. VITA tax preparers are trained and certified by the IRS and are versed in tax law. The program offers free tax preparation services for individuals and families with an income of less than $54,000 a year. The Mechanicville Community Center will provide free tax services Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and select Saturdays, with day and evening appointments available. To schedule an appointment, call 518-664-8322, Ext. 311. For details, call 518-664-8322, Ext. 303, or email acowell@mechanicvilleacsc.org. Honor Flight vets, volunteers sought COLONIE Leatherstocking Honor Flight and Capital District Patriot, local Honor Flight hubs, are accepting applications from veterans and guardians for upcoming flights to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorials. Leatherstocking Honor Flight seeks World War II veterans from the greater Capital Region, as well as Vermont and western Massachusetts. Guardians, who assist disabled veterans, and volunteers are also sought. To reserve a place, call 518-430-2136, or email: rebeccad@summitsaratoga.com. Applications for veterans and guardians can be downloaded from http://patriotflight.org. Donations are needed to help finance the excursions. Mail applications or donations to Patriot Flight, Box 190, Delmar, 12054. For information, call Frank DeSorbo at 518-439-9265 or email him: fomservice@aol.com. The next Patriot Flight will be in April. Talk, book signing planned Thursday ALBANY Freelance journalist, author and activist Amanda Lindhout is giving a talk and book signing Thursday at Emma Willard School in Troy through the Albany chapter of the Entrepreneurs' Organization. Lindhout, who wrote The New York Times best-seller memoir "A House in the Sky," was held hostage for 460 days in Somalia when doing freelance reporting on the country's civil war in 2008. She returned to Somalia in 2009 to lead famine relief efforts. The event is 8:30 to 11 a.m. at Higgins Auditorium on the Troy campus. Tickets are available to Entrepreneurs' Organization members, Strategic Alliance partners, sponsors and their guests. For information on membership or to become a Strategic Alliance partner, email eoalbanyhn@gmail.com Compiled by Azra Haqqie Some say love can be found in the craziest of places. For one Cypress area couple, their relationship was cheesy from the start. They found love in a restaurant over cheese fondue. Now, Troy and Melissa Boyce, 12 years later as a married couple, are the owners of The Cheese Bar at the Boardwalk at Towne Lake, and recently celebrated National Cheese Lover's Day with the community. National Cheese Lover's Day was Jan. 20, and to help spread their love for cheese, the couple offered free cheese samples, samples of mac and cheese, and offered 15 percent off of deli items. The couple believes cheese is something to celebrate with others. "I love National Cheese Lover's Day because I'm a cheese lover," Troy said. "However, I love cheese every day, it's like Mother's Day and Valentine's Day; I love my wife 365 days." Doors to The Cheese Bar opened in May of 2016, and offers cheese plates as well as several custom-selected wines and local craft beers. Cheeses at the bar are local and from countries such as Italy. In 2014, the couple and parents to one daughter, moved to Cypress from Pittsburgh and they noticed the lack of places to get quality cheese in the area. Troy was laid off from his job in November 2015, and that is when the Boyce's decided to run their own cheese business. Troy, whose resume includes working in the restaurant and cheese industry, managed several restaurants in California and Pennsylvania. He also gained experience in retail grocery cheese departments in the Pittsburgh area. Even though he has may years of experience working with food, Troy believes the people he serves is the most important part of the job. "I'm not in the food industry; I'm in the people industry. I want to make sure people are happy when they leave," Troy said. "It's my passion, and it's about our guests. I'm very passionate about getting involved with the community as possible." In addition to serving cheese, Troy enjoys learning the history of different cheeses around the world. He believes that it is beautiful that there are stories of groups of people around the world who created different cheeses that were specific to their region and time in history. Melissa, who is a free-lance graphic designer who also orders the cheeses and wines for the bar, lived close to the Napa Valley and worked in the travel industry, and it led her to gain exposure to good cheese and wine. "I like being able to expose cheeses to people that had no idea about because most of the cheeses we have you can't buy in the Northwest Houston area," Melissa said. "Nobody has ever heard of some of these cheeses, and it's cool to see people learn in a very comfortable environment. It's easy to sell it because I truly enjoy (cheese), and it's genuine. It's not hard when you stand behind what you are selling." The couple's mission is to provide high quality cheeses and meats to the community. The Cheese Bar is an American bistro and European-style cheese shop offering patrons a variety of cheese-centric dishes, such as gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, and the restaurant's mac and cheese featuring a blend of five cheeses mixed with chopped jalapenos and topped with bacon, breadcrumbs, and green onion. While working in a winery in California, Melissa was introduced to a tasty flatbread. Now a similar dish is served at The Cheese Bar and is a best seller. The Turkey, Brie and Apple Sandwich is a cheesy sandwich that includes oven roasted turkey piled with melted brie, Granny Smith apples, sauteed onions, arugula, and peach jam on grilled artisanal bread. Troy's favorite cheeses include Tallegio and aged cheddar. Melissa's choice of cheese includes anything blue or buttery. Last year the couple opened their second cheese bar in Katy. In the future, the couple hopes to expand their cheese business. "I hope people walk out of here thinking it's a cool place and they want to come back. We are a mom and pop store and this is the first store we have ever owned," Melissa said. "I can't tell you how grateful I am for people to come support a small business. I feel very grateful for the community we have because we have some regulars that come in here, and we appreciate that very much." The Cheese Bar at the Boardwalk at Towne Lake 9945 Barker Cypress Rd. #125 Cypress, TX 77433 281-245-0909 https://www.thecheesebar.net Carrie Ann boutique opts to stay at Market Street After a successful season as a holiday pop-up shop, women's boutique Carrie Ann will continue to welcome shoppers with a location at Market Street The Woodlands through 2018. The boutique, which also offers stylish dog accessories, will be located on pavilion way near Cakewalk and Tory Burch. Locally owned by Carrie Ann Sanders, Carrie Ann features stylish looks and caters to women of all body types and ages. Carrie Ann selects original styles and unique, sophisticated collections and accessories and strives to make each guest's shopping experience truly enjoyable and memorable. "We are thrilled to stay at Market Street beyond what we'd originally imagined would be a short-term holiday pop-up shop," Sanders said. "We've gotten such a fantastic response from the community and are looking forward to providing our unique styles for shoppers here." For the style-savvy pooch, Carrie Ann offers a wide selection of doggie apparel and must-have accessories to keep furry four-legged friends on trend. Carrie Ann's original location is at Uptown Park in Houston. For more information, visit www.shopcarrieann.com. Local clinician elected to national medical society board Spring resident Dr. Stacy Norton, MD, has been elected to the Board of the Society of OB/GYN Hospitalists (SOGH), a rapidly growing organization of physicians, midwives, nurses and other individuals in the healthcare field who support the OB/GYN Hospitalist model. A board certified OB/GYN, Norton serves as OB Hospitalist Group Team Lead at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital in The Woodlands. 5.11 Tactical opens new location in Shenandoah An international clothing chain that provides tactical gear, 5.11 Tactical, has opened a new location at 19075 Interstate 45 N., Ste. 113B, Shenandoah. The store held a grand opening and ribbon cutting Jan. 6. A huge crowd was in attendance as the city welcomed them to Shenandoah. 5.11 Tactical sells items such as police, fire and EMS gear, gun holsters, eye wear and fitness apparel. It also offers all things tactical-boots, bags, backpacks, belts, knives and covert gear. Hours of operation are from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sundays. Call 346-704-0891 or visit www.511tactical.com/thewoodlands-tx-77385 for more information. - Business Briefs is compiled by Villager Staff Writer Patricia Dillon. Anyone with interesting business-related news or press releases relevant to The Woodlands can email them to Dillon at: patricia.dillon@chron.com; or to Editor Jeff Forward at: jeff.forward@chron.com. Facebook unveiled major changes Friday to the News Feed of its 2 billion users, announcing it will rank news organizations by credibility based on user feedback and diminish its role as an arbiter of the news people see. The move comes after the company endured harsh criticism for allowing disinformation to spread on its social network and for favoring liberal outlets over conservative ones. In a blog post accompanying the announcement, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg wrote Facebook is not "comfortable" deciding which news sources are the most trustworthy in a "world with so much division." "We decided that having the community determine which sources are broadly trusted would be most objective," he wrote. The new trust rankings will emerge from surveys the company is conducting. "Broadly trusted" outlets that are affirmed by a significant cross-section of users may see a boost in readership, while less known organizations or start-ups receiving poor ratings could see their web traffic decline significantly on the social network. The company's changes include an effort to boost the content of local news outlets, which have suffered sizable subscription and readership declines as news consumption migrated online. The changes follow another major News Feed redesign, announced last week, in which Facebook said users would begin to see less content from news organizations and brands in favor of "meaningful" posts from friends and family. Currently, 5 percent of Facebook posts are generated by news organizations; that number is expected to drop to 4 percent after the redesign, Zuckerberg said. Facebook and other Silicon Valley giants are grappling with their roles as dominant distributors of information in an era of foreign manipulation of social media platforms and dwindling revenues for many media outlets. On Friday, Google announced it would cancel a two-month-old experiment, called Knowledge Panel, that informed its users that a news article had been disputed by independent fact-checking organizations. Conservatives had complained the feature unfairly targeted a right-leaning outlet. More than two-thirds of Americans now get some of their news from social media, according to Pew Research Center. That shift has empowered Facebook and Google, putting them in an uncomfortable position of deciding what news they should distribute to their global audiences. But it also has led to questions about whether these corporations should be considered media companies. Daniel Kreiss, a professor at the school of media and journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said Facebook was now "offloading" its responsibilities for accuracy and quality onto its users. "Just by putting things out to a vote in terms of what the community would find trustworthy undermines the role for any serious institutionalized process to determine what's quality and what's not," he said. Facebook has also been the target of accusations of political partisanship. In the summer of 2016, Facebook was charged with excluding conservative media outlets from Trending Topics, a list of top stories that runs on the upper right hand side of Facebook pages. After conducting an investigation, the company discovered it had left the ranking decisions up to low-level contractors. Ultimately, Zuckerberg ended up inviting conservative media figures to Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park to apologize for the misunderstanding. He also made the decision to fire the contractors who served as editors of Trending Topics, opting instead for a more technological approach. But outsourcing the decision to software algorithms led to further criticism that the social network had become vulnerable to bad actors seeking to spread disinformation. Quality news got less exposure than click-bait in many cases. And users were not being exposed to diverse viewpoints. These issues exploded during the presidential campaign, as false stories, such as the Pope endorsing Trump for president, generated more traffic than those from mainstream news outlets and investigators discovered that Russian operatives were using the social network to spread disinformation and divisive content. Jay Rosen, a journalism professor at New York University, said that Facebook learned the wrong lesson from Trending Topics, which was to try to avoid politics at all costs. "One of the things that can happen if you are determined to avoid politics at all costs is you are driven to illusory solutions," he said. "I don't think there is any alternative to using your judgement. But Facebook is convinced that there is. This idea that they can avoid judgement is part of their problem." He acknowledged Facebook was in a tough position. "They are looking for a safe approach," Rosen added. "And sometimes you can be a situation where there is no safe route out." Surveys of media credibility have varied widely over the years, partly because political persuasion appears to shape how Americans view news organizations. A poll conducted last year by the Missouri School of Journalism found Buzzfeed and Breitbart to be among the least credible sources, while The Economist and "public television" was the most trusted. Facebook revealed few details about how it is conducting its trust surveys, declining to share copies with The Washington Post. But Zuckerberg wrote that the decision came after substantial internal debate. "The hard question we've struggled with is how to decide what news sources are broadly trusted," Zuckerberg wrote. "We could try to make that decision ourselves, but that's not something we're comfortable with. We considered asking outside experts, which would take the decision out of our hands but would likely not solve the objectivity problem. Or we could ask you -- the community -- and have your feedback determine the ranking." Facebook's previous efforts to ask its users to determine the accuracy of news have not always turned out well. Last year, the company launched a feature that allowed users to flag news stories they felt were inaccurate. The experiment was shuttered after a nine months. Some experts wondered whether Facebook's latest effort could be gamed. Renee DiResta, head of public policy at the non-profit organization Data for Democracy, applauded efforts by technology companies to come up with innovative ways to measure quality and weed out disinformation. But she raised concerns over whether Facebook's survey could be manipulated, for example, if certain media organizations encouraged their users to flood the surveys with identical responses. "This seems like a positive step toward improving the news environment on Facebook," Diresta said. "That said, the potential downside is that the survey approach unfairly penalizes emerging publications." NEW HAVEN A New Haven man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court Thursday to running a heroin distribution ring with his brother. John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced Antonio Gonzalez, 47, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and distribution of, one kilogram or more of heroin. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer presided in the case. WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court said Friday that it will decide whether President Donald Trump's responsibility to protect the nation grants him authority to ban travelers from specific countries and that it will rule by June in the case, a major examination of the president's powers. The court will consider the third iteration of Trump's travel ban, issued last fall, which bars various travelers from eight countries, six of them with Muslim majorities. Lower courts have struck down each version, but the conservative-leaning Supreme Court has given the administration hope that Trump may be able to carry out one of the most significant and divisive initiatives of his presidency. What the president has said is a necessary step to protect the country from terrorism has been characterized by his opponents as an illegal and unconstitutional fulfillment of campaign promises to ban Muslim immigrants. His first order, issued a week after his inauguration, created chaos at airports and prompted protests in the United States and abroad. Trump's comments and tweets about immigration and terrorism have ensured that the issue remains at the front of the national debate. In a short order accepting the case for argument in April, the justices said they will consider the statutory justification for Trump's actions as well as charges from opponents that it is an unconstitutional restriction based on religious discrimination. The order would also seem to further ensure a blockbuster conclusion to the court's term in June - the Supreme Court already is considering potentially landmark cases on partisan gerrymandering, privacy, unions and a clash between religious rights and gay rights. In requesting the court provide a final answer on the travel ban, Solicitor General Noel Francisco said the high court must reestablish the vast authority the president wields when the nation's security is at stake. "The courts below have overridden the President's judgments on sensitive matters of national security and foreign relations, and severely restricted the ability of this and future Presidents to protect the nation," Francisco wrote in his petition to the court. Challengers to the ban - in this case, the state of Hawaii and others - say Trump has exceeded his legal authority. "No prior president has attempted to implement a policy that so baldly exceeds the statutory limits on the President's power to exclude, or so nakedly violates Congress' bar on nationality-based discrimination in the issuance of immigrant visas," said Hawaii's brief asking the court to let lower-court decisions stand. But there are indications that the Supreme Court will be more sympathetic to the administration's claim than the lower courts that have rejected it. Last month, in an unsigned opinion, the justices said the restrictions in Trump's latest version of the ban could go into effect as envisioned while legal challenges to the merits of the decision continued. That decision, which included noted dissents only from liberal Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, in effect discarded a compromise the justices fashioned regarding the second version of the plan. That compromise said the ban would not affect those who could prove significant connections to the United States. The current version of the plan imposes various restrictions on travelers from Syria, Libya, Iran, Yemen, Chad, Somalia, North Korea and Venezuela. The first six of those countries have Muslim-majority populations, and the restrictions on travelers from North Korea and Venezuela are not part of the challenge. The court will review a unanimous ruling from a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in San Francisco. That panel said the third version of the travel ban suffered from the deficiencies of the first two - that Trump had again exceeded his lawful authority and that he had not made a legally sufficient finding that entry of those blocked would be "detrimental to the interests of the United States." Another challenge to the ban is still resting with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit in Richmond, Virginia. That full court is considering a ruling by a Maryland judge that the ban violates the Constitution because it is effectively a ban on Muslims. Judge Theodore Chuang considered Trump's statements and tweets in reaching his decision. Despite a nudge from the Supreme Court last month to work quickly, the 4th Circuit has yet to rule. The case could be added, but the Supreme Court told the administration and Hawaii to also argue that constitutional question. Trump's moves on the issue have been controversial from the start. After the first version was rejected by the courts, the administration replaced it with a second one. It barred entry by nationals of six overwhelmingly Muslim countries for 90 days, excluded all refugees for 120 days and capped annual refugee admissions at 50,000. Courts put that order on hold as well. That is when the Supreme Court fashioned the compromise that permitted the ban to go into effect but granted entry to those with a significant connection to the United States, such as family members, a waiting job or an academic opportunity. The justices were scheduled to decide the merits of that ban last fall. But the order expired before oral arguments, and the administration replaced it with the third order. Whatever the shortcomings of the first two orders, Francisco told the court, the third followed a painstaking review process to determine which countries did not have procedures in place to screen out those who might intend to harm the United States. The eight countries named in the current ban "do not share adequate information with the United States to assess the risks their nationals pose, or they present other heightened risk factors," Francisco wrote. "Whereas prior orders of the President were designed to facilitate the review, the [current] Proclamation directly responds to the completed review and its specific findings of deficiencies in particular countries." Hawaii argued that the current ban is worse than the previous ones, because it is permanent unless the administration takes some action to amend it. "The President has issued a proclamation, without precedent in this Nation's history, that purports to ban over 150 million aliens from this country based on nationality alone," said Hawaii's brief to the court, written by Washington lawyer Neal Katyal. "The immigration laws do not grant the President this power: Congress has delegated him only a measure of its authority to exclude harmful aliens or respond to exigencies, and it has expressly prohibited discrimination based on nationality." The case is Trump v. Hawaii. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Core Gold Inc. ("Core Gold" or the "Company") (TSX:CGLD) (OTCQX:CGLDF) is pleased to provide the following corporate update. Update on Elipe S.A. restoration to good corporate standing Update on US$15,000,000 debt facility with Investa Bank S.A. Credipresto S.A. de CV SOFOM USD $1,600,000 short term bridge loan Core Gold will present at the 2018 Vancouver Resource Investment Conference Elipe S.A. restoration to good corporate standing Pursuant to the Companys June 5th, 2017 news release, Core Gold has been in extensive negotiations with local liability holders government appointed representative (the Representative) as part of its commitment to normalize payables and stabilize operations at the Companys wholly owned subsidiary, Elipe S.A. (Elipe). If the Company was not for any reason able to rectify the situation in a timely manner, there is a risk that the Representative could take legal action against Elipe, which could involve, among other things, dispositions of assets in order to fund outstanding liabilities. As part of Core Golds management commitment to resolving all the legacy financial liabilities it inherited, a monthly payment plan (Payment Plan Contract) was agreed to by the Representative (see news release on June 5, 2017 for details) and the Company has honored all monthly payment since. The Company is pleased to announce that as a direct result of the above developments, the Representative has agreed to restore Elipe back into good corporate standing as the Company has honored the Payment Plan Contract and has voluntarily made additional payments to lower its local liabilities. Once Elipe is back in good corporate standing, the Company will no longer need to follow the required monthly payments based on the Payment Plan Contract. More importantly, the Company can upon restoration to good corporate standing, negotiate directly with all parties involved in order to settle legacy amounts owing at mutually beneficial terms. The Company is currently going through the necessary legal process to restore Elipe back into good corporate standing, and expects to complete the process on or before March 31st, 2018. Investa Bank S.A. USD $15,000,000 debt facility update Pursuant to the Companys December 1st, 2017 news release, Core Gold has an executed term sheet with Investa Bank S.A. (Investa) to arrange a debt facility for up to USD $15,000,000. The Company and Investas expected closing date remain on target as previously publicized on or before March 31st, 2018. Credipresto S.A. de CV SOFOM USD $1,600,000 short term bridge loan The Company is pleased to announce it has entered into an agreement to issue a secured debenture in the aggregate principal amount of USD $1,600,000 (the "Debenture") to Credipresto S.A. de C.V. SOFOM E.N.R. ("Credipresto"). Credipresto has agreed to roll the Debenture amount into the proposed Investa debt facility. The Debenture will have the following terms: Interest will accrue at a rate of 15% per annum 6 months maturity (July 31, 2018); 25% principal and accrued interest due on April 30, 2018 25% principal and accrued interest due on May 31, 2018 25% principal and accrued interest due on June 30, 2018 Remaining principal and accrued interest due on July 31, 2018 Pledge of all of the issued and outstanding capital of Elipe (ranking behind the lien provided by the Company in respect of the USD $1.0 million convertible notes issued to Vertex Managed Value Portfolio and Vertex Enhanced Income Fund and pari passu with the current lien in favour of Credipresto); The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Debenture, which has been pre-funded to the Company, for working capital and general corporate purposes. In connection with the Debenture, the Company has agreed to pay Credipresto a corporate finance fee of: USD $32,000 in cash; and 800,000 share purchase warrants with an exercise price of C$0.365 per common share and expiring one year from the date of issuance. Credipresto currently holds 6,874,666 common shares of the Company, warrants to purchase an aggregate of 2,000,000 common shares of the Company and debentures convertible into an aggregate of 7,906,000 common shares of the Company, representing approximately 6.0% of the Company's outstanding shares on a non-diluted basis and 13.6% on a partially-diluted basis assuming the exercise or conversion of Credipresto's warrants and convertible debentures. As a result, Credipresto is considered a "related party" of the Company and the Debenture transaction will constitute a "related party transaction" of the Company under MI 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). Javier Reyes, a director of the Company, is also the President of Credipresto and holds less than 5% of the outstanding shares of Credipresto. The Company's board of directors (with Mr. Reyes abstaining) unanimously approved the Debenture transaction and determined that the transaction will be exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 in reliance on the exemptions set forth in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, on the basis that, at the time the transaction was agreed to, neither the fair market value of the subject matter of, nor the fair market value of the consideration for, the transaction exceeds 25% of the Company's market capitalization. The Company expects the closing of the Debenture to be on or before January 31st, 2018. The closing of the Debenture will be subjected to TSX Venture Exchange approval. Vancouver Resource Investment Conference (VRIC) 2018 The Company wishes to remind investors that Mr. Keith Piggott, CEO of Core Gold will be participating in the Gold in Ecuador Workshop Panel to be held on Monday January 22nd at 2:20 PM in Workshop 4 during VRIC. Company representatives will also be available throughout the conference at booth #111. During the conference Mr. Piggott will provide Company updates on its most recent developments and participate in one-on-one meetings with registered conference investors. Registration for these meetings is only for qualified investors, portfolio managers, and private wealth and family office managers. About Core Gold Inc. The Company is a Canadian based mining company involved in the mining, exploration and development of mineral properties in Ecuador. The Company is currently focused on gold production at its wholly-owned Dynasty Goldfield project and continued development at its Zaruma mine. Mineral is treated at the Companys wholly-owned Portovelo treatment plant close to the Zaruma mine operations. The Company also owns other significant gold exploration projects including the Copper Duke area and the Linderos area in southern Ecuador all of which are on the main Peruvian Andean gold-copper belt extending into Ecuador. For further information please contact: Keith Piggott, CEO Suite 1201 1166 Alberni Street Vancouver, B.C. V6E 3Z3 Phone: +1 (604) 345-4822 Email: info@coregoldinc.com This news release contains statements which are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking information which are prospective in nature. Such information in this news release includes statements regarding the Company's plans to restore Elipe into good standing, to complete the Debenture transaction and the US$15 million Investa debt facility, and to roll the Debenture into such debt facility. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause Core Golds actual results, revenues, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Important risks that could cause Core Golds actual results, revenues, performance or achievements to differ materially from Core Golds expectations include, among other things, less than anticipated gold production; higher than expected production costs; unexpected delays in increasing production capacity; the Representative taking legal action against Elipe and disposing of assets in order to satisfy outstanding liabilities; mining operations being suspended or terminated if the Company is unable to make the required payments pursuant to the Payment Plan Contract; the risk that the Company will not be successful in concluding the US$15 million debt facility; risks relating to the availability of capital and financing to maintain the Company's operations and plans; general economic, market or business conditions; regulatory changes; timeliness of government or regulatory approvals, including relating to the Debenture and the Investa debt facility; and other risks detailed herein and in Core Golds Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2016, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Other than in accordance with regulatory obligations, Core Gold is not under any obligation and Core Gold expressly disclaims any intention or obligation 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 policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. ISTANBUL - With airstrikes and artillery fire, Turkey on Saturday defied U.S. appeals and opened a long-anticipated offensive on Afrin, an enclave in Syria for Kurdish militias backed by the United States. Turkish officials have framed the offensive as part of a wider battle against Kurdish separatists, known as the Kurdistan Workers' Party, in Turkey's southwest. Turkey also fears any gains in strength by the Syrian Kurds, whose territory runs along some of Turkey's southern border. But the United States has opted to back the Syrian Kurds as proxy fighters against the Islamic State and as a buffer to keep the militants from trying to reclaim territory. The military action immediately raised concerns that it could spark conflicts among the assortment of foreign military powers present, in proximity, across northern Syria. They include Turkey, Russia and the United States. All have the Islamic State as a common foe, but, individually, they back different factions among the various armed groups in Syria. The latest flash point also highlighted the shifting disputes and conflicting agendas that have complicated any efforts toward ending nearly seven years of conflict in Syria. The Turkish military action came amid intensifying violence in the northern Syrian province of Idlib, where Syrian government forces are on the offensive against al-Qaida-aligned rebels in the east of the province. Recent statements by U.S. military officials about plans to train border security forces that would protect a Kurdish enclave in Syria also provoked Turkey's ire. "We are taking these steps to ensure our own national security," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in comments carried by the semiofficial Anadolu agency. Yet Turkish incursions could carry risks. The government of Syrian President Bashar Assad had warned that it was prepared to fire on Turkish warplanes in the event of an attack on Afrin. A Syrian government offensive is causing one of the worst surges in population displacement since Syria's civil war began. More than 212,000 people have fled fighting around Idlib in the past month, many of them sleeping in the open as temperatures plunge and rain drenches makeshift campsites, according to the United Nations. On Saturday, hours after the announcement of the airstrikes, Turkey said it had struck more than 100 positions belonging to Kurdish fighters. The number of casualties was not immediately clear. The airstrikes followed days of intense Turkish artillery fire on Kurdish positions, according to residents in Afrin. In a statement, the U.S.-backed Kurdish force, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, warned that the Turkish offensive "threatens to breathe new life into Daesh," using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State militant group. The Trump administration, in urging NATO-ally Turkey not to attack, had made a similar argument, saying it would distract from the ongoing battles against Islamic State militants in their remaining strongholds in Syria. There are roughly 2,000 U.S. troops in northern Syria. Russia, which backs Assad's government, said it was watching developments "with concern" and called on the warring sides to "exercise mutual restraint." Russia's Defense Ministry said that an unspecified number of Russian troops had been moved out of the Afrin area and redeployed. Much about the Turkish offensive, which the government dubbed "Operation Olive Branch," remained unclear Saturday, including whether it would be accompanied by a substantial push by Turkish ground forces and allied rebel factions. "The challenge is that no one knows what they intend to do," said Aaron Stein, a resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East. "Afrin will be hostile to a Turkish-backed force patrolling from permanent garrisons. The YPG in the area can retreat to the mountains for protection," he said, referring to the Syrian Kurdish militia that controls Afrin. The offensive probably was prompted in part by Turkish concerns that Russia and the United States planned to broker a reconciliation between Syria's government and the Syrian Kurdish forces. "This is anathema to Turkey for obvious reasons," Stein said. "So they are making a statement." - - - Loveluck reported from London. Suzan Haidamous in Beirut, Heba Habib in Stockholm and Anton Troianovski in Moscow contributed to this report. NEW HAVEN A Yale School of Medicine psychiatrist has received thousands of death threats since she began publicly calling President Donald Trump a danger to the country, she said recently. Dr. Bandy X. Lee, an internationally recognized expert on violence, according to her Yale University profile, said she has received the threats by email, phone and mostly by Twitter, though they have calmed down a little bit, she said. I was concerned because I was getting a thousand threatening messages a day at one point, Lee said. Although he received a perfect score on a cognitive assessment test during his recent physical exam, Lee said Trump is dangerous because of the violence in his words and actions. Lee has been accused of violating professional ethics by assessing the presidents mental health without having examined him, but she said she is speaking out because of her concern for the countrys welfare and not making a diagnosis. She asserts Trumps statements and behavior have already increased gun violence and bullying in the United States and that his references to the nations nuclear arsenal threaten the world. My concern is not Mr. Trumps personal mental health, she said. It is the threat that he poses to the public by virtue of occupying the office of the presidency, and I am acting on my obligation to the public, as professionals have an obligation to the public and not just to their private patients. Lee is editor of the book, The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President, published in October. Last April, she organized a conference at Yale, titled Does Professional Responsibility Include a Duty to Warn? She briefed about a dozen members of Congress in early December and had dinner with several House Democrats on Jan. 10 at the Washington, D.C., home of U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn. DeLauro spokesman Will Serio said her office would not comment on the dinner, but said U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., had canceled a planned town hall meeting with Lee. The Washington Post reported Raskins spokeswoman said Lees participation was canceled due to threats against Lee. Lee, who said she is speaking only for herself and not on behalf of Yale, said she is not violating the American Psychiatric Associations Goldwater Rule, which it adopted in 1973. Fact magazine had surveyed more than 12,000 psychiatrists about U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwaters fitness for the presidency when he ran in 1964. Many responses suggested Goldwater was mentally ill. The rule states that when asked for an opinion about a public person, a psychiatrist may share with the public his or her expertise about psychiatric issues in general. However, it is unethical for a psychiatrist to offer a professional opinion unless he or she has conducted an examination and has been granted proper authorization for such a statement. Earlier this month, the APA issued a statement emphasizing its stance: We at the APA call for an end to psychiatrists providing professional opinions in the media about public figures whom they have not examined, whether it be on cable news appearances, books, or in social media, the statement said. Armchair psychiatry or the use of psychiatry as a political tool is the misuse of psychiatry and is unacceptable and unethical. A spokeswoman for the association said the group would not comment on Lee. Yale spokeswoman Karen Peart issued a statement saying, Yale University does not take positions or issue statements regarding the health or medical condition of public officials. However, the University will not interfere with the free expression or academic freedom of faculty members who wish to express their opinions in their areas of expertise or otherwise. Dr. Lees position and opinions are her own and do not represent the views of the University. The executive committee of the Department of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine issued a similar statement regarding academic freedom and free speech rights, adding that the department affirms the importance of the ethical standard of conducting an examination of an individual and obtaining proper authorization before publicly stating a professional opinion about that individual. A request for comment from the White House press office was not answered. Call for full mental exam Lee said she is not offering an opinion about Trumps mental health, but rather is calling for a full psychiatric examination based on his words and actions. We know that the danger has already happened, she said. There is an unprecedented spike in hate crimes being reported, schoolyard bullying done in Trumps name and a rise in gun violence in the country since he launched his presidential campaign in June 2015. She cited a 12 percent increase in gun violence, a statistic reported by the Washington Post covering the first 200 days of 2017, based on numbers from the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive. The archive shows an increase in incidents since 2014 from 51,864 to 61,402 in 2017. Lee said the greatest danger with Trump is that he has access to powerful nuclear weapons that are strong enough to destroy the world many times over. She referred to Trumps boast that he has a much bigger and more powerful nuclear button than North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un does. That is a very reckless sign and action, she said. With the mental instability that he has shown, psychologically and cognitively, it is very dangerous for that to be in his possession, Lee said. It is the danger Trump poses that concerns Lee, not his psychiatric diagnosis, she said. Im assessing dangerousness, which is about the situation, not the person, she said. If Mr. Trump were not in the office of the presidency, he may not be dangerous. Lee said the danger is on multiple levels. Future violence is best shown by past violence and cited as evidence Trumps verbal aggressiveness, accusations of sexual misconduct and his incitement of crowds at campaign rallies. Verbal violence, sexual violence, inciting violence in others all these are considered violence, she said. What is even more harmful is being in office and endorsing violence can give rise to a culture of violence. But concern about Trumps behavior and his effect on others is not breaking ethical guidelines, she said. Diagnosis is a very intricate process where you have to have all the pertinent information, she said. That would include a personal exam, a check of his medical records and a full follow-up from the interview so that may involve a number of different tests. Impulsivity, recklessness What Trump has said and done makes a case for such an examination to be performed, Lee said. What we see from afar includes impulsivity, recklessness, paranoid reactions, a loose grip on reality, rage reactions, a lack of empathy and a constant need to demonstrate power, Lee said. She said Trump has shown symptoms that demonstrate a possible loss of cognitive ability. He has been declining in his ability to complete sentences, to stay with a thought, to use complex words, not to repeat words and not to jump from topic to topic. However, during his recent physical exam, Trump was given the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and received a perfect score, according to the White House physician, Dr. Ronny Jackson. The test includes remembering a list of spoken words; listening to a list of random numbers and repeating them backward; accurately drawing a cube; and describing ways that two objects such as a train and a bicycle are alike, the Associated Press reported. Its not a diagnostic test, but its pretty sensitive in picking up subtle changes in cognition, things involving memory, attention and language, but not mental health issues, said Dr. Ranit Mishori, professor of family medicine at Georgetown University, according to the AP. But Lee said, Its meaningless. What we needed was not a cognitive screen. Its really a moot point because we have already seen signs that call for a cognitive evaluation. An MRI or PET scan would have been more helpful. Lee said an instance in which Trump slurred his speech was a possible sign of a stroke. We need to assess him psychologically, cognitively, neurologically and capacity-wise, she said, in order to measure the ability to take in needed information, to weigh consequences and to make sound logical decisions based on reality. My concerns are not Mr. Trumps personal mental health, she said. My concern is his situation being in the presidency and the public health effects he is posing. Lee is a licensed physician in New York state, according to a spokesman in the deputy commissioners office in the New York state Office of the Professions. Her license is valid until April 30. I used to have three licenses because I was working around the country, and it turned out I only needed one, so I kept the easiest one, Lee said. Im a world expert in what I do. I consult with governments around the world. I dont have to be confined to Connecticut. This story was edited to remove a possible source of confusion about Lees practice. WASHINGTON - Bitterly divided over immigration and the fates of hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants, Congress was poised to stop funding the government Saturday, shutting down many services and furloughing some 800,000 federal workers. With negotiations over the expiring Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program faltering, Democrats on Friday night withheld votes on another in a series of stop-gap funding plans proposed by the Republican-held Congress. Republicans, demanding significant changes of the immigration system, wanted a four-week funding extension and tried to sweeten the deal for Democrats with a six-year authorization for the lapsed Childrens Health Insurance Program. But Democrats, hearing the plights of some 700,000 Dreamers and heeding wishes of an energized base, held fast to their refusal to move ahead without a DACA fix. A late-night vote to limit debate fell significantly short of the 60 needed to passage, pointing to the likelihood that any further effort to fund government operations by the midnight Eastern deadline would fail. A meeting at the White House between President Donald Trump and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. yielded no agreement. We made some progress, but we still have a good number of disagreements. The discussions will continue, Schumer said. By Friday, negotiations had largely given way to recriminations. Republicans described proceedings as the Schumer shutdown while Democrats trumpeted that never before has a shutdown occurred while one party enjoyed unified control of the White House and Congress, as Republicans do now. Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the Senates No. 2 Republican, added a full-throated plea for border security to his denunciation of Democratic tactics. How in the heck did we get here? How did the Democrats decide that no is the right answer? Cornyn asked, accusing Democrats of a complete and shameless reversal from what theyve said about shutdowns in the past. People act as if theres no negative downside to this porous border and illegal immigration, Cornyn said, speaking on the Senate floor. Its frankly insulting that the Democratic leader would jam this through and hold hostage all of these other very important programs when we are working in good faith. Cornyn said some 200,000 federal workers and contractors would be affected in Texas. He said that the Army Health Command at Joint Base San Antonio alone has 2,539 workers subject to furlough, representing $188 million in salaries. The Defense Department on Friday issued guidance that read: Military personnel on active duty, including reserve component personnel on federal active duty, will continue to report for duty and carry out assigned duties. As it stands, people in the military would remain on the job but be paid only through Feb. 1. In 2013, Congress passed legislation to pay members of the military during the shutdown. The Postal Service isnt affected in a shutdown and Social Security and other government checks continue to flow. Border security and immigration enforcement continue, as does airport security, and prisons remain open. Veterans services are affected minimally with veterans hospitals remaining open, although processing of claims at the Veterans Administration is put on hold. Other services regarded as essential continue, including the Agriculture Department inspections of meat, poultry and eggs, and Forest Service firefighting. Some agencies, though, are all but shuttered. At Housing and Urban Development, the Education Department and the Environmental Protection Agency, the vast majority of workers will be furloughed. Unlike in previous shutdowns, many national parks would remain open to visitors albeit lacking rangers and staff. We are going to manage a shutdown differently. Were not going to weaponize it, Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney told reporters. Costs and inconvenience in shutdowns quickly mount. The 2013 impasse, which lasted 16 days, cost the country an estimated $24 billion and stunted growth by 0.6 percent for the quarter. The Childrens Health Insurance Program could be yet another cost of congressional inaction. States are fast running out of money that covers 9 million children. In Texas, funds are expected to last through February thanks to a recent $135 million infusion from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Despite the impasse, discussions continued on a DACA fix, with legislation offered by San Antonio Republican Will Hurd gaining momentum as a potential compromise. By Friday, Hurds narrowly-drawn bill had drawn 52 co-sponsors, including 24 Republicans. Among supporters of his approach are Texas Reps. Joe Barton of Ennis, Mac Thornberry of Clarendon and Bill Flores of Bryan. Sponsors include several members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Thursday called the bill a compromise I can support. Im having multiple conversations with Republicans and Democrats and colleagues in the Senate on how we can ensure a bipartisan agreement, Hurd said in an interview. He added that he was concerned about the uncertainty that a shutdown causes for federal workers. Hurds bill, co-sponsored with California Democrat Pete Aguilar, combines DACA-like protections with border security provisions, among them authorization to build segments of border wall in combination with sensors and other technology to detect intrusions. But it does not tackle controversial matters in legislation offered by other Republicans on Capitol Hill that could make a deal in the Senate difficult or impossible. For instance, a bill co-authored by Austin Republican Mike McCaul and allies includes a mandatory E-Verify system for employers to determine eligibility of workers a proposal unpopular with many farmers and ranchers and significant changes in the family-based visa system and the Diversity Visa Lottery Program. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on Friday expressed the hard-line view prevalent among some of his fellow Senate Republicans. I think it would be a serious mistake to pass a major amnesty bill that gave a path to citizenship to millions of people here illegally and that continued chain migration, he said, a reference to the family-based visas by which many immigrants become lawful permanent citizens. San Antonio Democrat Joaquin Castro said Hurds bill is among several proposals that could be a trigger to actually sitting down in earnest and coming up with a compromise. Castro noted the potential impact on San Antonio not just with its military presence and federal employees but also with contractors. Im concerned about the operation of the parks and other federal resources, he added. Before the Senate convened to vote, Castro spoke at a rally outside the Capitol featuring several dozen undocumented young immigrants. He noted that a recent CNN poll finding that 83 percent of Americans, including a majority of Republicans, want so-called Dreamers to stay. This is not a matter of convincing the American people what the right thing to do is. The American people know what the right thing to do is. Its a matter of getting Congress to act, he said, noting that people understand that Republicans control every level of government. On the House floor, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-San Antonio, said no end to the impasse is likely unless Republicans take up legislation that includes a DACA fix. If they continue to insist upon an entirely partisan bill that excludes Dreamers, they should not expect Democratic votes. I want the government to remain open for everyone, including our Dreamers, said. One of those Dreamers at the Capitol, Texas A&M junior Joseph Trujillo, 20, said he arrived in Texas from Peru at the age 5. Sometimes it breaks my heart that these congressmen and senators wont even consider what Ive done in the past, wont even consider the obstacles Ive overcome, that weve all overcome, he said. blambrecht@express-news.net This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate JOURDANTON Defense attorneys in the Atascosa County capital murder trial of Shawn Puente, accused of killing a San Antonio police officer, failed Friday to convince a judge to move the trial based on the district attorneys asking local officers for help finding potential jurors who wont be afraid to kill this guy. State District Judge Donna Rayes denied a motion for a change of venue and also rejected a defense motion asking that she throw out a list of potential jurors that District Attorney Audrey Louis admitted sharing with the officers to get their feedback on the names it contained. Two potential jurors who Rayes deemed very credible members of the community gave statements to authorities reporting law enforcement officers in the county had contacted them informally and made them feel, as the defense put it, that they were being hand-picked for the jury. Puente and his girlfriend, who is not yet on trial, both were charged with capital murder in the Dec. 8, 2013 shooting of San Antonio Police Officer Robert Deckard during a highway chase on Interstate 37 that ended in Atascosa County, population 49,000. Deckard, 31 and a father of two, died Dec. 20 at Brooke Army Medical Center. Coincidentally, one of the physicians in the hospitals emergency room was Louis husband. Louis sent an email Jan 12 to five officers, including Atascosa County Sheriff David Soward. Here is our list of jurors in order with addresses. Will yall please, please go through it and let me know the yess, nos and maybes. Or on a scale of one to 10, whatever you think works best. Ill owe you all a dinner or beverage of your choice! Cant thank you enough! This guy deserves to die, and yall will play a big part in helping by your input. Louis sent a separate note to other officers on Dec. 18, asking them to review the list of names and provide feedback. Its inconceivable whats going on here, defense attorney Anna Jimenez told the judge Friday. The chances are slim and none that the panel of jurors (would be untainted) by these efforts. Louis told Rayes she was shocked the defense team would be surprised by her language in communicating with officers with whom she deals on a daily basis. Everyone on this side (of the courtroom) knows we want the death penalty, Louis said. Theres no evidence that any potential jurors have been influenced. Theres no collusion to deny Mr. Puente a fair trial. Louis likely did not cross a constitutional line, said St. Marys University School of Law professor Gerald Reamey. But, he said, the email raises the specter that she is saying she wants partisan jurors, people with a predisposition in a (death penalty) case like this. Puente sat beside his lawyers Friday, wearing large dark-framed glasses and a suit. He is being held in Atascosa County Jail in Jourdanton. Several of the officers who testified said they knew they were not supposed to contact prospective jurors, did not do so and did not interpret Louis request as anything unethical. Soward said he knew better than to contact potential jurors and did not define for his officers what might be a good juror. But I would assume (Louis) was seeking someone who favored the death penalty, he said. Jury selection continues Monday. Read the full story at ExpressNews.com or in Saturdays Express-News. bselcraig@express-news.net This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate San Antonians have earned a quick pat on the back for moving this city forward on a set of goals crowdsourced in 2010 under SA2020, a vision exercise led by then-Mayor Julian Castro, but officials warn that theres still much work to be done. That was the message from those who spoke Friday at an annual luncheon hosted by SA2020, the nonprofit organization charged with overseeing the goals set by the community in September 2010. Those goals fall into 11 areas: arts and culture, civic engagement, community safety, downtown development, economic competitiveness, education, environmental sustainability, family well-being, health and fitness, neighborhoods, and transportation. For the first time since he left the mayors office in 2014, Castro addressed the group thats overseeing his marquee visioning project. On Sept. 25, 2010 nearly 7.5 years ago, now more than 1,000 San Antonians came together on a sunny Saturday to answer a fundamental question: What kind of city do we want to be on Friday, Sept. 25, 2020? Many of you were in the room that day, he said. You came from every corner of our community all ages and backgrounds. You brought big ideas and small ones: suggestions about education and transportation, about job creation and how to be better stewards of our environment. And thats how SA2020 began. Castro underscored that the idea behind SA2020 was a grassroots initiative that wasnt the dreams of any one leader at the fore but with your dreams for your city put right out on the table. A six-month process, the SA2020 vision exercise created 11 core areas and dozens of goals all that could be tracked with data. On Friday, SA2020 CEO Molly Cox announced that 70 percent of the indicators are moving in the right direction, but she also noted that theres still some sobering details within the data. Civic engagement, for example, is headed in the right direction. Voter registration is up. Actual voting is up, she said. The goal for family well-being has been met; the data show child abuse and neglect have been reduced by 25 percent. These findings should be taken cautiously, however, as these rates are highly dependent on reporting, which results in a child abuse case being substantiated, she said. In a recent report, CI:Now, SA2020s data partner, showed additional information that helped tell a more complex story of child abuse that is less about a decrease in abuse and neglect and more about the systems ability to timely and appropriately address and confirm or rule out abuse/neglect. Basically, additional indicators from this report show that abuse and neglect is just as frequent, yet completed investigations are declining a story less about decreasing child abuse and more about the need for systemic solutions. Mayor Ron Nirenberg heaped praise on SA2020, saying it has enjoyed continued success and sustainability because its rooted in community that simultaneously guides a city-wide vision and also holds up a mirror to the community, talking about the things were doing right, but also reminding us that weve got a long way to go. Theres a lot of good happening, Nirenberg said, but if we just say thats enough and dont ask the other questions, or if we just get comfortable with 70 percent is better than 50 percent, then were missing the mark. He called on those who have pitched in to keep working on making San Antonio a better place, and he asked those who havent to start now. After the luncheon, which gathered some 650 attendees more than double last year Cox said shes pleased with San Antonios progress. I believe that the shifts were seeing, although incremental, are positive, she said. And it shows movement in what might be considered upstream indicators that have the potential to impact more complex challenges downstream. Following the citys lead, Bexar County Commissioners Court threw its support behind Brooke Army Medical Center, approving a resolution Friday backing the militarys medical training mission. Commissioner Kevin Wolff, who introduced the resolution, said a plan being considered by a local hospital system to create a local trauma center not only would jeopardize BAMCs mission but ultimately threaten national security. I dont care what branch you go into. At some point, if youre in the medical field, you are coming to San Antonio, Wolff said. In my mind, this makes this not just about San Antonio, not just about Texas, but about our national security. Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Johnson echoed Wolffs argument, saying the U.S. Defense Departments medical readiness has a direct tie to our nations readiness to fight and win our wars. Adding additional trauma centers, I believe, erodes the unique position San Antonio holds compared to other installations across the United States, Johnson said. It decreases the quality of care, specifically itll decrease the quality of care at BAMC, and it disrupts the integrated health care system we have to take care of under-insured and uninsured individuals inside of our community. The concern is that trauma teams at BAMC the Department of Defenses only Level I trauma center would see a sharp decrease in patient volume with the creation of new local trauma centers, making them underprepared to treat people on the battlefield. Methodist Healthcare had been considering adding a Level II trauma center, Johnson told City Council in December when it passed a similar resolution, sparking concern among BAMC that Baptist Health System and others would follow suit. Methodist Healthcare could not be reached for comment late Friday afternoon. Dr. Brian Eastridge, a trauma surgeon who previously served as trauma medical director at BAMC, said that while Level I trauma centers are required to reach a certain volume of annual patients, Level II centers have no requirement for patient volume, allowing them to basically cherry-pick the best patients, and those would be the funded patients. Civilians account for about 80 percent of the 80,000 annual visits to the BAMC emergency room, some of whom lack adequate health insurance. In December, spokeswoman Palmira Arellano told the Express-News that Methodist Healthcare was just doing our due diligence and researching community needs, and, as the largest health system in the region, was obligated to perform a community health needs assessment and help provide resources to meet those needs. Baptist Health spokeswoman Patti Tanner said she had nothing to add from a previous statement given to the Express-News last month, in which she said the health care provider had not made a decision on the matter. County Judge Nelson Wolff urged the military to speak with the respective corporations that own the health systems, recognizing that the Commissioners Court would likely be less effective than the military at convincing the companies not to build trauma centers here. In other court news, the commissioners approved an agreement with Quality Forensic Toxicology to provide technical services for its alcohol breath test program, which the county uses in prosecuting DWI cases. The approval came after objections from Debra Stephens, the owner of Alamo Forensics Services, which had previously been contracting with the county. Stephens claimed the county did not follow a fair and open bidding process. There have been no instances of complaints or problems with our services, she told the commissioners. Our conviction rate and experience has allowed the county to plead out most cases, and our testimony has proven reliable and effective to the jurors pooled by the District Attorneys office. Wolff and Calvert called Stephens argument compelling, but Ed Schweninger, chief of the civil division in the DAs office, said the county did consider Stephens company, and their decision was not based on the quality of Stephens service or expertise. The DAs office has always encouraged some competition and wanted to see some options, and Quality Toxicology stepped up, Schweninger said. There is absolutely no increase in the cost of the contract. Jasper Scherer is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of his stories here. | jscherer@express-news.net | @jaspscherer A man suffering from gunshot wounds collapsed on the doorstep of a homeowner in a gated Stone Oak community Friday night as he sought help, according to police. San Antonio police say they have few leads and are currently trying to piece together events surrounding the shooting on the far North Side that occured about 11:40 p.m., and left the victim with multiple gunshot wounds. SYDNEY - A practice session for Australian lifeguards who were testing a new drone turned into a real rescue when the drone helped save two swimmers at a beach in New South Wales. On Thursday morning, Jai Sheridan, a lifeguard supervisor who was operating the drone, was alerted to two young men caught in turbulent surf with 10-foot swells. Sheridan then steered the drone toward the swimmers. In video of the incident taken from the drone, it can be seen releasing a yellow "rescue pod" that inflates in the water. The two swimmers grabbed the pod, and with its support they made their way to shore. They were fatigued but not hurt, Surf Life Saving New South Wales, a volunteer organization, said in a statement. The rescue took just 70 seconds. "On a normal day that would have taken our lifeguards a few minutes longer," Sheridan said. The drone used for the rescue, known as a Little Ripper unmanned aerial vehicle, also is part of a shark-spotting program scheduled for Australian beaches this summer. "The applications in the water are just phenomenal," said Michael Blumenstein, a professor at the University of Technology Sydney who oversaw the team that developed the shark-spotting software. "The amount of payload that these drones carry enable them to be really be versatile." In cases involving rough surf, remote locations or natural disasters, where conditions may be hazardous and time is a factor, Blumenstein said, drones are able to help operators assess a situation without endangering human lives. Farmers also have found practical applications for drones, using them to efficiently assess the health of their crops, for example. The software developed by Blumenstein's team could soon become a vital tool for lifeguards. "There's no reason why we couldn't use it to automatically detect people in the water," he said. Vancouver, WA, USA, Jan. 20, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Source: Pulse Larsen Antennas January 19, 2017 Vancouver, WA - January 19, 2018 - Pulse Larsen Antennas, a business unit of Pulse Electronics, Inc., has landed in San Antonio, TX for the DistribuTECH 2018 show and is ready to showcase its unparalleled antenna technology. The team has a prime spot at DistribuTECH, booth 2064. Be sure to stop by and pick up a copy of our catalog V14 and its associated booklets for each of your business application. See some of the most robust smart metering antennas along with the series of thousands of embedded solutions for your Energy or Metering applications. PulseLarsen Antennas can be designed into your products or outside with IP67 standards and MADE IN USA. Subject matter experts are on hand to answer any questions you might have and provide cutting edge solutions for any antenna connectivity needs. Dont forget to follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/PulseLarsen1 About Pulse Electronics Pulse Electronics is a leading provider of electronic components that help customers build the next great product by providing the needed technical solutions. Pulse Electronics, including the Larsen brand of antennas, has a long operating history (celebrating 70 years) of innovation in antennas, power and signal magnetics, as well as the ability to ramp quickly into high-quality, high-volume production. The Company serves the wireless and wireline communications, power management, military/aerospace, and automotive industries. Pulse Electronics is a participating member of the IEEE, SFF, OIF, HDBaseT Alliance, CommNexus, NFC Forum, MoCA, and IWPC. Visit the Pulse Electronics website at www.pulseelectronics.com. Copyright 2018 Pulse Electronics Corporation. All rights reserved. All brand names and trademarks are properties of their respective holders. Attachments: A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7dac4287-79e0-44c3-b185-97b5e27165ed Attachments: A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/df572be2-f179-4ac0-a2d1-e008e2f3b21b People around the world have reacted with outrage and astonishment to the persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine, in southwestern Burma. The outrage is completely appropriate. The astonishment, though, is not especially in an area like Texas, whose history of shifting populations resembles that of Rakhine. Both Rahkine and Texas are borderlands with no natural barriers between regions, with people of very different ethnic, religious and linguistic origins having moved about over centuries. With political authority shifting a number of times, both regions have seen amicable interaction across ethnic lines and ethnic violence over the years. And in both regions, some members of the dominant group now want to send their ethnic others back where they came from. Burmans make up two-thirds of the population of the nation-state of Burma, also known as Myanmar, and Rakhine and Burmans have long had volatile relations, sometimes competing over territorial and political control. Burmans have had the upper hand since conquering Rakhine in the late 18th century. The British, who ruled Rakhine from 1826 to 1948, urged Bengalis to come and take low-paying jobs that long-time residents of the area disdained. Intellectuals and other members of the Muslim elite in Rakhine started seeking either independence or at least some state-recognized special status in the 1950s. It was these people who made of the term Rohingya, which is actually the Bengali version of the name of the region of Rakhine, a politically charged label for all Rakhine Muslims. Today, Burmans and Rakhine Buddhists label all of these people Bengali, just as many Texans speak of Mexicans whether they are referring to U.S. citizens of longstanding or people who came across the Rio Grande just recently. A part of Mexico until 1836, Texas became part of the U.S. in 1845. Newly-arrived Euro-Americans decided that they should run the place, edging out Spanish-speaking families who had lived in Texas much longer and costing poorer residents access to land they had long had the use of as tenant farmers. Spanish speakers and English speakers, meanwhile, collaborated in driving Native American residents off the land. The ethnic cleansing that drastically reduced Texas indigenous population and the political maneuvering that made the status of Spanish speakers highly precarious is mirrored in the current attacks on Muslims in Rakhine, who have fled by the hundreds of thousands to Bangladesh. The recent events in Rakhine started with a few violent incidents in June 2012. Soon after, at least 140,000 Rakhine Muslims were placed in concentration camps to protect them. In October 2016, some young Rakhine Muslim men, newly radicalized, attacked Burmese border control officers. The Burmese military responded with disproportionate force, which helps explain why a larger attack on government officials took place in August 2017. Though military control over Burma ended in 2012, it seems clear that Aung San Suu Kyi exercises little authority over the generals, who continue to wage war in several regions, using ethnic conflict and immigrant-criminals to justify intervention. None of this should surprise Americans who have seen how much political advantage is to be gained by scapegoating people who are viewed as foreign. Fortunately in our country, we have a long-standing discourse of human rights fostering defense of the weak, including immigrants, from nativist attack. There is little by way of such discourse in Burma. Both outsiders and residents of the region say the best that can be hoped for is economic development. Seeing opportunities to escape the regions dire poverty should encourage people in Rakhine, whether Muslim or Buddhist, to put aside their ethnic prejudices. Just as Texans, provided they feel confident in their own and their childrens future, ought to be able to act on their better instincts, no matter what some politicians tell them about all those Mexican criminals. Ward Keeler is an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin. The world fell on Donald Trumps head yet again when he said in a White House meeting that we should be trying to get immigrants from Norway rather than s***hole countries in the Third World. The media have treated Trumps remarks, made in a heated exchange with senators over a proposed immigration deal, as an explicit confession of racism. Why else would he scorn immigrants from places like Haiti and Somalia, while yearning for those from lily-white Scandinavia? He was almost surely trying to say that we should pick immigrants for skills (he reportedly mentioned Asia as well as Norway), but typically stated his position in the crudest terms possible. The ensuing controversy has created a cottage industry of TV and newspaper commentators declaring proudly that they came from s***hole countries, and implying that as long as we are welcoming enough people from distressed countries, our immigration policy is on track. This discussion is largely informed by a romantic view of the experience of the early 20th century, which is, unsurprisingly, not applicable 100 years later. First, the economy has changed. We no longer can toss low-skilled immigrants into the maw of an insatiable manufacturing sector. Many of the immigrants who arrived in the early 1900s, economist George Borjas writes, got jobs in the booming manufacturing sector. Those manufacturing jobs, which over time evolved into well-paid and stable union jobs, created a private-sector safety net that protected the pay and economic status of the immigrants and their children and grandchildren. Even so, Borjas notes that the evidence suggests there was no real economic improvement over the lifetimes of the Ellis Island immigrants, and initial differences in income among different groups persisted into the grandchildrens generation. In short, the wave of mass migration a century ago is not a warrant for a thoughtless immigration policy today. The fact is that immigrants from rich countries tend to do better here than immigrants from poor countries, and level of education is a key factor. According to the Migration Policy Institute, nearly half of Asian immigrants are employed in management, business, science or the arts, higher than the proportion of the native born. The median income of households headed by Asian immigrants is $70,000, higher than that of the native born. The median income of a household headed by an Indian immigrant is an astonishing $105,000. This is largely because their level of education is off the charts. Three-quarters of Indian immigrants have a college degree or more. The Indian immigrants dont reflect the norm back home, where the average person has less than six years of schooling, but we are skimming off a more skilled element of the population. Critics of Trumps comments rightly point out that immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa, reportedly part of the s***hole argument, are doing pretty well here. But it depends on the country. About 60 percent of Nigerian immigrants have a college degree, and more than 50 percent work in management positions. In contrast, only 11 percent of Somalis have a college degree, and half are in poverty. The numbers for immigrants from El Salvador, to pick a country also reportedly part of the White House discussion, are less encouraging. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, more than half of Salvadoran immigrants dont have a high-school degree, and half are living in poverty or near it. This doesnt mean they dont work hard, or deserve to be insulted, but they are struggling. We are blessed to live in a country that many millions around the world want to move to. This affords us the luxury to be more selective in our immigration policy and, like Canada or Australia, establish a system emphasizing skills suited to a 21st-century economy. Some might be from Norway, some might be from s***holes all should be prepared to thrive. comments.lowry@nationalreview.com Re: Chief made right call on immigrants, Editorial, Jan. 13: Although disappointed, I was not shocked to see the editorial concurring with the decision by Chief William McManus to release 12 illegal aliens. We have progressed from using the term illegal aliens to undocumented immigrants and now to victims. As a former federal agent who worked for years in cooperative endeavors with members of the Police Department, I know what good things can come from solid interagency relationships. I find Chief McManus decision in this matter a dereliction of duty, at the least, and very likely malfeasance. In a time when our Police Department is stretched to its limits, why burden our officers with additional work that is specifically the jurisdiction of U.S. Customs and Border Protection? Finally, I say to Chief McManus, what did your actions, or lack thereof, say to those many customs and Border Patrol agents manning the checkpoints or patrolling the prickly pear in South Texas? Time for you to go, pal. Michael Appleby Dwindling base Re: Chiefs blunder, Your Turn, Jan. 16: I believe Chief William McManus is doing a great job protecting the citizens of San Antonio, and he is not responsible for federal immigration laws. Its very possible that the immigrants he released have families in Texas, will find employment and make a positive contribution to Texas. The letter writer appears to be a member of Donald Trumps ever-dwindling base who believe all Mexican immigrants are rapists, murders and drug dealers. Lloyd Mathews, Rockport Stripped of dignity Re: Still not too old to bump and grind; at 59, S.A.s Randy Ricks could be oldest male stripper in U.S., mySA, Jan. 8: What has the Express-News descended into that nearly one-third of this mySA edition focused on an aging male stripper? I did not bother to read the article. The photos and cutlines said enough. Is this the best San Antonio can offer? Does this staff writer and others like him have nothing better to do? God help us all! Mary Graves, Boerne By PTI NEW DELHI: Seventeen people were killed and two injured in a massive blaze at a firecracker storage unit in outer Delhi's Bawana industrial area this evening, a Delhi Fire Services official said, even as the city government ordered an inquiry into the incident. The police said the people were either charred or got choked to death. The fire, which started at the storage unit on the ground floor of a two-storey building, ripped through the structure, the official said. The official said that the rescue operations are underway as more people are suspected to be trapped inside the factory. There is a rubber factory on the second storey above the firecracker factory. Ten women and seven men were killed, another fire official said, noting that a man and woman have been injured. The two injured have been admitted to a hospital. "The factory falls in the Delhi State Industrial And Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) area," the official said. HERE ARE ALL THE UPDATES: Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announces Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of the dead and Rs 1 lakh to the injured; visits site of fire. Arvind Kejriwal at the site of the fire. (PTI Photo) Relatives of the deceased and injured mourn the lives lost. A relative of one of the deceased mourns his loss. (PTI Photo) North Delhi Mayor Preety Agarwal has rushed to the spot, a senior NDMC official said. I received information about the incident on phone at around 9 pm & we immediately rushed to the spot. Situation is under control now: North #Delhi Mayor Preety Aggarwal pic.twitter.com/QqeLqtgNtP ANI (@ANI) January 20, 2018 Saddened by the Bawana fire tragedy. Have spoken to officials concerned for necessary action. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. May God give them strength to recover from this tragic incident. LG Delhi (@LtGovDelhi) January 20, 2018 PM Modi offers his condolences. Deeply anguished by the fire at a factory in Bawana. My thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives. May those who are injured recover quickly: PM @narendramodi PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 20, 2018 Expressing his grief over the "large number of casualties" in the fire, chief minister Kejriwal said he is keeping a "close watch" on the rescue operations. V sad to hear abt large no of casualties. Keeping a close watch on rescue operations https://t.co/yHwQAH0bKi Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 20, 2018 Union Health Minister J P Nadda today said that the AIIMS and the Safdarjung Hospital were ready to provide all assistance to people injured in a blaze at a firecracker storage unit in Delhi's Bawana area. Union Health Minister JP Nadda directs Health Secretary to provide immediate assistance to victims of Bawana fire tragedy and also asked AIIMS trauma centre to be on alert #Delhi ANI (@ANI) January 20, 2018 I have directed officials of @MoHFW_INDIA to provide immediate support. Union Health Secretary has spoken to Chief Secretary Delhi. AIIMS trauma centre and Burn Unit Of Safadjung Hospital is ready to provide all support . Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) January 20, 2018 "We have alerted the AIIMS and the Safdarjung Hospital to keep beds and emergency services ready to attend to any victims from the fire," Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan said. Rescue operations are underway | PTI Photo The medical superintendent of Dr Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Hospital said, "We have received a disaster alert and we are prepared to handle the rush of injured patients." The Delhi Fire Services received a call about the fire at the factory around 6.20 pm and 10 fire tenders were rushed to the spot, the fire department said, adding the blaze has been brought under control. G C Mishra, Director, Delhi Fire Service, said the building comprised a basement, ground floor and two upper floors. "One body was recovered from the basement, three from the ground floor and 13 from the first floor. One person sustained fractures after he jumped from the second floor to save himself," he said. Mishra said the fire was doused by 9.20 pm but search and rescue operations were underway. "We are taking no chance. We don't have a definite number of people who were in the building when the fire broke out," he said. Delhi Urban Development minister Satyendar Jain said an inquiry has been ordered into the incident. Learnt about a serious fire incident in a private factory at Bawana. Several casualties reported. Monitoring the situation.Ordered enquiry Satyendar Jain (@SatyendarJain) January 20, 2018 NEW DELHI: Seventeen people were killed and two injured in a massive blaze at a firecracker storage unit in outer Delhi's Bawana industrial area this evening, a Delhi Fire Services official said, even as the city government ordered an inquiry into the incident. The police said the people were either charred or got choked to death. The fire, which started at the storage unit on the ground floor of a two-storey building, ripped through the structure, the official said. The official said that the rescue operations are underway as more people are suspected to be trapped inside the factory. There is a rubber factory on the second storey above the firecracker factory. Ten women and seven men were killed, another fire official said, noting that a man and woman have been injured. The two injured have been admitted to a hospital. "The factory falls in the Delhi State Industrial And Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) area," the official said. HERE ARE ALL THE UPDATES: Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announces Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of the dead and Rs 1 lakh to the injured; visits site of fire. Arvind Kejriwal at the site of the fire. (PTI Photo) @ArvindKejriwal, ! #Bawana pic.twitter.com/E0PGAciGEq AAP (@AamAadmiParty) January 20, 2018 Relatives of the deceased and injured mourn the lives lost. A relative of one of the deceased mourns his loss. (PTI Photo) North Delhi Mayor Preety Agarwal has rushed to the spot, a senior NDMC official said. I received information about the incident on phone at around 9 pm & we immediately rushed to the spot. Situation is under control now: North #Delhi Mayor Preety Aggarwal pic.twitter.com/QqeLqtgNtP ANI (@ANI) January 20, 2018 Saddened by the Bawana fire tragedy. Have spoken to officials concerned for necessary action. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. May God give them strength to recover from this tragic incident. LG Delhi (@LtGovDelhi) January 20, 2018 PM Modi offers his condolences. Deeply anguished by the fire at a factory in Bawana. My thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives. May those who are injured recover quickly: PM @narendramodi PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 20, 2018 Expressing his grief over the "large number of casualties" in the fire, chief minister Kejriwal said he is keeping a "close watch" on the rescue operations. V sad to hear abt large no of casualties. Keeping a close watch on rescue operations https://t.co/yHwQAH0bKi Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 20, 2018 Union Health Minister J P Nadda today said that the AIIMS and the Safdarjung Hospital were ready to provide all assistance to people injured in a blaze at a firecracker storage unit in Delhi's Bawana area. Union Health Minister JP Nadda directs Health Secretary to provide immediate assistance to victims of Bawana fire tragedy and also asked AIIMS trauma centre to be on alert #Delhi ANI (@ANI) January 20, 2018 I have directed officials of @MoHFW_INDIA to provide immediate support. Union Health Secretary has spoken to Chief Secretary Delhi. AIIMS trauma centre and Burn Unit Of Safadjung Hospital is ready to provide all support . Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) January 20, 2018 "We have alerted the AIIMS and the Safdarjung Hospital to keep beds and emergency services ready to attend to any victims from the fire," Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan said. Rescue operations are underway | PTI Photo The medical superintendent of Dr Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Hospital said, "We have received a disaster alert and we are prepared to handle the rush of injured patients." The Delhi Fire Services received a call about the fire at the factory around 6.20 pm and 10 fire tenders were rushed to the spot, the fire department said, adding the blaze has been brought under control. G C Mishra, Director, Delhi Fire Service, said the building comprised a basement, ground floor and two upper floors. "One body was recovered from the basement, three from the ground floor and 13 from the first floor. One person sustained fractures after he jumped from the second floor to save himself," he said. Mishra said the fire was doused by 9.20 pm but search and rescue operations were underway. "We are taking no chance. We don't have a definite number of people who were in the building when the fire broke out," he said. Delhi Urban Development minister Satyendar Jain said an inquiry has been ordered into the incident. Learnt about a serious fire incident in a private factory at Bawana. Several casualties reported. Monitoring the situation.Ordered enquiry Satyendar Jain (@SatyendarJain) January 20, 2018 By PTI GAYA: Two bombs were found from the Bodh Gaya pilgrimage centre near here tonight following a small explosion-like sound amid stringent security measures in view of the Dalai Lama's stay, a top police official said. The bombs were found from the vicinity of the Kalachakra ground during an intensive combing operation by a police team led by DIG (Patna Range) Vinay Kumar, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Patna Zone, N H Khan said. The Tibetan spiritual leader has been holding discourses at the ground, he said. Bihar: Visuals from Gaya's Mahabodhi Temple, suspicious object was found at one of the emergency gates of the temple, last night. The Dalai Lama is staying at the nearby Buddhist Monastery. pic.twitter.com/dedhw89Kw5 ANI (@ANI) January 20, 2018 The IGP said that the operations were carried out after a small explosion took place at a kitchen set up at the Kaalchintan ground, causing panic among the devotees who had gathered to hear the Dalai Lama's discourse. The explosion had taken place shortly after the Dalai Lama had completed his discourse and retired for the day at the Tibetan monastery, he said. WATCH | Explosive found near Mahabodhi temple in Bihar, security beefed up During the operations, a burst thermos flask was found at the kitchen. This might have caused the sound, the IGP said. Meanwhile, a team of forensic experts was dispatched to the site of the incident from Patna to ascertain the nature of the explosives found, he said. The Tibetan spiritual leader had arrived in Bodh Gaya on January 1 and he is likely to stay there for a month. A host of VIPs, including Bihar Governor Satya Pal Malik Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Hollywood actor Richard Gere have visited Bodh Gaya recently to receive blessings from the Buddhist monk. Significantly, in 2013, the Maha Bodhi temple, situated on the spot where Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment, was rocked by a series of explosions in which five people, including two monks were injured. GAYA: Two bombs were found from the Bodh Gaya pilgrimage centre near here tonight following a small explosion-like sound amid stringent security measures in view of the Dalai Lama's stay, a top police official said. The bombs were found from the vicinity of the Kalachakra ground during an intensive combing operation by a police team led by DIG (Patna Range) Vinay Kumar, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Patna Zone, N H Khan said. The Tibetan spiritual leader has been holding discourses at the ground, he said. Bihar: Visuals from Gaya's Mahabodhi Temple, suspicious object was found at one of the emergency gates of the temple, last night. The Dalai Lama is staying at the nearby Buddhist Monastery. pic.twitter.com/dedhw89Kw5 ANI (@ANI) January 20, 2018 The IGP said that the operations were carried out after a small explosion took place at a kitchen set up at the Kaalchintan ground, causing panic among the devotees who had gathered to hear the Dalai Lama's discourse. The explosion had taken place shortly after the Dalai Lama had completed his discourse and retired for the day at the Tibetan monastery, he said. WATCH | Explosive found near Mahabodhi temple in Bihar, security beefed up During the operations, a burst thermos flask was found at the kitchen. This might have caused the sound, the IGP said. Meanwhile, a team of forensic experts was dispatched to the site of the incident from Patna to ascertain the nature of the explosives found, he said. The Tibetan spiritual leader had arrived in Bodh Gaya on January 1 and he is likely to stay there for a month. A host of VIPs, including Bihar Governor Satya Pal Malik Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Hollywood actor Richard Gere have visited Bodh Gaya recently to receive blessings from the Buddhist monk. Significantly, in 2013, the Maha Bodhi temple, situated on the spot where Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment, was rocked by a series of explosions in which five people, including two monks were injured. 13:52 | Trujillo (La Libertad region), Jan. 20. Following a warm welcome and presents including a red and white chullo (Andean earflapped hat) that he wore for a moment by local authorities and children, Pope Francis boarded the Popemobile to tour the town. These wine choices will have you covered on Thanksgiving Turkey and a whole lot of other stuff pose challenges to pairing wines with the meal as there truly is a cornucopia of flavors, all to be enjoyed. New Delhi: ITC on Saturday said it has to bear an incremental tax burden of over 20 percent due to the combined impact of an increase in excise duty in budget 2017 and revision in GST compensation cess on cigarettes. The cumulative growth in tax incidence on cigarettes, after cognising for the latest increase in cess rates, stands at 202 percent in last six years, ITC said in its earnings release. "The combined impact of an increase in excise duty announced by the Union Budget 2017 and the revision in GST compensation cess resulted in an incremental tax burden of over 20 percent on the company," it added. ITC said cigarette volumes remained under "severe pressure" due to "sharp increase in tax incidence and intense regulatory pressures". The sharp upward revision in GST compensation cess announced by the GST Council at its meeting on July 17, 2017 "exacerbated the situation", ITC said. After the implementation of GST on July 1, the government on July 17 had hiked the limit of cess to be levied on cigarettes as it felt that the industry was reaping a windfall gain as the tax rate was lower than what it was in the pre-GST era. On top of the 28 percent tax, the GST Council, comprising Centre and states, hiked the compensation cess levied on cigarettes. The government while hiking the cess rate had said it was being done to ensure that tax rates in pre and post GST era remains the same. "....the upward revision resulted in significantly higher tax incidence on cigarettes compared to the pre GST scenario which is not in keeping with the fundamental principle of revenue neutrality," ITC said. The move has also affected the legal cigarette industry volumes, which had remained under severe pressure due to high in tax incidence and regulatory pressures, it added. "It is apprehended that the sharp increase in tax incidence as aforestated will severely undermine the legal cigarette industry and adversely impact tobacco farmers," it added. The company today reported 16.75 percent increase in standalone net profit at Rs 3,090.20 crore for the December quarter. Revenue from cigarettes, however, stood at Rs 4,629.19 crore. It was Rs 8,287.97 crore in the year-ago period. Expectations high from the Union Budget 2018. Citizens in the country are asking for Leave Travel Allowance(LTA) related tax reforms. 30-year-old healthcare professional Vidya Sagar is one such citizen who feels the changing times should give way to more relaxation in availing LTA. His company allows him to avail LTA every two years for domestic travel. He, however, feels visiting international destinations has become more affordable and sometimes turns out to be cheaper than travelling within the country. Says Vidya Sagar, I have been availing LTA for the last 8 years and feel it is not as beneficial as it seems. We go on a vacation within the country twice a year. We look forward to travelling overseas too and hope LTA can be extended to overseas travel too. In many companies, mandatory leave is a must and employees are ready to pack their bags and choose holiday destinations. Employees who are entitled to LTA as part of their Cost to Company (CTC) can reimburse a domestic travel under LTA which is not included in the taxable income. The LTA is different for different employees depending on their position and salary bracket. There are certain terms and conditions under LTA which include domestic airfare in economy class and travel in first-class railway journeys twice in four years for themselves, spouse, children and parents. Travel by other modes of transport is also permitted with certain restrictions. However, LTA does not include food, lodging and sightseeing expense. The current block of 2014-2017 will give way to the new block for LTA which is for the years 2018-2022. Some employees feel LTA rules should be relaxed and overseas airfares should be included. Also, that LTA should be applicable every year instead of twice every four years. While there are other pertinent tax reforms that are on a citizens mind, they feel it is also important to focus on leisure and luxury amidst the pressure of paying taxes in India. How much importance Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley gives to these voices on LTA will be seen during his budget speech on the 1st of February. Karachi: Seventeen Indian fishermen have been arrested for allegedly illegally fishing in Pakistani waters and a court remanded them into custody on Saturday. A police official at the docks police station has said the Indian nationals appeared before a magistrate who sent them to jail on remand. "These fishermen were handed over to us by the Maritime Security last night(Friday) for further legal process," he said. He said most of the fishermen belonged to Gujarat. The 17 Indian fishermen were arrested for fishing in Pakistan's territorial waters, according to the Maritime Security Force. "They were fishing in the Arabian sea in our territory and they were detained and their three boats seized," he said. The arrests come after the release of 145 Indian fishermen on December 28. An official of the Pakistan Maritime Security Force said that since late November the number of Indian fishermen detained for fishing in Pakistani waters was around 185. A total of 438 Indian fishermen were released in 12 days time in December 2016-January 2017 by the Pakistani authorities from the Landhi and Malir jails in Karachi. Pakistan and India frequently arrest fishermen as there is no clear demarcation of the maritime border in the Arabian Sea and these fishermen do not have boats equipped with the technology to know their precise location. Jammu: An Army jawan was among four killed while eighteen others were injured as Pakistani troops shelled border outposts and civilian areas along the international border (IB) and LoC in the Jammu region for the third consecutive day on Saturday. The ceasefire violations triggered migration of over 35,000 people from their border hamlets as the authorities sounded a red alert and asked people to move to safer areas. Over 300 educational institutes along the IB and LoC in the Jammu region have been closed for the next three days by the administration in the wake of increased tension due to the shelling. As many as 10 persons, including 6 civilians and 4 jawans, were killed and nearly 60 including some jawans were injured in the shelling during the past two days. On Friday, two civilians and two jawans were killed and 35 others, including three jawans, injured in heavy mortar shelling by Pakistan troops on civilian areas and outposts along the IB and LoC in Jammu, Samba, Kathua and Rajouri districts of Jammu and Kashmir. On Wednesday also a BSF jawan and a teenaged girl were killed and 8 others injured in Samba and Jammu districts. "Pakistan resorted to unprovoked shelling in Gajansoo area of Kanachak sector in Jammu this afternoon and shells fell in the Gajansoo bus stand in which two persons were injured," a police officer said. He added they were shifted to a hospital and one of them, 25 year old Tarseem, died later. Pakistan rangers also shelled forward hamlets in R S Pura, they said adding that two civilians - 17-year-old Gaura Ram of Kapur R S Pura and 45-year-old Gour Singh of Abdullian were killed and five others injured. Pakistan army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing of small arms and automatics and mortar bombs in Krishnagati sector along LoC in Poonch around 0820 hours, a defence spokesman said adding that the Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively. In the exchanges, Sepoy Mandeep Singh was injured and later succumbed to his injuries, he said. The 23-year-old belonged to Alampur village of Sangrur district in Punjab and is survived by his father Gurnaam Singh. Pakistan rangers resorted to heavy unprovoked shelling targeting villages along IB near Chenab river (Akhnoor) to R S Pura throughout the night. The shelling was still on when reports came this morning, a BSF officer said. Pakistan forces have been directly targeting civilian villages to cause death and destructions, he said adding that the BSF was giving them a befitting reply. One BSF jawan was injured in Pargwal sector, he said adding two persons were injured in Kanachak. Pakistan rangers continued firing and shelling along IB in Arnia, Ramgarh, Samba and Hiranagar sectors till 5 AM this morning, police officers said. While firing and shelling ended in Hiranagar, Samba and Arnia around 1.30 AM today, it continued in Ramgarh sector till 5.30 AM. Over 35,000 people living along the IB migrated to safer places and most of them have been camping in houses of their relatives, they said. Over a thousand people are housed in camps in R S Pura, Samba and Kathua areas, they said. Authorities have closed nearly 300 schools and other educational institutions along IB and LoC in Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri and Poonch for next three days in wake of exchange of shelling and firing. Patna: Two students, one in Bihar's capital Patna and another 150 kilometers away in Bettiah, were reportedly killed by their abductors on Friday after ransom demands conveyed by the kidnappers were not fulfilled. Raunak, a class IX student and son of a property dealer in Patna city, was abducted on Wednesday while he was going to school. His father Sudheer Kumar lodged a complaint with Agamkuan police station and a special team under Superintendent Of Police Vishal Sharma was formed to rescue the boy but they failed to make any headway. Later, the police found Raunak's body from a closed shop in Sandalpur on Friday morning and arrested Vicky Kumar who, in front of media, confessed the crime saying he kidnapped Raunak for ransom but faced stiff resistance from him following which he bludgeoned the victim to death. Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj said accused Vicky Kumar was a neighbourer of the deceased and he meticulously planned the kidnapping. "Though he is denying anyone else's involvement in the crime, we have accessed CCTV footage in which two persons could be seen riding pillion on a motorcycle on which Raunak was carried away," he said. Raunak's father said that he got the first call for ransom on Thursday. "They demanded Rs 25 Lakh and threatened to kill my son if the money was not paid," a wailing Sudheer told News18. However, the role of the police has also come under the scanner as they kept refusing any such incident of kidnapping took place in the area. When contacted SSP Manu Maharaj denied abduction on Thursday and said, "Raunak's father is with me and he is also convinced that his son was safe and in touch with him." In another incident, the body of a KG student was found from Jhilia area in Bettiah district who was reportedly abducted on Thursday. Veer, a resident of Mirza toil, was abducted from outside his house when he was playing with his friends. Patna: Bodh Gaya was on Saturday put on high alert after two bombs were found in the pilgrimage town where the Dalai Lama is at present on a visit, even as an NIA team reached this evening to join the probe, top police officials said. "A team of the National Investigation Agency reached Bodh Gaya late this(Saturday) evening. It will aid in investigations by the Anti Terrorist Squad of the Bihar Police which is camping at Bodh Gaya," Additional Director General of Police Vinay Kumar told PTI. The two bombs were found from the town after an explosion-like sound was heard amid stringent security measures in view of the Dalai Lama's stay. "Our team of forensic experts and a bomb disposal squad had reached Bodh Gaya last night. They removed the suspected explosive devices from the spot and kept them at a secluded spot where they will be defused later," the police official said. "Although our experts have examined the devices, they are waiting for the central agency to have a look at the same before they are defused," he added. Inspector General of Police, Patna zone, N H Khan said, "The entire pilgrim town has been put on high alert in view of the presence of the Dalai Lama and the constant influx of high-profile visitors who wish to meet the Tibetan spiritual leader." He said that an FIR has been lodged at the Bodh Gaya police station in connection with the recovery of the bombs. The bombs were found in the vicinity of the Kalachakra ground during an intensive combing operation by a police team led by DIG (Patna Range) Vinay Kumar, Khan had earlier said. The explosion-like sound was heard shortly after the Dalai Lama completed his discourse and retired for the day at a Tibetan monastery, he said. "During the operation, a burst thermos flask was found at a refershments stall. This might have caused the sound," the IGP had earlier said. An NIA spokesperson earlier said the agency has sent a team, including a superintendent of police-ranked officer and an explosives' expert, to visit the site. "It is said that the blast happened in a flask kept under a generator at a tea shop opposite the ground. The police found some wires coming out. Later, searches were conducted in the vicinity by the police and two objects suspected to be improvised explosive devices were recovered," he said in a statement. The Tibetan spiritual leader had arrived in Bodh Gaya on January 1 and he is likely to stay there for a month. A host of key personalities, including Bihar Governor Satya Pal Malik, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Hollywood actor Richard Gere, visited Bodh Gaya recently to get the blessings of the Buddhist monk. "CCTV footages are being examined by forensic experts. Suspicious-looking persons are being thoroughly frisked and interrogated. Entry of vehicles is being allowed only after they are thoroughly checked," Khan said, adding that no arrest has been made so far. In 2013, the Maha Bodhi temple, situated at the spot where Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment, was rocked by a series of explosions in which five people, including two monks, were injured. Burdwan (WB): The police have arrested four persons, including a police driver, from Burdwan for attempting to sell a "genie in a bottle" to a resident of Baguiati near Kolkata. The resident, Tapas Roy Choudhury, received a call from a friend informing him that a ghost, which would do anything for him and turn all his wishes into reality, was available for sale, police said. After an appointment was fixed with the seller, a curious Roy Choudhury came to Burdwan town with a friend. Four persons escorted them to a hotel in a vehicle bearing a police sticker. The four showed them a small soft drink bottle with a Re 1 coin in it and said the ghost was inside the bottle. They also demanded the price for the ghost, Rs 10 lakh. When Roy Choudhury told them that he had no money, the four forcibly took Rs 600, all the cash Choudhury and his friend had at that time, and locked them up in the hotel room. Police said Roy Choudhury somehow managed to contact a friend who informed the Burdwan police and the four were arrested. One of the four is a police driver. The arrests were made on Thursday night and a local court released them on bail on Friday. United Nations: Pakistan's "mindset" that unleashes terrorist attacks on India and Afghanistan must change, India has told the Security Council. Only by changing the terror mindset can bring ace come to Afghanistan, India's Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin said on Friday during a high-level Council meeting dealing with Afghanistan. "Terrorism and externally induced instability pose the gravest threat to Afghanistan's peace, stability and prosperity," he said. "And the growing arc of terrorist violence endangers our entire region." New Delhi has been working with regional and international partners to bring security, peace and development to Afghanistan, he said. To further these objectives and promote peace, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stopped over in Lahore in December 2015 on his way back from inaugurating the Indian-built parliament house in Afghanistan, he said. But "a heinous and barbaric terrorist attack" was launched on the Pathankot airbase in a week's time by "the very same mindsets which attack the spirit of Afghanistan every day," he said. "These mindsets differentiate between 'good' and bad terrorists," he said. "These mindsets refuse to see reason in peace. They are mindsets that are reluctant to join hands in moving the region forward to build a shared future for our people and our youth." "These mindsets," Akbaruddin declared, "need to change." The high-level Council meeting was presided over by Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov and focused on regional cooperation to promote development and security in Afghanistan. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was among those attending the session. Terrorism has taken a huge toll on Afghanistan, Akbaruddin said backing up his assertion with World Bank statistics. Afghanistan recorded a 9.6 per cent annual economic growth rate from 2003 to 2014, but it has fallen to 2.2 per cent in 2016 as terrorism increased and it was 2.6 per cent last year, according to the bank. Illustrating how terrorism impacts development, he said that a disproportionate amount of resources are diverted from the aid projects to protecting them rather than building more projects. The New Development Partnership between India and Afghanistan cover education, health, agriculture, infrastructure, renewable energy, drinking water supply and human resource development, he said. The recent visits by Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah have given the partnership a boost, he added. India pledged a $1 billion package for Afghanistan last year. Washington: American aerospace and defence major Lockheed Martin has proposed to manufacture custom-built F-35 fighter jets in India, which its officials say will give Indian industry a unique opportunity to become part of the world's largest fighter aircraft ecosystem. "We plan to introduce two new words into the lexicon of international fighter aircraft manufacturing: 'India' and 'exclusive'," Vivek Lall, vice president, strategy and business development, at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics said in an interview. "India-specific state-of-the-art fighter production in India will be exclusive, something that has never before been presented by any other fighter aircraft manufacturer, past or present. There will also be a significant export market available for Indian-made fighters," Lall said. Lall, an Indian American who last year was instrumental in the decision of the Trump administration to sell top-of-the-line unarmed drones from General Atomics, in his previous capacity. Noting that the India-specific fighter on offer and its programme's size, scope and success will enable Indian industry to take advantage of unprecedented manufacturing, upgrade and sustainment opportunities well into the future, Lall said the platform will give Indian industry a unique opportunity to become a part of the world's largest fighter aircraft ecosystem. "We intend to create far more than an assembly line in India," he said. Lall claimed no other advanced fourth generation platform even comes close to matching the record of real-world combat experience and proven operational effectiveness. "The fighter being offered specifically to India is uniquely the best state-of-the-art fighter," he said adding that all three variants of the F-35 are single-engine aircraft. Many of the systems used on the India-specific platform are derived from key lessons learned and technologies from Lockheed Martin's F-22 and the F-35, the world's only operational fifth generation fighters, he said. Northrop Grumman's advanced APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar on the F-16 Block 70 provides F-16s with fifth generation fighter radar capabilities by leveraging hardware and software commonality with F-22 and F-35 AESA radars, he added. The APG-83 radar shares more than 95 per cent software commonality with the F-35 radar and more than 70 per cent hardware commonality. Lall said the F-16 provides the path to business relationships with Lockheed Martin, the only company in the world that has designed, developed and produced operational fifth generation fighter aircraft. Technology improvements will also continue to flow between the F-16, F-22 and F-35 for decades, at a fraction of the cost to F-16 operators, he said. The platform being offered provides unmatched opportunities for Indian companies of all sizes, including micro, small & medium enterprises (MSMEs) and suppliers throughout India, to establish new business relationships with Lockheed Martin and other industry leaders in the US and around the globe, Lall said giving an insight into the offer being made by his company. Asserting that approximately half of the Indian fighter supply chain will be common with the fifth generation F-22 and F-35, Lall said the aircraft brings the most modern avionics, a proven AESA radar, modernised cockpit, advanced weapons, longer range with conformal fuel tanks, auto ground collision avoidance capability, and an advanced engine with an extended service life. Even with the addition of targeting systems and two 2,000 pound (lb) class Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), the aircraft has a mission radius exceeding 1,300 kms 30 per cent greater than that of its closest competitor, he said. "Many of the advances in systems on the aircraft India would get draw directly from key lessons learned from Lockheed Martin's work on the F-22 and the F-35," he said. "The AESA radar is the result of over two decades of investment, use and experience with AESA technology, and it's fully operational today," Lall said. New Delhi: RSS-affiliated farmers' unions Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) and Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) have termed Mayhco Monsanto Biotechs (MMB) letter to the government on Bt Cotton seeds as an attempt to 'blackmail', pressurise the government. MMB had written to the Centre terming the National Seeds Associations threat to stop the sale of Bolllgard 11 seeds as irresponsible and against farmers interest. "It is an attempt to coerce the key stakeholders and create a crisis for farmers," the company said. In response, BKS' general secretary Mohini Mohan said, The government is under pressure from these MNCs. For years they have been failing the tests yet they have stayed on. Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee, which is the regulatory body has failed to curb them. Mohan further alleges that Bollgard I had failed in 2005, which was followed by Bollgard IIs failure in 2009. The MNC came up with Herbicide tolerant seed, which lead to farmer suicides in Yavatmal, Maharashtra. Around 80 farmers have died. Monsanto is blackmailing the government, which is under pressure from these lobbies, he said. Monsanto should go back, as it is important for seed sovereignty. We can produce our own seeds like we did in the past. There is no need to have the domination of a few seeds. The Bollgard XI continues without any call-back from authorities, Mohan alleges. The National Seeds Association of India (NSAI) had expressed doubts over MMBs role in selling Bt cotton seeds and threatened to stop the sale of Bollgard XI from January 2018. MMBs director Satyender Singh then wrote to the Association, while CEO Shilpa Diveker wrote to Minister Radha Mohan Singh. The MNC asked the government to work in maintaining the progress of technology and accused the NSAI of having bilateral disputes and vested interests. Monsanto is a global firm which claims to be committed to increasing food supply by 2050 with present farmlands, while MMB is a 50:50 joint venture between Mahyco and Monsanto Holdings. The company has sub-licensed Bollgard XI seeds and Bollgard technologies to around 42 Indian seed companies. New Delhi: A new three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra is scheduled to hear the Justice Loya case on Monday. The bench excludes Justice Arun Mishra, whose bench was assigned the case earlier. The composition of the bench was changed on Saturday amid the rift between the CJI and four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court over allocation of cases. Justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph had raised issues about "select" benches getting such cases and the posting of Judge Loya's case to Court No. 10 was apparently the trigger. Hints that the PILs pertaining to the death of Justice Loya, who was trying the politically sensitive Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case, may go to another bench came last week when an order on the Supreme Court website said the case should be put up before the appropriate bench. Posting this case before Justice Arun Mishras bench was apparently the trigger that had led the four senior-most judges to come out openly against the Chief Justice of India. The four senior apex court judges - Justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, M B Lokur and Kurian Joseph - had convened an unprecedented press conference raising some issues, including "selective" allocation of cases by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra. The cases indicated by them included this case. Loya, who was hearing the sensitive Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case, had allegedly died of cardiac arrest in Nagpur on December 1, 2014, when he had gone to attend the wedding of a colleague's daughter. The issue of Loya's death had come under the spotlight in November last year after media reports quoting his sister had fuelled suspicion about the circumstances surrounding his death and its link to the Sohrabuddin case. However, Loya's son had on January 14 said in Mumbai that his father died of natural causes and not under suspicious circumstances. The court had earlier termed as "serious matter" the issue of Loya's death and had asked Maharashtra government to file certain documents, including the autopsy report. The counsel for petitioners had told the court that this was a case of alleged mysterious death of a judge, who was hearing a sensitive case, and an independent probe was required. In his plea, he had claimed that circumstances revolving around the death of the judge were "questionable, mysterious and contradicting". A PIL seeking probe into the judge's death was also filed before the Bombay High Court on January 8 by the Bombay Lawyers' Association. Islamabad: Pakistan on Saturday summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner J P Singh for the fourth time this week and condemned the alleged "unprovoked ceasefire violations" across the LoC by Indian forces. The Foreign Office (FO) said that Indian troops violated the ceasefire in Khuiratta, Bagsar and Khanjar Sectors on the Line of Control (LoC) on January 20. The firing killed a 60-year-old civilian and injured two others, including a child, it said. Director General (South Asia and SAARC) Mohammad Faisal, who is also the foreign ministry spokesman, summoned Singh and "condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Indian forces along the Line of Control and Working Boundary on January 20". He said the number of casualties at the Working Boundary has risen due to unprovoked and indiscriminate firing by the Indian forces, where four more innocent civilians were killed while 20 injured on January 18 and 19. "The Indian forces along the Line of Control and the Working Boundary are continuously targeting civilian populated areas with heavy mortars and automatic weapons," Faisal said. He alleged that the Indian forces have carried out more than 150 ceasefire violations along the LoC and the Working Boundary in just 20 days this year, killing nine innocent civilians and injuring 40 others. This unprecedented escalation in ceasefire violations by India is continuing from the year 2017 when the Indian forces committed more than 1,900 ceasefire violations, Faisal said. "The deliberate targeting of civilian populated areas is indeed deplorable and contrary to human dignity, international human rights and humanitarian laws," the official said. Faisal said that the "ceasefire violations by India are a threat to regional peace and security and may lead to a strategic miscalculation". The Director General urged India to respect the 2003 Ceasefire arrangement, investigate this and other incidents of ceasefire violations, instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire in letter and spirit and maintain peace on the LoC and the Working Boundary. He urged that the Indian side should permit UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the UN Security Council resolutions. The FO, apart from today, had summoned India's Deputy High Commissioner Singh on January 15, 18 and 19. Pune: A 39-year-old IT professional was allegedly beaten to death by three people after he objected to parking vehicles in front of his bungalow in Kondhwa area in the city, said police. The incident took place on Friday night. Sriganesh Raskar (31), Yogesh Kadwe (22) and Vikram Bhombe (31) were arrested on Saturday, police said. The victim was identified as N B Battiwala. A senior police officer of Kondhwa police station said that Raskar runs a transport business, and his driver used to park the vehicles in front of the gate of Battiwala's bungalow. "Battiwala often objected to it. On Friday night, the deceased had another argument with Raskar over the issue that led to the scuffle," said the officer. Raskar and the other two attacked Battiwala with rods and left him injured. "Battiwala was rushed to the hospital, where he succumbed to injuries," he said. Kolkata: The Ministry of Railways has decided to shut down eight train services in West Bengal citing them as losses making routes and claiming it was not possible for them to continue unless the state government bears 50% of the cost. The loss-making routes as mentioned by the Railways are - Sonarpur-Canning, Shantipur-Nabadwip Ghat, Barasat-Hasnabad, Kalyani-Kalyani Simanta, Ballygunge-Budge Budge, Baruipur-Namkhana, Bardhman-Katwa and Bhimghar-Palasthali. In a letter dated January 17, 2018, the Chief Commercial Manager (Eastern Railways), SS Gehlot said, The continued operation of commercially unviable lines, which is source of sustained loss being borne by Indian Railways on its own has been commented upon by the Public Account Committee (PAC) of Parliament in their 42nd report as well as through their 88th report on the action taken note submitted by the Ministry of Railways. PAC has strongly impressed upon the Ministry of Railways to seek the consent of state governments so as to secure the closure of such loss-making lines. His letter further reads, Accordingly my predecessor, vide his above referred D.O letter (copy enclosed for ready reference), had sought the state governments consent for the closure of the line(s) referred to above. In case, however, these are to be retained in public interest, state governments agreement was requested for sharing the burden of the loss of working lines at least in the 50:50 ration, with Eastern Railway. However, we are yet to receive the views of the state government on this issue. I would, therefore, request your personal intervention in examining our request expeditiously and communicate the state governments decision in the matter. The Eastern Railway claimed that they had earlier informed the West Bengal government about the matter but did not receive any response. State Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has expressed dismay over the letter and said, They are trying to deprive the people of Bengal. We strongly oppose this move. New Delhi: Acknowledging social medias role in upholding or destroying the reputation of an individual, the Supreme Court has permitted a couple to legally separate on the condition that they will not use each other's photograph on any social media website, application or in any form on the Internet. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, noting the spate of cases that the estranged couple had filed against each other, deemed it appropriate to annul their marriage but stipulated that they cannot use social media or Internet to malign each other or impact reputation in any manner. "Neither the husband nor the wife shall put the photographs of each other in any mode, or at any place, which would also include social media or online," said the bench. The unique condition was brought in after the woman's lawyer Dushyant Parashar emphasised the space social media occupies in an individual's life and said that the warring couple already had complaints registered against each other under cyber laws for posting photographs on websites. The CJI accepted Parashar's contention and agreed to add this as one of the chief conditions to grant divorce after quashing all 17 cases the couple had lodged against each other. The man, a management graduate, and the woman, an engineer, got married in 2013 but developed severe marital discord soon after. They started living separately and complained against each other at various fora. They also filed a divorce petition. Disposing of all pending cases, the Court directed the man to pay Rs 37 lakh towards permanent alimony and as the full and final settlement. "All allegations in any petition, including the divorce petition made against each other by the parties, stand expunged from the records. The expunging of remarks would mean no one shall be entitled to get the certified copy of the said pleadings," added the bench. Lucknow: In a goodwill gesture, the UP Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) will offer a cup of tea to bus and truck drivers at night to keep them awake. The offers, however, comes at a price as vehicles zipping down the 302-km stretch will have to pay toll tax. The Yogi Adityanath government has fixed toll rates for vehicles along the expressway, which also boasts of a 3.3 km airstrip that defence aircraft can use as a runway during emergency. The toll will vary from vehicle to vehicle and will be applicable on vehicles travelling from both sides, a state government spokesperson said on Friday. "The rates have been fixed at Rs 570 for car, jeep, van or light motor vehicles; Rs 905 for light commercial vehicle or mini bus; Rs 1,815 for bus and truck; Rs 2,785 for heavy construction work machine and multi-axle vehicle (3 to 6) and Rs 3,575 for over-sized vehicle (7 and above axles)," he said. The toll will be same from both the sides but it will be proportional to the distance travelled by the commuters, the official said. Justifying more tax for Agra-Lucknow Expressway as compared to the Lucknow-Kanpur-Agra National Highway, an official of the UP Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), explained that total distance covered by the national highway is 364 km and toll is Rs 390. Whereas, the Agra-Lucknow Expressway is just 302 km long and travelling by this road costs less because of less consumption of fuel and it saves time too, he said. The government notification has spared dignitaries like President of India, Prime Minister, Governor, Chief Minister, MPs, Legislators, Judges and Padma Award winners from paying toll tax. The decision to levy toll tax was taken in a high-level meeting here last week. The Indian Air Force has already tested the airstrip twice by landing and taking off its fighter jets, including Mirage, Sukhoi 30, MIG and C-130J Super Hercules four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. For the security of travellers, the UPEIDA has decided to set-up nine police stations along the expressway, built in record 22 months. It will also station 'Dial 100' police interceptors and ambulances on the route to provide safe and secure routes to travellers. (With PTI inputs) Gaya (Bihar): At least two bombs were found from the Bodh Gaya pilgrimage centre on Friday night following a small explosion-like sound amid stringent security measures in view of the Dalai Lama's stay. The bombs were found near gate no. 4 of Maha Bodhi Temple, police said. The explosion took place hours after Tibetan spiritual leader had retired for the day. He arrived in Bodh Gaya on January 1 and will be there for almost a month. Additional forces of Central Reserve Police and Bihar Military Police have been deployed. Director General Of Police (DGP) PK Thakur told News18, " Dalai Lama will get additional layers of security cover. We were already alert which enabled us to detect and find the explosives. But after this, we have directed to deploy additional forces in the security of spiritual Guru Dalai Lama and Buddhist monasteries." The explosion had taken place shortly after the Dalai Lama had completed his discourse and retired for the day at the Tibetan monastery, he said. Gaya Senior Superintendent of Police Garima Mallick told News18 that bombs were safely removed from Kalchakra Maidan, where Dalia Lama takes spiritual lessons during the day and taken away near river Falgu where Bomb disposal squad will defuse it. Meantime two main roads leading to Bodh Gaya have been blocked and search operations started to find out who brought and planted the explosives. Additional Jawans of CRPF and BMP have been deployed in and around the Bodhi temple where people from the state and abroad visit in large numbers regularly. BMP Jawan Ramesh Kumar, who first spotted the bombs, said, "I was patrolling around Kalchakra Maidan. Suddenly my device started giving a signal which suggested some metallic device around it. I asked the sweeper but he had nothing suspicious. Then on the basis of signal strengths of my device, I found a Plate sized thing under a tree. Soon I saw another such thing and informed my seniors. Later we came to know that these are explosives. It was weighing 10 kg each." During the operations, an exploded thermos flask was found at the kitchen. This might have caused the sound, police said. Meanwhile, Two NIA teams from Lucknow and Delhi, led by an SP-level officer, and explosives experts were on their way to Bodh Gaya. A host of VIPs, including Bihar Governor Satya Pal Malik Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Hollywood actor Richard Gere have visited Bodh Gaya recently to receive blessings from the Buddhist monk. Significantly, in 2013, the Maha Bodhi temple, situated on the spot where Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment, was rocked by a series of explosions in which five people, including two monks, were injured. (with PTI inputs) Mumbai: Pakistan has a twisted mindset, Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir on Friday said, and asserted India will respond with 10 bullets for every bullet fired by the neighbouring country. "Sending terrorists into India, violating ceasefire has become their (Pakistan's) nature. They have a twisted mindset. Be it our home ministry, defence ministry or the Jammu and Kashmir police, everybody has to keep co-ordinating and give reply to Pakistan's misadventures," Ahir said, speaking to reporters in Yavatmal, Maharashtra. "The home minister has said we should not fire the first bullet. But if one bullet is fired from their side, we should respond with 10," he said. Two civilians and a BSF jawan were on Friday killed and 23 others, including 2 BSF men, were injured in a heavy mortar shelling by Pakistan along the International Border in three districts of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. Over the years, the credibility of Indian film awards has been widely questioned over not getting the winners right. Need I remind you Golmaal Again was recently declared Best Picture. Time and again, these ceremonies have constantly been blamed for being out of touch with what actually constitutes remarkable and artistic cinema. Is it that difficult to differentiate between whats innovative and stale? Well, looking across the Filmfare nominations for its upcoming 63rd edition, it sure seems so. On Thursday, when the entire nation was overwrought over the fate of Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Padmaavat, Indias prestigious award show decided to release its nominations list. While the Supreme Courts ruling on the Deepika Padukone-starrer brought a much-needed win for the film industry, Filmfares nominations only made this victory tasteless after so many deserving actors, directors and movies were shut out of the race. Rajkummar Rao, who literally became the face of Indian cinema in 2017 and did some four films, was left high and dry as his portrayal of a honest rookie government clerk in Newton failed to crack the list of best actors despite widespread acclaim. (He did land a nomination for Bareilly Ki Barfi as best supporting actor.) Whats most surprising was Varun Dhawans nomination for Badrinath Ki Dulhania, which was accused of being a creepy misogynistic romance drama. Filmfare seriously? Though Newton received a decent number of nominationsfor Pankaj Tripathis supporting role, for Mayank Tewari and Amit V Masurkars screenplay, for original story, dialogues, cinematography and editingone of the years best films was unable to score a best director nod for Amit V Masurkar and, more disappointing, best picture given that it was India's official entry to the Oscars. Yes, you all are free to scratch your heads and wonder how a film with some of the finest talent in the country didnt make it to the list of the best pictures of Filmfare. Konkona Sen Sharmas unconventional turn as a muslim saleswoman in Lipstick Under My Burkha was passed over while Alia Bhatt received a best actress nomination for playing a regular character in Badrinath Ki Dulhania. Perhaps the biggest shock would be, Alankrita Shrivastavas Lipstick... only managed to earn one nomination for Ratna Pathak Shah in a supporting role category. Kriti Sanon, who shed her glamorous image to play a bubbly yet loveable UP girl in Bareilly Ki Barfi, was praised by critics and audiences for her performance but failed to land a Filmfare acknowledgment. Well its not the first time the Indian awards have come under the radar for being pointless, several Bollywood celebs have previously gone on record to say that they dont believe in these star-studded events. I remember interviewing Nawazuddin Siddiqui, during which he bluntly told me, Ye awards sab fake hote hai. They dont matter to me. Recently, actor Kangana Ranaut during her podcast with Anupama Chopra and Rajeev Masand revealed an incident where she was asked to perform at an award ceremony and promised a trophy for the same. One of the biggest reasons the general audience remain unaware of the experimental cinema which is made in the country is because these shows are always busy satisfying A-listers and movies that are commercially successful. But wouldnt it be delightful to give recognition to the real talent and art, not the ones who desperately want it just to keep the audiences in a false belief that they are still loved by everyone? Sad, we have enough talent but no platform that knows their worth. New Delhi: Delhi Police on Friday said it has made proper arrangements to maintain law and order in the capital for the release of Padmaavat next week in the wake of a bandh call by the Shree Rajput Karni Sena against the film. pecial Commissioner of Police, Dependra Pathak said, "In view of the screening of 'Padmaavat' movie next week in the national capital, we have done proper arrangements. We are continuously in touch with various big and small cineplex managements." "We have proper security in the periphery of the national capital and additional force has been kept in readiness. We are urging groups not to indulge in any act which could violate the law and order situation," Pathak said. The Karni Sena has been stridently protesting release of Padmaavat on the grounds that it distorts history. In the nineties, Cranberries for the youth in South India wasnt a fruit, it was a band. Unlike gooseberries, loads of which we consumed in our pickles, Cranberries was (and still is) pure music. Manna for the soul. The unadulterated airy yet ferocious rasp of Dolores voice filled every local rock festival or college festival, with many a hopeful band covering her, and the audience never failing to join in. It also followed that decades movement favouring women-of-rock and female leads with unconventional voices. It was the time for Dreams and Zombies! It was the summer of 92, a time when we used nostalgic devices like cassettes and tape recorders, and I made my first attempt at creating a mixtape and ended up adding this song: Oh my life is changing every day In every possible way And oh my dreams It's never quite as it seems Never quite as it seems.... And with this anthem on repeat in my mind, I witnessed a generations love affair with the sound of the Cranberries, led by the haunting Irish voice and words of Dolores ORiordan. She was testimony to the possibility of combining pure testosterone and grace in one unified tenacious strain. Many attempted. Many failed. Named after the Lady of the Seven Dolors by her mother, Dolores Mary Eileen O'Riordan was born on the 6 September 1971 and grew up in Ballybricken, a town in Limerick, Ireland. Her father, Terence ORiordan, was a farmer who unfortunately met with a bike accident in 1968, putting the onus of the familys responsibilities on the mother, Eileen, a local school caterer. ORiordan was especially close to her father. Devastated after his death in November 2011, she remembered him fondly in an interview in the Independent (Ireland), 2011, saying My father was a beautiful, kind, funny man. He was a great patient during his long, weary battle. He never complained. He was bed-ridden for the last few months... he held on to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary this year on the 14th of November". Dolores was the youngest of nine siblings, seven of whom survived. Raised as a Roman Catholic by her Devout Mother, Dolores O'Riordan considered Pope John Paul II, whom she met in Limerick, as one of her inspiration. While Dolores began writing songs at the age of 12, it wasnt until she met the Hogan brothers, Mike and Noel, during an audition for their band, that the Cranberries was conceived. She turned up for the audition with an earlier demo version of the song Linger, which simply blew the rest of the band away. Her heavily accented voice and her songwriting had an instant impact on them and they were quite surprised by the fact that she was not already in a band. Fergal Lawler, the bands drummer, completed the quartet. The early years of the band were spent touring Ireland and the United Kingdom before being signed on to Island Records. They soon caught the attention of British recording executives, flocking to Limerick for a glimpse of four young teenagers creating waves in the London music scene. The band's raw talent and innocent wide-eyed charm was covered by British music weeklies, showering accolades months before their first album was even recorded. "Linger became their first hit single. They would go on to be the most celebrated rock band from Ireland since U2. Dolores, with her iconic pixie haircut, created an identity that was unique and fresh and represented everything Ireland and its musicians. Talented, shy, and resilient, on stage she was an uncontrollable force. A ball of undefinable energy combined with an undeniable voice, she definitely was Something Else (an apt name for their 2017 album). Initially released in 1992, both Linger and Dreams were re-issued as releases in the United Kingdom in February and May 1994, which shot to the top of the charts across the world. They released their debut album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? in 1993. Ode to my Family and Linger showcased their strong melodies and Doloress melancholic lyrics transported listeners to Limerick, emphasising their struggles in Ireland and also the perseverance that led them to the top. Zombie, written by Dolores in her flat, was released with the 1994 album No need to Argue and was No. 1 on the US Rock Charts. The song was an interpretation of her opinion on violence that had engulfed Northern Ireland, an anti-war song echoing the sentiments of the people an anthem for the youth and for the movement. And 23 years after its release it still inspires us. Still moves us. Dolores opened up about her mental health condition in 2017 and her bipolar diagnosis; however, that did nothing dampen her spirit to continue making music and performing on stage. Back in India, the nineties was a funny period with everyone trying to find a voice or become one. And Dolores simplicity connected her to millions of followers in the subcontinent. With no false pretences, the alternative rock that Cranberries brought us was what most of us were seeking. Dolores used to sing with her back to the audience. They said she was too shy. This, I guess, resonated with an entire generation of Indians. Unassuming talents, thinking they had mettle but the system forcing them to turn their backs while they passionately consumed what they loved. Fans who probably could not have afforded a can of cranberry juice would willingly shell out money for the next album of The Cranberries. Consuming it with gusto while downing a shared quart of Old Monk or coffee and flicking a worn-out, wet cigarette. Dolores, the girl from Limerick, made it hard for us to separate the song from the person that she was. And with the Irish genius leaving us at 46, I think once more about that mixtape life is changing every day, in every possible way; but amidst the change, her powerhouse vocals will remain a constant and will more than just linger on. She supposedly succumbed to back pain oriented issues. Ironic. Or prophetic perhaps because that was what most of her audience saw. Amid serious differences over its electoral approach towards the Congress party, a crucial three-day meeting of the CPM central committee is underway in Kolkata to finalise a draft political resolution for approval of partys next Congress in Hyderabad between April 17 and 19. As of now, the CPM is vertically split over the means to achieve its primary objective of dislodging BJP-led government at the Centre in 2019, partly due to extreme ideological positioning, Kerala politics, where the Congress is CPMs principal political opponent and ego tussles. The rigidity of the factions is such that a Central Committee meeting in October, a Politburo meet in December and a series of subsequent Politburo meetings till January 10 failed to resolve the differences. In the last Central Committee meeting attended by 63 of the 72 members, 31 backed general secretary Sitararam Yechurys line, while 32 endorsed former general secretary Prakash Karats position. Yechury camp hopes to edge out the hardliners in the Kolkata conference. While the group led by pragmatist Yechury is pitching for a broad anti-communal platform in cooperation with secular forces (that include the Congress and regional parties), the faction-led by dogmatist Karat, does not want any truck with the Congress. Karats draft agreed with Yechurys formulation of defeating the BJP, but with a caveat without entering into any understanding or alliance with the Congress party. As a result of the divergence, two separate political draft resolutions are being placed before the Central Committee. And if the three-day session failed to end the impasse and adopt a single draft, the Congress will be faced with an unprecedented situation of facing two drafts for consideration. The question is how practical is it to take on an entrenched saffron party without having the principal opposition party on board? Politics in India is no longer as usual after a Modi-fied BJP wrested power from the Congress four years ago. Since 2014, the CPM held several meetings of its high-powered Politburo and Central Committees to resolve this tangle but in vain as ideological puritans resisted any attempt to water down partys opposition to neo-liberal economic policies pursued by the Congress and other secular parties. Yechurys draft calls for the formation of a Left Democratic Front as a political alternative encompassing all secular forces in the umbrella coalition. To buy peace with the dissenters, he agreed to exclude the ruling class parties (read the Congress) from the proposed electoral front keeping the option of collaboration, but still, Karat faction insisted of no truck with Congress policy. The last time the Communists faced two separate drafts was in 1964 that led to the split of the undivided Communist Party of India, giving birth to the CPM and the CPI. The factions toeing the Moscow line and favouring joining hands with Nehru-led Congress was considered revisionists and right wing (they later formed the CPI), while ideological puritans supporting China christened themselves as the CPM-Marxists. Incidentally, the 1964 Congress was also held in Kolkata. Yechury insists that as India is a country of unparalleled diversities and the alternative policy framework should not and cannot remain exclusively only an economic policy framework, Karat is adamant on hair-splitting saying that while the CPM will not have any understanding with Congress at the national level, the party can collaborate with regional parties. In states where the Congress and BJP are in a direct fight, it can campaign for the defeat of BJP. This, apparently, is a contradictory stand because if you work for the defeat of BJP, say in b-polar states like Gujarat, MP, UP, Rajasthan etc, are you backing the Congress indirectly? Then why this convoluted approach? Even as Karat is staunchly opposed to bourgeois Congress, his party has no problem in aligning with neo-liberal parties such as the Sharad Pawar-led NCP and the JD(S) in Kerala. Is this the time for hair-splitting? Ask those concerned over the new, unconventional politics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CPMs sinking bases in West Bengal and Tripura where BJP is making rapid inroads. The overuse of the outdated political-tactical line, a relic of 1978, has retarded partys organisational growth. Election results of last 10 years are testimony to this. Some analysts even suspect that the Kerala faction may be indirectly trying to buy peace with the BJP as the CBI has challenged the acquittal of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the SNC-Lavlin pay-off case by the High Court. The CBI kept silent for about a year over Lavlin case and coinciding with crucial meetings to fine-tune partys political strategy, the investigating agency becomes proactive at the behest of the Centre, alleged a party insider who did not want to be quoted. Incidentally, Karats observation in 2016 that BJP is authoritarian and Right-wing, but not a fascist force had drawn flak from many of his own colleagues. He, however, subsequently clarified his stand which was lost in semantics, but it rekindled the debate whether Modi regime is fascist or not. Speaking at the then Central Committee meeting, Yechury asserted that the BJP government is not fascist in the classical sense but acts as the political arm of the RSS which has a fascistic agenda, giving rise to speculation that Karat overstepped party line or erred in his assessment of the Modi regime. Former Kerala chief minister VS Achuthanandan, who also spoke at the Central Committee meet, had accused Karat of diluting the fight against Modi regime by his avoidable comments. In an earlier editorial in party mouthpiece Peoples Democracy, Karat said: Most of the regional parties have embraced the neo-liberal policies and are prone to make opportunistic alliances. The Congress, the editorial said, is primarily responsible for the imposition of neo-liberal policies and it stands discredited due to years of misrule and corruption. Even as the Marxists insist on following socialist economy, their ideological brother Communist Party of China has tweaked its policy to suit the contemporary world situation. China is raking in millions of dollars through its economic cooperation with the US. How can Karat faction fight the BJP behemoth keeping neo-liberal parties out and not differentiating between class and communal enemies? (The author is a senior journalist and political commentator. Views are personal.) New Delhi: Facing the prospect of losing 20 of its MLAs in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday said the Election Commissions recommendation to disqualify them was unconstitutional and appealed to President Ram Nath Kovind to let them explain their stand. Senior party leader and deputy Delhi CM Manish Sisodia said the legislators will meet the President and present evidence to support their case. There was no hearing, we were not given a chance to explain our stand. We appeal to the President to hear our view too. MLAs will meet the President also, he said after a meeting of the MLAs with Arvind Kejriwal. On Friday, the EC had recommended to President Kovind to disqualify 20 AAP MLAs for holding offices of profit as parliamentary secretaries. The President is bound to act in accordance with the poll panel's recommendation. Sisodia also alleged that his government is being deliberately targeted for the "honest work" they have been doing in the capital city. The AAP attacked the Election Commission's decision and said it was its chief Achal Kumar Joti's parting gift to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "The disqualification of 20 AAP MLAs was his gift to Modi. What is the reason for this gift? Why it has been given? Aam Aadmi Party and the country want to know this," senior AAP leader Gopal Rai said. "Everyone in the country has only one question on their mind: What was the compulsion for him to take the decision with only two days to retire," Rai asked. He said that Joti was the principal secretary in Gujarat when Modi was the state's Chief Minister and he was Modi's closest officer. The AAP leader also rubbished claims that the AAP MLAs were given multiple chances to appear before the EC and said that lies were being spread in the media. Rai said that all notices given by the EC were replied by AAP's lawyers and added that even during the the British rule, people were heard before giving punishments. Holding out a purported order from the EC, Rai said that the EC had not given a date of hearing for the AAP MLAs, after March 13, 2017. The EC gave its opinion to the President on a complaint by advocate Prashant Patel, a member of the Hindu Legal Cell, in June 2015, who petitioned then President Pranab Mukherjee alleging illegality in the appointment of Parliamentary Secretaries. The decision led to calls by the Congress and BJP - who have been demanding the disqualification - for Kejriwal's resignation. Later on Friday, the Delhi High Court refused to grant interim relief to AAP MLAs against the Election Commission's recommendation. Puducherry: The AIADMK on Saturday said it would seek disqualification of ruling Congress and DMK legislators in Puducherry "for holding office of profit," in view of the Election Commission's decision to disqualify 20 AAP MLAs in New Delhi on similar grounds. Addressing reporters in Puducherry, the party's legislature wing leader A Anbalagan said the 'office of profit' axe has fallen on 20 AAP MLAs in New Delhi with EC sending its recommendation to the President, suggesting their disqualification. "The development in New Delhi is directly applicable to Puducherry where the legislators belonging to the ruling Congress and its ally the DMK are holding 'office of profits' such as chairmen of government-owned undertakings and Parliamentary Secretary," he alleged. Anbalagan said AIADMK will give 15 days time to the MLAs "to relieve themselves of posts of chairmen and Parliamentary Secretary so as to remain only as legislators as my intention is not to disturb them." The party would send a petition to ECI after the lapse of 15 day-deadline, he added. While one Congress legislator is the parliamentary secretary to Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, two DMK members and five belonging to the Congress had been appointed chairmen of statutory bodies in Puducherry. The Election Commission had on Friday recommended to the President the disqualification of 20 MLAs of Aam Aadmi Party for holding office of profit, setting the stage for their ouster from the New Delhi Assembly. Questioning the move to associate Puducherry BJP President V Saminathan with the inauguration of a Passport office in Karaikal, the AIADMK leader said, "Narayanasamy had not registered protest against inclusion of the name of BJP president in both the official invitation and also the plaque erected at the venue of the function." External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had unveiled the plaque of the Post Office Passport Seva Kendra in Karaikal on Friday. Anbalagan also claimed that there were several lapses in the protocol to be adopted in a government function. New Delhi: A combative Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday sounded the battle cry for all the 20 Aam Aadmi Party MLAs who are staring at disqualification in the office of profit case and asked them to be prepared to "fight at every level" in the coming days. The Delhi Chief Minister made it clear that if a re-election were to be held, their focus should be on not just winning, but ensuring that Congress and BJP lose their deposits. In a detailed discussion in a meeting at his home, the party's legal options as well as election preparedness were the top priorities. Apart from the 20 legislators, the meeting was attended by other top leaders of the party, including Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, Gopal Rai, Ashish Khetan and Dilip Pandey. Briefing the media after the meet, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia attacked the Election Commission, calling the decision to recommend the disqualification "illegal, undemocratic and unconstitutional". Sisodia said that the MLAs have sought time from President Ram Nath Kovind to present their case as the poll panel gave its decision without hearing them. "We request the President to send the opinion back to the Election Commission and ask it to take cognizance of the proof of innocence of the MLAs, hear their witnesses and then give its opinion," he said. The Election Commission had on Friday asked the president to disqualify 20 of its MLAs for holding offices of profit, setting the stage for their ouster from the assembly. The commission said the party MLAs, by occupying the post of parliamentary secretaries between March 13, 2015 and September 8, 2016, held offices of profit, and were liable to be disqualified as legislators. BJP, Sisodia alleged, was wary of AAP government "getting into the fourth gear" and was therefore hatching a conspiracy to create hurdles for them. He said BJP was scared of steps like home delivery of services, mohalla clinics, installation of CCTV cameras in schools and hospitals, and plans like Wi-Fi, water and roads for unauthorized colonies taking off. The party's Rajya Sabha-elect Sanjay Singh, PAC members Ashutosh and Pankaj Gupta, minister Gopal Rai and spokesperson Dilip Pandey held separate press conferences in Lucknow, Nagpur and Delhi and lashed out at the poll panel. Other AAP MLAs, too, were in a fiery mood after the meeting and trained their guns on the EC. Adarsh Shastri, MLA from Dwarka said, "For me, clearly we see that the CEC has been biased. We know he has been working with the Chief Minister of Gujarat for ten years and so it is obvious that one day before his retirement on Monday, he wanted to take a decision like this. We will go to the Court and get relief." Shastri said that AAP has approached the President because he the highest constitutional authority and he has a moral and constitutional obligation to ensure that justice takes place under his watch. "If worse comes to worst, we are ready and prepared for elections and I can assure you that we will win back all twenty seats (sic)," he said. The AAP MLAs rubbished any talk of a rift within the party because of the decision that has plunged them into this crisis. AAP Wazirpur MLA Rajesh Gupta said, "I believe that such incidents only strengthen us, when people from outside attack ones home, family members come together," he said. Gupta said that had any of the twenty MLAs availed of any benefits, it might have caused a rift, but that was not the case. Alka Lamba, the MLA from Chandni Chowk said that all twenty MLAs have told the CM if push comes to shove and they get disqualified, they will work to strengthen the government from outside. Another MLA said that due to the decision, the attention within the party has shifted from AAPs controversial Rajya Sabha choices to the new threat looming over them. AAP's young MLA from Jungpura, Praveen Kumar, questioned the basis of the decision. We have been made scapegoats. Let me tell you that of the twenty MLAs, six stay in rented apartments and another ten to twelve do not have personal transport." "Election Commission claims that it has heard us, so it must have our statements too. Let them tell what was the number of my official car, which bungalow was allotted to me, who were the government employees in my home, how much money was given to me and from which account?" asked Sadar Bazaar MLA Som Dutt. "Woh kehte hai phaansi chadha do, hum puchte hain bhai, murder kiska hua yeh to bata do? (They want us to be hanged, but can they tell who have we murdered?)," he added. Wazirpur MLA Rajesh Gupta had a word of advice for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This kind of shadow fighting upsets me, for I believe our honorable prime minister is a man of very high stature. If he removes a small MLA like me, he increases my stature. He should fight from the front, he said. Jaipur: The Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the bypolls will have photographs of candidates contesting elections, Rajasthan's chief election officer said on Friday. The by-polls are due on January 29 in Ajmer and Alwar parliamentary and Mandalgarh assembly seats. And though the same procedure was followed in the Dholpur assembly bypoll in Rajasthan last year, according to the chief election officer, this time it will be done for the very first time in any Lok Sabha elections. "The arrangement was made to make sure there was no confusion on candidates with similar names contesting an election," Rajasthan's Chief Election Officer Ashwani Bhagat said. Under the new system, a 2.5 cm size photograph of the candidate contesting will be displayed on the EVM. The EVM will have a name of the candidate, photo and the election symbol. However, for NOTA option the space for a photo will be left blank. Ballot papers meant for service employed voters will also have photographs of candidates' contesting election, the officer said. According to the chief election officer, the ballot paper will have candidates' photograph along with their name, both in English and Hindi. 11,580 service employed voters will cast their votes in the bypolls, he said. On all the three seats, over 39 lakh voters would be exercising their franchise during the bypoll. There are nearly 18.27 lakh voters in Alwar, 18.42 lakh in Ajmer and 2.31 lakh voters in Mandalgarh. The department has set-up 1979 polling stations in Alwar, 1907 in Ajmer and 280 in Mandalgarh. Bhopal: The Congress party put up a spirited fight in the Madhya Pradesh civil polls by winning nine president posts in 19 civic bodies on Saturday, tying the BJP, which too, won nine top posts. CM Shivraj Singh Chouhans charisma could not help the BJP take over the Congress citadel of Raghogarh, the hometown of AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh. The Congress fielded the veteran politicians son, Jaivardhan Singh. The defeat gives the BJP a lot to think about as most senior Congress leaders kept themselves away from campaigning for the elections, while CM Shivraj had conducted several rallies and roadshows. The elections were unofficially termed as 'semi-finals' before the upcoming assembly polls due later this year. Congress Mahesh Bhawar was elected as the Nagar Palika president of Sardarpur in Dhar, the spot where the CM was recently caught on video slapping his bodyguard during a rally. The footage had brought sizeable criticism on to the chief minister. Of the 19 civic bodies that went to polls in Madhya Pradesh, the Congress and BJP won nine seats a piece, while one civic body went to an independent candidate. At Sendhwa, the BJP candidate won unanimously. Out of the six Nagarpalikas, Congress won four while the BJP could only manage wins at two. However, BJP salvaged some pride by winning seven nagarpalika parishads while Congress won five. One nagarpalika went to an independent candidate. Exhibiting strong anti-incumbency sentiments, voters successfully used their right to dethrone the BJP at two places in Rajgarh and Dewas, only BJP civic body head Sangita Yadav managed to retain her post in Bhind. Resentment among BJP workers was also evident as BJP dissident Navartani Shukla won as independent from Jaitahari nagarpalika parishad in Anuppur. In the absence of AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh, his son, Jaivardhan led the party and helped Congress candidate Aarti Sharma win the civic body polls with 20 wards, while the BJP could only win in four. The Congress also seemed to have regained its foothold in the tribal belt by winning Manawar, Dhar and Barwani nagarpalika election despite the presence of senior Shivraj ministers including Ranjana Singh Baghel and Antar Singh Arya. As consolation, BJP managed to wrest back Congress seats at Kukshi, Dahi, Pithampur, Rajpur and Omkareshwar. Interestingly, BJP candidate Dinesh Sharma managed victory in Dhamnaud in Dhar, where he was offered garlands of shoes during poll campaign. The incident had been dubbed as strong anti-incumbency sentiments. BJP state president Nandkumar Singh Chauhan, though, claimed that the BJP had won at many places, while adding that the party would review reasons behind its losses. He accepted the party at places failed to understand sentiments of the workers and erred in ticket distribution. Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson KK Mishra said, The fake image of being MPs brand ambassador created by CM Shivraj with the help of hollow promises and lies has been shattered by these results. This augurs well for the party ahead of the upcoming assembly polls, he added. Patna: Opposition parties in Bihar have asked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to disclose the fear that compelled him to get Z-plus security and why he preferred to have a bungalow in the Lutyen zone of Delhi despite having two Bihar Bhawans in the capital. The union home ministry on Friday said that after analysing a request from the Bihar government with central security agencies, the ministry has decided to include him in the central list of Z-plus protectees. At present, 15 people are in the list. The ministry has sent a letter to all the states and union territories to provide Z-plus security to Nitish Kumar whenever he visits their territory. Soon after this decision the central government issued another order allotting Nitish Kumar 5, Kamraj Marg Bungalow in central Delhi, which prompted opposition parties back in the state to question why such facilities are being provided to the chief minister. Leader of opposition and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav said that Nitish always boasted good governance and zero tolerance on law and order then what compelled him to add another layer in his security. Tejashwi tweeted, Just a week after Mahagathbandhan government collapsed Nitish Kumar sent a letter requesting Z-plus security. It shows how brave he is. He also attached screenshot of a Nitish Kumars tweet in which the later had mocked at RJD leaders for condemning the move to withdraw Z-plus security to their leader Lalu Prasad Yadav. However Nitishs party defended him citing recent attack on his cavalcade in Buxar during his fourth leg of Sameeksha Yatra. JD(U) general secretary KC Tyagi added that threats from Naxals was also a reason for providing his leader the extra security. On the allotment of a bungalow in Delhi, RJD alliance partner Congress claimed that Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) was planning to shift Nitish to Delhi. BJP is working on a plan to install its own chief minister here and Nitish might get a role in the union government. Allotting the bungalow to him is a part of that plan, party leader Premchand Mishra said. LONDON: French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday Britain would be able to have a bespoke deal with the European Union after Brexit, one of Prime Minister Theresa May's objectives. But in an interview with the BBC, Macron said London's financial centre could not enjoy the same level of access to the EU under May's current Brexit plan, which envisages Britain leaving the EU's single market and customs union. Macron has said in past Britain could have pacts with the EU along with the lines of those with Canada or Norway but not its own, special deal. But asked in the interview whether that was fair, given how long Britain had been part of the EU, Macron said: "No, it's not a question to be fair or unfair. I take that as a reference. But for sure, you will have your own solution." Asked whether there would be a bespoke, special solution for Britain, he replied: "Sure, but you will ... I take these two references because this special way should be consistent with the preservation of the single market and our collective interests. And you should understand that you cannot by definition have the full access to the single market if you don't tick the box." Macron insisted Britain would not get full access to the EU's single market without accepting its basic principles of freedom of movement and willingness to abide by EU jurisdiction. "As soon as you decide not to join these preconditions, it's not full access," he said. "So it's something perhaps between this full access ... and a trade agreement." Macron repeated a warning he made during a visit to Britain on Thursday that full access to the EU single market for Britain's financial services was not possible. "It depends on the proposals made by the UK," he said. "But for sure, full access for financial services to the single market is not feasible, given the functioning of the single market - so by definition it's not a full access." Britain and the EU struck a divorce deal last month that paved the way for talks on future trade ties and boosted hopes of an orderly Brexit. The BBC released extracts on Saturday of the Macron interview which it will broadcast in full in the Andrew Marr Show on Sunday. Beijing: Beijing on Saturday said it had dispatched a warship to drive away a US missile destroyer which had "violated" its sovereignty by sailing close to a shoal in the disputed South China Sea. The USS Hopper sailed within 12 nautical miles of Huangyan Island on the night of January 17 without alerting Beijing, the foreign ministry said, referring to the shoal by its Chinese name. Also known as Scarborough Shoal, the ring of reefs lies about 230 kilometres (140 miles) from the Philippines in the South China Sea, where Beijing's claims are hotly contested by other nations. The US vessel "violated China's sovereignty and security interests", and put the safety of nearby Chinese vessels "under grave threat", foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said. China's defence ministry said in a separate statement that a Chinese frigate "immediately took actions to identify and verify the US ship and drove it away by warning" it. The USS Hopper recently entered the US Navy's 7th Fleet area of operations, where the ship is on an "independent deployment", according to a statement released earlier this month on the Navy's website. Its mission in Asia involves "security cooperation, building partner capacity, and performing routine operations within the area". News of the encounter follows Friday's release of a new US national defence strategy that says America is facing "growing threats" from China and Russia. China is a "strategic competitor using predatory economics to intimidate its neighbors while militarizing features in the South China Sea", the document says. China's defence ministry dismissed those claims on Saturday, saying "the situation in the South China Sea has steadily stabilised," in comments attributed to spokesman Wu Qian. But it added, "the United States has repeatedly sent warships illegally into the adjacent waters of the South China Sea islands and reefs." Beijing asserts sovereignty over almost all of the resource-rich South China Sea despite rival claims from Southeast Asian neighbours and has rapidly built reefs into artificial islands capable of hosting military planes. China seized Scarborough Shoal in 2012 after a brief stand-off with the Philippine navy. The shoal is also claimed by Taiwan. United Nations: At a high-level Security Council meeting, Pakistan has raised the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav, whom Islamabad has accused of being an Indian spy and given him a death sentence. "Those who speak of changing mindsets (about terrorism) need to look within and their own record of subversion against my country as our capture of an Indian spy has amply demonstrated and proved beyond any shadow of doubt," Pakistan's Permanent Representative Maleeha Lodhi said during Council meeting on Afghanistan. She did not mention his name. Her statement was a response to India's statement at the Council meeting on Afghanistan that India is a victim of the same Pakistani "mindset" that promotes terrorist attacks everyday in Afghanistan. India has denied that Jadhav, a retired Navy officer, worked for the government and said that he was abducted by Pakistan from Iran to stage a show-trial. Denying that Pakistan was giving terrorists a safe haven or support, Lodhi also took a swipe at the US saying it needed a "reality check." The administration of President Donald Trump suspended security aid to Pakistan this month citing its provision of sanctuaries and assistance to terrorists attacking Afghanistan. Jadhav was captured by Pakistan in 2016 and was sentenced to death by a military court-martial last year. India appealed to the International Court of Justice against his sentence and the court has stayed his execution. Lodhi was originally listed to address the Council two spots before India's Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin, but she chose to speak later and amended her prepared speech with the response to him. Akbaruddin said that after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Lahore in December 2015 in a bid to promote peace with Pakistan, "a heinous and barbaric terrorist attack" was launched on the Pathankot airbase in a week's time by "the very same mindsets which attack the spirit of Afghanistan every day." "These mindsets differentiate between 'good' and bad terrorists," he said. "These mindsets refuse to see reason in peace." "These mindsets, an Akbaruddin declared, "need to change." Lodhi said that Pakistan was against terrorism, being itself a victim. She blamed the conditions in Afghanistan and the drug trade, which she said brings terrorists $400 million every year, for the insurgency and asserted that they didn't need outside support or sanctuaries because "over 40 per cent of the country is under insurgent control, contested or ungoverned." "Afghanistan and its partners, especially the US, need to address these challenged inside Afghanistan rather than shift the onus for ending the conflict on to others," she said. "Those who imagine sanctuaries outside (Afghanistan) need a reality check," she added. Islamabad: Pakistan shut down the US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Pashto-language station in the country on Friday for airing content "against the interest of Pakistan". The office of RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal in the capital Islamabad was ordered closed by the ministry of interior, which said Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) -- Pakistan's top spy agency -- had found its programmes to be "in-line with (a) hostile intelligence agency's agenda". The notification, posted on the RFE/RL website and seen by AFP separately, did not identify the agency. It accused Radio Mashaal of portraying Pakistan as a "failed state" and "a hub of terrorism and safe haven for different militant groups." The government further alleged that the station was "distorting facts (to) incite the target population against the state and its institutions", referring to ethnic Pashtuns. The notification specified Radio Mashaal's audience in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, and the northwestern tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan. These areas have been the hardest hit by unrest since 2007, and have seen several large-scale operations by Pakistan's military against extremist groups. Islamabad has accused foreign intelligence agencies, specifically those of India and Afghanistan, of backing anti-Pakistan militant groups. RFE/RL President Thomas Kent said in a statement that he was "extraordinarily concerned by the closure" and was "urgently seeking more information about the Pakistani authorities' intentions." Kent said his organisation has "no connection to the intelligence agencies of any country." "We hope this situation will be resolved without delay." The closure comes amid heightened tensions between Islamabad and Washington in recent months. President Donald Trump recently froze up to $1.9 billion in funding to Pakistan in a move designed to force Islamabad to halt its alleged support for the Afghan Taliban and other Islamist groups. Pakistan has long denied the allegation, and in turn accused Washington of dismissing its sacrifices in the war against extremism. The Pashto-language Radio Mashaal was launched in 2010 to help undermine Islamist militants. RFE/RL, founded in 1950 to beam programmes into the communist bloc, is funded by a grant from the US Congress, according to its website. It currently broadcasts in 25 languages and aims to "serve as a 'surrogate' free press in 23 countries where the free flow of information is banned or not fully developed." Washington: The US government shutdown began at midnight Friday (9:30am IST) as Democrats and Republicans failed to resolve a standoff over immigration and spending. Here's a look at what the parties are fighting over and what it means to shut down the government. WHAT ARE LAWMAKERS FIGHTING ABOUT? Since the end of the fiscal year in September, the government has been operating on temporary funding measures. The current one expired at midnight. Republicans and Democrats have not been able to agree on spending levels for the rest of the year, so another short-term measure is the most likely solution. The House has passed a four-week bill Thursday that also extends funding for a children's health insurance program. But Democrats have been saying for weeks they want a funding measure to be tied to an immigration deal that protects the thousands of young immigrants facing deportation. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program is set to expire March 5, and members of both parties have been working on an extension that would also beef up border protection. That deal has not come together, and Democrats have decided to dig in. They blocked the House-passed bill. Both sides were still negotiating early Saturday. THEY'VE BLOWN THE DEADLINE. NOW WHAT? The government begins to shut down. But not all of the government. The air traffic control system, food inspection, Medicare, veterans' health care and many other essential government programs will run as usual. The Social Security Administration will not only send out benefits but will also continue to take applications though replacements for lost Social Security cards could have to wait. The Postal Service, which is self-funded, will keep delivering the mail. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will continue to respond to last year's spate of disasters. The Interior Department says national parks and other public lands will remain as accessible as possible. The stance is a change from previous shutdowns when most parks were closed and became high-profile symbols. Spokeswoman Heather Swifts says the American public especially veterans who come to the nation's capital should find war memorials and open-air parks open to visitors. Swift says many national parks and wildlife refuges nationwide will also be open with limited access when possible. The Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo will stay open through the weekend but close Monday. DO FEDERAL WORKERS GET PAID? While they can be kept on the job, federal workers can't get paid for days worked during a lapse in funding. In the past, however, they have been repaid retroactively even if they were ordered to stay home. Rush hour in downtown Washington, meanwhile, becomes a breeze. Tens of thousands of federal workers are off the roads. HOW OFTEN DID THIS HAPPEN IN THE PAST? Way back in the day, shutdowns usually weren't that big a deal. They happened every year when Jimmy Carter was president, averaging 11 days each. During Ronald Reagan's two terms, there were six shutdowns, typically just one or two days apiece. Deals got cut. Everybody moved on. The last one was a 16-day partial shuttering of the government in 2013, which came as tea party conservatives, cheered on by outside groups like Heritage Action, demanded that language to block implementation of President Barack Obama's health care law be added to a must-do funding bill. WHO WILL GET THE BLAME? In a 1995-96 political battle, President Bill Clinton bested House Speaker Newt Gingrich and his band of budget-slashing conservatives, who were determined to use a shutdown to force Clinton to sign onto a balanced budget agreement. Republicans were saddled with the blame, but most Americans suffered relatively minor inconveniences like closed parks and delays in processing passport applications. The fight bolstered Clinton's popularity and he sailed to re-election that November. In 2013, the tea party Republicans forced the shutdown over the better judgment of GOP leaders like then-Speaker John Boehner. Republicans tried to fund the government piecemeal for example, by forcing through legislation to ensure military service members got paid. But a broader effort faltered, and Republicans eventually backed down and supported a round of budget talks led by Paul Ryan, then chairman of the House Budget Committee. Republicans are calling the current standoff the "Schumer Shutdown," arguing that there's nothing in the bill that Democrats oppose, while a short-term extension would give lawmakers time to work out differences on issues like protecting young immigrants and disaster assistance. Schumer says the GOP's unwillingness to compromise has brought Congress to this point. A Washington Post-ABC News poll conducted earlier this week found 48 percent view Trump and congressional Republicans as mainly responsible for the situation while 28 percent fault Democrats. If the shutdown drags on for long, it could give voters another reason to turn away from incumbents of both parties in a mid-term election. Washington: The US government officially shut down on Saturday, the first anniversary of President Donald Trump's inauguration after lawmakers failed to agree to a stop-gap spending deal. Senators were still negotiating on the Senate floor as the clock turned midnight, but Trump's office issued a statement blaming opposition Democrats for the crisis. Spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said the Democrats' insistence that the interim measure includes protection for undocumented immigrants who arrived as children killed the deal. "Senate Democrats own the Schumer Shutdown," she declared, referring to the minority leader, New York Senator Chuck Schumer, who met with Trump earlier on Friday. "Tonight, they put politics above our national security, military families, vulnerable children, and our country's ability to serve all Americans. We will not negotiate the status of unlawful immigrants while Democrats hold our lawful citizens hostage over their reckless demands," she warned. US federal services and military operations deemed essential will continue, but thousands of government workers will be sent home without pay until the crisis is resolved. New Delhi: China responded aggressively to comments made by various defence authorities on China being a disruptive force. At the recently concluded Raisina Dialogue in the national capital, leaders from all over the world, including the United States of America, Japan and India called on the new global order. While US Pacific Command Chief Admiral Harry Harris called China "disruptive Force" and the owner of trust deficit. Japanese Admiral Admiral Katsutoshi Kawano said China was trying to change, unilaterally, the status quo in the East China Sea. If someone is feeling agitated and thinks it is a destructive force, we are curious to know what on earth are they afraid of being destroyed? The logic runs like if China endeavours to build a type of international relations like that, and if one truly loves peace and champions common develop, there should be no reason to feel anxious about, foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said on Friday. Training his guns on the US Admiral chief, Kang said it was not apt for one nation to comment on others. I have also noted that this US military officer mentioned three ASEAN countries in his remarks, claiming that they were also concerned about China's development. Well, we've never heard from these three countries talking about such concerns. I think it is not a very good habit to speak so readily for other countries, Kang said. The foreign ministry spokesperson commented on Japans statement and said that China was resolute in safeguarding its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the East China Sea. The two sides are in communication and contacts in this regard. Japan must stop saying one thing, like wanting to improve China-Japan ties, while doing the opposite. We hope that Japan could match its words with concrete actions, Kang stated. Kang, however, also said that this was not the first time that such comments were made and said that as his country develops, it will play an increasingly positive role in the international community and offer more constructive public goods, like the Belt and Road Initiative. Everyone should view that in an objective light. It is better to pay attention to how the majority of the international community respond and comment. Undeniably, some people in some countries do find it difficult to let go of their anxiety towards China, he said, adding that China was always committed to the path of development and believed in a new type of international order featuring mutual respect, equality and justice, and win-win cooperation. As the clock ticks down to the planned closure of Central Virginia Training Center in 2020, three Lynchburg-area state lawmakers are fighting back. Sen. Mark Peake, R-Lynchburg; Del. Scott Garrett, R-Lynchburg; and Sen. Steve Newman, R-Bedford County, filed bills and budget amendments last week for the 2018 General Assembly session that aim to stop the impending closure of the state-run Madison Heights facility that cares for those with physical and intellectual disabilities. The closure is part of a 2012 settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice that stemmed from an investigation by the department into CVTC. As part of the agreement, the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services will close four of its five training centers in favor of moving the majority of those under state care to community group homes. Peake and Garrett each filed identical bills in their respective chambers that would keep the facility open indefinitely. Garretts bill, HB 1421, has been referred to the Appropriations committee, where he is a sitting member. On the Senate side, Peakes SB 835 has been referred to the Education and Health committee. According to the Virginia Legislative Information System, the date for when the bills will be discussed has not been set yet. In an interview last week, Garrett said he supports keeping CVTC open because he believes community group homes are not equipped to take care of residents who have complex medical needs, and training center care is the most appropriate for those patients. Coupled with CVTCs close proximity to Lynchburg General Hospital, he believes CVTC is ideally suited to continue serving those with disabilities. Weve closed two of those five centers, and whats become quite obvious to me is the vast majority of the remaining folks at the training centers have a great deal of medical challenges, not just intellectual challenges, and there is going to be a need for a higher intensity of services to address their medical needs just as much if not more so as the intellectual needs, said Garrett, a retired general surgeon. After the closure of CVTCs skilled nursing unit in January 2017 due to staffing shortages three residents transferred from CVTC to Hiram W. Davis Medical Center in Petersburg have died, according to DBHDS spokesperson Heidi Dix. Since March 2010, the number of residents at CVTC has dwindled from 426 to 113 earlier this month, according to DBHDS. While the state budget factors in money saved from decreased maintenance and staffing from the shuttering of the training centers, according to Garrett, discussions of how to fund keeping CVTC open will be part of budget deliberations this session. There are a lot of resources we will make decisions about that we will appropriate and [keeping CVTC open] will be part of the mix of those conversations, Garrett said. In the Senate, Newman signed on as a co-patron to support Peakes bill that mirrors Garretts in aiming to keep CVTC open. As a longtime advocate for the facility and the families fighting its closure, Newman said the state needs to make a decision soon if it wants to keep an additional training center open alongside the 75-bed Southeastern Virginia Training Center in Chesapeake. If were going to have a two-training center solution, the decision must be done this year or next year, Newman said. We need to be prepared to have some time to keep those facilities from being mothballed if were going to do this. In addition to the bills, Peake and Newman also filed Senate budget amendments that support the training center remaining open. The amendment from Newman requests a report to be prepared by DBHDS and the Virginia Department of the Treasury to determine the cost of paying off all of the bonds related to the future closures of both Southwest Virginia Training Center in Hillsville, which is scheduled to close in 2018, and CVTC. Peakes budget amendment requests $570,000 in fiscal year 2019 to complete the second phase of an environmental site assessment report of CVTC as well as the first phase of environmental remediation to remove known contaminants on the property. In the House, Garrett also submitted a budget amendment that requests $820,000 in fiscal year 2019 to conduct the second phase of the environmental site assessment and to begin the cleanup recommended in the original assessment. An environmental assessment of CVTC released to the public in November by the Virginia Department of General Services reported sites on the property in need of clean up that include a four-acre sanitary landfill that operated from 1950 through the 1970s, two scrap yards, a dump for coal ash and other debris as well as bulk pesticide and oil storage in one of the facilitys buildings. In addition to the legislation filed by the Lynchburg delegation, Del. Jeffrey Campbell, R-Marion, also filed HB 324 and HB 325. HB 324 would prevent the closure of the HillsvilleSouthwestern Virginia Training Center scheduled for this year and for the facility to keep accepting new residents. HB 325 adds to that and calls for both SWVTC and CVTC to remain open and for both facilities to continue accepting new residents. Campbell also filed a budget amendment that restores $5.7 million in fiscal year 2019 and $6 million in fiscal year 2020 to delay the closure of SWVTC until June 30, 2019. Both bills have been referred to the House Appropriations Committee. According to the Virginia Legislative Information System, the date for when the bills will be discussed has not been set yet. As the state Capitol turned quiet Friday afternoon, Gov. Ralph Northam said he was having the best day yet of his weeklong governorship. He joked that he had finally found the alarm clock that former Gov. Terry McAuliffe had taped under a linen chest to go off each night at 3 a.m. Brushing aside Executive Mansion pranks and ruffled feathers over his speech to the General Assembly on Monday night, Northam said he felt good about his first week on the job. After meetings with high-ranking Republicans in the legislature, Northam said hes optimistic that a bipartisan deal will be achieved on one of the biggest agenda items for the 60-day legislative session: Medicaid expansion. I think youll see a plan come together before the end of the session, Northam said during a 30-minute conversation with reporters in his Capitol office. The governor said he has spent much of his first week sitting down with lawmakers from both parties to talk Medicaid and what it would take to get them on board with some form of expansion that would provide health insurance to roughly 400,000 low-income Virginians. The fact that theyre willing to sit down and talk is important, Northam said. The governor said he was aware of Senate Democrats plan to squeeze Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin, on Medicaid expansion this week by blocking his emergency bill aimed at reopening a rural hospital. Northam did not say directly whether he did or did not agree with the tactic, but he said he feels its important to get off to a good start and said hes trying to broker a deal to make sure the fix for Patrick Countys only hospital goes through. Ill do everything I can to make sure that Patrick County hospital is in a position to reopen. Republicans have blocked Medicaid expansion for years, arguing the state cannot afford to take a financial risk with a program that already takes up a big chunk of the state budget. But the wave election last year that saw Democrats sweep statewide offices and pick up 15 seats in the House of Delegates created a new political dynamic and a feeling that something could get done this year. Northam said he does not care if the eventual proposal has a different name, but he cautioned that things could get a little more complicated if the state pursues a custom-tailored plan that could require federal approvals from President Donald Trumps administration. The simpler we can do this, Northam said, the better. Straight Medicaid expansion is something that people spoke about during the campaign, Northam said. Describing a congratulatory phone call he received from Trump on Sunday, the day after his swearing-in as Virginias 73rd governor, Northam said he had a very cordial conversation with the man he had described as a narcissistic maniac during last years gubernatorial campaign. The main focus of our discussion was on the military. He knew that I was a veteran, Northam said. And we talked about the building of the warships and submarines in Newport News. And I told him I look forward to working with him in that regard. The prospect of a federal government shutdown did not come up in the conversation with the president, but Northam said he and his team were watching the situation in D.C. very closely Friday ahead of a midnight deadline. Clark Mercer, Northams chief of staff, sent a memo Friday warning state agency heads to begin preparing for budgetary impacts if the government shuts down for an extended period of time and federal funding dries up. Its just unacceptable, Northam said. I just call on our congressmen and our president to do whats appropriate and whats in the best interest of this country, and that is to come up with a budget so that people can make plans. As for Virginias own budget talks, Northam said he felt particularly optimistic after a meeting this week with Del. Chris Jones, R-Suffolk, the influential chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Over breakfast Wednesday, the two Hampton Roads-area health professionals agreed on the need to use any surplus money to strengthen the states reserves, maintain a triple-A bond rating, and prioritize early childhood education and transportation. Hes a pharmacist. Im a physician, Northam said. He actually filled a lot of prescriptions that I have written in the past. And I think we have a lot of similarities with the way we want to move forward with the budget. Jones and other Republicans panned Northams speech to the legislature Monday night, saying the tone was overly partisan, too similar to McAuliffes in-your-face style and a surprising break from Northams reputation as a policy-focused moderate. New House Speaker Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights, personally conveyed his dismay to Northam on Tuesday morning, but Northam said the meeting quickly moved on to other matters. We think everybodys kind of staked out their positions, Northam said. There were some ruffled feathers, as you all know, after Monday nights address, with people commenting about the tone. But Ive had real good meetings since then, and I think were all off to a good start. Coxs office seemed to agree. We do feel like we are moving in the right direction, said Cox spokesman Parker Slaybaugh. To keep the conversations going, Northam wants to meet with House and Senate leaders on a weekly basis, the governor said. Theres a lot of different ways to skin a cat, but in the past theyve done it with breakfasts, Northam said. But Id just as soon be sitting there with a table like this and not over a meal. So were looking at even Sunday nights to have folks get together. In addition to his plans to strike a grand bargain on Medicaid and smooth things over with Republican leaders, Northam has more on his to-do list at the Executive Mansion. He said he has already stored the infamous pillowcases adorned with McAuliffes beaming face that the former governor left behind. Now, hes turning to the decor. Each room has, I would say, on average, four to five pictures of Governor McAuliffe, Northam said. So Im slowly getting rid of those. Virginia is preparing for legal action to recover the remainder of a $5 million grant to Tranlin Inc. for a once-promising plan to build a $2 billion paper manufacturing plant in Chesterfield County. The board of directors at the Virginia Economic Development Partnership voted this week to take title of a 58-acre property the Chinese company purchased with a portion of the grant from the Commonwealths Opportunity Fund in 2014 and ask the Attorney Generals Office to seek repayment of the remaining money for a project that stalled last year. Tranlin, operating as Vastly with offices in Charlottesville, had promised in October to repay the loan, but missed its first two scheduled installments in December and January, said Stephen Moret, president and CEO of the partnership. Despite being late on its repayment obligations, Tranlin remains in regular contact with VEDP officials, and the company continues to commit to repay its debt, Moret said in an email message. Nevertheless, it has only repaid $150,000 of the $5 million so far. They still have a presence in Virginia, he said in an interview Friday. They still have a long-term interest in Virginia, but theyre still two years behind schedule. Tranlin spokeswoman Lisa Randall said Friday: Were working closely with state officials concerning our repayment of the Governors Opportunity Fund grant, and we anticipate full repayment as quickly as possible. We continue to make steady progress on development of our agricultural markets for fertilizer sales, Randall added. We are a startup company with the typical early-stage challenges, and were also a company that has the passion, commitment and persistence to overcome our challenges and achieve success. The company, a U.S. subsidiary of Shandong Tranlin Paper Co. Ltd., agreed in August to repay the grant after delaying the construction of a project originally projected to employ 2,000 people in the manufacture of paper products from agricultural waste. Tranlin said the project would be delayed to allow a redesign of the manufacturing process to incorporate new technology already operating in China. But Tranlin missed the Oct. 24 deadline to repay the grant. Instead, the company wrote the state a check for $150,000, agreed to a lien on the property and promised to repay the debt in six monthly installments, including interest, of $833,561. The board voted Wednesday to transfer ownership of the property, valued at $3 million, to the partnership. Tranlin has committed to help facilitate this transfer, Moret said. The vote also requested the Attorney Generals Office to seek collection of the remaining money due to the state, after subtracting the value of the land, Moret said. That shortfall is expected to be less than $2 million. A new law adopted last year to reform the partnership and its financial incentives for economic development prospects gives the board the authority to ask the Attorney Generals Office to collect on clawbacks due that have not been paid, Moret said. The partnership began the clawback process with Tranlin last year, but the companys failure to make the promised payments escalated the states efforts this week, he said. Michael K. Kelly, spokesman for Attorney General Mark Herring, said we will be exploring any and all avenues to recover as much of the grant funds as possible. House Appropriations Chairman Chris Jones, R-Suffolk, the chief sponsor of reforms adopted last year on management of the partnership and the financial incentives for economic development projects, said the transfer news came as no surprise. It just highlights the need for the reforms last year with VEDP, said Jones, who said he has introduced legislation in this session to make clear that the board can direct the Attorney Generals Office to take legal action on grants, regardless of when the state issued them. It was never intended to be prospective, he said Friday. We will clarify that with a bill Ive introduced and possibly with budget language as well. The reforms adopted last year stemmed in part from a $1.4 million grant made to another Chinese company, Lindenburg Industry, to build a factory in Appomattox County. The company proved to be illegitimate, and VEDP has tried unsuccessfully to recover the money. Since the reforms, VEDP has changed its process for reviewing potential economic development incentives to base them on risk. In the future, Moret said, the state would provide financial incentives to projects judged as moderately or highly risky only after they are complete, rather than before they begin. If Tranlin returns with a revised plan for the paper factory, any state incentive would be a post-performance offer, not an upfront incentive, he said. Finance and Economic Planning Minister Patrick Chinamasa has defended Home Affairs and Culture Minister Dr Obert Mpofu, saying allegations of corruption levelled against him are unfounded since he accumulated much of his wealth before joining Government. Minister Chinamasa said this in the National Assembly on Thursday while responding to an avalanche of queries from some legislators on how Dr Mpofu got his wealth. Mabvuku-Tafara Member of Parliament (MP) Mr James Maridadi (MDC-T) and Norton MP Mr Temba Mliswa (Independent) said Dr Mpofus acquisition of several assets, including mines, raised eyebrows as he could have bought them during his time as the Minister of Mines and Mining Development. During debate on the 2018 National Budget, the two legislators called for Dr Mpofu to be investigated. Minister Chinamasa noted that though he holds no brief for Dr Mpofu, most of the allegations that were being made lacked merit since they were unsubstantiated. I first met Honourable Mpofu around 1984 when I was going to Gaborone, Botswana with my family for a visit, he said. We met at Plumtree and he was already a businessman. Later on, when I was an Attorney-General, I think I wanted to speak to him and he took me to his building. He had already bought it in 1998 a very expensive building in Bulawayo. I am just telling you of facts that I know. I cannot defend him if there is anything or any monkey business. You know where the problem is Honourable Maridadi? We are not accustomed to see a rich African. We are very much comfortable to see a rich white person, but when we see a rich black man, we conclude that he is a thief. This is not a fair comment. Minister Chinamasa said legislators ought to know that some people had sweated for their wealth from loans and debts from financial institutions. I am not entrepreneurial, but there are some people who borrow heavily and most of the things that you see, you would think that they have spent cash, he said. Look into it, zvikwereti (loans). Some people are risk-takers. You would not go and borrow $3 million. I would not dare. Probably, I would go for $50 000 or $100 000 ndinenge ndatopedza ( I will be done), but there are some people who take risks, if the bank rikangobwaira chete (snoozes), they will borrow $5 million. What they do with that money is up to them. If they have any debts, normally vanombokunyara kana uriminister (they might be extra courteous if you are a minister). Kana usisiri Minister (if you are no longer a minister), before you reach home, kunenge kwatove netsamba (they would already be a letter of demand). Minister Chinamasa implored people to desist from making unfounded allegations against people because of their wealth. This is because at the end of the day, I have no obligation to tell you whatever I am doing, except when we come to disclose of our assets, he said. Even then, we want to make it confidential because you do not want to say, when I make a disclosure you say akaiwana kupi(where did he get it). I have been employed as a lawyer since 1972. Now, you cannot ask me if I have got any assets. Not that I have any. You cannot ask me kuti ndakazviwana kupi iwe wakauya zuro (you cannot ask where I got my wealth when you arrived on the scene late). You were only born yesterday and you want to equate yourself to someone who has been in this game for all this long. I am not in any way fighting for Cde Mpofu in his corner. I am just telling you what I know. Minister Chinamasa said there was nothing wrong with Dr Mpofu owning a mine. I know some honourable members here who own mines, he said. So, if one day you are appointed a minister and you own a mine, I do not see any problem. Let us get used to people owning assets it is not evil. So, we do not want people to be disqualified because they own assets. Let us take, for example, Tillerson. He was in the oil business, was he not? Tillerson, the State Secretary in the United States of Americas government, he is himself probably a billionaire or something. 6 November 2017 His Excellency, Cde. R.G. Mugabe President and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces Munhumutapa Building Harare RE: Acknowledgement of Receipt of Termination of Employment as Vice-President I write, Your Excellency, to acknowledge receipt of my letter of termination of employment as your Vice-President with immediate effect in accordance with the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment No 20 Act of 2013, Section 329, 6th Schedule, Paragraph 14, Sub-Paragraph (2). Your Excellency, may I take this opportunity to thank you most sincerely for guiding me from the time you rescued us from Egypt in 1963 to the present. Since then, I have regarded you as my mentor and father figure and have been loyal to you, the Party and the revolution. I also wish to express my gratitude for the role you played in saving my life in 1965 when I was facing the death penalty, which was consequently commuted to ten years. I thank you for your constant refrain in encouraging us to study and never sit on our laurels. I thank you, Your Excellency, for appointing me Special Assistant to the President at the time my father passed on. I mention these as milestones of how you have guided me and brought me up. I also remember with pride your guidance during the armed struggle in Mozambique, when you nurtured and inculcated in me the lasting values of the sanctity of human life and a profound sense of natural justice. It was through your guidance, that I was able to prevent summary executions and bring justice within the Zanla forces. I also wish to thank you for appointing me to lead the first Zanu group that came to Zimbabwe after the Lancaster House Conference. At Independence, you appointed me Chairman of the Joint High Command and Minister of National Security after General Walls unceremoniously left the country following his confession that he and his fellow conspirators had planned a coup against us in 1980. Thereafter, I served in various executive positions at your pleasure as well as various positions in the party. Your Excellency, the allegation that I once entertained an idea to form a political party is false and concocted by elements who are currently my enemies, who perhaps themselves may have intended to do so but never ever received any support from me. Your Excellency, the truth is painful but everlasting. I am a child and cadre of the revolution, that is, both Zanla and our tried and tested Zanu-PF party. Throughout my 50-plus years in the Struggle, I have remained loyal and committed to you personally and to the revolution to this day. In December 2014, you again had the honour to appoint me one of your Vice-Presidents. This to me is a demonstration of your deep-seated trust in me which I have never betrayed, even with my life. However, today, my enemies have prevailed. I could have recently lost my life through poisoning, but survived through Gods grace. Finally, Your Excellency, on behalf of my wife and family, I wish to thank you most sincerely for affording me the opportunity to serve you. I shall forever remain loyal and committed to you, my party and the revolution, although I am aware of uncanny attempts by some unscrupulous elements to assassinate me. Your Obedient Comrade Hon ED Mnangagwa Government has given illegal vendors and pirate taxi operators 48 hours to vacate the streets in all towns and cities, or the security forces will move in to remove them, a Cabinet minister has said. Addressing a Press conference yesterday, Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister July Moyo said his ministry engaged Vice President General Constantino Chiwenga (Retired) to ensure that all security officers took part in the nationwide exercise. Minister Moyo, who was flanked by acting Harare town clerk Engineer Hosiah Chisango and principal director in his ministry (urban local authorities) Ms Erica Jones, warned of the arrest of legislators and councillors who could try undermine the operation to gain political mileage. He said a monitoring taskforce had been put in place to ensure sustainability of the operation. We are compelled to act before the situation degenerates to even lower levels, said Minister Moyo. In view of this untenable situation, let us all declare war on illegal vendors and unregistered public transporters. To the vendors who are operating at undesignated sites, including in front of shops and to unregistered public transporters, you are directed to cease forthwith your activities within the next 48 hours, failure of which you have no one, but yourselves to blame. I have contacted, before this press conference, the Vice President General Chiwenga to inform him about this statement I am issuing and to seek his assistance so that security agencies can work with the municipalities, town councils, so that we can put to rest this menace that is facing us. Minister Moyo said Government could not continue to fold its hands when the threats of typhoid and cholera had become a reality. He said illegal activities in the CBDs had virtually become cover for other criminal activities, hence it was critical for Government to arrest the situation before it exploded. Prevention is better than cure, said Minister Moyo. The CBD is now home to a litany of unhealthy vending activities such as selling of second hand clothes, unregulated vegetable vending, roasting mealie cobs, and money changers, amongst other activities. Such activities are anathema and anachronistic of CBD areas of modern cities, especially capital cities. The menace is further exacerbated by the public transport system which has transformed the CBD into a hazardous jungle. Illegal ranks and unregistered public transport such as mushika-shika, said Minister Moyo, had become rampant, posing great danger to both motorists and pedestrians. He said those who wanted vending sites should approach their local authorities and be properly allocated space at designated sites. Minister Moyo said there was no other issuing authority of vending space besides councils. To those who have been thriving on selling vending space, you are directed to stop forthwith, he said. Such culprits should be reported to the law enforcement agents who must act, and act now. We are also calling upon members of the uniformed forces to come and assist the Local Authorities in bringing sanity in our CBDs. Members of the public are urged to cooperate with all forms of law enforcement agents in an effort to eradicate this vice. Minister Moyo said it was no longer business as usual for local authorities, imploring them to enforce by-laws without fear or favour, with the help of police. Most cities and towns in Zimbabwe have been rendered inaccessible as a result of an influx of illegal vendors and illegal taxi operators. Efforts by the councils to restore sanity seem to have yielded no solution, hence the intervention by Government and the security forces. The new dispensation calls for cities to attract investment to uplift the lives of residents, but those with funds shy away once they realise the chaotic situations in such areas. Herald So what then happens, you come as human rights lawyer, saying violation of the rights of the child and the parent are now holding lobola and damages, and the problem you have is that, you sound irrelevant, was it rape or not? The fact of Zimbabwe is that it was a coup. Six people died in a road accident that occurred today along Mvurwi-Guruve road with five of them having been burnt beyond recognition while one died upon arrival at Guruve Hospital. The commuter omnibus veered off the road hitting a tree before it went up in flames. The commuter omnibus was travelling from Chitsungo to Harare with 11 passengers. Some of the injured were ferried to Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare. Zimbabwe Republic Police Mashonaland Central Province acting spokesperson Assistant Inspector Petros Masikati alleged that the accident might have been caused by fatigue though investigations are ongoing. When this news crew arrived at the scene, villagers were assisting police details and officials from Vehicle Inspection Department to take out the remains of the deceased. Mashonaland Central Provincial Affairs Minister Advocate Martin Dinha who also arrived at the scene highlighted the need of a comprehensive insurance policy which caters for the injured and deceased in such unfortunate incidents. Besides carrying passengers the commuter omnibus was carrying fertilisers which might have contributed to the fire. She Died on Vacation in Mexico. From There, It Gets Murky The US has a single full-scale military base in all of Africa: It's in Djibouti, and we have more than a few neighbors there. Politico takes a look at the small country in the Horn of Africa (it's the size of New Hampshire) and the continually expanding military presence there. It hosts more foreign bases than anywhere else in world, a fact Politico attributes to its strategic location at the mouth of the Red Sea, where it sees "a large percentage of the trade and energy flows between Europe and Asia." France set up shop there first; Italy and Britain have a presence, per the New York Times; China and Japan have but one foreign base each, and it's there. Saudi Arabia is coming, and there are whispers that Turkey, Russia, and India could, too. If we get to that point, Bruno Macaes writes that every big global power will have a presence there, and that raises some big questions for him. Here's one: What happens if two major playerssay, China and Indiago to war, and just happen to have bases near one another? Here's another: Would a country ever decide to avoid full-scale war but launch an attack on a rival's Djibouti base? As a member of Djibouti's intelligence service tells Macaes, "World War III will start here." Quartz also floats the idea that the situation could imperil Djibouti itself. It has increasingly welcomed foreign militaries under current President Ismael Omar Guelleh, who flung open the country's doors post-9/11 in exchange for hefty fees (the US pays $63 million a year). But the head of a think tank that's focused on the region warns that "the Horn of Africa and the Middle East are currently rough neighborhoods, and Djibouti may find itself making enemies, not through any action of its own, but as a consequence of the actions of its military guests." (Read more Djibouti stories.) She's referred to as "the Black Widow of the Riviera" (not to be confused with the Black Widow of Japan), and now she has a prison sentence to go with that title. Patricia Dagorn was sentenced this week to 22 years for murdering two men and poisoning two more. The victims ranged in age from 60s to 91, and were said to be some of the at least 20 elderly men the 57-year-old met between 2011 and 2012 through a dating agency, online ads, and even on the street, reports the Guardian. The BBC explains that Dagorn had previously been handed a five-year sentence for fraud and theft, and in the wake of that trial, French authorities decided to take a second look at Michel Kneffel's July 2011 death; Dagorn had lived with him in Nice, and police reportedly discovered Valium and the financial and medical info of a number of men among her things. What they uncovered led them to look at Francesco Filippone, an 85-year-old whose decomposed body was found in his tub in February 2011. Ange Pisciotta, 82, and Robert Vaux, 91, had dalliances with Dagorn but survived, with Vaux describing the much younger woman as "like a ray of sunshine in winter." Though after she began to live with him in 2012, his health took a major turn; Dagorn had allegedly drugged him with Valium. Prosecutors painted her as a serial poisoner who covertly used drugs to weaken her marks and then, per the AFP, get the men to give her money (she cashed a $25,000 check from Filippone) or put her in their wills. Dagorn denied the charges against her, and said at trial, "I won't say that [what she felt toward the men] was love, but it was deep friendship." (Japan's black widow received a much more severe sentence.) The dig for King Tut's wife is officially on. Last July, archaeologist Zahi Hawass announced his team had located a possible tomb 16 feet underground in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. Due to its location in the Valley of the Monkeys near the tomb of Ay, the pharaoh who succeeded Tutankhamun, Hawass and his team believe it may be the resting place of Tut's wife Ankhesenamun, Live Science reports. And this month Hawass finally started the excavationfunded by the Discovery Channelto find out if that's indeed the case, according to an announcement on his website. Ankhesenamun was Tut's teenage bride and half-sister, International Business Times reports. Shortly after Tut's death in 1323BC, Ankhesenamun married Ay. But their marriage marks her last appearance in historical records. She's also absent from Ay's tomb, where another wife's name appears. It's unknown when or how she died, though Yahoo News reports it's possible she was also briefly married to her own father and grandfather prior to her death. The discovery of Ankhesenamun's tomb could answer many of the questions surrounding the wife of arguably the most famous pharaoh in ancient Egyptian history. (Read more Tutankhamun stories.) It was one of the more infamous (and weird) neighborhood scraps, and now there's a federal felony charge attached. The Courier Journal reports Rand Paul's neighbor was on Friday charged in connection with the Nov. 3 attack on the senator that occurred as Paul was mowing his Bowling Green, Kentucky, lawn. Prosecutors said in a statement that Rene Boucher, 58, has signed a plea agreement, though he denied that politics played any role in the incident. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and the Washington Post reports prosecutors are recommending 21 months. In court documents, prosecutors argue Boucher observed Paul stacking brush into a pile close to Boucher's property, decided he "had enough," and ran into the senator in what prosecutors called a "running tackle." NBC News characterized it as a "sneak attack" in that Paul was pummeled from behind and had headphones on at the time; he suffered multiple fractured ribs. Josh Minkler, US Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, had this to say: "Assaulting a member of Congress is an offense we take very seriously. Those who choose to commit such an act will be held accountable." (Read more Rand Paul stories.) "I am going against normal protocols," said Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo Friday in his first public comments in two months on the Oct. 1 massacre in his city. They came as police released an 81-page preliminary investigative report along with photos of the scenean atypical move that Lombardo said he hoped would "quell the zest for information." The New York Times reports that the investigation thus far has concluded Stephen Paddock was the lone gunman, but Lombardo did refer to a second personunnamed, but not girlfriend Marilou Danley, who will not be chargedwho will likely be charged within the coming months for an unspecified crime. The report shares no conclusive motive, reports CNN. As Lombardo put it, "This report is not going to answer every question or even answer the biggest question, as to why he did what he did," though Lombardo did acknowledge that the "significant amount of wealth" Paddock recently lost could have played a role. Danley described Paddock as changing during the last year of his life: becoming a germaphobe who was sensitive to smell and no longer intimate with her. She described a September trip to the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, where Paddock ultimately attacked from, saying he repeatedly stared out the windows from various angles. A thorough computer search turned up not just child porn but also a search history that in May started looking up big summer concerts. Subsequent search terms, per the Times and Los Angeles Times, included "Las Vegas high rise condos rent," "do police use explosives," and "How crowded does Santa Monica Beach get?" (Read more Las Vegas shooting stories.) For a sushi-loving California man, there was good news and bad news. The good news: That pale string dangling out of his butt wasn't his intestines. It was, however, a very long worm. This particularly disgusting cautionary tale comes from a Jan. 8 episode of the medical podcast This Won't Hurt a Bit. NPR (which has pictures) reports Dr. Kenny Banh was working the emergency room of Fresno's Community Regional Medical Center a few months ago when a man came in complaining of bloody diarrhea and asking to be treated for worms. Banh, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, is typically skeptical of people who claim to have a tapeworm. But in this case, the man had the receipt, as it were. He handed Banh a grocery bag containing a toilet paper roll around which was wrapped a "giant" tapeworm. Banh says the worm started coming out of the man while he was sitting on the toilet, and he originally thought his "guts are coming out." "He doesn't get it until he pulls it out, and then it wiggles," KGO quotes Banh as saying. Banh says the worm had likely been growing inside the man for at least half a year. When he unrolled it on the floor of the emergency room lobby it measured 5 feet 6 inches long. The man's love of salmon sashimi is the likely source of the tapeworm, known as a helminth. "I eat raw salmon almost every day," Banh says the man confessed. Last year, the CDC released a study regarding Japanese broad tapeworms found in certain Alaskan salmon, creating a risk for people who eat raw or under-cooked salmon. Banh says the man swore off sashimi following treatment. (Read more worms stories.) The Chinese government on Saturday accused the US of trespassing in its territorial waters when a US guided missile destroyer sailed near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, the AP reports. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said China would take "necessary measures" to protect its sovereignty after the USS Hopper sailed within 12 nautical miles of Scarborough Shoal on Wednesday evening without China's permission. Scarborough is a tiny, uninhabited reef that China seized from the Philippines in 2012. Known in Chinese as Huangyan Island, it lies about 120 miles west of the main Philippine island of Luzon, and about 370 miles southeast of China. Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said a Chinese missile frigate moved to identify and verify the US vessel and warned it to leave the area. "We hope that the US respects China's sovereignty, respects the efforts by regional countries, and do not make trouble out of nothing," Wu said in a statement. The South China Sea has crucial shipping lanes, rich fishing grounds, and potential oil, gas, and other mineral deposits. China claims virtually the entire South China Sea and has carried out extensive land reclamation work on many of the islands and reefs it claims. The US does not claim territory in the South China Sea but has declared it has a national interest in ensuring that the territorial disputes there are resolved peacefully in accordance with international law. The Navy regularly sails through the area to assert freedom of navigation. (Read more China stories.) The damage reportedly done by an alleged CIA mole could extend beyond China, where at least 20 CIA informants were arrested and executed between 2010 and 2012, current and former officials tell NBC News. China wiped out the CIA's spy network in that country after cracking the covert communications systemor "covcom"the CIA used to communicate with its informants. Sources say American officials now suspect China shared that information with Russia. One former official says Russians left a joint training session with China "saying we got good info on covcom." An unknown number of CIA informants in Russia have disappeared, and sources say American officials suspect Russia used the information from China to arrest and possibly execute American spies. Jerry Chun Shing Lee, a naturalized US citizen who left the CIA in 2007, was arrested last week. He's suspected of providing classified information to China and, in theory, being responsible for helping China crack the CIA's covcom. Authorities arrested Lee after luring him back to the US via a bogus job offer. The CIA has changed its communications methods since the destruction of its spy network in China. Read the full NBC report here. (Read more CIA stories.) An assistant police chief in Kentucky resigned after exchanging what a county attorney calls "highly disturbing racist and threatening Facebook messages" with a Louisville police recruit, the Courier-Journal reports. A letter from county attorney Mike O'Connell to Prospect Mayor John Evans detailing the contents of the messages, sent between assistant Prospect police chief Todd Shaw and and the unnamed recruit in 2016, were made public Friday by order of a judge. Regarding "the right thing to do" after catching juveniles smoking marijuana, Shaw allegedly told the recruit: "f--- the right thing. If black shoot them." As for the parents of the hypothetical youth: If mom is hot then f--- her. If dad is hot then handcuff him and make him suck my dick. Unless daddy is black. Then shoot him." Shaw served 20 years as a Louisville police officer prior to his Prospect gig. In the messages, Shaw allegedly called Martin Luther King Jr. "a raciast womanizer" and said of housing projects: "For years I have seen the blacks live off uss and putting them in one big housing area breeds HUGE peoblems," WDRB reports. The messages were discovered last August by prosecutors investigating Shaw for allegedly illegally helping an officer charged with sexually abusing teens enrolled in a police program, prompting the letter from O'Connell to Evans. Shaw was suspended following the letter and resigned in November during an investigation into the messages. An attorney for Shaw says his client was just "playing" and blames "today's culture where police are demonized and demoralized." The unnamed recruit allegedly sent racist responses to Shaw and apparently resigned while going through training, according to WLKY. (Read more racism stories.) President Trump tweeted that it was a "perfect day" for women to march to celebrate the "economic success and wealth creation" that's happened during his first year in office, the AP reports. But people participating in rallies and marches in the US and around the world Saturday denounced Trump's views on immigration, abortion, LGBT rights, women's rights, and more. The march in Washington DC had the feel of a political rally when US Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and US Rep. Nancy Pelosi urged women to run for office and vote to oppose Trump and the Republicans' agenda. "We march, we run, we vote, we win," Pelosi said. Thousands of people turned out for the rally at the Lincoln Memorial and a march from the National Mall to Lafayette Park. Thousands of others gathered in Cleveland; Richmond, Virginia; Philadelphia; New York; Austin, Texas; and elsewhere. "I think right now with the #MeToo movement, it's even more important to stand for our rights," said Karen Tordivo, who marched in Cleveland. In Palm Beach, home to Trump's Mar-a-Lago, several hundred people gathered carrying anti-Trump signs as they prepared to march. In Chicago, thousands of people gathered in Grant Park. Fawzia Mirza drew cheers from the crowd as she kicked off the event with a reference to the partial government shutdown, which began hours earlier. "When the government shuts down, women still march," she said. Across the globe, people hit the streets on the anniversary of Trump's inauguration, marching against his policies and in support of the #MeToo movement. (Read more Women's March stories.) Sorry! This content is not available in your region The way Montana funds its fight against aquatic invasive species appears poised for change when legislators meet for their next session in 2019. Members of the legislative interim committee, the Environmental Quality Council, met in Helena this week with AIS funding a topic of much discussion. The current funding bill passed late last session after multiple amendments that drew the ire of many, including the sponsor Sen. Chas Vincent, R-Libby. I carried the bill because all the other (funding) vehicles were dead, he told the EQC, which he chairs, on Thursday, adding that the bill may have been the most substantively amended bill he could recall actually passing into law. He later characterized the legislation as an awful root canal but necessary in light of the need to address a potential mussel infestation. Mussel larvae were detected at Tiber in 2016, and suspected larvae were discovered at Canyon Ferry. Once established, mussels clog hydropower, irrigation and water treatment infrastructure. They also filter plankton which sends ripples through the ecosystem impacting fish and other aquatic life. There is no known means of eradicating mussels once established. The best current measures, experts say, are to prevent their spread through inspection and education. Although some DNA testing came back inconclusive for Tiber last year, no positives came back through standard testing. Senate Bill 363 generates $11 million through next year to bolster Montanas AIS prevention and detection program. The bolstered program last year intercepted more than 15 boats transporting aquatic mussels into Montana and game wardens issued more than 80 citations for failing to stop at mandatory check stations. After several bills last session died, Vincent brought the bill that proposed decals for motorized boats, and fees on hydropower and irrigation. But hydropower became a sticking point and electric cooperatives were later added. Concerns about triple hitting boat owners who happen to also be irrigators and electric customers led to further amendments, eventually scrapping boat decals for increased fishing fees and eliminating charges to irrigators. SB363 sunsets by next session, meaning lawmakers must decide first whether to continue funding the program and how it will be funded. The EQC began those very preliminary discussions this week, with Vincent noting his hope that the council will provide the next legislature a consensus bill. The fishing industry remains concerned about escalating fees, particularly on nonresidents that see up to $50 in additional cost for a license. Representatives of hydropower and co-ops testified to the EQC about the burden to customers, arguing that because everyone would be impacted in some way by mussels if they proliferate in the state, Montana should fund the program through its general fund. Montana is the only state to fund its AIS program through hydroelectric fees. While Vincent and others characterized hydropower fees as backdoor general fund as the vast majority essentially paid through their power bills, the committee seems interested in exploring other funding mechanisms, such as a fee for an AIS boat decal. Boat decals initially came into favor as the mussels were likely introduced attached uncleaned watercraft. Former lawmaker John Brenden of Scobey said he agrees with a pay to play model of boat decals, but emphasized that it likely will not be the only funding source. I agree some of the people that are hard users of our system should pay, but on the other hand, its going to take a combination of funding because I dont think a lot of people understand if we get these in Montana it is going to cost you personally, he said. EQC plans to continue studying a potential funding bill through the interim. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. New Delhi: Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover continued with its launching spree by unveling its latest SUV model Range Rover Velar in India, priced between Rs 78.83 lakhand Rs 1.38 crore (ex-showroom Delhi). The company said it will start deliveries of the vehicle to customers from dealerships within a week to ten days. "We have had a tremendous response to the Range Rover Velar and we are sold out till March," Jaguar Land Rover India President & MD Rohit Suri told media agencies . JLR India had opened the bookings for the Range Rover Velar in December last year. The model will be sold in India as fully imported unit. The new model is available in three engine options of 2- litre petrol, 2-litre diesel and 3-litre diesel. The 2-litre engine variant in both petrol and diesel options are priced between Rs 78.83 lakh and Rs 91.86 lakh, while the 3-litre diesel variant is tagged at a price ranging from Rs 1.1-1.38 crore (all prices ex-showroom Delhi). The Range Rover Velar is positioned between the Range Rover Evoque and Range Rover Sport. It is equipped with features such as torque-on-demand all-wheel-drive (AWD) system for all-terrain performance and agility. Jaguar Land Rover India had posted 49 per cent increase in total sales at 3,954 units in 2017 as against 2,653 units in 2016. "Last year our business grew exponentially. This is a reflection of more and more JLR products becoming popular in India," Suri said. JLR's SUV portfolio in India includes Discovery Sport (starting price Rs 42 lakh), Range Rover Evoque (Rs 44.44 lakh), Discovery (Rs 71.38 lakh), Range Rover Sport (Rs 93.82 lakh) and Range Rover (Rs 1.66 crore). Bengaluru: A woman of Nigerian origin has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a Bengaluru policeman. Anand, a constable attached to the KG Halli Police Station was allegedly slapped by the woman. The incident reportedly took place three days ago. Currently, the woman whose identity has not been revealed is being questioned after being arrested by the KG Halli police. If the bystanders are to be believed, the woman was apparently in an inebriated state and had been loitering in the area which prompted the cop on duty to stop and question which turned her violent. New Delhi: Supporters of Karni Sena set afire a ticket counter in CTC Mall of Sector 10 Faridabad and raised slogans in support of Karni Sena. The video, which has been uploaded on social media shows two masked men walking towards the ticket counter and throwing a petrol bomb like object. The incident occurred on Thursday night around 10 pm. Two fire tenders were rushed to the spot and a case has been registered. On Thursday itself, dozens of activists of Karni Sena vandalised a cinema hall and went on a rampage in Bihars Muzaffarpur district soon after the Supreme Court suspended the ban on the movie imposed by four states including Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh. Karni Sena leader Lokendra Singh has asked Hindu organisations across the country to ensure the movie is not shown in cinema halls. New Delhi: A major fire broke out at Savita Sizing Company in Babla compound, Bhiwandi area in Thane late night on Friday. According to the locals, the fire started due to a short circuit. At the time when the fire broke out 5 workers of the company were sleeping inside but managed to come out safely. Fire brigade reached the spot immediately and brought the fire under control. The fire has been doused and there are no reports of any injuries or casualties. Earlier, a massive fire broke out in the Navrang Studio inside Todi Mill Compound at Lower Parel in Central Mumbai on Friday midnight. The fourth floor of the building was gutted by flames. The incident took place at around 1 am at the studio. Navrang studio, situated on the Senapati Bapat Marg, was shut down years ago, the official added. In December last year, at least 14 people were killed and many injured after a major fire broke out in a building in Kamala Mills Compound in Lower Parel in Mumbai. New Delhi: The date sheet for Haryana Class 10 and Class 12 board examinations has been released by the Board of School Education Haryana (BSEH) on Friday. The board has made the date sheet available at bseh.org.in. BSEH will start the examination process from March 7 and end on April 3. The examinations for both the classes is scheduled to take place between 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm. For the first time BSEH will conduct the examination in one shift for both Class 10 and 12, according to the board's chairperson Jagbir Singh. Students must note that the exams for both the Classes will start with the English paper. According to reports, around 819,000 lakh candidates are expected to be appeared in the examinations. While 380,000 will sit in Class 10 exams, 240,000 will appear for Class 12. The rests 200,000 are open school candidates. Moreover, necessary arrangements have been made to prevent students from cheating or wrong deeds, Jagbir Singh added. He has also advised students to work hard for the papers. BSEH has tried to ensure that there is a day's gap between every two exams for candidates of all streams. Also Read: ISC Class 12, ICSE Class 10 exams dates released at cisce.org, check here to download Last year the Haryana Board of School Education had declared the class 12 examinations results on May 18. In 2017, students in rural areas performed better than urban areas, while the government schools beat the private schools with some of their remarkable results. On the other hand, BSEH had announced the Class 10 results 2017 on May 22. In 2017, as many as 3,88,205 students appeared for the HBSE Class 10th examination, which was held on March 7 across 1618 centres. Out of the total number of students who gave the exam, 1,43,676 were girls and the rest 1,75,166 were boys. New Delhi: After the phenomenal success of his last release Baahubali: The Conclusion, Prabhas has been one of the most sought-after actor in the industry. Indeed, every actress is looking forward to work with Prabhas. However, it is one of the Bigg Boss 11 contestants who has been reportedly been roped in for Prabhas' next project, We are talking about Arshi Khan who was one of the most entertaining contestants of Bigg Boss 11. According to the media reports, post her stint in Bigg Boss 11, Arshi has signed her first movie which stars Prabhas in the lead. The lady made the announcement on micro-blogging site Twitter and wrote, "#ArshiKhan signed on for a big film project also starring Prabhas. Thank you @BeingSalmanKhan @ColorsTV @EndemolShineIND @BiggBoss. Special thanks to #NevadaPutman." Interestingly, post her eviction from BB11, Arshi had even expressed her desire to work in movies and also stated that she is interested in South movies. On the other hand, there have been reports that the former BB11 contestant was also approached for the next season of Rohit Shetty's Khatron Ke Khiladi. Also Read | I told Salman Khan to make Shilpa Shinde Bigg Boss 11 winner, claims Swami Om As per a report published in India TV, when quizzed about this, Arshi's manager replied, "your guess is as good as mine". Talking about Arshi Khan's stint on Bigg Boss 11, the lady managed to be the talk of the town for her bold and controversial statements on the show. Besides her sweet-sour relationship with Hiten Tejwani too added brownie points to her relationship. So after an entertaining journey on BB11, indeed the 'avaam' is eager to see Arshi Khan on the big screen. "My visit to Peru has as its theme: United by Hope. If I may say so, seeing this land is itself a reason for hope," the Pope said ahead of his meeting with President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski at the Government Palace. "Peru is a land of hope that invites and challenges its people to unity. These people have the duty to maintain unity, among other things, precisely to defend all these reasons for hope," he pointed out. The Holy Father referred to the Amazon as one of the reasons that make Peru a land of hope. "It is overall the largest tropical forest and the most extensive river system on the planet," the Supreme Pontiff said. "This lung, as it has been called, is one of the world's regions of great biodiversity, as it is home to a vast variety of species," he added. Variety of cultures Likewise, the Pontiff underlined Peru's wealth and variety of cultures, which increasingly intermingle and which make up the soul of these people. "It is a soul characterized by ancestral values such as hospitality, esteem for others, respect and gratitude for mother earth and creativity for new initiatives []," he expressed. On the other hand, Francis emphasized that young people are the most vital gift that this society possesses. "With their dynamism and enthusiasm, they promise, and encourage us to dream of, a hope-filled future, born of the meeting between your lofty ancestral wisdom and the new eyes that youth offers," he added. The welcome ceremony featured the Manchay Orchestra, whose members played songs with religious content. The event saw the presence of politicians including former presidential candidates Keiko Fujimori and Lourdes Flores Nano lawmakers, and ministers, among others. Also attending was Peruvian national team's top striker and captain Paolo Guerrero. (END) CCR/RMB/MVB Pope Francis said Peru is a "land of hope" and believes its people have the duty to maintain unity to defend the reasons for cherishing such hope.Publicado: 19/1/2018 Glacier, Yellowstone and other national parks plan to remain open despite the federal government shutdown Saturday We have been told all the parks do plan to stay open and function as usual, Gov. Steve Bullocks spokeswoman Marissa Perry said Friday morning. We expect more guidance later this afternoon. And were preparing for that 50-50 chance or whatever it is of a full shutdown. The federal government ran out of money at midnight Friday after Congress failed to resolve either a short-term or full budget agreement before that deadline. When a similar budget debate collapsed in 2013, the National Park Service gated or barricaded all its parks, historic sites and even public spaces like the World War II memorial in Washington, D.C., for 17 days. Another shutdown in 1995 lasted 21 days. Xanterra Parks and Resorts operates the lodging and visitor services in both Glacier and Yellowstone national parks. A message on its website Friday stated that it had also received word from the U.S. National Park Service that the gates and roads into the national parks will remain open if there is a partial government shutdown. This means that Xanterras lodges, restaurants, retails, concessions and services will be open for business as usual and welcoming guests and visitors from around the world. The House of Representatives passed a short-term budget agreement on Thursday evening. However, the Senate requires at least 60 votes to approve a companion measure, and the majority Republicans have only 51 in that chamber. Senate Democrats, including Montanas Sen. Jon Tester, had vowed to oppose a short-term continuing resolution unless compromise could be reached on immigration, childrens health insurance and other long-simmering issues. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke oversees the National Park Service. "We fully expect the government to remain open," Zinke spokeswoman Heather Swift wrote on Friday morning. She added the agency was prioritizing "access to the most accessible and most iconic areas of parks and public lands. Each park, monument, recreation area, etc will have different plans in place." However, she wrote in an email, "in the event of a shutdown, National Parks and other public lands will remain as accessible as possible while still following all applicable laws and procedures." "The American public and especially our veterans who come to our nation's capital should find war memorials and open air parks open to the public. Additionally many of our National Parks, refuges and other public lands will still try to allow limited access wherever possible. For example, this means that roads that have already been open should remain open (think snow removal) and vaulted toilets (wilderness type restrooms) should remain open, however services that require staffing and maintenance such as campgrounds, full service restrooms, and concessions that require some Park staff or assistance will not be operating. "Other areas such as culturally sensitive areas or backcountry areas that present a risk to visitors may also have restricted access," Swift wrote. Mumbai : Since the release of Baahubali, actor Prabhas has been receiving huge number of marriage proposal from across the nation. There were rumours of him getting married soon were also making rounds last year. Now, Prabhass uncle Krishnam Raju has confirmed the news that the Baahubali star will get hitched this year. He said, "It is embarrassing a bit to answer this question in every interview. Prabhas will get married this year. He is willing to. However, Prabhas has been linked to be in relationship with Baahubali co-star Anushka Shetty in the past. He even gifted the actress a luxury car on her birthday and made several public appearances with her. On the occasion of his birthday, actor Raju was addressing the media where he revealed the news. He also applauded the Baahubali series and said that the movie has become an inspiration for the filmmakers across the country. On the work front, Prabhas is currently busy shooting for action thriller flick Saaho. The movie will also feature Shraddha Kapoor in lead roles and will be released in several languages including Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Gaya (Bihar): Two bombs were found from the Bodh Gaya pilgrimage centre near here on Friday night following a small explosion-like sound amid stringent security measures in view of the Dalai Lama's stay, a top police official said. The bombs were found from the vicinity of the Kalachakra ground during an intensive combing operation by a police team led by DIG (Patna Range) Vinay Kumar, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Patna Zone, N H Khan said. The Tibetan spiritual leader has been holding discourses at the ground, he said. The IGP said that the operations were carried out after a small explosion took place at a kitchen set up at the Kaalchintan ground, causing panic among the devotees who had gathered to hear the Dalai Lama's discourse. The explosion had taken place shortly after the Dalai Lama had completed his discourse and retired for the day at the Tibetan monastery, he said. During the operations, a burst thermos flask was found at the kitchen. This might have caused the sound, the IGP said.Meanwhile, a team of forensic experts was dispatched to the site of the incident from Patna to ascertain the nature of the explosives found, he said. The Tibetan spiritual leader had arrived in Bodh Gaya on January 1 and he is likely to stay there for a month. A host of VIPs, including Bihar Governor Satya Pal Malik Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Hollywood actor Richard Gere have visited Bodh Gaya recently to receive blessings from the Buddhist monk. Significantly, in 2013, the Maha Bodhi temple, situated on the spot where Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment, was rocked by a series of explosions in which five people, including two monks were injured. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Patna: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Friday held administration and intelligence agencies responsible to prevent stoning incident on Chief Minister's cavalcade few days back and said the CM should undertake "paschatap yatra" (penitence) instead of "Vikash Samiksha Yatra". "RJD's fact finding team found both the administration and intelligence agencies responsible for the incident (stone pelting incident on CM's convoy)...Had the CM heard people's grievances, such an incident would not have occurred...It was the administration which resorted to lathicharge on the people who wanted to meet the CM," Mr Tejashwi told reporters. Notably, on January 12 last, the CM's convoy was pelted with stones during his tour of Nandan village in Dumraon block as part of his state-wide Vikas Samiksha Yatra. Five FIRs have been registered in connection with the incident against 99 named persons and 500-700 unnamed ones, Buxar Superintendent of Police Rakesh Kumar had said adding that at least 28 persons, including 10 women, have so far been arrested in connection with the incident. "I don't think that there is any district left where the Chief Minister's ongoing yatra is not marked by protest. In Begusarai, police had to resort to firing in the open. People especially women- ANM, Anganwaid se vikas, contractual women teachers- are protesting everywhere. The CM should dwell deep about reasons for protest and undertake 'paschatap yatra' instead of 'Vikas Samiksha Yatra'," Yadav said. Mr Yadav, Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly, was accompanied by party's state unit chief Ramchandra Purbe, former minister Shiv Chandra Ram who led the party's team that visited Nandan village and submitted its report to Mr Tejashwi. Even pregnant women were arrested besides handicapped persons were beaten apart from police naming those in the FIRs who live in foreign countries, the RJD leader said while announcing that the party would launch movement untill the names of innocent people named in the FIR are withdrawan. Stating that he would visit tomorrow Nandan village to meet the people there, Tejashwi said that he has sought time from Governor's office for a meeting on January 23 to apprise him of the incident, apart from prevailing law and order situation, corruption cases etc. In reply to a query, he said that this (incident) was not a pre-planned incident rather it was spontaneous incident "which was nothing but a sheer outburst of people's anger." He termed as "ridiculous" dragging his name into the incident by JD(U) spokespersons and dared to "put me behind the bar if I was behind the incident." For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Spurred by the news of Election Commission's recommendation for disqualification of 20 ruling AAP MLAs in the office of profit case, the Delhi Congress on Friday got down to planning for possible bypolls in the affected constituencies, party sources said. A meeting attended by Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken and AICC incharge of the state unit PC Chacko, the party functionaries discussed the emerging scenario and possible elections in the 20 Assembly segments. "The discussions centred around the disqualification of 20 MLAs and bypolls in the affected constituencies. It was decided to hold conventions in all the 20 constituencies in coming days," said a senior party leader who attended the meeting. The Delhi Congress will also hold a demonstration against the Kejriwal government on the issue of "corruption" on Tuesday, he said. Chacko suggested focusing on booths in the 20 constituencies and strengthen party organisation at booth- level, he said. Besides Maken and Chacko, senior party leaders including Sajjan Kumar, Mahabal Mishra, and former MLAs attended the meeting. In its opinion sent to President Ram Nath Kovind this morning, the Election Commission said the 20 AAP MLAs, by occupying the post of parliamentary secretaries between March 13, 2015 and September 8, 2016, held office of profit, and were liable to be disqualified as legislators, highly-placed sources said. Once the President accepts the EC's opinion, the MLAs stand disqualified and by-elections will have to be held for the 20 Assembly seats. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Jammu: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Friday strongly batted for talks between the national security advisors of India and Pakistan to end ceasefire violations. He was reacting to the ceasefire violations by Pakistan along International Border in Jammu in which five people, including three civilians and two BSF personnel, were killed and 28 others injured in the past two days. "I hope that our NSA (Ajit Doval) can pick up the phone and talk to his counterpart (retired Lt Gen. Nasser Khan Janjua) in Pakistan to put an end to ceasefire violations," he told reporters here. "The ceasefire must hold. The shelling and violence on the International Border and the Line of Control must end, and then hopefully India and Pakistan can take step towards normalising, what is otherwise an abnormal relationship," he said. Omar also took a dig on the "secret talks" between the NSAs of India and Pakistan in Thailand in view of the ceasefire violations. "We are told that our NSA had secret talks with the NSA of Pakistan in Bangkok. What are those talks about, if we cannot even maintain a ceasefire on the border. What are we talking about.A Ultimately talks have to be about something," he said. "There is a regular breakdown of ceasefire. This is something that Delhi and Islamabad need to sort out," he said. The National Conference has always maintained that violence is not the solution to the problems of Jammu and Kashmir and the two countries need to talk each other, he said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: Pakistan has a twisted mindset, Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir on Friday said, and asserted India will respond with 10 bullets for every bullet fired by the neighbouring country. "Sending terrorists into India, violating ceasefire has become their (Pakistan's) nature. They have a twisted mindset. Be it our home ministry, defence ministry or the Jammu and Kashmir police, everybody has to keep co-ordinating and give reply to Pakistan's misadventures," Ahir said, speaking to reporters in Yavatmal, Maharashtra. "The home minister has said we should not fire the first bullet. But if one bullet is fired from their side, we should respond with 10," he said. Two civilians and a BSF jawan were today killed and 23 others, including 2 BSF men, were injured in a heavy mortar shelling by Pakistan along the International Border in three districts of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: A new application, Empzilla, which connects you directly to the recruiters, was launched on Saturday in Delhi. The app was launched by BJPs National General Secretary Arun Singh at the Siri Fort auditorium. The application offers a platform to the users which eases the process of recruitment or employment in a conveniently habituated method of Global Chat. The application, which is now available on Google Play Store, connects lets the user first search for a job and then apply for the job. If the recruiter finds the users resume well enough for the post, they can directly chat on through the app without even the struggle of meeting. The formal interview can also be conducted through the app, which makes it easy for both the recruiter and the employee as it will save the travelling time and expenses as well as a clear answer will be given to the employee timely. Arun Singh took to Twitter to inform the people about the launch of the app. Inaugurating the launch of Empzilla App connecting Youth & Industry for employments in Siri Fort Auditorium. pic.twitter.com/LqTrCfEOJf Arun Singh (@ArunSinghbjp) January 20, 2018 Akash Attray, Chairman, Empzilla, said on the occassion of the launch, "We realized there were limitations in the way job seekers were communication with employers so far. To do away with those limitations, we are launching this mobile app which will revolutionize the way communications happens between job lookers and recruiters. This can easily be downloaded from Google Playstore and is free. It will also take the governments Digital India initiative forward." This initiative takes the Modi government's 'Digital India' platform to a new level. Also Read: WhatsApp for Business, app launched for SMEs, available on Android BJP's Arun Singh said, "We are excited that Digital India inspiring people to come out with new offerings that not only seek to solve some of the existing problems but also saves costs. I am sure Empzilla app will become popular in no time as it obviates some of the current problems relating to communication between recruiters and job seekers. With deeper internet penetration, Mobile Apps are increasingly being used by people even in smaller cities." Other dignitaries who were present at the launch included Priyanka Rawat, MP, Sanjay Goel, President, ONGC, Sameer Anja, among a few. Senior officials from Hindustan Power Ltd, Oracle, Apollo Hospital, Tech Mahindra, HDFC Bank and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare were also present on the occasion. Beijing: China on Saturday accused the US of trespassing its territorial waters and warned taking "necessary measures" to firmly safeguard its sovereignty after an American missile destroyer sailed close to a shoal in the disputed South China Sea to assert freedom of navigation. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the naval ship USS Hopper sailed within 12 nautical miles of Huangyan Dao on January 17 without Chinas permission. Huangyan Dao is also known as Scarborough Shoal, the ring of reefs which lies about 230 kilometres from the Philippines in the South China Sea (SCS), where Beijings claims are hotly contested by other nations. "The naval ship USS Hopper sailed within 12 nautical miles off Huangyan Dao, widely known Scarborough Shoal on January 17 without gaining permission from the Chinese government," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said in a statement. He said the Chinese Navy carried out identification and verification procedures in accordance with law and asked the US vessel to leave. "What the US vessel did violated Chinas sovereignty and security interests, put the safety of Chinese vessels and personnel who were in the relevant waters for official duties under grave threat, and contravened the basic norms for international relations," Lu said. "China is strongly dissatisfied with that and will take necessary measures to firmly safeguard its sovereignty," he added. China, which has been reinforcing its hold on the disputed SCS with military installations in the shoals and reclaimed islands, claims sovereignty over almost all of it. Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims over SCS. In a bid to question Chinas claims over the area, the US has been pressing naval ships and air force planes frequently to pass through the area, through which trillions of dollars of international trade takes place to assert freedom of navigation. Lu, in the statement, said "China has indisputable sovereignty over Huangyan Dao and the adjacent waters". "China always respects and safeguards the freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea all countries are entitled to under the international law. But we firmly oppose any country using navigation and overflight freedom as an excuse to hurt Chinas sovereignty and security interests," he said. "We strongly urge the US side to immediately correct its mistake and stop making such provocative moves so as to avoid undermining China-US relations and regional peace and stability," he said. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. United Nations: India has urged the UN Security Council to focus on eliminating terrorist safe havens in Pakistan and accused Islamabad of differentiating between good and bad terrorists. "There is a common Afghan saying that roughly translates as "If water is muddied downstream, don't waste your time filtering it; better to go upstream to clean it," Indian Ambassador to the UN, Syed Akbaruddin told the UN Security Council during a special ministerial meeting on Afghanistan. "As such, support for voices of peace in Afghanistan alone is not enough. We must focus on addressing the challenges posed by cross border terrorism emanating from safe havens and sanctuaries to our region and especially to Afghanistan," Akbaruddin said. "If we do so, the decay, which has been inflicted on Afghanistan, can be made reversible," he added. It is India's vision that Afghanistan regain its place and New Delhi remain committed to work closely with its regional and international partners to bring peace, security, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan. Also Read: UN hails India, China for fighting climate change "It is with this in mind that our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Afghanistan on December 24, 2015 to inaugurate the Parliament building, stopped over in Lahore, Pakistan," he said. "Unfortunately, these visits were followed by a heinous and barbaric terrorist attack on the Pathankot airbase on January 1, 2016, perpetrated and planned by the very same mindsets which attack the spirit of Afghanistan every day," he added. "These mind sets differentiate between good and bad terrorists. These mindsets refuse to see reason in peace. They are mindsets that are reluctant to join hands in moving the region forward to build a shared future for our people and our youth. These mindsets, Mr. President, need to change," Akbaruddin said. Also Read | NN Exclusive: Musharraf praises PM Modi, says India progressing under his leadership For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Washington: Joining the Free Karachi campaign launched by Muhajirs in the US against human rights violations in Pakistans largest city, an influential American lawmaker has sought the Trump administrations intervention in stopping oppression and rights abuses against the Muhajirs in Karachi. President Trumps decision to suspend aid to Pakistan is a clear choice for its leadership on being an ally to the United States, commitment to dismantle terrorist networks and importantly stop oppression and human rights abuse on Muhajirs in Karachi, Baloch, Pashtuns and other minority communities through its military, paramilitary and intelligence assets, Congressman Tom Garrett said in a statement. The remarks of Garrett, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was published in a special supplement of The Washington Times daily as part of the Free Karachi campaign launched by Muhajir Americans. The supplement highlights the strategic importance of Karachi in South Asia and growing extremism under the alleged patronage of Pakistans powerful military and its even more powerful ISI intelligence agency. The supplement feature reports and articles on the persecution of Muhajirs in Karachi and the other urban centres in Sindh province of Pakistan. Starting this week, digital ads for Free Karachi are running on the website of the Washington Times urging the US administration and world community to save Muhajirs in Pakistan. Pakistan - where State kills its citizens. #FreeKarachi from the state atrocities of Pakistan, says the ad on the homepage of the newspaper. Earlier this week, the first phase of the Free Karachi campaign was launched in Washington. Taxis with banners of #FreeKarachi took part in the parade to raise awareness on the plight of Muhajirs in Pakistan. Pakistans Muhajirs are Urdu-speaking migrants from India. The Pakistan Embassy in Washington has complained to the US State Department against the campaign, alleging that it is anti-Pakistan. The State Department was not immediately available for comment. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. A 40-year-old Gallatin County man who had made threats to "shoot up the Capitol" was arrested Wednesday afternoon on his way to Helena. The Helena Police Department sent additional officers to the Capitol Wednesday morning, after the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office notified local authorities that the man was heading from Belgrade to Helena. The Montana Highway Patrol stopped the suspect's westbound vehicle at 12:15 p.m. near Highway 12 East and Spokane Creek Road. The suspect was taken into custody and transported to St. Peter's Health for a mental health evaluation. After his evaluation, the Gallatin County and Lewis and Clark County attorney's offices determined the man required transport to the Montana State Hospital at Warm Springs. The incident is currently under investigation. Imagine you are at a crime scene. A person has been murdered. A suspect is caught running away from the scene of the crime. Weapon found, motive established, relationship found between the victim and the suspect. As the prosecuting attorney you present your case outlining all the details. You present witnesses, forensic evidence and other pieces of evidence.Then imagine if the defense attorney announces that he wishes to introduce a new rule to control the trial. He declares that from now on, regardless of what evidence is presented, unless the defense team fesses up to the evidence and accusations, the evidence has no value. The defense attorney declares all evidence to be null and void unless the defense itself acknowledges their guilt and admits to the evidence.Now imagine if the judge agrees to these ridiculous rules despite your protest. The judge establishes the new rules for guiding the trial without considering any protests. All the work youve done to prove your case against the accused criminal now is subject to the defense admitting to it. Wouldnt this represent a dramatic shift in the advantage for this trial? All the cards are now comfortably in the hands of the defense. They need only to deny guilt and they are sure to win the case. How convenient huh?This may sound ridiculous, but according to those who believe government and mainstream media those who carry on obeying the control system and allowing TV to do the thinking for them according to these people, this illogical, unfair, complex and confusing process is a perfectly logical way of dispensing justice.Many Americans argue that evidence against government is a conspiracy theory believed by tin-foil lunatics who actually believe that the government is corrupt. We all know these brainwashed zombies would believe all revealed conspiracies if the government actually admitted to them and they saw it on TV, dont we?In this automated complex world we live in today, no amount of objective and clear-cut evidence is enough to break through the mass deception. Few are capable of truly thinking on their own and looking at the evidence completely independently of mass media mouthpieces and politician speeches. Without even realizing it many of these people are living in a complex and twisted world that plays perfectly into the hands of the controllers.Sadly, this is the reality we all live in. We are surrounded by a humanity that is largely in a complex dream state. With every day we look for ways to awaken others to the small subtle lies that have massive long-term effects on humanity. These small subtle lies distort the simplicity of life and complicate reality in a way that suits the globalist perfectly.One thing to remember about objective evidence is it always stands alone, and because of its self/explanatory nature there is a simplicity to it. The evidence is damning and it addresses the reality of what happened. Evidence itself, like truth, is always waiting to be discovered or realized. We as humans are the ones who create rules to deflect the reality and the perception of the evidence. Commonly, government will demonize the messenger to deflect from the fact that they have no defense against the presented objective evidence.The problem of information and disinformation we face today is analogous to a diseased body. The disease of stupidity and naivety is real, but as with medical diseases it can often be overcome with proper treatment that takes time and effort. During the healing process some cells will never heal so the body gets rid of them via the immune system. Other cells will be restored to normal. Ultimately you hope the healthy, properly functioning normal cells eventually win the battle of good versus bad cells. Likewise, in the battle for objective evidence and information we are in now, if the disinformation and lies (told by government) wins, humanity dies and is permanently enslaved. Thus it is important to continue pushing back with objectivity, truth, logic and reason in hopes that enough people will come around in due time.Unfortunately we live in a world where humans have been hard-wired to a signal box (TV) that airs messages controlled by a small group of people with a specific agenda that includes depopulation and control of the species. Our minds are thus trained to view government as somehow being a special entity with special powers immune to lying. A force whose intentions are benevolent, and one that carries the power of truth and justice. Of course, nothing can be further from the truth.Unfortunately, as technology has advanced over the last several decades, the control system has stepped ahead of humanity by offering it technology which it had already rigged for advanced control over the species. As was revealed by Edward Snowden, humanity was caught off guard and now faces an uphill battle fighting the nefarious intentions of the NSA and CIA, all the while the species enjoys the benefits of the latest technology which has been used to further pacify and distract humans.The good news is one large component of the inevitable human awakening involves becoming aware of how technology can be used to strike back at the control system. Humanity is now tasked with finding ways to use the technology to help humanity and make life harder for the control system.With every day we are beginning to imagine a world where humanity simply doesnt need government any more. A world where control of all resources is decentralized. A world where government surveillance is all but impossible due to advanced technology. A world where all human needs are possible for every person on earth because of technology. A world where war is not possible to sustain because of technology. A world where police corruption can be tackled in real-time with technology. Perhaps a program activated by we-the-people where the identity of the involved officer is broadcasted in real-time in a manner that will impact the officers social, personal and financial life or other creative ways. This technological threat alone may act as the new deterrent to police brutality. The possibilities are endless.So as humanity struggles with the issue of still assuming government is a trustworthy necessity for survival of the human race, the subtle issues of government corruption versus conspiracy theories remain disappointing indicators of how far we may still be from enjoying greater days as a whole.Simplicity of TruthUntil enough of humanity can awaken to the simplicity of our situation our progress will continue to move slow. The good news, again, is that nothing has changed from the perspective of how humanity changes. Throughout history societies and civilizations change their ways slowly. This slow social change is part of who we are, so lets keep the ball rolling in the direction of awareness and truth. Lets keep calm and play our cards smart.I firmly believe we are in a winning scenario despite the darkness and evil that surrounds us. There is no way to hide global tyranny and ongoing false flags to promote endless wars abroad and destruction of freedom at home in a technological world where everyone has the power of the Internet at their hands (literally). People today can confirm history on their own without believing politically motivated lies from the government-funded education system, mainstream media, Hollywood or other mouthpieces. More than ever the road to solutions is becoming clearer and clearer.In the end, those who are paying attention and looking for truth will see that the secret to humanity thriving is in keeping life simple. Simplicity is one of the great virtues of life. The control system relies on complexity to intimidate, confuse, and control the species. Eventually many will see the direct relationship between simplicity, clarity, happiness and fulfillment on the one hand and complexity, confusion, enslavement and misery on the other.http://www.wakingtimes.com/2015/03/02/how-small-lies-obscure-objective-truth-and-simplicity/ In our care PENDING NICHOLSON, Robert G., age 94, of Helena, passed away Jan. 11, 2018. Private services will be held. Bobs family would like to say Thank you to Legacy Assisted Living and their staff. Please visit www.aswfuneralhome.com to offer a condolence to the family or to share a memory of Robert. FRIDAY ATHEARN, Jesse R. Baldness, age 36, of Helena, passed away Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018. The family will receive friends from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. today, Jan. 19, at Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home, 3750 N. Montana Ave. Memorials in Baldness name are suggested to the Montana Hope Project P.O. Box 5927, Helena, MT 59604 or to the Montana State Veterans Cemetery, P.O. Box 5715, Helena, MT 59604. Please visit www.aswfuneralhome.com to offer a condolence to the family or to share a memory of Baldness. HEINLE, Timothy, age 69, of Helena, passed away Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2018. A memorial service celebrating Tims life will be held at 11 a.m., Jan. 19, at Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home, 3750 N. Montana Ave. A reception will follow the service in the social hall of the funeral home. Please visit www.aswfuneralhome.com to offer a condolence to the family or to share a memory of Tim. JOKI, Angela L., age 57, of Helena, passed away Jan. 10, 2018. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. today, Jan. 19, 2018, at St. Pauls United Methodist Church, 512 Logan St. Helena, MT 59601. A reception will follow at the Brondel Center in the basement of the Cathedral of St. Helena. Please visit www.aswfuneralhome.com to offer a condolence to the family or to share a memory of Angela. In lieu of flowers, please send memorials to the Joki Educational Fund set up at the Valley Bank of Helena. All court action for former members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult is to end, after the Supreme Court rejected an appeal by a man who took part in the 1995 deadly nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system. Katsuya Takahashi's life sentence is to be finalized following the court's decision. Takahashi was arrested after 17 years on the run. He was indicted for murder and other charges in 4 cases, including the subway attack that killed 13 people. He contested all the charges, but a district and a high court condemned him to a life sentence. His appeal was the last among 192 former members of Aum Shinrikyo who faced criminal charges. Cult leader Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, and 12 others have been sentenced to death. Matsumoto pleaded not guilty, and stopped speaking during his trial at district court, which sentenced him to death. The sentence was finalized when a high court terminated his challenge after his defense team failed to submit papers required for an appeal. None of the death-row inmates has been executed because they had to testify at the trials of other members. Now that all the court action is finished, attention is focused on when the sentences will be carried out. Jan 20 (ANNnewsCH) - aaeaaaaaaa4aaaaaaaaaacaaaaaYaaa cYcaaaeaeaaYeaSi59iaaaaeeaaSaSaeaacYaaaacasaaaaaaaSaaaYa Hyoe Inukai, a former Asahi Shimbun reporter who was severely wounded in a 1987 deadly shooting attack on a bureau of the major Japanese newspaper publisher, died on Tuesday, it was learned Friday. He was 73. Inukai passed away at a hospital in Kagawa Prefecture, western Japan. The cause of death is believed to have been sudden cardiac death. Inukai was at the Hanshin bureau in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, on the night of May 3, 1987, when a balaclava-wearing man attacked the bureau with a shotgun. A 29-year-old reporter, Tomohiro Kojiri, was killed in the incident. Inukai survived but was injured by more than 200 shotgun pellets, losing the third and fourth fingers of his right hand. A group calling itself "Sekihotai" (red revenge squad) claimed responsibility for the attack, which remained unsolved when the statute of limitations period for it expired in 2002. The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it has found what looks like fuel debris in the plant's No. 2 reactor. The nuclear accident occurred in March, 2011. Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, on Friday looked inside the containment vessel of the No. 2 reactor. TEPCO confirmed, for the first time, the existence of chunks that are believed to be a mixture of melted nuclear fuel and parts of bindings. There was no red carpet, no envelopes, and no happy winners. But the first fake-news awards did have one celebrity, who picked all the recipients and announced them himself on Wednesday. Or at least he tried to. President Donald Trump handed out what he modestly called the "Highly-Anticipated 2017 Fake News Awards" Wednesday night in an unceremonious ceremony held somewhere on the internet. Befitting the bitter and mocking tone of the occasion, the Republican National Committee website Trump linked to on Twitter to announce the awards, GOP.com, promptly froze and spat back an error message. "The site is temporarily offline, we are working to bring it back up. Please try again later," it read. When the website finally gurgled back to life an hour or so later, Trump's score-settling and shaming of the media began, echoing the score-settling and shaming of the media that Trump dishes out most mornings on Twitter. The winners included some of the news organizations that he once branded "the enemy of the American People" in one of his more infamous tweets. CNN was cited four times; the New York Times twice. The rest of the list was filled out with Trump's accomplishments, giving the whole exercise a self-congratulatory air. Late-night comics have mocked the cyber-ceremony for several weeks; Stephen Colbert even dubbed the awards "the Fakies" and campaigned for one via a Times Square billboard. Despite the comedy, the more disturbing element was the spectacle of a sitting president orchestrating another attack on the news media, a facet of Trump that delights his base but has unsettled even members of his party, such as Arizona Sen. John McCain. The big winner - though of what it was unclear - was New York Times columnist and Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman, who predicted in 2016 that the stock market would be decimated by Trump's electoral victory. That column turned out to be very wrong - the stock market has been sizzling for the past year, as Trump has repeatedly noted. But Krugman's errant call was both an opinion and a prediction, rather than news reporting, calling into question whether it belonged on a list intended to highlight, as Trump put it on Twitter, "the most corrupt & biased of the Mainstream Media." Trump may have been on firmer ground with his second pick, ABC News' Brian Ross, for reporting in December that during the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump had directed campaign adviser and short-lived White House national security adviser Michael Flynn to contact Russian officials before the election. After the report caused a brief drop in the stock market, Ross corrected it, saying Trump had actually asked Flynn to initiate the contact after the election, when he was president-elect. Perhaps in reaction to Trump's fury over Ross's mistake, ABC News apologized for the mistake, suspended Ross for four weeks without pay and reassigned him. But contrition scores few points in Trump's media criticism playbook. Another of his winners on Wednesday was Washington Post reporter David Weigel, who inaccurately - or "FALSELY," in the awards' all-caps characterization - questioned in a tweet whether Trump had drawn a so-so crowd to one of his rallies in December. Weigel deleted the tweet shortly after he learned that the photos he saw were taken some time before the rally began; he also apologized for his inaccuracy. No matter. Shorting a crowd count is apparently blasphemy in Trump's mind, and Weigel was taken to the woodshed. "Washington Post FALSELY reported the President's massive sold-out rally in Pensacola, Florida was empty," shrieked the awards page. "Dishonest reporter showed picture of empty arena HOURS before crowd started pouring in." Trump's efforts to call out "dishonest" reporting carries its own heavy irony, of course. Trump himself has had a lifelong love affair with exaggeration and hyperbole, and a sometimes hostile relationship with facts. As a real estate developer, he regularly inflated the number of floors in his buildings to make them seem larger and more impressive, and he occasionally posed as someone he wasn't to plant flattering stories about himself in the New York media. Before announcing his candidacy for office, Trump waged a long campaign calling into question President Barack Obama's birthplace, despite evidence that he was wrong. As president, Trump may have set records for the number of dubious statements. The Washington Post's Fact Checker - which was somehow passed over for recognition by Trump on Wednesday - has tallied more than 2,000 false or misleading claims by Trump after less than a year in office, or an average of more than five questionable statements per day. This has led to suggestions that the president was surely qualified to recognize false reporting. A week after Gov. Dannel P. Malloy halted some 400 transportation projects as part of state budget-cutting, local officials are still figuring out how the cuts will affect their towns. The Jan. 10 announcement that projects totaling $4.2 billion were being indefinitely postponed was met with widespread disappointment, but was not wholly unexpected. Certainly it's disappointing, said Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton. But you know the state is facing a tremendous budgetary deficit, and until they can get their financial house in order, there are going to be more cuts like that. Mike Zarba, director of public works in New Milford, said he hasnt heard whether all the listed projects will definitely be delayed, or whether the state will go ahead with projects that are being designed and have matching local funds in place. That is the case with three of the towns bridge renovation projects: Mud Pond Road over Bull Mountain Brook, Gaylord Road over Morrissey Brook and Merryall Road over the West Aspetuck River. We just dont know the process yet for determining the priorities, Zarba said. When I saw the list, it was disheartening to see three projects that are in design currently. The bridges were slated for construction next year, Zarba said, but cannot be put out for bid until the state gives the go-ahead. He added that if town officials had known the state might call a halt to transportation projects, they might have arranged to pay for the projects solely with town money. These were programs offered to municipalities and funds were committed to municipalities, he said. They should honor that commitment. It seems like theyre backing off from that commitment and that doesnt seem fair to the municipalities. The governors announcement halted Brookfields Route 202 project five months into the design phase. The $5.84 million project, scheduled to begin construction in 2021, would widen Federal Road in southern Brookfield to allow for addition of sidewalks, left-turn lanes and and left-turn arrows and and realignment of the southern intersection with Old New Milford Road. First Selectman Steve Dunn hopes the project isnt completely off the table. He guessed the state will likely cancel some projects on the list, but said most could be reduced in scope or move ahead once the state has a better idea of funding. Were looking forward to that (202) project moving ahead, he said. Boughton said delaying planned improvements at the intersection of Triangle Street, South Street and Coal Pit Hill Road is a harder pill to swallow than some of the other Danbury projects on the list because its a high-traffic, high-volume area. Theres nothing the city can do on its own, however, because South Street Route 53 is a state road. It's not going to be doomsday for us, but it's not good, either, he said. There definitely is a lot of traffic that piles up in that area. Bridgewater First Selectman Curtis Read said he was relieved to learn the state was cutting its share of funding only for a bridge on Cascade Road over Town Farm Brook and not a more ambitious bridge project over the Housatonic River. The $200,000 Cascade Road project is a minor road and the bridge repairs are mostly complete, he said. The bridge on Cascade Road wed already repaired, Read said. We dont need it. The governor needs the money more than we do. Read had worried that the state would drop plans to rehabilitate the 851-foot bridge on Route 133 over the Housatonic River, a $7.1 million project set to begin in Spring 2019, but that project survived. Other projects using federal money didnt, including work on I-84 in both Newtown and Danbury. Boughton said the $57.5 million project would have widened and resurfaced the highway through Danbury, as well as improved the ramps, but he suggested the delay would not be devastating. Some federal projects could move forward if U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Estys infrastructure proposal, which would revise funding policies for a wide range of transportation projects, is approved. She noted that Connecticut has some of the oldest infrastructure in the country. She said both the state and federal governments need to improve their transportation funding because projects are delayed and sometimes fall apart if one side doesnt have its match. Rapidly completing projects saves money, Esty said. When you dont have money, it slows down the project and costs more. Not every town in greater Danbury had projects on Malloys list, but DOT suggests that all towns could suffer indirect effects, such as disrupted rail service on the Danbury branch rail lane. The intent was to alert towns that local projects could be affected if the General Assembly doesnt address the long-term solvency of the Special Transportation Fund, said Judd Everhart, a DOT spokesman. Jeff Hanson, Reddings director of public works, said the town is still slated to receive its expected share of construction aid, which he said accounts for 10 percent or less of Reddings costs. The bulk of Redding projects are included in the towns operating budget or in a $6.75 million bond issued by the town several years ago. In July, Redding will enter the final year of the four-year road reconstruction project using this bond. But most towns said they cant assume the costs of state projects in addition to their own. "We're not going to pick up the slack from the state, Boughton said. At the end of the day, we will struggle to pay our own bills because of the cuts they're giving to us. Picking up the slack for them? We just can't do it. Staff writers Barry Lytton, Zach Murdock and Julia Perkins contributed. NEWTOWN - The towns decision to join Southbury and 16 cities and towns in a lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies is just one response to an opioid addiction crisis thats becoming public enemy No. 1. Other municipalities, including Danbury, are looking to sign on with a small law firm in the hope of bringing a settlement tailored to the citys unique circumstances. And still others, such as Ridgefield, hope that direct talks with leading opioid makers such as Stamford-based Purdue Pharma will bring crisis-fighting money and programs sooner than litigation would. Then there are towns like New Milford and Brookfield, still weighing their options. There are many ways to go about this, but the common thread is everyone is seeking accountability from the pharmaceutical industry, said Dan Rosenthal, the newly elected first selectman of Newtown. The proliferation of opioids has had a huge societal impact. The lawsuit Newtown filed with Southbury and 16 Connecticut municipalities in state Superior Court accuses Purdue and other major pharmaceutical companies of intentionally marketing misleading information about pain-killers such as OxyContin in order to expand the market for opioids and realize blockbuster profits. As a result, the municipalities charge, there has been a corresponding jump in addiction, overdose deaths, and costs due to lost productivity, higher health bills, increased crime and more substance abuse services. This is predatory marketing that is no different from advertising for cigarettes or vaping, said Southbury First Selectman Jeff Manville. I often tell our police department that if we could cure this opioid crisis, we wouldnt need half of our cops. While Purdue vigorously denies the allegations, it has also expressed deep concern about what it calls the the illicit opioid abuse crisis and has pledged to be part of the solution. For example, the company is in discussions with officers from the Connecticut Prevention Network - an organization that coordinates state substance abuse programs - to start a pilot addiction prevention program in schools as soon as this year. For Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi, the chairman of the Opioid Abuse Task Force for the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, those talks with Purdue hold more promise than a lawsuit. We are losing 1,000 people a year in Connecticut, said Marconi, referring to the number of accidental drug overdoses, the majority of which are due to opioids. So if I can get money now to help me with education programs, that is much more of a benefit than to kick back and hope for a pot of gold out of some settlement. The municipalities lawsuit is part of a complex and growing national landscape of litigation and investigation involving Big Pharma. Cities, counties and states across the country have filed lawsuits against Purdue Pharma and the industry over an opioid addiction crisis that is responsible for 78 deaths each day in America. At the same time, state Attorney General George Jepsen and his counterparts in 40 states have subpoenaed records from Purdue and other drug makers to determine whether their marketing practices have exacerbated the crisis. Connecticut has seen the number of accidental drug overdose deaths increase 250 percent from 2012 to 2016, increasing the states ranking from 50th in drug overdose deaths in 2012 to 12th in 2017, according to the municipalities lawsuit. Each of those overdoses, of course, involves a personal story of torment. Our story has a happy ending, thank God, but both of my sons addictions started with OxyContin, and how aggressively it was marketed by Purdue in the Danbury area, said Donna DeLuca, who co-founded a support organization for families of those struggling with addiction known as The C.A.R.E.S. Group. Learning lessons The last time all levels of government were this consumed with a public health crisis was the tobacco industry settlement two decades ago, when 800 claims against the largest cigarette makers were settled, and negotiated annual payments were locked into states, who agreed to give up future legal claims. The lesson from that landmark settlement was not only that the tobacco industry was forced to settle because of the preponderance of lawsuits, but that the cities and towns received no settlement money, because they were not parties to the suits. That lesson was among the considerations Newtown and Southbury weighed when deciding to join the lawsuit against Big Pharma with Bridgeport, Fairfield, Milford, Oxford and others, said one of the attorneys who filed the suit. Government entities are suffering, and if they dont commence litigation, and there is a global resolution at some point, if they are not a litigant, they may end up with zero, said Paul Hanly. There is a statute of limitation and an issue of how much money these companies have. Hanley said he expects more Connecticut cities and towns to join the lawsuit. Danbury, which had shown interest in signing on with Hanlys firm as recently as the fall, is likely to choose a smaller firm, Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton said. Wed like to have our own private counsel, said Boughton, who expects to ask City Council for authorization to sign with a law firm in February. Danbury has unique circumstances that may not get addressed if we have a one-size-fits-all lawsuit. Ridgefields Marconi, who also showed interest in signing on with Hanlys firm in the fall, cautioned that if Purdue agrees to fund education prevention programs, it may not be willing to cooperate with municipalities that are suing it. A Purdue spokesman on Friday said the company plans to help implement a prevention education program in 200 high schools across the country, in partnership with Washington, D.C.,-based EverFi. Purdue has also aired a series of public service announcements about opioid awareness in collaboration with the Governors Prevention Partnership. The spokesman did not respond specifically to questions about Purdues talks with the Connecticut Prevention Partnership. Our goal is simple, to bring meaningful resources quickly to communities to help combat prescription drug abuse and addiction, spokesman Bob Josephson said. rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342 The state health department and county attorneys are wrangling over whether some records for children suspected of having been exposed to drugs should be turned over for use in criminal investigations without holding a court hearing. A law passed out of last year's legislative session requires the release or disclosure of records obtained by child protective services when a child has been exposed to a dangerous drug. But the Department of Public Health and Human Services has not turned over toxicology reports for children suspected of being exposed to drugs or paraphernalia because of concerns it would violate a privacy provision of federal law, and doing so could put federal funding at risk. The department said Friday it is working with the federal government to get clarity on what information it is able to release and hopes to have an answer soon. The department also pointed out that county attorneys are able to pursue the information by holding a court hearing. Two county attorneys at a legislative interim committee hearing Friday countered that those processes take a lot of time and resources and arent necessary based on their reading of the federal law. At the root of the problem is Senate Bill 229, passed by the Legislature in early 2017 and implemented July 1. The bill says the department shall disclose the results of an investigation if there is reasonable cause to suspect a child has been exposed to drugs or drug paraphernalia. As a part of investigations into reports of child abuse or neglect, workers with the Child and Family Services Division of the state health department may have toxicology tests done on children as a part of initiating a civil action that could include removing a child from their home while working toward reunification with their parents or termination of parental rights. A county attorney would want those toxicology records as part of a separate criminal action against parents. Exposing a child to drugs or drug paraphernalia is illegal. The Child and Family Services Division has a stated mission of reuniting children with their parents whenever possible. It can initiate civil proceedings when a child has to be removed from a home because of safety issues, but does not pursue criminal cases. Child and Family Services workers still report suspected drug use to law enforcement; whats at issue is turning over toxicology records. At risk is about $13 million in federal money that funds a variety of programs, said Laura Smith, deputy director of the health department. We are not trying to be obstructionist, but we want to make sure we are following federal law, she said, adding that other states are also seeking guidance on the issue. Wyatt Glade, county attorney in Custer County, sent a memo to the health department Jan. 4 saying he believes the health department must share the toxicology report because the federal law the department is concerned about does not apply. Even if it did, he wrote, there is an exception that allows for disclosure of records when states have a law dictating that. Those test results, which would provide very powerful evidence in prosecution .... those test results were not being passed along to law enforcement. On Friday, Glade told the interim Children, Families, Health and Human Services legislative committee that having to hold a court hearing to have the records released causes an unacceptable delay in the flow of information from (the health department) to law enforcement. In larger jurisdictions its going to cripple the application of this law." The interim committee on Friday also voted to ask House and Senate leadership to request the state attorney general to provide an opinion on the issue. The vote was 7-1, with Sen. Mary Caferro, the committee chair and Democrat from Helena, voting no. The request would be rescinded if the health department reached a resolution before an opinion could be issued. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Danbury Fire Department Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Danbury Fire Department Show More Show Less 3 of 3 DANBURY Two people were sent to the emergency room to be treated for burns following a car explosion, according to the Danbury Fire Department. Danbury firefighters responded to a rollover accident that resulted in a car explosion around 3:40 a.m. Saturday in the area of 167 Long Ridge Road. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NEW HAVEN Josip Kveteks family fled violence in its native Croatia in the 1990s, so he was born in Germany. The family returned to Croatia after the war and eventually Kvetek studied violin in the United States at the University of North Texas, before being accepted to the Yale School of Music. He plays the viola now, the slightly larger cousin to the violin, and last year won the Woolsey Hall Concerto Competition by playing, he points out, a piece that was not a concerto. And if you attend the Yale Philharmonias latest concert Jan. 26 in Woolsey Hall, youll get to hear that piece, Niccolo Paganinis Sonata per la Grand Viola, MS 70. (Two other competition winners played with the Philharmonia in the fall.) If youre at all familiar with Paganinis work, you know it will be a brisk treat. Kvetek says the intrigue starts with the title. Sonata per La Grand Viola, its in Italian ... for big viola. I mean, it sounds silly. Viola is (already) bigger than violin. But there are multiple violas, different types, said Kvetek in a phone chat. And one of them is the grand viola, which has (an) extra string; it has five strings... an E string. Also, he notes, a sonata is usually a piece that is solo or with one or two instruments accompanying. But this ones with an orchestra. And its a one-movement sonata, and sonatas usually have three movements, so everything is backwards, chuckles Kvetek. But pretty much its just a showpiece. It doesnt sound like a sonata; it doesnt sound like a concerto. It just sounds like one of the showpieces typically written by someone like Paganini ... Chopin, just virtuosic. And incredibly operatic. More Information Yale Philharmonia, Woolsey Hall, 500 College St., New Haven. Jan. 26, 7:30 p.m. $10, Yale faculty/staff $8, students free. See More Collapse The night features other treats, including the presence of guest conductor Ignat Solzhenitsyn. If you think you know that name, its because hes the son of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, the critic of Soviet communism and its Gulag forced-labor camp who was awarded the 1970 Nobel Prize in Literature for the ethical force with which he has pursued the indispensable traditions of Russian literature. Son Ignat is also a celebrated pianist. Solzhenitsyn will lead Yales top musicians in performances of Igor Stravinskys spellbinding Firebird Suite (1919 version), Paganinis showpiece (which premiered in 1834 London) and Cesar Francks longer, expansive Symphony in D minor. As for the other music this night, Kvetek said, Its really an interesting program ... Firebird is an exceptional piece; its like a fairy tale. And then Francks symphony is very, I wouldnt say whimsical, but its quintessentially French. ... the focus on colors and expressions. So I think it ties it in really well with Paganini. Really it (Paganinis sonata) is not a serious piece of music. ... Its supposed to be fun. If I get a few laughs from the audience, thats probably a good thing for this piece. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Paris Fashion Week Men's Spring is here again. This time though, fashion designers really have us scratching our heads more than we normally would. FASHION NEWS: Paris Fashion Week gets extra basic with thigh-high UGGs Napoleon Bonaparte-looking hats, dog masks and fishnet face accessories made debuts on the runway. It's not likely these looks will catch on in the real world anytime soon. However, the dog masks could work out as a fun social experiment. See how the weird and bizarre outfits that went down the runway at Paris Fashion Week Men's in the gallery above. NEW HAVEN Religion and medicine both are in the business of healing, and a group of New Haven clergy got the chance to hone their ability to minister to their sick and dying church members as students in a Yale Divinity School course. The class, Theology and Medicine, was opened to the ministers as part of the seminarys lifelong learning program. In addition to New Haven, clergy came from surrounding states and even included an Air Force chaplain who flew in for the five sessions from Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The whole purpose of the program was to help practicing clergy become more comfortable with science as a way to introduce scientific topics into their ministry, said the Rev. Dr. Debora Jackson, who has been director of lifelong learning at the divinity school for a year. The idea was they would appropriate the theory of the course in an applied method for their ministries, she said. Topics included end-of-life concerns, HIV/AIDS, stress and burnout and others. The clergy went on rounds at the hospital and saw the 1991-93 play Angels in America, which deals with AIDS and the gay experience in America, as part of the course. The clergy and the two teachers the Rev. Dr. Benjamin Doolittle and professor Mark Heim found common ground when discussing burnout, Jackson said. Its a very common phenomenon between these two professions because both are wired the same way, to try to save, she said. Doolittle is associate professor of medicine and pediatrics at the Yale School of Medicine as well as associate pastor of Pilgrim Congregational Church on East Grand Avenue. Heim is a professor at Andover Newton Seminary at Yale the two schools formally affiliated in 2017. What we saw is that theres a false demarcation that separates medicine from faith and spirituality and religion and in this class we saw that line being blurred, Jackson said. What we saw was not a separation in the fields but an opportunity to collaborate much more closely because we saw that our beliefs were overlapping and that was an awakening as well, she said. Doolittle said the clergy participation gave this great celebratory feel to the course. There was a joy to it. This is a time where maybe religion and medicine have been more separate than ever and maybe on the religious side there might be suspicion around high-tech medicine and the big-city hospital and on the medical side what religion means to people. Prayer For Pastor Janice Hart of Powerhouse Temple Ministries on Sperry Street, the experience brought together her ministry and her experience in the operating room at the hospital as a supervising surgical technologist. It really piqued my interest because I see the parallel it draws between surgeons and theologians, Hart said. Five pastors from New Haven were all from the evangelical and Pentecostal traditions and Hart said clergy in those traditions have to tread carefully when ministering to people whose loved ones are seriously ill. Clergy who pray for God to heal a patient may give false hope, she said. How do you tell a patient that it looks gloomy? With terminally ill patients, sometimes we dont want to believe that We are then praying them back to life, Hart said. I think that this whole piece is part of a truth-telling that death and dying is actually real. Death and dying is an area that clergy tend not to address with their members, Hart said, including having a living will and the availability of hospice care. You preach to someones soul but you dont preach to their body, she said. Jackson said a minister may start to pray that they heal in Jesus name the gray area there becomes where faith really struggles with science and thats because of our theologian background that Jesus can raise a person from the dead. Instead of praying for an unrealistic healing, the clergy person can say, Im going to pray for your comfort and the will of God. Its a different prayer. Im praying that the Lord, in his mercy, that his will be done, and I dont know if that would be [that youll] be healed or youll be taken. Hart said. I believe that sometimes healing is death. Sometimes when were partnering with science we can prepare people for whatever Gods will might be. We are doing our best service to walk with people in those moments. Some of the difference between the evangelical tradition and more structured denominations is in how prayer is expressed. What you might see in the apostolic or Pentecostal churches is more openness to be led by the movement of the Spirit, Jackson said. When praying for healing, If I dont believe that God is going to intercede in a miraculous way I might be accused of not then exercising faith. Weve put ourselves in the position of being the savior and were not the savior. Bridging the gap Robert McCray, an elder in the Holy Nation Tabernacle Sounds of Praise church, which meets in Harts church on Sperry Street, said he learned that clergy and physicians can bridge the gap between their professions and help the parishioners to appreciate both. Sometimes people believe in healing through prayer but they dont take care of their bodies, McCray said. Thats a thing we tell our community, that healing comes from prayer but also healing can come through modern medicine. Some are skeptical of taking medications, and say, Im going to rely on my faith, he said. By telling people that its important that they maintain their physicals and get checked out Its important that we pray first and then we consult doctors too. Another lesson clergy need to learn is to be sensitive to their surroundings and others they encounter in the hospital, Hart said. Most clergy dont come to a hospital unless they have somebody from their parish that is ill, and they focus on that patient in that room, she said. However, there may be another patient in the room who is not comfortable with outspoken prayer. Then you know you dont pray in a [loud] voice. You pray in a whisper voice, Hart said. This class taught that kind of ethics that everybody doesnt want Jesus. Hart said she has told other ministers, Dont just start praying. Ask them what they want. For me that piece was enlightening. AIDS was another sensitive topic because of the stigma the disease still carries among some conservative believers. According to Hart, Dr. Gerald Friedland, professor emeritus in the Yale Medical School, shared some heart-wrenching stories of the early days of the AIDS epidemic, when the disease was stealing souls in a way that he couldnt hold on to. Hes happy that he lived long enough to see such a turnaround in that science. Friedland, former director of the AIDS program at Yale School of Medicine, said the clergy members of the class were obviously very caring and sensitive people, many of whom have had experience in counseling and caring for people with HIV. I think what I did was affirm their role and the importance that they have in health care and I feel this is often neglected in the health care system, he said. If I taught them anything it was really that they should be assertive in terms of playing that role, welcoming into their congregations, it means meeting people where they are and not imposing beliefs on them and I think being accepting of behavior that puts people at risk or at least not condemning of them. But Hart said the religious community is still dealing with our own prejudices and biases when it comes to HIV. Most of the time we will spend the time [with someone] whos dying from cancer but we wont spend the time with someone whos dying of AIDS. Its frightening to know that as much science as we have to understand the disease that we shun them even to the point of death, she said. McCray said there needs to be greater sensitivity to needs of patients and cooperation between clergy and doctors. He said it was like we were separated and not communicating with each other. Its important that that doctor and that clergy [person] be there for that individual Its important that the two coexist with one another. Pastor Dorothy Mewborn of Freedom Temple Holiness Church at 329 Dixwell Ave. said the clergy can help medical professionals to be more supportive of their patients. We were saying how even though sometimes they cant cure a patient they can give them comfort and the can bring them joy and they can be compassionate to the patient. More cooperation needed Hart said the two fields need to cooperate more closely. She looked forward to a time when you see a reverend or pastor on a [hospital] unit and youre an M.D., this would be a normal thing to see. And she thought the course, which will be offered again in the fall, would help that to happen. As we are able to train and reach clergy with a program like this it becomes a backstop for chaplains in a hospital context because there are not enough chaplains. Jackson said another challenge is there tends to be this sort of abrupt demarcation of, while the physician can do something for the patient the clergy person is not needed. Only when nothing else can be done medically, now this is the time when you pass it off to the clergy person. Through the class, We came away with a much larger appreciation of our overlapping roles, she said. The Yale program, Continuing Education for Pastors in Science, was supported by grants from the John Templeton Foundation and the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation to the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Contact Ed Stannard at edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com or 203-680-9382. DEER LODGE -- A former Montana State Prison correctional officer was sentenced in Deer Lodge district court this week for felony transfer of illegal items alcohol and tobacco to inmates. After a lengthy sentencing hearing, Judge Ray Dayton sentenced Brett Bernard Lombardi, 36, of Deer Lodge to four 13-month consecutive commitments to the Department of Corrections with conditions that include screening including a mental evaluation for appropriate placement. Two of the terms were suspended for a total of 26 months custodial and 26 months of supervised probation with conditions. There was no fine, but Lombardi must pay court fees. In June 2017, Lombardi pleaded nolo contendere to the charge of the transferring alcohol to an inmate, admitting there was likelihood a jury would find him guilty of the offense, and pleaded guilty to three charges of illegal transfer of tobacco. In the plea agreement, four other charges of illegal transfer of items between December 2013 and July 2014 were dismissed, as was a misdemeanor charge of official misconduct. During the sentencing hearing, Montana State Prison Warden Michael Fletcher said illegal transfer of items to inmates endangers the safety of staff and other inmates. Tobacco leads to bringing in drugs and other contraband that allow inmates to conduct an underground economy. Contraband is not a victimless crime, Fletcher said. A corrupt staff member jeopardizes everyone that comes into the prison. It is our job to keep staff, volunteers, and other inmates safe. Safety relies on staff having integrity, because it affects them, their family, fellow staff safety and morale, and the community. Fletcher recognized Lombardi as a decorated and honorable veteran who isnt blaming PTSD for his actions. He hopes Lombardis punishment will be a deterrent to others who work at the prison, because it is a serious offense and should be punished by the highest amount the court feels appropriate, he said. Jeffrey Crowe, a criminal investigator at the prison, said an inmate who was a primary witness in this case died from a blocked bowel after he swallowed a balloon of contraband tobacco to keep it from staff. He also said four other inmates involved in this case were prosecuted and received prison sentences. Defense witnesses included Lombardis common-law wife and mother of their two young children. Robert W. McCann, a retired FBI agent, former Marine, and police counselor who befriended the defendant two years ago, said Lombardi knows he screwed up. He is a crushed person and is concerned about his boys, he said. He is not dangerous, has no criminal history, and is remorseful that he didnt realize he was putting co-workers in danger, he said. Joseph Lombardi, the defendants father, testified that when his son returned from military duty in Iraq, he was different from the young man who had a normal childhood, got good grades, never did drugs, has an excellent relationship with his parents, and is a gentleman. I am a Vietnam vet, and when Brett came back in 2004, he was quiet, withdrawn, angry, and moody. I suspected PTSD. He was diagnosed with it and received treatment from the VA. I saw positive changes in him with his relationship with Ashley as they created a family. I am concerned about the impact on his mental health if he is incarcerated and the impact on Ashley and the boys, he said. Judge Dayton considered the states argument for serious punishment to deter wrongful behavior and the defense attorneys recommendation for a deferred sentence. He said there must be punishment and recognized Lombardis mental health needs but said that a probationary sentence was not right either. Lombardi was remanded to custody of the Department of Corrections. It was a celebration and reunion when Maria Santos, 30, and her sister, Dina Santos, 33, attended a surprise birthday party in New Haven for Carmen Maria Duran the foster mother who took them in and changed their lives. But more than a celebration with hugs and tears and thanks, it was a validation of the difference foster parents make in a childs life. Both Maria and Dina, once homeless without parental guidance, are now homeowners with careers in the dental industry. Duran, a 65-year-old Bridgeport resident, has taken 50 foster children into her home to give them a better life and Maria and Dina Santos wanted her to know, they have not forgotten. She gave them the foundation that they needed the life skills, said Mary Ann Townley, a state Department of Children and Families case worker, who saw Duran for years. She was their private counselor. She was their mother, she was their friend. Giving homeless kids a place to call home has been the mission of foster care since 1636 when a young boy named Benjamin Eaton became the nations first foster child and placed in a home. But it wasnt until 1856 when some 30,000 homeless or neglected kids were sleeping on New York streets that Charles Loring Brace began the free foster home movement. Nearly three centuries later, much has changed to help foster kids but the need remains the same. On any given day, there are nearly 428,000 children in the foster care system in the United States. Here in Connecticut, more than 4,000 children are waiting for four permanent walls they can call home. And that number ebbs and flows. In 2015, more than 670,000 children nationwide spent time in foster care. Four centuries after 7-year-old Benjamin Eaton was placed in a foster home, the importance of that safety net for children was highlighted by the Santos sisters. With more than 4,000 kids waiting for a home in the Nutmeg state alone, the need continues to be great. There are ways of helping foster kids for those who cannot provide a home by volunteering, donating, advocating for better services and supporting a foster family. Through her Blanket Fairy Mission of Greater New Haven and with the cooperation of Orange Congregational Church, West Haven resident Sue Yamaguchi makes blankets so foster kids have the security of a blanket. The average age of kids in foster care is 9. They need the comfort of all the security we can provide them. Duran and Yamaguchi and many more people are doing their part but more people are needed. Show a kid you care. Provide a foster home today. Immediate past governor of Edo state and leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, yesterday at a mega rally of the party in Benin City, declared that President Muhammadu Buhari achievement will give the party victory over the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), adding that the party would extend its coast in the South-South by installing an APC governor in Delta State.This comes as governor Godwin Obaseki of the state declared that the 2019 general elections will be the end of the PDP in Edo and Nigeria as whole, just as he disclosed that the state is set to build the first modular refinery and the biggest industrial park in Nigeria.The duo spoke at the APC mega rally at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium Benin City, where PDP House of Representatives member, Mr EJ Agbonayinma, former governorship aspirant of the PDP, Matthew Iduoriyekemwen and over ten thousand of their supporters dumped the PDP for the APC.Oshiomhole who addressed the mammoth crowd, asserted that I want to assure you, we are building a party that is founded on the principle of social democracy. The whole idea is to transfer power to the people and remember in 2006 we started with the slogan let the people lead. And once the people began to lead, the godfathers began to collapse.I know that the PDP will not sleep today. APC represents the forces of life. The Bible said he or she who die in sin will never resurrect, I said it PDP died in sin and they cannot resurrect. That is why when I listened to some sponsored write ups, I said even in our confusion, our imperfection, even in our moment of deep reflection, there can be no argument that our moment of trouble that the solution includes bringing back the armed robbers of yesteryears.PDP cannot come back in 2019. Nigerians are not fools, they will not be swayed by hired writers. If not for our president today, they would have been no Nigeria. Money meant for police, they stole and put in their pocket. Money meant to fight Boko Haram they put in their pocket. Money meant for security they used to secure their pockets. All of a sudden if you produce two litre of crude one litre is missing. How can the elephant leg be missing in a pot of soup they did not take into the kitchen. When the time comes, we will reopen yesteryears to be able to appreciate today so that we can see where we are going to tomorrow. I want to assure you with what the governor is doing in Edo state, sustaining the tradition of infrastructural development, to attract investors to the state, we are on the right path.I heard in Delta they have even auctioned their mass transit and they are fighting over who bought what. In Edo they are reinforcing. We must extend the frontiers of development to Delta state in the spirit of the old mid-westSpeaking also, Governor Obaseki who boasted that 2019 will be the last burial of the PDP both in Edo and the entire nation, welcome the defectors saying there is no discrimination, everybody is one in our party. The Comrade governor laid the foundation we are building upon now. You have not seen anything yet by the time we are finished you will know.I just came back from China to sign an MoU. We are building the biggest industrial park in Nigeria in Ikpoba Okha. My promise to create 200,000 jobs will be a reality. We are going to build the first modular refinery in this country, we are going to conclude the arrangement in three months time and that refinery will be established in Ikpoba Okha. Development is coming everywhere that I promise you. APC is going to win in 2019 and that will be the end of PDP he stated. The Governor of Imo State and Chairman of the All Progressives Congress Governors Forum, Rochas Okorocha, has said that the governors elected on the platform of the party, have unanimously agreed that President Muhammadu Buhari deserves a second term in office and have therefore asked him to declare to run in the next election.Okorocha gave the hint while fielding questions from journalists at the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, Owerri, on his arrival from Abuja on Friday.He stated that the President had justified his first term mandate and should have his mandate renewed.He also revealed that the APC governors had unanimously endorsed the reappointment of the former Governor of Rivers State, who is currently the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, as the Director-General of the Buhari Campaign Organisation.He said that Amaechi did well as the Director-General of the campaign outfit in 2015 and therefore should be allowed to repeat such a good work.Okorocha said, We were in Abuja for three days, holding meetings of the Progressive Governors with the APC leadership. We deliberated on so many issues. First among the very important issues that we discussed, was the issue of Mr. Presidents second term bid and it has the endorsement of all the governors of the APC.There is the need for him to complete his second term as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and he should go ahead to declare (to run for reelection).We also deliberated and a unanimous decision was reached that we liaise with the campaign team, to be headed by the Minister of Transportation, Amaechi, as the Director-General.The governors also endorsed his (Amaechis) reappointment as the Director-General of the campaign team due to his track record ahead of the last election.Four years are not enough to show what the President can offer. We believe that another four years will bring out the best in him. The first four years are a very difficult period, and we believe that as things are stabilising, he will take Nigeria to the next level.The governors have serious responsibilities. All the governors were asked to put up a team as the campaign council. Following the death of over 72 persons in Benue state suspected to have been slaughtered by Fulani herdsmen and the condemnation of such heinous act by concerned citizens of Nigeria, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Saturday alleged that the above states visitation by All Progressives Congress, APC Governors were no longer condolence but an act of mockery.This was made known to newsmen via the official tweeter handle of Peoples Democratic Party.PDP equally alleged that they have been begging All Progressives Congress, APC, administration to send delegations to the affected state for many days but APC did not respond till their recent visit which they PDP termed a visit to dance and spit on the graves of those slaughtered by bandits.The statement further condemned the visitation of Benue Traditional Rulers to Aso Rock, saying that It is also outrageous and disheartening for Buhari to summon the bereaved to Aso Rock instead of visiting them. This is an insult on our collective sensibility as a people. The bereaved are always visited not summoned, part of the statement read.Read bellow PDPs statement:The visits by the @APCNigeria governors to Makurdi, Benue State was no longer about condolence but to dance and spit on the graves of those slaughtered by bandits.It took 18 days of begging by the @OfficialPDPNig for the governors to consider visiting the state.It is also outrageous and disheartening for @Mbuhari to summon the bereaved to Aso Rock instead of visiting them.This is an insult on our collective sensibility as a people. The bereaved are always visited not summoned Four Americans and Canadians kidnapped at gunpoint in Kaduna State have regained their freedom.A senior police officer said the victims were rescued around 7.30am on Saturday in fairly good conditions and had been handed over to American Embassy in Abuja for medical attention.Two suspected kidnappers were also reportedly arrested by a combined team of Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team, Counter Terrorism Unit and Kaduna State Police Command.The rescued expatriates were identified as Nate Vangeest, Canadian; John Kirlin, American; a woman, Rachael Kelley, Canadian and Dean Slocum, American.Two suspects have been arrested and efforts are being made to arrest other members of the gang, he added.The victims were said to have been kidnapped on Kwoi-Jere Road in the Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Tuesday.They had visited Kafanchan, in the Jemaa LGA area of the state to inspect some projects, and were returning to their base in Abuja when they were ambushed by the assailants who opened fire on a police escort.The gunmen killed two policemen and whisked away the expatriates. President Muhammadu Buharis wife, Aisha, on Friday backed Senator Isah Misaus suggestion that her husbands government has been taken ov... President Muhammadu Buharis wife, Aisha, on Friday backed Senator Isah Misaus suggestion that her husbands government has been taken over by a cabal. She reposted two videos by Senator Misau and Senator Ben Bruce, on her verified Instagram and Twitter pages. The lawmakers openly accused President Buhari of appointing incompetent people because they belong to the cabal. Her posts have attracted hundreds of comments, with majority noting that she did the right thing. Some reactions below: @mdollyseni: Hmmm...The first lady is warning the Nigeria people against re-electing her husband and not because she doesnt want to be first lady for another term but she knows a vote for PMB is a vote for the cabals and incompetence. Shes patriotic. She wants gov of cabals discontinued. @Ibilola_Amao: Thank you #Madam for being a patriotic citizen. @salimsani92: Sometimes I feel she would have been a better president than her husband. @Tooyib: Madam First Lady, thanks for doing the Lords work. @ConfidenceNwaku: Senator Isah Misua said on the floor of the Senate that President Buhari is not in charge of his government, he also said over 50% of Buharis ministers are incompetent. Now those of you supporting and holding brief for Buhari, do you guys know him more than his wife? @inimunim: Its 19th Jan. 2018, and we have a contender already for the Repost of the year. This is bigGod bless the first lady of Nigeria. @DAfricanVoice: Senator Misau saying it as it is!! Well done. @okeyenya: This is my kind of leader I want for Nigeria, who fears no one and says it the way it is. @stalyf: Aisha is wailing, Itse Sagay is wailing, Bisi Akande is wailing, Dele Mumodu is wailing, everybody is wailing. @deewonbaba: Well said, everyone is afraid of him. Dont know the Senate cant move for his impeachment! Hes an embarrassment to everyone who believed in him! @uchesame: Thank you for standing by the truth ma. @silvanustajo: God in heaven will bless you and brings your to perfection any way youre short of any. Keep saying the truth. Nigerians will forever remember vocalist like you. @saratu_ibrahim: Is like u can make a better president than ur husband. May Allah reward u with good and happiness. @tope_adebayo: Madam, please talk to your husband at the inner room, the goodwill has been exhausted. He need to change the way things are going on now. If He @MBuhari fail you have failed too. Beside every successful leader is a successful (helper) wife. @millionssking: We have a sleeping President, cos he claims that his doctors said he should have enough sleep and food , stop preparing him dos meals dat is making him sleep, cos Nigeria is burning @CoKizari: we can no longer comprise standard to favour others. well done Sen Misau @infokianiaaron : Even Her Excellency is tired of the change government. @KushAlabi: Not that later somebody will now tell me that madams account was hacked o. @OkwuteG: Please come out and contest for president you are a sincerely dedicated Nigerian first lady. @KingChioms: Mama Pls tell him the truth. Heaven will vindicate you. God bless you. @Ubuluman: Thank you for being on the side of a better Nigeria .. @lamanosavv: God bless you Ma for standing for the truth. Youll forever be remembered! @call_me_kayz: Whoever these so called cabals are Running these great Nation to the pit. Who dont want the glory of this great Nation to shineWho keeps making them tag Nigeria a shit hole country, I pray the wrought of God visits them and their family soon, Nigeria is too blessed for this. @Prince_Bankz3: God bless you first Lady only if your deadwood husband has sense like you we wouldnt be complaining. Montana has enough money to continue funding the Children's Health Insurance Program through mid-March. Marie Matthews, manager of the health department's Medicaid and Health Services Branch, told a legislative interim committee on Friday the funding would run out in two months without congressional action. About 27,000 Montana children receive health insurance through CHIP or Medicaid expansion. Matthews says more than 23,000 Montana children would be at risk of losing coverage if CHIP isn't re-authorized. Federal legislation to continue CHIP for six years is included in a bill that would fund government operations for four weeks, averting a shutdown. The U.S. House passed the bill on Thursday, but it failed in the Senate on Friday, resulting in a government shutdown. The bill failed because Democrats want the bill to include protections for immigrants brought to the country as children who are now here illegally. Montanas Republican and Democratic senators both savaged the congressional budget process just hours before the federal government shutdown, but put the blame in very different places. In a conference call with reporters, Republican Sen. Steve Daines accused Democrats of trying to resolve the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program instead of preserving the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Republicans have placed a six-year CHIP reauthorization for about 9 million children in the continuing resolution that would extend the fiscal 2018 budget deadline to early February. Democrats have insisted upon extending the DACA program before about 700,000 people face deportation. Without an agreement Friday night, all nonessential services of the federal government shut down until a new budget agreement is reached. The minority leaders are insisting the DACA issue gets resolved in the next six hours, Daines said Friday evening. Thats whats stopping all this. Its a complicated issue, and there are sincere, bipartisan negotiations going on as we speak. But (Senate Minority Leader Chuck) Schumer decided to fall on his sword on this issue. "We have until March 5 before the extension President Trump laid out expires on DACA. I have to make a choice. Im either shutting down the government because I didnt get what I wanted, or saying, 'Lets take care of 24,000 Montana children.' There are less than 100 DACA applicants in Montana. I think were 49th in the nation. Democratic Sen. Jon Tester countered that the Senate Republican leadership had been letting bills on border security and CHIP reauthorization pile up since September without action. He predicted those problems would still be around in four weeks when the proposed continuing resolution (CR) expires. To bring this garbage bill to the floor is a failure of duty, a failure of leadership, a failure of vision, Tester said in the Senate chamber. Its almost as if the majority had planned this all along, to get to this point for political purposes. If the majority leadership and the White House are going to sit back and twiddle their thumbs, lets bypass them. Lets get a deal. Nobody should leave our desks in this body until this job is done. Tester added the CR doesnt fund federal community health centers, which provide primary health care to 100,000 people in Montana. The directors of those centers have told me if we dont get funding, we close the doors, Tester said. Nothing will change between now and February. The House of Representatives passed its CR on Thursday. But the Senate was not able to reach the required 60-vote threshold to pass a budget. Daines predicted there would be a final budget omnibus deal in February, which would include agreements on DACA, forest management reform, and other immigration policy issues would get settled. Tester said a bill to reauthorize CHIP with 24 co-sponsors had been awaiting action since before the 2017 budget expired in October. For 111 days, theyve refused to provide long-term funding, Tester said. Theyve failed to pass a bill to secure our borders. Theyve failed to do most basic and fundamental aspect of this job, which is pass a budget. And were about nine hours before the government runs out of money. These same arguments could have been made six months ago and (were) not. A man was robbed near Abita Springs by gunman who fired a shot in the air and ran off. The holdup occurred in the Abita Nursery subdivision, at a park on Carnation Street. On Saturday, a year after the Womens Marches that spread across the United States and the world in protest of President Donald Trumps inauguration, several thousand Missoulians dusted off their pink hats and returned to the streets. This year, the march was different. The White Grass family, an indigenous drumming group, led the marchers from the XXXXs on Higgins Avenue to Caras Park. Marchers held signs that read things like #MeToo and Im a proud immigrant from a shithole country, and Men of quality do not fear equality. After last years marches were criticized for excluding people of color and other marginalized communities, this years march promoted an intersectional feminist movement by highlighting the voices of Native women, black women, transgender women, immigrant women, women with disabilities, and more. Just as ordinary folks like us for hundreds of years have fought and won historic battles for social safety nets, for civil rights, for reproductive rights, for marriage equality, we are here today to continue that tradition of activism, and to celebrate one year of struggle, said Rebecca Weston, one of the march organizers, to the crowd at Caras Park. A struggle thats not always easy to be a truly intersectional movement. And a struggle to bring social and economic justice. Salish elders began the program by saying prayers and singing, bringing attention to the fact that Missoula is on Salish land. The first speaker, Lauren Small Rodriguez, a member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe, an activist for environmental and water rights, and the first woman from her tribe to be a member of the U.S. Coast Guard, asked those in attendance to consider their role in creating a more inclusive movement. We must have these tough conversations that will empower us all, Rodriguez said. Nobody is asking you to apologize for your ancestors, because what good is an apology without justice? We are asking you to dismantle the system of oppression that this country is built upon, that you maintain and have benefited from. Organizers wore red sashes, and many speakers also donned red, in honor of missing and murdered indigenous women, an epidemic that nobody wants to talk about, Rodriguez said. As an environmental activist who joined thousands of other indigenous people at Standing Rock, Rodriguez also called for land protection and for voters to consider why pipelines are often built through sovereign indigenous land. As women, we are the first environment, she said. We carry our babies in water. We know that water is essential to life and our future. We must do whatever it takes to protect the sacred waters and to protect our sacred children. Between speakers, the crowd was asked to make a promise that drove home the goal to create a more inclusive feminist movement. Put your hand up if youre a white feminist, said Erin Erickson, one of the march organizers and the founder of Missoula Rises, a community-led group that seeks to protect human rights through education and activism. Most of the crowd raised their hands. To encourage intersectional feminism meaning it includes women of different races, classes, sexual orientations, religions and ethnicities Erickson read a prompt to the crowd and asked them to respond me too. The exercise referenced the #MeToo movement about sexual assault and harassment. My kind of feminism means that I stand up for indigenous sovereignty, environmental and water rights for all. If your kind of feminism does, say The crowd yelled back in unison: Me too! Meshayla Cox, a University of Montana student and president of the Black Student Union at the university, spoke about how last year's march left many women of color feeling under-represented in the resistance. Today, there are now movements led by women who resemble me, and there are spaces like this one for women of color to speak up and call out social injustices as we see and experience them, she said. You guys, this is truly revolutionary. Cox encouraged the audience to hold each other and their families accountable for actions and remarks that exclude people who have been historically marginalized. Being an ally is a verb, she said. More speakers followed, and the Missoula Womens Chorus sang while children sitting on their parents' shoulders held up signs. The march was one of at least seven across Montana, whose leaders set forth three demands of the state and federal government. that the state of Montana commit resources into not only working with tribal leaders in their efforts to investigate and gather statewide data regarding crimes committed against Native women throughout the state, but in creating a mutually transparent process that allows for trust and shared information between the state and the tribes; that state legislators amend Montana's Hate Crime Statute to cover violence based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Without this coverage, members of the LGBTQI community do not have the ability to gather data or obtain legal protection for hate-based sexual crimes committed against them; that state legislators re-open the 19 Public Assistance Offices in rural areas of Montana Big Timber, Chinook, Choteau, Columbus, Conrad, Cut Bank, Deer Lodge, Dillon, Forsyth, Fort Benton, Glendive, Livingston, Malta, Red Lodge, Shelby, Sidney, Plentywood, Roundup and Thompson Falls. In order to leave sexually abusive relationships or leave sexually abusive employment situations, women need access to financial resources. Because internet access is inequitably distributed and women rely on in-person office visits, closing rural Public Assistance Offices will only make it harder for women to seek safety, essential services and justice. Authorities at the Slidell post office on Second Street, where a suspicious package was found Friday afternoon, Jan. 19, 2018.(Slidell Police Department photo) Crui Cruisin river with Flick September 12 - September 23 Organized by the experts at Direct Travel Medieval Treasures cruise tour: basel to prague Starting from Basel, experience the romantic Rhine and peaceful Main rivers in a cozy river cruise ship hosting only 144 guests. Ancient castles, grand palaces and medieval towns are yours to enjoy. Revel in the architectural gems on displaythe Wurzburg Residenz and Mannheim Baroque Palace. Visit the Alsatian capital of France, Strasbourg and the metropolitan capital of Germany, Frankfurt. An extremely limited number of spots are available. Interested? Come to an informational meeting to learn more! Thursday, Feb. 15 | 6 - 7 pm. | CJs Family Restaurant, 2901 E Empire Street, Blm. RSVP to Jonell at 309-820-3350 or at pantagraph.com/flicktrip Today marks a full year of the presidency of Donald Trump. In that time, Trump appointed a new Supreme Court justice, among many judicial appointments, strived to undo much of his predecessors work on regulations, the environment and education, saw Congress pass a tax overhaul bill and tweeted often. The president lessened the power of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, issued an oft-legally challenged travel ban criticized as targeting Muslims and weighed in as members from his campaign team went under investigation for ties to Russia. There was much more, of course, during an at-times tumultuous year in American politics. The Nonpareil checked in with local party leaders, the states congressional delegation and others for their thoughts on the presidents first year in office. Jan Tatum, chairwoman of the Pottawattamie County Republican Party, lauded the presidents efforts to keep his campaign promises. The stock market has been record-setting and he has supported the recent tax reform legislation that will help hard working families and spur continued economic growth, Tatum said. I wholeheartedly applaud the presidents support for veterans, military, police, firefighters and first responders. Tatum said shed like to see the president work with Congress on an improved budget to get spending under control. She said an immigration policy related to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals should fall on Congress, not the president. That needs to be decided the people, not one person in office, she said, noting about policy making in 2018: Id like to see bipartisan support. Until they start working together, nothing can be done. Tatums counterpart in the county, Pottawattamie County Democratic Party Chairwoman Linda Nelson, described the first year of Trumps presidency as nothing short of total disappointment. A daily disaster with the next day not improving. His constant campaigning, rather than taking the high road to actually govern, has been disappointing, she said. Nelson criticized the president for his continued calls for a border wall along the Mexican border that will be paid for by American taxpayers, rather than Mexico as Trump said would be the case while campaigning. I do see a glimmer of hope as more elected Republicans stand up against the mean-spirited, she said. I also have tremendous optimism as Democrats and independents across the country are stepping up and making a difference and electing Democrats to office in special elections. Nelson continued: Locally, we have had more folks step up to put their name on the ballot, more folks stepping up to help elect our local folks, all fueled by an anger of Republican majorities both on the state and national level gutting worker rights, gutting human rights, gutting womens health care opportunities and so much more. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, listed tax cuts, judges, fewer regulations and increased defense funding the No. 1 responsibility of government among the highlights of Trumps first year. I think that he has gone away from this eight-year trend and pattern of the previous administration, every day would have a new regulation. There was always talk of new spending, he said in a phone interview with The Nonpareil on Friday. For eight years we had a great deal of uncertainty of what the government would do to people who invest to create jobs. The president has brought certainty, he said. We got a big tax cut. Youre seeing the benefits of that right now. On foreign policy, Grassley praised Trump for the U.S. involvement in the conflict in Syria, working to see NATO increase its spending and for dialogue between North and South Korea. It seems like he doesnt get the credit from other countries that he should, Grassley said. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said that, under the Trump administration, We have seen significant progress for Iowans in the last year. She too praised the tax bill, which will result in greatly-needed tax relief for middle- and low-income Iowans. In addition, this administration has implemented my efforts to improve access to timely and quality care for our veterans, protect our citizens through Sarahs Law, improve the readiness and strength of our military and begin scrapping the Waters of the United States rule, Ernst said in an email. Grassley said he was happy Trump didnt fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions, as he had threatened, with the senator noting hed pushed back on the issue. I took that on and won that, he said. I can challenge him. Looking to the future, Grassley said a big issue in 2018 will be infrastructure. He also noted trade deals could be looked at. There is still much yet to be done, and I look forward to building on these efforts on behalf of Iowans throughout the year, Ernst said. The Nonpareil asked readers on Facebook to grade the first year under President Trump. Marianne Thoresen Dirksen gave him an F. He nominated people to head the Agencies and they are dismantling the very agencies that they head. He is so jealous of President Obama that he and the GOP have rolled back all of the laws that were placed to protect the American people from corruption in our banks, our environment, our security, she wrote, also criticizing the president for not releasing his tax returns, hurting trade agreements and interfering with the judicial system. Matthew Thomas gave him a B+ while adding, Policies and appointments are spot on. If he would SHUT UP he would have an A. Abby DeSantiago wrote: Every day he tests the American peoples capacity to be shocked. So many controversial stories surrounding him come to light every day it is a struggle to recognize them for what they are unacceptable. Take any single one headline Trump has made in this last year and just try to imagine a former president associated with the same story. Robin Smith wrote, Great job, hes the best! More jobs. Trump is a moral monster who degrades our norms, our standing in the world, and actively undermines the principles of the constitution, wrote Jacob Kleffman. He has been a disgrace and disaster president since day 1 when he began his gaslighting and assault on common sense when he insisted his crowd size was the biggest in history. Sandy Smith noted, I give him an B+. He is bringing jobs, stock market is unbelievable. Of the roughly 20 comments posted Friday afternoon, a majority didnt approve of the presidents job performance. See more comments at bit.ly/2EYB0BY. Find additional coverage at bit.ly/2Dxyyp0. A group of women will again converge on downtown Omaha this weekend as part of the national Womens March movement. Its the second annual Womens March, the event that drew thousands of people to the streets of Omaha and millions to the streets worldwide the day after President Donald Trumps inauguration. And the organizers of the local march say they want to focus on the next steps from the members of the movement the theme is March on the Polls 2018. Last year, the way I saw it was more of a protest versus this year is how do we move forward, said outreach coordinator Sam Carwyn. The event begins at 1 p.m. Saturday at 14th Street between Douglas and Farnam Streets. The planned route is south to Howard Street, east to 10th Street, north to Farnam and west to 14th Street. Speakers include Marta Nieves, a Nebraskan who has worked as a community organizer as well as in local business and nonprofits, and Omaha native Ashlei Spivey, who works at the Peter Kiewit Foundation and who will speak about advocacy. More information about the route, the speakers and related events is at omahawomensmarch.com. Similar events are scheduled around the country. The event is affiliated with backlash to Trump, but lead organizer Andrea Talbot said the Omaha event is officially nonpartisan. No party owns women, she said. We were very intentional about making this a nonpartisan event. As of Wednesday, no one had filed a permit with the City of Omaha to hold a protest or countermarch. The event takes place the day after this years March for Life, an annual anti-abortion event in Washington, D.C., that often draws many Nebraskans. DES MOINES, Iowa Federal government regulators proposed changes Friday in the way most hogs slaughtered for meat in the United States are processed in a series of new rules that officials say improve industry practices but critics say could imperil food safety. The new rules would allow hog slaughter plants to voluntarily join a new proposed inspection system that would put plant employees in charge of determining which animals are unfit for processing. Government inspectors who currently perform this function would be moved to other areas of the plant focused more on food safety, said U.S. Department of Agriculture Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety Carmen Rottenberg. The proposed rules are similar to ones rolled out in 2014 for the poultry industry. Critics have said such changes turn too much of the inspection and food safety testing over to the companies, creating increased risk of food-borne illnesses from contaminated meat as well as an increased risk of inhumane treatment of animals. "We think that food safety is going to suffer from this," said Tony Corbo, a senior lobbyist at Food & Water Watch, a Washington-based advocacy group that is calling for USDA to drop the proposed rules. "We opposed what they did in poultry and we're opposing what they're doing here. This is a belated Christmas gift to the industry." Rottenberg insists the changes could improve food safety and said they would still require government inspectors to look at all hog carcasses processed. "There is no single technology or process to address the problem of foodborne illness, but when we focus our inspections on food safety-related tasks, we better protect American families," she said. The proposed rules would also increase the number of hogs plants could process by revoking limits on line speeds and allowing plants to determine their own speeds. Corbo argued the move could endanger workers and reduce quality control. Maximum line speeds are currently set at 1,106 hogs per hour, meaning each line in a plant is allowed to handle that number of carcasses each hour. The USDA said five pilot plants operating at their own established speeds have operated efficiently but safely. Corbo said data he's collected indicate the pilot plants have had significantly higher noncompliance reports in key areas including sanitation. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, which is proposing the rules, said the new system is unlikely to result in increased bacterial contamination of hog carcasses and could lower it, "which in turn may result in fewer human illnesses." Companies may choose not to adopt the new rules and could continue to operate under the existing inspection system. The voluntary inspection program would apply only to those processing plants slaughtering market hogs, animals about six months old weighing around 250 pounds , which make up about 96 percent of the pork products sold to consumers. After officially posting the rules in the next few days, the agency will begin taking comments, which could lead to changes in the proposal. No date has been set for enactment. A second set of rules proposed Friday would be mandatory and require all pork processing plants to implement their own new daily documentation on how they prevent bacterial contamination of carcasses and procedures for microbial testing. USDA has been working on changes to pork processing since 2002, Rottenberg said. The agency said the U.S. has 612 swine slaughter plants under federal inspection. They process about 118 million hogs a year. Editors note: Area ministers who would like to be part of this feature can contact Joan von Kampen at 308-535-4707 or joan.vonkampen@nptelegraph.com. Submissions may be edited for length or to conform to newspaper style. Pro-woman, pro-child, pro-life For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. God the Father through the Prophet Jeremiah 29:11. We have a heavenly Father who, out of an extreme love for us, was willing to give all to bring us home (John 3:16). This desire to share the love the Father has for us, the salvation Jesus won for us and the help the Holy Spirit gives us each day is why the Catholic Church insists on following the path of Jesus regardless of how the world views it. The precepts of Christ are never to be an oppressive burden, but a path to true joy, a joy that He wants us to have. If we truly believe and know that God is good, then goodness is all He will desire for His people. It is out of a desire to lead others to true joy and goodness that the Catholic Church under the direction of the Holy Spirit takes a hard stand for the protection of all human life along with the protection and rights of women to have a true health care system in which they find hope and protection. For years now, the church, standing with countless other Christians, non-Christians, those of no faith and even with atheists, has stood for the protection of human life in the womb. Pro-woman, pro-child, pro-life is the solid belief that a woman deserves better than an abortion. Jan. 22 marks the 45th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, because of which countless women have been harmed and hosts of children lost. Knowing that we were formed by God the Father (Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 139:13, Genesis 1:27), we realize all human life reflects Him. There are thousands upon thousands of facts and information that will defend life using reason, religion and science. Many people will stand to protect the life of a child and the protection of his/her mother. Yet are we just as willing as a pro-life people to help those who chose abortion to overcome the past and come back to the very God who sees them as precious in His sight and honored and loved (Isaiah 43:4)? If we are to truly be pro-woman, pro-child, pro-life, we will have to buck up and fight for those who are hurting from abortions, those who are struggling with pregnancy and those who dont understand why life is sacred. We can speak the truth of life, but if we do not help others to return to a life in Christ we have missed the boat. This is no easy task. It is hard to love those who disrespect life in the womb, those who murder, those who use violence against another, those who are racist, sexist or just all out rude to life around them. As Christians, we are called to mount the crosses of caring for all peoples and to especially welcome home anyone who seeks to get back on the path of Jesus. If anyone is hurting from past life decisions from anything concerning the value of life, the Christian community welcomes you home with open arms. You are loved by God, and we desire to share a journey home to the Father with you. The plans He has for us all are amazing, and we desire for all to find that future. The Christian Community must offer support to those women who may find it difficult to accept a child, above all when they are isolated from their family and friends. Likewise, the community should be open to welcome back all who repent of having participated in the grave sin of abortion, and should guide them with pastoral charity to accept the grace of forgiveness, the need for penance, and the joy of entering once more into the new life of Christ. Pope Benedict XVI. The Rev. Matthew Nash St. Patrick Catholic Church North Platte The phone rang, and my cousin, Dennis Jensen, of Lincoln, wondered if a story could be written about his sister, Sheila Jensen Freeze. She and her husband, Bob, have given so much of their time and talent, money, compassion and love. Dennis came to the right place. Often stories are right before our eyes and we dont realize it. Whenever Sheila enters the room, her voice and eyes light up. She tells me, Cousin Mary Jane, I love you. Its not that Im special; its that everyone is special to Sheila. She is a joyous person. You probably know Sheila and Bob from Freeze Bait and Tackle shop on South Willow Street. Maybe your Bible class went fishing for the day and needed a stop at the bait shop first. Thats where Bob and Sheila work their magic. Each kid is catered to before going off on their fishing trip. My mother, Lorena Jergensen Huffman, and their father were cousins. Ever since I can remember, the Huffman family would pile into the Plymouth and head over to the Cody Park youth cabin for the Danish annual reunion of the Hansen, Rasmussen, Jensen and Jergensen families. It seemed like a humongous clan of Danish relatives. I remember a lot of food and a lot of fun. Now is the time to let Dennis take over and tell you some of the nitty-gritty about Sheila: Sheila was a happy child growing up. She had energy and loved being around people and pets. Sheila was friendly and was open to any friendships. Our father was ill his last few years and died at age 52. Our mother had vision problems and only began to work after our fathers death. Our mother had a stroke at 56. She recovered and came home for a couple of years before more strokes placed her in a nursing home until her death. When this illness struck our mom, I really came to appreciate Sheila more than ever. Sheila visited our mom almost daily to light up her day. We lived in Lincoln and relied on Sheila to provide the immediate help Mom needed. Sheila had bought clothes for our mom years before when Mom could not afford to buy many clothes. Mom enjoyed Sheila and her four boys immensely. My other sister, Jeannette, also helped our mom and brought her three boys to be with their grandmother. Our moms brother, Charles, became very ill at about the same time as our mom, and Sheila was the person he called on to be there for him. The night he passed away, Sheila was there at his bedside to comfort and pray with him. They were special to each other. The next installment will continue the story about Sheilas life and her contribution to society. DETROIT For some of the 200-plus cities knocked out of the running for Amazon's second headquarters, the effort may turn out to be a trial run for other opportunities. But they're advised to not make the same kind of promises to just anyone. Cities such as Detroit, Memphis, Tennessee; and Gary, Indiana, failed to make Amazon's first cut as the online giant narrowed its list to 20 prospective sites for the $5 billion project that could employ up to 50,000 people. Looking on the bright side, several leaders whose proposals didn't make it say the time spent putting together juicy tax incentives, massive chunks of land and infrastructure studies was not wasted. "We used this opportunity to showcase all the options in Delaware not just for Amazon, but for any business looking for a location to set down roots and grow," the state's governor, John Carney, said. "This exercise showed us new ways to showcase our city that we are already using to attract other businesses," Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said. Seattle-based Amazon made clear that tax breaks and grants would be a big factor in its decision. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan floated an incentive package of more than $5 billion to lure the second headquarters to Montgomery County. New Jersey's pitch contains $7 billion in tax breaks and Boston's offer includes $75 million for affordable housing for Amazon employees and others. Generous tax breaks and other incentives can erode a city's tax base. Economists have said the Amazon headquarters is a rare case in which some enticements could repay a city over the long run. But the pursuit of Amazon could re-ignite an incentive war between cities, regions and states to lure companies and jobs, says Tim Bartik, a senior economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Just because they offered certain things to Amazon, doesn't mean every company should get the same, Bartik said. "'Now that we've offered the store to Amazon, let's offer the store to someone else,'" he added. "I'd be little concerned with that." Amazon's list includes New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Indianapolis, Washington, D.C., Denver, Miami, Atlanta and Chicago. Texas' Austin and Dallas made the cut, as did Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. The others are Columbus, Ohio; Montgomery County, Maryland; Nashville, Tennessee; Newark, New Jersey; Northern Virginia; and Raleigh, North Carolina. Toronto also is on the list. Detroit's absence from the list muted what many see as an exciting time in the city as it makes progress since its 2014 exit from bankruptcy. Businessman Dan Gilbert led the team that put together the Motor City's proposal, which included a video showcasing the city and a more than 240-page, color, spiral-bound book. The cost of the proposal has not been revealed. "We are not deterred in any way, shape or form," said Gilbert, founder of online mortgage lender Quicken Loans and Bedrock commercial real estate. "Detroit is the most exciting city in the country right now and the momentum continues to build every single day. There are numerous large and small deals you will continue to see develop into reality in the months and years ahead." Some spent big on their pitches to Amazon. Worcester, Massachusetts, released invoices showing that it spent more than $10,500 on its proposal, most of it on a video. Connecticut shelled out $35,000 for renderings and drone footage. Virginia Beach, Virginia, reported spending at least $85,000. That included $3,000 to build a sand sculpture at the beach to promote its application. For areas considered longshots, going after Amazon was a bit of an experiment. "As much as this process helped identify our major assets, it also helped us to assess our gaps and where we can continue to improve," said Birgit Klohs, chief executive of Grand Rapids, Michigan-based The Right Place, Inc. The economic development organization was part of the team making the pitch for Grand Rapids. Gov. Chris Sununu said New Hampshire's proposal "was the most comprehensive business marketing plan" the state had produced. "We are excited that it is already serving as a template for other businesses that now have New Hampshire on their radar," Sununu said. He did not name specific companies, and Democrats argued that if Sununu truly wanted to attract businesses, he would invest more in education, workforce development and increasing the minimum wage. Prosecutors said Thibedeau sent Facebook messages to the 26-year-old victim last year asking her to meet him in a remote location to discuss a law enforcement matter. Prosecutors said Thibedeau lied to the woman about an imminent search by police of her home, then demanded to touch her breasts. When she refused, Thibedeau threatened her with a fictitious warrant, handcuffed her and placed her in his patrol vehicle. He then touched her bare breasts and later released her. MAHONEY STATE PARK A hunting season for mountain lions in Nebraskas Pine Ridge could return soon, based on a new population estimate for the big cats. There were an estimated 59 adult and kitten mountain lions in the rugged Pine Ridge in northwest Nebraska last May and June, said Sam Wilson, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commissions carnivore program manager. The estimated Pine Ridge cougar population ranged from 22 to 33 when Nebraska held its inaugural mountain lion hunting season in 2014. Population data likely supports holding a harvest season in the Pine Ridge, Wilson told Game and Parks commissioners at a meeting Friday at Mahoney State Park. The commission uses regulated hunting, when appropriate, as a primary strategy for meeting its mountain lion management goals and objectives. Three males and two females were taken in northwest Nebraska during the first hunting season. No season was held during 2015-17 because of an unusual number of non-hunting mountain lion deaths that occurred in 2014. A decision on whether to establish a second hunting season is expected to be several months away. Before commissioners receive a staff recommendation one way or the other, Wilson and other wildlife biologists will review the two scientific studies that produced the population estimated, continue to track mountain lion deaths by all causes and hold a public informational meeting in northwest Nebraska. Just as it does for all game species, the commission has a mountain lion management plan. It calls for maintaining resilient, healthy and socially acceptable cougar populations. Mountain lions started recolonizing the state in recent decades and are recognized as an important component of the states native biodiversity. Wilson monitors mountain lion populations by genetic analysis of cougar scat and with an established formula based on the number of cougars captured in a first attempt and then recaptured in a second attempt. Both methods estimated a total 59 individuals about a third of them kittens in the Pine Ridge last spring. The population continually changes due to births, deaths and animals that migrate in or out of Nebraska, Wilson said. The management plan calls for maintaining cougar populations that are in balance with available habitat and other wildlife species, infrequent livestock depredation, and providing the public with scientifically based information about the big cats. Although about 4 percent of Nebraska is considered suitable habitat for mountain lions, the cats have been documented in 42 of 93 counties since their return to the state was confirmed in 1991. They have established residence in the Pine Ridge, Wildcat Hills and Niobrara River valley. VALPARAISO While serving aboard a guided missile destroyer, Blair Milo faced the challenge of getting the ships sonar system to do its job. The solution was a new system baseline upgrade. The challenge was how to do it. As a member of Indiana Gov. Eric Holcombs cabinet, Milo faces a similar challenge connecting Hoosiers with training and skills to earn good-paying jobs. We need a system to connect workers with opportunities, Milo said. We need to close the current workforce gap. Returning Friday to Northwest Indiana, the former LaPorte mayor presented a workshop on building a 21st century workforce at the Porter County Community Foundation building. The Northwest Indiana Workforce Board sponsored the morning session which drew employers, educators and other business people. Milo received a number of comments on opportunities and challenges facing Northwest Indiana. Heather Ennis, of the Northwest Indiana Forum, praised local education leaders who are dedicated to preparing students for the future. Aco Sikoski, chancellor of Ivy Tech Community Colleges Valparaiso campus, said campus officials are working with seven school superintendents about early college programs. Doreen Gonzalez-Gaboyan, associate director of workforce engagement for Purdue University West Lafayette, noted how several universities are collaborating on developing career pathways for cyber security professionals. Several participants cited a challenge with training clashing with work. Kenard Taylor, owner of Valparaiso-based KLT Consulting LLC, said these conflicts force employees to choose between work and study. Employers need to be more flexible, Taylor said. Rex Richards, president of the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce, cited challenges with people unable to pass drug screening tests for employment, as well as young people leaving college early with no degrees or work experience but carrying a heavy school debt. So many opportunities, so many people, so many directions. We have to articulate what people can take advantage of, Milo said. How do you feed an elephant? One bite at a time. Milo was appointed last July as secretary of the newly created Indiana Office of Career Connections and Talent. Her responsibilities include collaborating with employers, unions, educators and public entities to identify employment needs and training opportunities for high-demand, high-paying jobs. Job areas in high demand, Milo said, include health and life sciences, advanced manufacturing, building and construction, information technology and transportation and logistics. Scanning the overall states employment picture, Milo estimated 85,000 jobs statewide, including 1,627 job postings in Porter County, jumping over the next 10 years to 2,636. Additionally, Milo said 60 percent of the jobs that current kindergartners will someday fill dont exist yet. We need to design a system that is regionally driven, to shift to changing needs, Milo said. Milo said the state is working on software to connect people with training opportunities, increase opportunities for work-based learning, enhance career navigation support and transition ex-offenders into employment. Milo stressed that Indiana wants to help local communities develop job systems that work for their particular area. We want to take a bottom-up approach, not one-size-fits-all, she said. We want to help students and adults realize the great job opportunities out there. Any businesses interested in cultivating a good company culture could learn from two of the best, Centier Bank and General Insurance Services. Merrillville-based Centier and Michigan City-based General Insurance Services, both frequently named "Best Place to Work in Indiana" by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, told Northwest Indiana business leaders how to make a workplace engaging at a free "Break Through" seminar this week. The next talk Succession or Sell? What you need to know, but no one wants to talk about" takes place at 8 a.m. March 14 at the Centier Corporate Center at 600 E 84th Ave in Merrillville. Chrisanne Christ, Senior Partner in Human Resource Development at Centier Bank, told a crowd of Region business professionals that building a strong company culture can help retain employees and improve the bottom line by increasing productivity and reducing turnover. It is so important to learn what is important to your employees, how they would define your current culture, then develop a plan around those needs, Christ said. Needs change over time, so you have to implement a consistent tool to receive regular, honest feedback from them. Also, learn from other businesses that have great cultures. Sharing best practices makes us a stronger community! General Insurance Services President Craig Menne said a business ideally should build morale and communicate its values to its employees, so they can serve as brand ambassadors. Everyone in our organization has a flip book on their desk with our 33 fundamentals, and every Monday morning, I send out an email about this weeks fundamental and how we can apply that to a situation we know is ahead of us or how we can use it to learn from something that just happened, Menne said. These fundamentals are aligned with our values, our short-term strategy, and our long-term strategy." Centier Bank hopes the ongoing series of seminars prove useful to the local business community, said Anthony Contrucci, vice president of community relations and business development. The response we have received from the community has been humbling. I often say, 'just because you build it doesnt always mean they come,' he said. "The support, attendance, and feedback have been incredible. And we have been blessed with wonderful speakers. Those who truly understand the concept of 'Break Through' and who can take complex subjects and make them both fun and easy to digest. We are pleased that we have been able to produce content that appears to be making a real difference in our community. For more information, visit centier.com. The Gary/Chicago International Airport Authority on Friday hired an industry veteran with experience in Gary as the airport's new executive director. Duane Hayden, who has been serving as the airport's chief operations officer and interim manager for the past year, succeeds Dan Vicari, who will serve as an adviser while continuing as executive director of the Gary Sanitary District. Hayden moves into a direct employment relationship with the airport after having worked for the private firm AvPorts, the company that has provided management and operations services at the airport since 2014. Hayden worked for the Gary airport previously as deputy executive director from 1999 to 2001. "Gary/Chicago International Airport has experienced tremendous growth over the last few years, particularly since the runway extension was completed," Hayden said. "There is great momentum at the airport, and I am excited for the opportunity to help lead." Hayden has been a member of the Illinois Air National Guard since 1986, and holds the rank of colonel. He has served several overseas deployments, including most recently for operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Before returning to Gary, Hayden held several roles with the Chicago Department of Aviation at O'Hare International Airport, including assistant commissioner for terminal operations, for airside operations/vehicle services and for safety. He also served as general manager of Meigs Field and worked for United Airlines. Hayden will be paid an annual salary of $120,000. Vicari has worked at the airport for just over four years, holding the director position there and at the sanitary district jointly for most of that time. The airport board approved an agreement Friday with the sanitary district to allow Vicari to continue to assist airport officials on various projects. He will be employed solely by the sanitary district, which he joined in 2012. Gary city and airport officials had been contemplating hiring a new director as the airport expanded. Board chairman Stephen Mays said "the airport today is very different than it was just four years ago. Colonel Hayden's significant experience in airport operations and safety are exactly what we need to continue moving the airport forward." The Wall Street Journal on Friday reported that Archer Daniels Midland Co. is proposing a takeover of Bunge Limited, a White Plains, New York, agribusiness and food production chain that is one of the worlds largest traders of crops. The story was attributed to unnamed sources said to be familiar with discussions. An ADM spokesman told Reuters the company does not comment on speculation. The North American headquarters of ADM is in Decatur, where the company first built a plant in 1939. Decatur was the firm's headquarters from 1969 to 2014, when the office relocated to downtown Chicago. Bunge has about 32,000 employees, including at a facility in Fairmont City near St. Louis. Its North America headquarters is in St. Louis County. The agribusiness sector has experienced a series of mergers in recent years. Last year, Delaware-based DuPont and Michigan-based Dow Chemical Co. completed a merger. Mining conglomerate Glencore last year approached Bunge about an acquisition, Reuters said. Any merger would require regulatory approval. Dwayne Everett looks forward to stepping into a myriad of roles in a new production set to open Friday in Chicago. The Merrillville actor is one of the stars of "We The People: The Anti-Trump Musical," scheduled to run Friday through Feb. 10 at Chicago's Stage 773. The production is a world premiere by Flying Elephant Productions with book by Sean Chandler, music and lyrics by Leo Schwartz and direction by Derek Van Barham. "The show is a political song cycle," Everett said. "That's different from a regular narrative musical." The story line, done through a series of individual songs performed one after another, follows the 2016 presidential election from conventions through election night and after. "There are six actors and throughout the course of the show we play 55 characters," Everett said. The world premiere play provides commentary on contemporary times in a unique way. FYI "We The People: The Anti-Trump Musical" runs Friday through Feb. 10 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Tickets for the preview performance on Friday are $30 while regular run tickets from Jan. 28 through Feb. 10 cost $40. Thursdays are "Industry Nights" and tickets for Thursday shows are $10 with a headshot/resume. Call 773-327-5252 or visit stage773.com. "As actors, it's our duty to reflect the times," Everett said. Leo Schwartz, executive director of the new Flying Elephant Productions believes "Whether it's to expose the workhouses of Victorian London in Dickens' 'Oliver Twist' or the ravages of the Spanish Civil War in Picasso's "Guernica" or the social upheaval of the '60s in "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?' art inspires us to reconsider, to act, to challenge. 'We The People' is a call to action to save those things which we hold most dear, our country and our freedom.' Everett said "We The People" has been in rehearsal for about a month. When he auditioned for the work, Everett sent in a video showcasing his talents. Although he'll be immersed in this production for a couple of weeks, Everett said he's always auditioning for various projects and keeps his eyes open for theatrical work. "I'm out there all the time basically going to auditions. ... The first four months of the year is designated as audition season in Chicago," Everett said. That's the time actors feverishly try to secure upcoming projects and work. "It takes a special kind of perseverance," he added. Everett, who "splits life between Northwest Indiana and Chicago" said he became interested in acting while involved in the theater department at Merrillville High School. Beverly Seaver, he said, was an encouraging teacher in the department. "I got the acting bug there. That was the first time I realized it was an actual profession," Everett said. The actor, who was born in Hammond, was raised in Gary. He earned a bachelor's degree in musical theatre performance at Columbia College Chicago and has worked on theatrical projects in Chicago as well as Northwest Indiana. In the Region, he's appeared at Towle Theater in Hammond and done regional productions at the former Star Plaza Theatre. "Star Plaza Theatre has a special place in all of our hearts," Everett said about the recent closing of the theater. "I graduated from high school there (Merrillville High School) and I got a lot of experience as a young actor there." Among theatrical companies he's worked with are Refuge Theatre Project; Barn Theatre; Big Noise; American Theatre Company; and others. Everett was also in the PBS program "Harmonies for Healing: Under the Streetlamp," which was filmed at Star Plaza Theatre. CROWN POINT An alleged serial robber is accused in two more robberies and one attempted robbery in Schererville. Dionysios T. Doukas, 35, of Schererville, was charged Thursday in Lake Criminal Court with the robbery Oct. 31 of Speedway gas station, 2333 U.S. Highway 41. He was also charged in the attempted robbery Nov. 4 of Enzo's Restaurant, 1120 W. Lincoln Highway, and the robbery Nov. 5 of Holiday Inn Express, 1773 Fountain Park Drive. The suspect in all three robberies wore a camouflage-colored neck gaiter and threatened employees with an object wrapped in a tan-colored plastic bag. The employees at Enzo's Restaurant refused to provide the suspect cash. The suspect emptied cash registers at Speedway and Holiday Inn Express. Doukas is already charged in Lake County with 11 robberies or attempted robberies. He is charged with committing two more robberies in Porter County. The suspect in all the robberies wrapped an item in a plastic bag, which he intimated was a gun. The suspect in several other robberies was also described as wearing a camouflage-colored face mask. Doukas was arrested Nov. 20 after allegedly escaping a police pursuit. He was charged with robbing a Subway restaurant in Lowell the previous night. Some court records spell Doukas' first name Dionysos. Doukas' is scheduled to appear at a court hearing Feb. 20. CROWN POINT A man fired from a grocery store in Merrillville for trying to sell marijuana to customers allegedly returned this week to pistol whip a store employee and steal his vehicle, court records state. Bryan J. Parks, 22, of Chicago, was charged Friday in Lake Criminal Court with three counts of robbery, two counts of battery, possession of an altered handgun and automobile theft. Merrillville police were dispatched 9:21 p.m. Wednesday to Ruler Foods, 6110 Broadway Ave., in Merrillville, after receiving reports of an automobile theft, according to court records. An employee told police he was on a smoke break when he was approached by Parks, a former co-worker, who beat him over the head with a handgun and demanded the keys to his vehicle, records state. The man handed over the keys, and Parks fled in his 2004 Buick LeSabre, records state. A store manager told police she witnessed the attack. She said Parks was fired from the store Tuesday for trying to sell marijuana to customers during his shift, according to records. The Buick LeSabre was found parked outside the apartment of Park's mother in the 58000 block of Pennsylvania Street, records state. The mother allegedly said, Oh lord, what did he do now? when officers told her they were looking for Parks, according to records. Parks was taken into custody at the apartment, records state. A loaded 9 mm pistol with an obliterated serial number was found in a bag belonging to Parks. The battered employee received four staples to treat a laceration to his head, records state. Parks is not afforded bond on the charges, records state. (Scroll down to find Part I of this story.) The search for the shotgun killer ended Jan. 28, 1991, after the botched killing of a restaurant manager outside Southlake Mall landed two men in jail Antwion McGee and Christopher Dwayne Peterson. Antwion McGee told police they had the shotgun killer, Peterson, in custody, a revelation that surprised law enforcement officers who had been searching up to that point for a white man with medium-length hair. A search of Peterson's home that night turned up a shotgun in his closet, which a gun expert determined through ballistic testing fired spent shells found at three murder scenes. Peterson owned a boxy, white car, which witnesses had seen at several crime scenes, and his palm print matched two prints lifted from a victim's vehicle. Peterson further confessed to police he was the shotgun killer, though he later recanted his statements. Peterson, a 22-year-old Marine deserter, was a dark-skinned black man with short hair, which contradicted a composite sketch released of the killer. The composite sketch was based on statements from Carrie Jillson, who survived one of the shootings and described the killer as a white man with medium-length, stringy hair. The incongruity so disturbed the community Gary Mayor Thomas Barnes sent a letter to clergy and citizens asking police to clarify the confusion about the suspect's race. Many of the shooting victims were white. Barnes feared a black killer would cause division in a community united only months before against the senseless murders. "I hope and pray that the guilty whatever their nationality, home or background are brought to justice quickly," the mayor wrote. The racial tensions in the community were further inflamed by statements made by Peterson, who claimed in an interview with police he was driven to kill because of anti-white "rages." Ralph Staples, one of the Lake County prosecutors who convicted Peterson, scoffed at claims the murders were racially motivated, pointing out many of the murders involved robberies. "He was a bandit, not a bigot," Staples said. Peterson appeared Sept. 30, 1991, in Lake Criminal Court at his first trial for the murders of Lawrence Mills and Rhonda Hammersley. Mills, a 43-year-old insurance salesman from Hammond, was found dead in his car Oct. 30, 1991, outside American Legion Post 66 in Griffith. Hammersley, 25, was shot in the head later that night while chatting with Jillson outside the Petro Mart gas station in Cedar Lake, where they both worked. The prosecution believed this case was their strongest, but a key piece of evidence the palm prints that connected Peterson to Mills' vehicle was suppressed before trial by Judge James Clement. Jillson, the state's star witness, also testified at trial that it was not Peterson who shot Hammersley, even though Peterson confessed to the murder. Public defenders Jerry Jarrett and I. Alexander Woloshansky used the composite sketch and Jillson's testimony to hammer the state's case, raising the specter in jurors' minds of a white killer. The jury deliberated for about six hours before acquitting Peterson on both murders. A juror told The Times after the verdict there was disagreement among jurors about the veracity of Peterson's confession and the way it was obtained. Another juror said there just was not enough evidence to convict Peterson. "They just didn't prove it to us," she said. Staples admitted Woloshansky and Jarrett did a good job using the composite sketch to raise doubt. Jillson testified at trial Peterson wasn't the killer, but she couldn't tell jurors whom she believed was the real killer Ronald J. Harris, an accomplice who assisted Peterson in the Cedar Lake murder and the murder of Harchand S. Dhaliwal in Portage. Harris was later convicted for both murders at separate trials and sentenced to 90 years in prison. Staples said Jillson confused Peterson for Harris, a light-skinned black man with medium-length hair, which caused the erroneous composite sketch. A second trial in January 1992 in Lake Criminal Court also ended in acquittals. Peterson was acquitted of murder in the shooting Dec. 15, 1990, of Ora L. Wildermuth, 54, at an ATM in Gary's Miller neighborhood. He was also acquitted of attempted murder in the shooting that same night of Robert Kotso, 49, a toll booth worker at Indiana East-West Toll Road. It wasn't until he was tried a third time in Porter County that Peterson was finally convicted, in that case for the murders of Harchand Dhaliwal and Marie Meitzler. Dhaliwal, 54, was killed and robbed while he worked at the Hudson Oil service station on U.S. 6 in Portage. Meitzler, 48, was killed while working at a motor lodge on U.S. Route 20 in Portage. Both died from gunshot wounds to the head. Convictions in Lake County would come in April 1992 for the killings of brothers Eli Balovski, 60, and George Baloski, 66, at their tailor shop in Gary. Staples said the prosecution didn't do anything different in the April 1992 trial, though the brothers' murder case wasn't hampered by the composite sketch that sunk the prosecutors' previous efforts. "It all depends on the 12 people sitting in the (jury) box," he said. Staples said he remembered the jury's verdict like it was yesterday. "I remember this sense of relief," he said. "We finally brought him before the bar of justice and had a jury convict him and say 'You'll be held responsible.'" Peterson was sentenced to death for his convictions in Porter and Lake counties. His convictions in the Porter County murders were reversed by a federal judge in July 2003 due to an improper statement made at trial by Porter County Prosecutor James Douglas. Douglas pointed out to the jury in his closing arguments that Peterson had not testified on his own behalf, which was Peterson's constitutional right and could not be construed by jurors as evidence of guilt. That reversal was sustained by the Seventh Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals in December 2005. Peterson's death sentence in the Lake County murders was vacated after the Indiana Supreme Court determined in August 2004 that only a jury's recommendation could condemn a defendant to death. Lake Criminal Court Judge James Clement overruled a jury's recommendation for leniency for Peterson when he ordered Peterson be put to death in June 1992. Peterson was resentenced to two 60-year terms in prison for the murders of Eli Balovski and George Baloski. Peterson, now 48, changed his name while in prison to Obadyah Ben-Yisrayl. He maintains he is not the shotgun killer. Peterson is scheduled to be released from prison in April 2051. Harris, also 48, is scheduled to be released from prison in September 2036. GARY An elderly couple died and a teenage girl was seriously injured in a house fire overnight in the city's Glen Park East section. The Gary Fire Department received a call at 12:12 a.m. Saturday for a residential structure fire in the 4600 block of Delaware Street, department spokesman Mark Jones said. Crews arrived on scene minutes later to find smoke coming from a residence, he said. Firefighters were able to pull three unconscious people out of the house, two of whom died later at the hospital. A 15-year-old girl was airlifted to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood due to her injuries, Jones said. Isiah Hunter, 85, of Gary, was pronounced dead at 12:44 a.m. at Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus in Gary, according to a Lake County coroner's news release. Joella Hunter, 83, was pronounced dead at 1:06 a.m. at the same hospital, the coroner said. The 15-year-old girl's relationship with the elderly couple was not known, Jones said. Her condition Saturday was not immediately known. A preliminary investigation determined a space heater in the basement likely was left on and set fire to nearby combustible material, sparking the blaze, Jones said. Jones said the fire appears to be accidental. The home was badly damaged. Crews were on scene for about two hours, he said. HAMMOND For those who don't want to fight Chicago traffic on Saturday, a Schererville woman is hosting a local Women's March at Unity of Northwest Indiana. Anyone who wishes to stand in solidarity with Women's March events nationwide is welcome to attend the event that starts at noon, said Linda Rosenthal, founder of Insight Out Visionary Healing Arts and Reiki Training Center. Unity of Northwest Indiana, 740 River Drive, in Hammond, offered the church's parking lot for Saturday's event, she said, but depending on the turnout, participants may later head over to the nearby Wicker Park. Thousands will gather across the country on Saturday to mark the one-year anniversary of the Womens March on Washington. In a divisive first year under under President Donald Trump, Rosenthal said this is an opportunity for women to channel hope and positivity, but also raise up their voices. The #MeToo movement has just raised a lot of eyes and ears and awakened people who were silenced. It encouraged women to speak up, and speak up about more things, she said. Womens rights need to be at the forefront. Rosenthal said the Womens March on Washington mobilized a Trump resistance, but now its time to turn that resistance into positive action. I want people to bring their love, their hope and creativity, she said. Rosenthal encouraged people to bring handwritten or printed signs. VALPARAISO Walking the talk was the goal of a group of student organizers of TEDx Valparaiso University on campus Friday evening. About 100 people attended the program, which featured 13 speakers sharing stories focusing on the theme Why Not Today? Conversations Encouraging Action. Lauren Tehan, a senior at VU and director of marketing for the program, said the seven student board members who organized the event wanted to help attendees reach their goals whatever they might be and put their thoughts and ideas into action. Why sit around and wait for tomorrow? asked Tehan, of Valparaiso. Take action today be proactive. The concise TED-style talks generally 5 to 18 minutes long were delivered by students, alumni, faculty and community members, and reflected the theme of taking action in various realms, including business, leadership, teaching, nonprofits and philanthropy. In Teaching Beyond the Ceiling, 2005 VU alumnus Chad Chenowith proposed basics lessons about teaching, including placing teaching above discipline, creating a balance between educating and entertaining, and differing teaching methods based on the student. Gifted and talented or high ability students are those who are frequently neglected academically, Chenowith said. They arent getting challenged in the classroom like they need to be, Chenowith said. So often, they act out ... theyre bored ... theyre frustrated. Chenowith said good teachers make opportunities for students and give them the best chance to succeed. In her talk, Lead The People, Not The Project, senior Daina Mueller provided three ideas for good leadership. Mueller encouraged the audience members who strive to be leaders to communicate with emotional intelligence, be a role model and communicate and inspire a shared vision. Passion inspires people, passion gets people excited about what they are doing, passion is contagious, Mueller said. Passion allows us to do great things and come together in an inspired shared vision. The evenings talks were divided into three sessions, and after each, the audience was separated into groups to discuss what ideas inspired them and how they planned to put their own goals into action. Hannah Sergent, who helped organize the event, said groups were devised in a reflective and proactive way. We want them to talk about their goals and personalities and help each other create an action plan, said Sergent, a nursing major from Millington, Michigan. Ashita Bhatnagar, one of the organizers, said this was the third TEDx session at VU since 2016. After first securing a license to operate the event through the national TED organization, she said the group put out a call for speakers and received about 35 applications from students, faculty and community members. The students interviewed and auditioned each speaker to determine the lineup. Tickets for audience members were limited to 55 students, 15 community members and 30 staff members to ensure an intimate group. Bhatnagar said the free TEDx tickets are a hot commodity, as they sold out in just four hours. The students, who began planning the session in April, find the work rewarding and a great way to apply the communication and leadership skills they learn in the classroom, Bhatnagar said. Its a lot of work, but so much fun, Bhatnagar said. DALLAS Delta Air Lines will soon require owners of service and support animals to provide more information before their animal can fly in the passenger cabin, including an assurance that it's trained to behave itself. The airline says complaints about animals biting or urinating or defecating on planes have nearly doubled since 2016. Starting March 1, Delta will require owners to show proof of their animal's health or vaccinations at least 48 hours before a flight. Owners of psychiatric service animals and of those used for emotional support will need to sign a statement vouching that their animal can behave. But owners will be on the honor system they won't have to show, for example, that their dog graduated from obedience school. The new requirements don't apply to pets, for which owners pay an extra fee. Delta, American and United all charge $125 each way for small pets in the cabin. Pets that don't fit under a seat must fly in the cargo hold, also for a price. Delta's policy change arrives with the number of animals in the cabin increasing. A rift has grown between disabled people who rely on trained service animals, usually dogs, and passengers with support or comfort animals, with many in the first group suspecting that those in the latter are just trying to avoid paying $125. However, owners of comfort animals, including veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome, often say that they wouldn't be able to travel without their companion. John Laughter, the airline's senior vice president of safety and security, said there are insufficient rules in place to screen animals for health and behavior issues. Last June, a 70-pound dog flying as a support animal bit another passenger several times in the face on a Delta plane in Atlanta. The victim was hospitalized. Delta is seeking a balance "that supports those customers with a legitimate need for these animals" while maintaining safety, Laughter said. Sara Nelson, president of the largest flight attendants' union, praised Delta's decision. She said passengers abuse the system to bring untrained animals on board, and if it isn't stopped it could lead to a crackdown that will hurt veterans and the disabled "who legitimately need to travel with these animals." Eric Goldmann, a sales representative in Atlanta for a health care company, posts pictures on Twitter of support animals that he thinks should have stayed home. He says owners are abusing the system and creating safety hazards. "These dogs are everywhere, they're out in the aisles," he said. "Planes have to be evacuated in 90 seconds in an emergency. If animals get in the way, people will panic." Although exact figures aren't available, airline employees say dogs and cats are the most common animals on planes, but there have been sightings of pigs, snakes and turkeys too. Delta's new rules are aimed at two categories: service animals, which receive specific training to help blind or disabled passengers; and so-called emotional-support animals, which require no training at all. Both fly for free and are not required to be caged during the flight. The emotional-support group has been growing rapidly, and it is the target of most of the new Delta procedures. Delta, the second-biggest U.S. airline by revenue, said it transports about 700 service and support animals every day, nearly 250,000 per year. More than two-thirds are emotional-support animals. That does not include animals for which owners pay a fee to keep in a carrier under their seat during flights. The boom in animal travel has prompted airports to add places where pets can relieve themselves. Federal regulators have interpreted a 1986 access-to-travel law to allow support animals in airplane cabins and in apartment buildings that do not allow pets. That has created a cottage industry of online companies that help people establish their pet as an emotional support animal. Airlines must allow support animals in the cabin, although they can require owners to present a letter from a doctor or other medical provider who can vouch that the human traveler is helped by having the animal there. Delta will now ask to see those letters 48 hours in advance. The Transportation Department, aided by an advisory committee of airline and passenger advocates, has been considering tightening the definitions of service and comfort animals but missed its own deadline last year. The airlines also complain that they have no way to verify that doctors who sign off on comfort animals are qualified to decide if someone needs the emotional support. Last year an undercover reporter for a Los Angeles TV station found a chiropractor willing to sign a letter allowing the woman's dog to fly for free if she paid his $250 fee. American Airlines and United Airlines said they were reviewing their animal policies. Both reported seeing a significant increase in the number of emotional-support animals since 2016. David Koenig can be reached at http://twitter.com/airlinewriter The last time the federal government shut down over a partisan budget battle, Sen. Joe Donnelly donated his take-home pay to charity. Indiana's Democratic senator, who voted for a measure that would have averted a shutdown Friday night, vowed to do the same thing in a statement released after the federal government shut down for the first time since 2013. "The most basic duty of Congress is to fund the federal government, and I voted to keep the government running," Donnelly said in a news release. "I am incredibly disappointed Congress failed to prevent a shutdown. Like in 2013, Im going to work with my colleagues in a bipartisan manner to reopen the government, and I will donate my take-home pay during the shutdown to charity in Indiana." Sen. Todd Young, R-Indiana, vowed to do the same thing in a statement Saturday, saying he would donate his salary to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation until the government reopens. When given the opportunity to extend the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for more than 104,000 Hoosier children, provide for our servicemembers, lift the burden of the job-killing medical device tax, and keep government functions operating, some of my colleagues took a pass," Young said in his statement. "For reasons I cant understand, they voted to shut down the government even though they support the bill. I will continue working through the weekend to ensure that a solution is reached for the good of Hoosiers and all Americans." In 2013, Donnelly donated the $5,000 he was paid during the 16 days of the federal government shutdown to 10 food banks across Indiana. Republican National Committee spokesman Michael Joyce released a statement as well, urging Donnelly to separate himself from Democratic Party leadership. "Joe Donnelly prides himself on his common sense and ability to work across the aisle, but he continues to represent a leadership team in Washington that is willing to play political games at the stake of our troops and children's health care benefits," Joyce said in a news release. "If Donnelly was a man of common-sense he would leave the Chuck Schumer and Elizabeth Warren leadership team immediately and stand side-by-side with the voters of Indiana." WASHINGTON The federal government shut down at the stroke of midnight Friday, halting all but the most essential operations and marring the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump's inauguration in a striking display of Washington dysfunction. Last-minute negotiations crumbled as Senate Democrats blocked a four-week stopgap extension in a late-night vote, causing the fourth government shutdown in a quarter century. Behind the scenes, however, leading Republicans and Democrats were trying to work out a compromise to avert a lengthy shutdown. Congress scheduled an unusual Saturday session to begin considering a three-week version of the short-term spending measure and to broadcast that they were at work as the shutdown commences. It seemed likely each side would try forcing votes aimed at making the other party look culpable for shuttering federal agencies. Since the closure began at the start of a weekend, many of the immediate effects will be muted for most Americans. But any damage could build quickly if the closure is prolonged. And it comes with no shortage of embarrassment for the president and political risk for both parties, as they wager that voters will punish the other at the ballot box in November. Social Security and most other safety net programs are unaffected by the lapse in federal spending authority. Critical government functions will continue, with uniformed service members, health inspectors and law enforcement officers set to work without pay. But if no deal is brokered before Monday, hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be furloughed. After hours of closed-door meetings and phone calls, the Senate scheduled its late-night vote on a House-passed plan. It gained 50 votes to proceed to 49 against, but 60 were needed to break a Democratic filibuster. A handful of red-state Democrats crossed the aisle to support the measure, rather than take a politically risky vote. Four Republicans voted in opposition. In an unusual move, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell allowed the roll call to exceed two hours instead of the usual 20 or so and run past midnight, seemingly accommodating the numerous discussions among leaders and other lawmakers. Still as midnight passed and the calendar turned, there was no obvious off-ramp to the political stalemate. Even before the vote, Trump was pessimistic, tweeting that Democrats actually wanted the shutdown "to help diminish the success" of the tax bill he and fellow Republicans pushed through last month. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders later termed the Democrats "obstructionist losers." Democrats balked on the measure in an effort to pressure on the White House to cut a deal to protect "dreamer" immigrants who were brought to the country as children and are now here illegally before their legal protection runs out in March. The president watched the results from the White House residence, dialing up allies and affirming his belief that Democrats would take the blame for the shutdown, said a person familiar with his conversations but not authorized to discuss them publicly. Predictably, both parties moved swiftly to blame one another. Democrats laid fault with Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress and the White House and have struggled with building internal consensus. Republicans declared Democrats responsible, after they declined to provide the votes needed to overcome a filibuster over their desire to force the passage of legislation to protect some 700,000 younger immigrants from deportation. Republicans branded the confrontation a "Schumer shutdown" and argued that Democrats were harming fellow Americans to protect "illegal immigrants." Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said a "Trump shutdown" was more accurate. Earlier Friday, Trump had brought Schumer to the White House in hopes of cutting a deal on a short-term spending agreement. The two New Yorkers, who pride themselves on their negotiating abilities, started talking over cheeseburgers about a larger agreement that would have included greater military spending and money for a southern border wall. But the talks fell apart almost as abruptly as they started. In a phone call hours later, the president raised new concerns about the deal he and Schumer had discussed, according to a person familiar with the conversation. In a subsequent phone call with Schumer, chief of staff John Kelly said the deal discussed was too liberal. The White House did not immediately comment on that account. Budget Director Mick Mulvaney told CNN that "Not much has changed" over the course of the day, but he predicted a deal would be reached by Monday, when most government offices are to reopen after the weekend. Democrats in the Senate had served notice they would filibuster the government-wide funding bill that cleared the House Thursday evening. They were seeking an even shorter extension that they think would keep the pressure on the White House to cut a deal to protect the "dreamer" immigrants. "We will not negotiate the status of unlawful immigrants while Democrats hold our lawful citizens hostage over their reckless demands," Sanders said in a statement. Trump first described his discussion with Schumer as an "excellent preliminary meeting," tweeting that lawmakers were "making progress - four week extension would be best!" But that optimism faded as the evening wore on. McConnell did not attend the meeting because he was not invited, a Senate GOP aide said. Trump had been an unreliable negotiator in the weeks leading up to the showdown. Earlier this week he tweeted opposition to the four-week plan, forcing the White House to later affirm his support. He expressed openness to extending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, only to reject a bipartisan proposal. His disparaging remarks about African and Haitian immigrants last week helped derail further negotiations. Trump had been set to leave Friday afternoon to attend a fundraiser at his Palm Beach, Florida, estate marking the one-year anniversary of his inauguration but delayed his travel. As word of the Schumer meeting spread, the White House hastened to reassure Republican congressional leaders that Trump would not make any major policy concessions, said a person familiar with the conversations but not authorized to be quoted by name. On Capitol Hill, McConnell said Americans at home would be watching to see "which senators make the patriotic decision" and which "vote to shove aside veterans, military families and vulnerable children to hold the entire country hostage... until we pass an immigration bill." "We can't keep kicking the can down the road," said Schumer, insisting on more urgency in talks on immigration. "In another month, we'll be right back here, at this moment, with the same web of problems at our feet, in no better position to solve them." The four-week measure would have been the fourth stopgap spending bill since the current budget year started in October. A pile of unfinished Capitol Hill business has been on hold, first as Republicans ironed out last fall's tax bill and now as Democrats insist on progress on immigration. Talks on a budget deal to ease tight spending limits on both the Pentagon and domestic agencies are on hold, as is progress on a huge $80 billion-plus disaster aid bill. Before Thursday night's House approval, GOP leaders sweetened the stopgap measure with legislation to extend for six years a popular health care program for children from low-income families and two-year delays in unpopular "Obamacare" taxes on medical devices and generous employer-provided health plans. A shutdown would be the first since 2013, when tea party Republicans in a strategy not unlike the one Schumer is employing now sought to use a must-pass funding bill to try to force then-President Barack Obama to delay implementation of his marquee health care law. At the time, Trump told Fox & Friends that the ultimate blame for a shutdown lies at the top. "I really think the pressure is on the president," he said. Arguing that Trump's predecessors "weaponized" that shutdown, Mulvaney said Friday the budget office would direct agencies to work to mitigate the impact this time. That position is a striking role-reversal for the conservative former congressman, who was one of the architects of the 2013 shutdown over the Affordable Care Act. Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Catherine Lucey contributed to this report from Washington. AP writer Jonathan Lemire contributed from New York. MILAN Milan has long been the world's ready-to-wear fashion leader. Now, dogs are getting in on the Italian city's sartorial scene with a new line of haute couture for canines. Dog a Porter, by the Milan brand Temellini, offers clothing custom-fit for different breeds, ranging from the tiny Chihuahua to the stately greyhound. The line includes cashmere knits, nylon bomber jackets with tiny arms, Sherlock Holmes-style capes and lined raincoats. The capes cost $208 and synthetically filled hooded parkas go for $256 to reflect the extra time it takes to get the fine stitching on the elasticized sleeves just right. Designer Giovanna Temellini says fashionable dog clothes aren't just an indulgence. Her luxury outerwear not only protects pooches accustomed to being indoors when they are brought outside, but take into account the builds of various types of dogs, she said. "For me, a dog is well-dressed only when it has freedom of movement, when it is not constrained," Temellini said. "It is OK to dress a dog when it is cold, but a dog needs to live his live as a dog. This is important." Speaking from personal experience, the designer notes that Ulysses, her long-haired Afghan Hound, requires five hours of grooming if he gets wet in the rain. A raincoat prevents the hassle, she said. Temellini launched Dog a Porter a year ago alongside her 20-year-old eponymous clothing line for women. She opened a boutique in Milan's chic Brera neighborhood this week, selling women's ready-to-wear and canine couture side-by-side. In fact, many of the dog garments have corresponding numbers for women, such as the long, flowing black cotton skirt a pet owner could wear while walking her dog outfitted in a black chenille jacket. The market appears ripe for such a venture in fashion-conscious Italy, where some 7 million dogs are registered as pets, or one for every 3.7 families, according to statistics from ASSALCO, an association of producers of pet food and other pet items. The money Italians lavished on dogs and cats grew 10 percent during 2013-2016 to nearly $2.4 billion, the association said in a 2017 report. Temellini said the toughest part about designing for dogs was the sizing. The long bodies and stout thoraxes of dachshunds, for example, had to be taken into account. In all, the Dog a Porter line has five basic shapes. But the Temellini atelier also does made-to-order items, applying the experience it gained over decades making samples for some of Milan's top fashion houses, including Ermanno Scervino, Bottega Veneta and Max Mara. "Something that made me laugh was to see a professional, a lawyer, come in with his Saluki, and he wanted a made-to-measure coat for his dog," Temellini said. "He said all his clothes were made-to-measure, and he wanted the same for his dog." Patrizia Radaelli is a happy Dog a Porter customer. She couldn't find anything to warm Eddie, her 14-year-old Yorkshire terrier-Volpino Italiano mix. "He's a little old and gets very cold in the winter," Radaelli said. "Usually, he would get very fussy when I dressed him with other items. But never with Giovanna's fabrics." Now, Eddie turns heads when he does his evening business wearing a striped cashmere sweater under a navy blue parka, Radaelli said. Electoral Commission secretary, Sam Rwakoojo (L) and EC chairperson Simon Byabakama before the committee The Electoral Commission has said that it has no money to fund political parties in the 2018/2019 financial year. Appearing before the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee, Electoral Commission secretary, Sam Rwakoojo said that during the budget preparations for 2018/19, there was no provision for the political party funding in the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF). Government started funding political parties with representation in parliament in the 2014/15 financial year, contributing up to Shs 10 billion every year. Rwakoojo reported that while the commission requested for Shs 189.2 billion, government approved Shs 64.6 billion, leaving a funding gap of Shs 125 billion. Section 14 (a) of the Political Parties and Organisations Act, 2005, provides that government shall contribute funds or other public resources towards the activities of political parties or organizations represented in parliament. Parliament currently has four political parties of NRM, FDC, UPC and DP with representation in parliament. WE CANT RELOCATE Rwakoojo also reported that the commission has no money for acquiring office premises and relocation. The EC was advised to immediately relocate to other premises to pave way for the eastern route of the standard gauge railway, Jinja express highway and Kampala flyover projects, which will take up the biggest part of the current commission headquarters along Jinja road. Rwakoojo said the estimated cost of acquiring office premises and relocating is Shs 72bn, but no provision was made in the MTEF. The commission is also grappling with financing election of district chairpersons and district woman representatives in parliament for the six districts that will become operational from July 1, 2018. The six districts are Nabilatuk, Bugweri, Kassanda, Kwania, Kapelebyong and Kikuube. Constitutionally, the commission is expected to conduct elections for representatives to parliament within 60 days and district chairpersons within six months from the date the district takes off. The commission requires Shs 2.3bn to hold elections for district chairpersons and district woman MPs to parliament in addition to Shs 4.2bn for operationalization of district offices. There are no operational costs for establishing; and the annual cost of operating a district office is Shs 706 million, Rwakoojo told MPs. namuloki16@gmail.com DECATUR Private schools are working quickly to take advantage of the state's Invest in Kids scholarship tax credit, which will make as much as $100 million in donations available to lower-income students in Illinois. The Illinois Department of Revenue, which oversees the program, is relying on a handful of new nonprofit organizations to accept and process donations and student applications. Private schools hoping the money can spark enrollment growth have largely been tasked with alerting the public. "I think we're still trying to figure it out," said Larry Daly, principal of St. Teresa High School. "We're getting information to our parents, and to the community if any family is interested in St. Teresa to look into it." Tied to a sweeping revision of the needs-based formula that sends state aid to public schools, the tax credit scholarship allows businesses and individuals to donate up to $1 million to either a specific private school or the scholarship program at large. The tax credit is good for 75 percent of the total donation. The scholarship program is of special concern to Decatur-area private schools, which have seen flat or lower enrollment in recent years. "(The Invest in Kids Tax Credit Program) has created an awareness of school choice, and parents are being very proactive about finding funding because maybe private school wasn't an option for them previously," said Debbie Alexander, principal of Holy Family School. But time is short. The nonprofits handling the process with schools, donors and student applicants, have been able to register with the Illinois Department of Revenue since December, and they must start awarding scholarships by Feb. 1, according to the law. The Springfield Catholic Diocese which oversees Catholic Schools in Central Illinois, is working with Empower Illinois, by far the largest nonprofit handling the scholarships. The first to register with the state in December, Empower Illinois was created in September out of a school-choice advocacy group, One Chance Illinois, according to Empower Executive Director Myles Mendoza. Lutheran School Association also is working with Empower Illinois, said the school's executive director, Jeff Holmes. Mendoza said that of the $41 million of the tax-credit donations so far received by the Department of Revenue as of Thursday, $32 million of that is being handled by Empower Illinois. Mendoza declined to divulge Empower's funding or its donors, but Mendoza and a cadre of contractors have lobbied Springfield since 2015 to promote school-choice initiatives, records from the Secretary of State's Office show. "We have the benefit of national philanthropy to cover our start-up costs," he said. "We're able to have a call center, cybersecurity, a lot things that help us operate at scale." Launch date The five-year pilot program is part of a school funding reform the General Assembly approved last year. The goal was to give lower-income families with school-age children more educational opportunities at private schools. The legislation, thought to help students escape failing public schools, was strongly opposed by teacher unions. Illinois is the 18th state with such a program. Since Empower Illinois will be handling most of the tax credit money from donors across the state, its launch date of Jan. 31 at noon is critical for families and private schools. According to the Invest in Kids Act, applications will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. "It really is ... whoever gets in there," said Jeffrey Holmes, superintendent of the Lutheran School Association of Decatur. "It's kind of mad dash." While Empower and others have to start awarding scholarships to applicants by Feb. 1, Mendoza said Empower decided to push back its application launch date from Jan. 24 to the noon Jan. 31 after Gov. Bruce Rauner issued an amendatory veto that would include private schools not recognized by the the Illinois School Board of Education. If lawmakers do not approve the veto, the scholarship program will continue as the law said before the governor's veto. Mendoza said other nonprofit application systems have chosen launch dates as early as next week. Decatur Christian School Principal Brian Minott said his school will be applying through the Association of Christian Schools International. ACSI's website said it will launch its application on Jan. 22, and officials there did not return a request for comment. "We picked noon because it's a time where people tend to have a lunch break in lower-income communities, to give people the best chance to get the technology to apply," Mendoza said. "It's very important to get as close to that noon time stamp as possible." A time stamp indicates the exact time a user submitted an application in the online portal. The timing is important because the scholarship is designed to award qualified students on a first-come, first-served basis until the money is gone. Because students who have won scholarships this year also will get priority in subsequent years, Empower's launch date will have implications for years to come, Mendoza said. Hope for private schools Private school administrators here hope the new scholarship money from the state and private donors will boost declining enrollment, which they speculate has to do with the area's declining population, more strong public schools outside the city of Decatur and perhaps the biggest culprit rising tuition. "I think a big part of our drop is that affordability," said Daly. "I realize these parents are making a sacrifice to send our kids here, and ... that's one of the reasons that the tax (credit scholarships) could help." All six fully accredited private schools in the Decatur area have seen flat or declining enrollment in recent years, according to figures from the Illinois State Board of Education. At Holy Family School, the tuition for one student next year will be $2,800, according to Amy Jedlick, a parent and school board member. "When my daughter was in first grade, I want to say it was like $1,600 for one student, so $900 (more) over the last 10 years or so. I mean, that's quite a bit," Jedlick said. Jedlick said Holy Family is planning an information session for parents, and the principal described a get-the-word-out campaign on bulletin boards and emails to parents in the parish and school. But it's unclear if very many families outside of the faith-based schools' existing communities are aware of the state-funded scholarship opportunity with a very short window. Decatur Christian School is planning an informational meeting parents sometime in early February, a couple weeks after ASCI's application launch date, according to Minott. He said he's worried less money will be available by the time parents apply, but "the sooner the better we get on this." The private schools that are recognized by the state board of education disagree with Rauner's amendatory veto, which Empower has tried to accommodate with its later launch date. "I think it's important that we look at schools that have proven through some means their ability to provide a quality education," Alexander said. The non-recognized schools currently operating in the Decatur area according to the ISBE is Antioch Christian Academy and Prairie Flower Montessori School. Shirley Shaw, the principal of Antioch, a small predominantly African-American school, said the school's board of directors has been working to find the resources to meet the state's requirements, which involves state evaluations and compliance of health, safety, and curriculum standards. "Adding more (schools) to the pool, my concern is that it reduces the amount of dollars available to the recognized schools," said Holmes, of LSA. Outreach efforts According to the law's language, registered scholarship granting organizations "shall make reasonable efforts to advertise the availability of scholarships to eligible students." But Mendoza said Empower Illinois has largely been focused on getting private school administrators up to speed before the end of January. Alexander said the Springfield Diocese started rolling out information to Holy Family and other schools shortly after the new year about how families can use Empower's website and what forms they will need to apply for scholarships. According to Empower's website that includes a federal tax return, proof of Illinois residency and proof of a students age, such as a birth certificate. Students must meet the criteria for the tax credit scholarships. Once applications are in, Empower Illinois and other scholarship granting organizations will award money based on income levels, with eligibility ending if household income is more than 300 percent of the federal poverty level ($73,800 for a family of four). For households below 185 percent of the poverty level, scholarships would cover all tuition costs for students, and above that level, the scholarship would be partial. Students can apply after the launch date until April 1, but in this region of Central Illinois, schools will be eligible will be splitting no more than $7.5 million, part of the reason why getting in front of the line is crucial. "I'll tell you this, I have never worked so hard in my entire life seven days a week, 16-hour days," Mendoza said. Still, he said the application process for families is "not known as well as it needs to be." Based on data from similar rollouts in other states, Mendoza said he expects to receive 175,000 calls, emails and texts in the coming days. "We're expecting about 100,000 students to apply on Jan. 31." A female voter casting her ballot in 2016. Electoral Commission says it is not prepared to hold a referendum for the extension of presidential term Electoral Commission chairman Simon Byabakama has told parliament that his commission is not prepared for the anticipated referendum on the extension of the presidential term in office. Byabakama told the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee yesterday that the commission can only budget for and organize a referendum after receiving a formal communication from parliament. This did not go well with the committee chairperson Jacob Oboth-Oboth who said Byabakama and his commission should be aware of proceedings in parliament that led to approval of the presidential term extension. It is under the EC mandate to conduct elections once the bill was enacted into law, parliament doesnt need to convene another sitting to pass a new resolution to that effect, Oboth-Oboth said. The extension of the presidential term of office from five to seven years was a recommendation by the legal committee, which scrutinized the Constitutional Amendment (N0. 2) Bill 2017. The bill, which also removed presidential age limits and restored term limits, was passed by parliament on December 20 and President Museveni appended his signature a week later. The move, however, is under contention by some Ugandans and the Uganda Law Society and the opposition have since gone to court demanding its nullification. Under the law, the recommendation to extend the presidential tenure of office can only go through a referendum. Section 4 of the Referendum and other Provisions Act, 2005 enjoins the commission to organize, conduct and supervise all referenda. According to Byabakama, where a referendum is required, the commission shall, upon receipt of a resolution from Parliament, subject it to Article 260 and prepare accordingly. Once we are armed with a resolution, we shall go ahead and budget for the referendum, Byabakama said. namuloki16@gmail.com Red Pepper offices is now a crime scene The lawyer representing Pepper Publications Ltd, the publishers of Red Pepper and affiliated media platforms, Denis Nyombi has protested a court order allowing the continued siege of the company's offices in Namanve. The protest follows a request for extension of time to analyze exhibits that were confiscated from Red Pepper offices by police in November last year. The request was made by prosecutors, in a case in which directors and editors of the Red Pepper are charged with libel, computer misuse and publication of a story prejudicial to national security. The cases stem from a story published in The Red Pepper issue of November 20 indicating that President Yoweri Museveni was plotting to overthrow his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame. On trial are the founding directors of Pepper Publications; Arinaitwe Rugyendo, Patrick Mugumya, Johnson Musinguzi, Richard Tusiime and James Mujuni, and editors are Ben Byarabaha, Richard Kintu and Tumusiime Francis. These were arrested on November 21 following a police raid of their offices in Namanve, along Jinja road. They were arraigned before Buganda Road Court on November 27 and remanded to Luzira prison after a week in detention at Nalufenya police station in Jinja and granted bail after a month in detention. But the state, through the deputy assistant inspector of police Henry Peter Walya has asked court to allow it more time to analyze documents, computers and phones that were confiscated from Red pepper offices and obtain additional evidence to pin the eight journalists. "The order is valid for a period not exceeding one months from the date of issue", reads part of the order. But Nyombi told court presided over by Buganda Road Court Grade One Magistrate Samuel Kagoda that the order is a violation of the right to fair hearing. Magistrate Kagoda who had sat in for Chief Magistrate James Eremye Mawanda adjourned the matter to February 14, to allow the accused come up with a response to the state application. Jeff Lambert Lambert, Edwards & Associates has been named agency of record for the North American International Auto Show and 2018 North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year awards. LE&A will support the shows media relations efforts, including the more than 5,000 media in attendance, as well as providing script writing and content creation services. The agency will also manage all NAIAS social media properties for the show and work with sponsors and exhibitors to promote their products and technologies debuting at the show. Our team is excited to be working with two power-house brands of the automotive industry during such an exciting time of the year, said LE&A Founder Jeff Lambert. We have long-standing relationships with both NAIAS and officers of the NACTOY awards, and are looking forward to driving these global partnerships forward. 5W Public Relations has been named PR agency of record for Selby Jennings, a global recruitment organization that focuses on identifying and recruiting high-performing talent in mid-to-senior leadership roles within the banking and finance industry. Selby Jennings is one of five micro-specialist recruitment brands that operates as part of Phaidon Internationals portfolio of companies. 5W has a reputation for delivering results for high growth businesses and has done phenomenal work in the financial services industry, said Phaidon International global marketing director Gareth Saunders. We know that with the strategy and execution of the 5W team, people will know us as the premier destination for recruiting the highest levels of talent in the financial sector. Bratskeir & Company has been named PR and social communications agency for body and home brand RITUALS USA, handling all public relations and social media for the company. The brand, which is sold at Macys, ULTA and Amazon, as well as on RITUALS.com and at almost 600 stores run by the company, offers products ranging from body care to scented candles, teas and home fragrances. Inspired by the traditions of Eastern cultures, RITUALS encourages consumers to slow down, a theme that will be amplified by Bratskeirs work for the brand. The firm plans to build off its existing influencer and media relationships to spread the brands message. APPLE RIVER, Ill. _ In this very important month for the bald eagle, Terrence Ingram is trying to upend conventional wisdom about our majestic national symbol. He lacks the academic bona fides of an ornithologist but has spent nearly 60 years researching and advocating for bald eagles; he is even credited with saving more than 6,000 acres of eagle habitat along the Mississippi River. In 1995, Ingram established the Eagle Nature Foundation as the successor to a similar organization he'd started nearly three decades earlier. His point is simple: The bald eagle population is declining. It is an astonishing conclusion that flies in the face _ so to speak _ of the narrative that presents the bald eagle as a great American comeback story. And Ingram's theory is particularly noteworthy this month, when federal agencies and about 100 volunteers affiliated with his foundation conduct separate, crucial midwinter bald eagle counts. "I know, I'm out in left field, huh?" Ingram, 78, said recently from the headquarters of the Eagle Nature Foundation, in a creaky, nearly 150-year-old house that doubles as his insurance office in this tiny town 140 miles northwest of Chicago. "That's OK. I've known that for years." Nearly extinct in the early 1960s from the widespread use of the pesticide DDT, habitat destruction and illegal shooting, the bald eagle population reportedly has become so robust since the 1980s that it's starting to threaten other species, including some rare birds. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's best estimate places the bald eagle population at nearly 143,000, a significant jump from 30 years ago, when the service estimated that only 2,475 breeding pairs existed in the entire country. Sightings of bald eagles and nests have occurred in unusual spots, too. Last summer, an eagle crashed into a Gold Coast hotel window. In the spring of 2016, several were seen soaring and landing in a wide-open park near a landfill on Chicago's South Side. There's also the North American Breeding Bird Survey, taken during summer, that places recent growth at more than 12 percent a year for the U.S. and a whopping 37 percent per year in Illinois. An Illinois Audubon Society count last winter found 2,002 eagles _ more than double the number of the birds counted here in 2016. So how can Ingram justify his conclusion? He relies on 57 years of midwinter bald eagle counts his organization has conducted along and around the Mississippi River from Wisconsin to southern Illinois. Some years, his volunteer counters reach as far south as Louisiana. Uneven as the counts are, they show a drop of nearly 400 bald eagles, or 25 percent, from 2010 until last year's survey through the region stretching from northern Wisconsin to southern Illinois. Ingram also is concerned about a drop in the counts of young eagles, known as "immatures." Experts who know of Ingram's work treat it with respect but skepticism. "I don't question Terry's numbers showing decline," said Illinois Audubon Society Executive Director James Herkert. "The question for Terry would be what effort has been made to tease out weather and effort? How deep did they go in their analysis?" Counting birds, as one might imagine, can be extremely complicated. Duplication is a serious concern, particularly in sweeping endeavors like regional or national bald eagle counts in unpredictable winter conditions. So is the experience and commitment of the person counting the birds. Bald eagles are especially challenging. The easily spooked birds can fly 75 mph. Experts say a 10-mile trip is relatively common, and they have been known to fly as far as 200 miles in a day. Those factors _ as well as climate change, winter weather variances from year to year, abundance of prey and the distance the birds have to fly south to find open, unfrozen water _ make every organization's winter count vary wildly. "For this reason, it is virtually impossible to tell if downward trends in winter counts are due to declines in bald eagle population size or due to shifts in distribution in response to warmer winters," Brian Millsap, national raptor coordinator for the Fish and Wildlife Service, said in an email. Several studies show that warmer winters are prompting many raptors to shift their winter distribution, he added. Midwinter surveys of the Eagle Nature Foundation and Illinois Audubon Society show those wide swings. In 2008, for example, the foundation's total bald eagle count was 4,052. The next year that number dropped to 2,830. The society's midwinter count reached an all-time high of 5,597 birds in 2014. Two years later, the count was 946. "We do not believe that trends in counts of wintering bald eagles indicate overall populations are declining," Millsap said. "We do value the citizen science contribution of the midwinter survey and recognize it provides important information for management of local bald eagle wintering areas." Ingram's main criticism is that the conventional counts go on for two weeks, which allows for widespread duplication. His organization's counts run for two hours on one day, usually around Jan. 26. But Wade Eakle, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ecologist in San Francisco, said many raptor count researchers know that a certain percentage of individual birds are counted more than once. In response, the counts include "appropriate analytical methods," such as an eagle-observed-per-hour format, to reconcile for those results. Still, curious signs are out there: A 2015 Journal of Raptor Research article noted that the increase in bald eagle counts has slowed to less than 1 percent in recent years, and that the number of eagles counted in Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska and Texas are declining. In addition, Ingram's theory for why the eagle counts are dropping is that glyphosate, the active ingredient in a widely used pesticide, is making its way through the food chain. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ecological risk assessment on the compound, released in December, "indicates that there is potential for effects on birds, mammals and terrestrial and aquatic plants." And, although eagles are on "a great trend right now," Illinois Audubon Society's Herkert said, "the counter to that is that there is a truckload of pesticides out there now. I do have a little bit of concern that we're not on a great environmental trajectory right now." Herkert also said monitoring of eagles is not as vigilant as it was before the bird was taken off the endangered species list in 2007. Sunday Kennedy targets gun violence Democrat Chris Kennedy has made gun violence a centerpiece of his campaign for Illinois governor, saying too many people in Chicago and elsewhere in Illinois are dealing with the same kind of pain. The move has brought endorsements from African-American leaders, including U.S. Reps. Bobby Rush and Danny Davis, and could help Kennedy earn support in the March primary from black voters who have been disproportionately hurt by gun violence. All the gubernatorial candidates also answered questions from the Associated Press about about the issue. A former sheriffs deputy in southwest Nebraska lured a woman to a remote location, handcuffed her and molested her, according to the Nebraska Attorney Generals Office. The deputy, Charles Thibedeau, 37, was convicted in Dundy County District Court on Thursday of kidnapping, third-degree sexual assault and oppression under color of office. The incident occurred March 22, according to a press release from the Attorney Generals Office. According to the release: While on duty working for the Dundy County Sheriffs Office, Thibedeau sent Facebook messages to the 26-year-old victim, asking her to meet him in a remote location to discuss an official matter. When she arrived, Thibedeau lied to her about a search of her home by local law enforcement. Then he asked her to show him her breasts and allow him to touch them. When she refused, he threatened to jail her on a fictitious warrant, handcuffed her, put her in his patrol vehicle and touched her bare breasts. He later released the woman. Thibedeau had been a deputy for 5 months and had not been formally certified because he had not yet attended the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Academy in Grand Island. Thibedeau faces up to 50 years in prison when hes sentenced March 5. A 12-year-old runaway girl from Omaha who was the subject of a public appeal for help was found Saturday in Missouri, police said. Paw Ku had last been seen leaving her home near 51st and Maple Streets on Jan. 8. Her mother reported the next day to police that the girl was missing and said she believed she was with her 23-year-old boyfriend The 12-year-old was found in Milan, Missouri, about 3 a.m. after the FBI found information that suggested she may be in that area. The Missouri State Highway Patrol and Milan authorities took her into protective custody. The man, Eh Ther Ger, was jailed Saturday in Missouri. LINCOLN Judge Gary Randall has spent the past two decades watching the caseload grow in Douglas County District Court. The county, which includes Omaha, has seen more serious violent crime leading to more criminal cases, the judge told the Nebraska Legislatures Judiciary Committee. There are also more people representing themselves. And the criminal cases take precedent over the complicated and often significant civil cases, the judge said. Randall, along with several others, was asking the committee to add another judge to the bench in Douglas County District Court. Legislative Bill 696, introduced by State Sen. Laura Ebke of Crete, would do just that, increasing the number of judges in the district court from 16 to 17. The move was recommended by the Judicial Resources Commission. When a state senator asked Randall if more than one additional judge was needed to handle Douglas Countys caseload, Randall said he was asking for whats realistic. The state currently has a projected budget shortfall of $200 million. Adding an additional judge would cost the state $298,474 in fiscal year 2018-19 and $293,474 in the following fiscal year. The cost for Douglas County would be even higher. Douglas County estimates a cost of about $2 million in fiscal year 2018-19 and $949,088 in the next fiscal year. According to the bills fiscal note, the cost includes $1.5 million in design, construction and displacement costs. It also includes salaries and benefits for deputies to provide courtroom security and other courtroom staff. The committee took no action on the bill on Friday. Midlanders found the 2013 partial government shutdown to be mostly a nuisance, they said Friday as they prepared for the possibility of another similar event. Depending on how long it lasts, though, a shutdown could pose more serious problems for those who work for or need to do business with the government. Of course, some of the most affected are the federal government workers, who wouldnt get paychecks during a shutdown, though in the past they have received back pay afterward. But those seeking passports, visas or even a loan from a bank could find their plans stalled by a government shutdown. On Friday, uncertainty loomed for those people as Congress negotiated the passage of a potential short-term funding bill. Threats of government shutdowns have become increasingly common as Congress relies more and more on short-term fixes called continuing resolutions to keep open the government. But this would be the first such shutdown at a time when one political party Republican holds control of the presidency and both houses of Congress. In 2013, many government services shut down for 16 days in October as the Republican-majority House objected to funding for the Affordable Care Act that was supported by the Democratic-led Senate and White House. Then, national parks were closed and the government stopped processing some applications. But those who are considered essential personnel or who are supported by non-tax revenue, including public safety workers and mail carriers, remain at work during a shutdown. One difference from 2013 is that President Donald Trumps administration announced plans to keep national parks open to the public even if there were no park rangers or other employees. Homestead National Monument Superintendent Mark Engler said the National Parks Service is not expecting a shutdown. But if there is one, national parks will remain as accessible as possible while still following all applicable laws and procedures, he said. In Iowa, DeSoto Wildlife Refuge would be open though the visitors center would not, said manager Tom Cox. At Offutt Air Force Base, many employees will learn over the weekend whether they should come in Monday or not, said Drew Nystrom, a 55th Wing spokesman. Its very surreal, he said. At Offutt there are 1,625 civilian civil service employees who would be furloughed in the event of a government shutdown, while 744 are considered mission-essential and would still work. A government shutdown would not affect about 240 other civilian non-appropriated funds employees, such as those working for on-base day care centers, because their salaries are paid for through user fees, not tax dollars. This is drill weekend for National Guard members in both Iowa and Nebraska. All will report and train as usual if congressional leaders reach an agreement. If they dont, about 900 Iowa National Guard members will report for one four-hour training block Saturday morning and then return home, said Col. Greg Hapgood, an Iowa Guard spokesman. An additional 1,100 full-time Guard employees would be furloughed Monday morning if a government shutdown were to continue through the weekend, he said. A Nebraska National Guard spokesman said Guard leaders are in a wait and see mode. If they cant reach an agreement, then the plan is well most likely cancel drill, said Lt. Col. Kevin Hynes. About 2,050 guardsmen would be affected. At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the Great Plains Research Data Center, which contains data used by some researchers but is not open to the public, would close. Other than that, the impact at UNL would mostly be rescheduled meetings and late pay for some projects, said Steve Goddard, interim vice chancellor for research. In the short term, right now its not a huge impact, he said. One result of the 2013 shutdown was that farmers couldnt cash checks from elevators for grain if they had taken a loan from the Farm Services Administration. Dan Poppe, president of the Archer (Nebraska) Cooperative Credit Union, said that was a nuisance for those farmers at the time and that his credit union offered customers short-term loans. But, Poppe said, if a shutdown stretched for a month or more, that could cause more of a hardship. He also said a shutdown could impact farmers ability to obtain an operating line of credit for this springs crops. Poppe said hes frustrated at the idea of another shutdown. He said hed like to tell Congress: Stop playing games based on what your political party is and just take care of the business that needs to be taken care of. There is no reason they cant get a budget passed. DECATUR Though she views politics in general as a negative topic unlikely to change anytime soon, Tiffany Wade doesnt regret her vote to elect President Donald Trump. She sees a lot to like about the 45th presidents first year on the job. Good things are happening that other presidents said would happen but never did, said Wade, a 39-year-old Moweaqua resident. I like that he has been honest. Trump, the first president with no military or government experience, marks the one year-anniversary of his inauguration this weekend. It coincides with a government shutdown that began at midnight Saturday after Republicans and Democrats could not agree on a funding bill, with Democrats lobbying for the inclusion of protections for younger immigrants brought to the country illegally as children. Among Macon County residents and local political leaders interviewed by the Herald & Review, as in the rest of the country, Trump inspires polarized feelings. But one thing seems to be true: Whatever you thought about Trump when he was sworn in whether you liked him or not the past year has likely confirmed it. A poll released Friday by CNN found approval of Trumps job performance at 40 percent, the highest it has been since September but lower than other modern presidents at this point in their terms. Of those surveyed, 87 percent of Republicans approved of the president, while only 6 percent of Democrats did. Another poll released Friday by NBC News/Wall Street Journal reported a 39 percent approval rating, including 78 percent of Republicans. Macon County Republican Chairman Bruce Pillsbury said Trump has been fairly successful, but the news media and Democrats are working to make him look bad. Yet, when you look at what hes accomplished with all this adversity, the economy is booming, and unemployment is down in all the communities, he said. U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, a Taylorville Republican who represents the 13th Congressional District, feels similarly. Davis pulled support for Trump in October 2016 during the campaign after vulgar comments Trump made about a woman in 2005 became public, but later said he would support Trump and was excited for his presidency. Now, he says, many have been unable to see through their own animosity to Trumps accomplishments. I think there are a lot of people in politics, in the media, and just overall society that their hatred for this president sometimes outweighs their desire to him be successful, Davis recently told the Herald & Review. But Jim Underwood, chairman of the Macon County Democrats, sees a much darker picture. He gives Trumps performance an F on the grading scale, so negative that he said it has driven more people to become involved locally in Democratic politics. I think its what everyone was fearful of, Underwood said. He really does not have a grasp for what the job is. A tumultuous year Trumps supporters point to gains in the economy, a falling unemployment rate and strengthened stock market. He successfully pushed for income and corporate tax cuts in sweeping tax overhaul legislation passed in December, and has taken steps to loosen regulations. Most economists are optimistic that growth will continue. Trumps critics say the positive economic trends began under previous administrations. He has probably gone beyond expectations, considering the bias of the liberal press, said Alice Huebner, 75, from Decatur. Everybody who has investments should be feeling good. In another encouraging step to his base, Trump on Friday stepped to the forefront of the countrys anti-abortion movement, addressing thousands of activists at the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., and pledging support. In the past year, he has delivered on promises to curb abortion rights through rules and policies, and appointed conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court. Critics continue to reject Trumps brash rhetorical style and have said he is eager to create division, especially on racial issues. A travel ban on visitors from several Muslim-majority countries, issued last January and blocked by several courts, stoked opposition from those who have called it intolerant and said it is illegally aimed at Muslims. Trumps administration has said the ban is needed for national security. The U.S. Supreme Court plans to hear arguments on the legality of the policy in April. Trump was widely criticized for blaming "both sides" violence between neo-Nazis and anti-hate group protesters that left one woman dead in Charlottesville, Virginia. Trumps administration has also continued to face questions about Russian interference in U.S. elections. Special counsel Robert Mueller has brought charges against four of Trump's former campaign advisers and has expressed interest in interviewing Trump. Democrats and Republicans in Congress have been increasingly divided on the investigations in recent months. Multiple congressional committees led by Republicans are now investigating the FBI and whether the bureau conspired against the president during the campaign. Polarized politics Trump during the campaign promised to shake up Washington, drain the swamp and return power to the nations forgotten. It was a message that resonated with many in across the country and in downstate Illinois, which supported Trump in the 2016 election. He carried 90 of Illinois 102 counties, according to data provided by the bipartisan Paul Simon Public Policy Institute in Carbondale. Democrat Hillary Clinton, who grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois, won enough votes in the Chicago area to earn all 20 Electoral College votes. In the central part of the state, only Peoria and Champaign counties went to her. Trump carried 56 percent of the vote in Macon County, and had similar victories in surrounding counties 51 percent in Sangamon, 62 percent in Piatt, 67 percent in DeWitt, 68 percent in Christian, 71 percent in Moultrie and 75 percent in Shelby. Pillsbury said that support has remained strong and vocal in the past year. People still talk, I hear them talking at the bar, he said. The saying used to be that, No one knows how I vote when I go into the booth, and I think youre hearing a lot of people more outspoken. And I think a lot of them like the president. But Trumps election also energized a movement on the left. Last January, half a million women marched in Washington, D.C., with more at other events across the country a visual signifier of the resistance movement, whose members now hope to empower more Democrats in the 2018 midterm elections. In Macon County, more new people have been coming to monthly Democrat meetings since the election, Underwood said. Another group, the Macon County Progressives, is also gaining steam. We have one or two that we have never seen before at each meeting, Underwood said. One person said, I decided that yelling at the TV was not getting my anywhere, so I wanted to find out what else I could do. One new voter who wont be voting for Trump in the next election is likely Cortezia Peoples, 18, from Decatur. She wishes she could have voted in the last election. Not only being black, but also a woman, it is important that I dont take (the ability to vote) for granted, she said. Peoples described Trump as very aggressive and almost attacking in his ways, and is discouraged in general about the divisiveness in politics. If you are a Republican I hate you; if you are a Democrat then I hate you, she said. When in actuality it shouldnt be the party but the person. Communication style And then, there is the tweeting. Nearly everyone interviewed by the Herald & Review had something to say about Trumps habit of sharing his thoughts with the world, 280 characters at a time. The president is well known for his unfettered use of the social media platform, which he adopted long before the campaign. He has used it to criticize congressional leaders and the media, claim that former President Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower and praise Fox News coverage. Dont know think he knows what the reaction will be when he sends out tweets like this? Davis said. It immediately becomes the news story. If the news stories continue to cover every 280 characters that come from his account, do you think that is going to encourage him not to tweet? The tweets, Davis said, should be taken for what they are: Trumps method of getting his message across. Its the first time weve ever had a president utilize it on such a personal basis, Davis said. Though I would argue that just a few short years ago, President Obama was considered innovative for getting his message out. But Trump is considered annoying in many circles. Even Trump supporters are often wary of his social media use. Wade, the Moweaqua woman who said she appreciated Trumps honesty, thinks he should use caution. It can be good, but you have to be careful, especially if you are the president of the United States, she said. I dont know if it is the smartest thing for him to do. Sidney Jackson acknowledges she doesnt follow politics closely, but what she hears about Trump, she doesn't like. His social media use in particular concerns her. Jackson, a 22-year-old from Decatur, suggested the president should hire someone to filter his texts. (The tweets) can be seen across the world and it makes us look even worse as a country, she said. (Other countries) already have a low opinion of us. Hes not helping. Jodi Tull, 38, from Bement, said she would have hoped the president would share positive sentiments, but instead, she said his messages are negative, almost bullying tactics. Tull said shes not a fan of Trumps, but he is our president, so I have hopeful, wishful thinking, she said. And the president isnt all-powerful, she said. The makeup of Congress controls much of the countrys direction. It is our Senate and our House of Representatives, she said. If you really want changes, thats where you need to make them. Herald & Review staff writers Ryan Voyles and Donnette Beckett, and The Associated Press contributed to this story. As the sun sets over Antarctica, eight men and women who've just met one another prepare to spend the next eight and a half months together - in a single small building, in continuous cold and darkness, and without any way back to the outside world. They're "wintering over," as it's called, for the sake of scientific research. It's 1986 and something hinky is going on with the ozone layer in the Earth's atmosphere. Is there a "hole in the sky," as one character puts it, caused by human behavior? And if so, why is it over the desolate South Pole? The mission to find answers to these questions propels "Magellanica," a new play from Oregon playwright E.M. Lewis that carries a strong message about the place of science "in our hearts and our values." That message, though, is already partly overshadowed by the way Lewis has chosen to present it: in a five-hour, five-part production that could be a feat of endurance in itself. Oregon playwright E.M. Lewis. Lewis is unapologetic. "The questions that I had about the universe were large and the scale of the play had to fit that," she said in a recent interview. Nicole Lane, publicist for Artists Repertory Theatre, which is producing the play's world premiere, put it this way: "It's going on an adventure for a day. It happens to be theater." Artists Rep seems to be working to emphasize that sense of adventure with its production. At a recent rehearsal, the actors moved between bunk beds, cots and a spartan kitchen and dining area; in one scene, much of the cast donned extreme cold-weather gear to brave the elements. A recent Twitter post revealed a stage festooned with draperies that were lit in a manner reminiscent of the Southern Lights and overlaid with constellations. And though Lewis' topic is a serious one, her script is full of humor, heart and humanity. In one storyline that runs through several scenes, the characters discuss and perform in a talent show that's meant to alleviate boredom and stress and that ends up revealing much about them. Meanwhile, one of the scientists is reading a book about wintering over; her response to it and the way other characters react are telling as well. Here are five more things to know about "Magellanica": 1. Its title comes from the 16th-century Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, "who when he circumnavigated the Earth, tended to name everything behind him after himself," Lewis said. "So if you look on maps of a certain period right after Magellan's journey you will see that the whole Southern Hemisphere, basically, has written on it 'Magellanica.' ... And cartography has come into the play in huge ways." 2. Its 1980s setting is Lewis' way of using the past to comment on the present. "I feel like the stage has to be always present tense and so even if you're writing about something that happened in the past, it has to be about now in some fundamental and urgent way," she said. The play has at its core a running dispute about the ozone layer between two atmospheric scientists, an American and a Soviet, that speaks to how we choose to value the Earth, Lewis said: "Do we see it as something that is for our use and throwing away, or something to take care of and hold onto?" 3. It has an "insistently international cast" whom Lewis deliberately sent to neutral territory. "We tell so many stories from our own American perspective that we start to feel like it's the only perspective, which it's not. So taking it to a place, Antarctica, that doesn't belong to anybody, that has been carefully made into a pie and divided between different nations, and to put it at the very center of that pie, and so that we are at the very place where no one owns it and everyone has a stake in it, that's the place where this play wanted to live." 4. Its isolated, marooned feel is crucial. Lewis had initially considered writing a play about Alaska, then read the book "Ice Bound: A Doctor's Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole," Jerri Nielsen's account of having to treat herself for breast cancer at the South Pole Station for months until a plane could be sent to retrieve her. The notion of such a remote place captivated the playwright because of "that solitude, that time away from the world when you figure out things about yourself and the world, because you can get some perspective from it only when you step away a little bit." For several of her characters, that much-needed perspective is both scientific and personal. 5. It asks, urgently, "Are we in this together?" Lewis' characters perform an intricate dance throughout the play, repeatedly approaching and retreating from one another physically, emotionally, scientifically, even linguistically (the Russian, Norwegian and Bulgarian characters frequently slip back into their native languages, while a Chinese American character occasionally speaks in Mandarin). "We're at a tipping point," Lewis said, "when we have to decide whether we are going to work together with each other to overcome the challenges ahead of us - or is it every man and woman for themselves?" *** "Magellanica" When: 5:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 20-Feb. 18; each performance has three 10-minute intermissions and a 25-minute dinner break Where: Artists Repertory Theatre, 1515 S.W. Morrison St. Tickets: $25-$50, plus $18 per meal (advance orders only, brown-bagging is permitted); artistsrep.org or 503-241-1278 By Logan Downs Earlier this month, I fulfilled one of the biggest dreams of my life -- and made history doing so. On Jan. 3, I became one of the first openly transgender Americans to apply for enlistment in the U.S. Armed Forces following a court order requiring enlistments to begin after Jan. 1. I have officially submitted my paperwork and am working with my recruiter to schedule the next steps in the enlistment process. I wake up every day more motivated and excited than I've ever been because I know I'm one day closer to achieving my goals. The national conversation around transgender service in the military is deeply personal to me. Serving my country has been my goal for as far back as I can remember. The military is regarded with such pride and respect, and holds its members to the highest standard. What matters in the military isn't what you look like, it's your job performance. It's about achieving the task at hand. I admire those ideals. I wasn't born into a military family, but I believe America's values of freedom, equality and the pursuit of happiness are worth standing up for. I've always had a patriotic sense of civic duty. In high school, prior to my gender transition, I enlisted in the Army. But I suffered an injury during training that forced me to leave, never making it to graduation. Following that experience, as I healed from the injury, I came to terms with my authentic self as a transgender man. My dream of joining the armed forces never went away. And when the ban on open service was lifted in 2016, I hoped my dream could become reality. Since coming out, it seems the landscape on transgender equality is changing so quickly. The word 'transgender' is much more mainstream and recognized now. The concept of being transgender is becoming more understood. Americans are realizing that transgender people like me live and thrive in their communities. I'm proud to meet veterans who've said they support me, and believe in enlisting the best of the best -- regardless of that person's gender identity. The community of people I've met through my journey to serve has reaffirmed my belief that this is the right choice for me. I know that being transgender doesn't affect my ability to support and fight for my country. What's important is my strength and loyalty. When President Trump announced his ban on transgender service members, it felt like a tremendous step backward. As the issue now works its way through the courts, I'm determined to stay focused on simply doing my job. The Air Force is now processing my paperwork and if all goes according to plan, I'll be in basic training by the summer. My family is unconditionally supportive. My wife, Sammy, couldn't be more excited. We're both eager to go to school and to travel more, and my service will give us the financial means to do so. We both love exploring new places, and I can't wait to be able to provide that for her. It's going to be a huge weight off of our shoulders. My parents and sister are thrilled that I can finally do exactly what I had hoped to for so long. It's been a long road with a lot of bumps, but the positive outcomes far outweigh the negative. I have hope and faith that President Trump's ban will not stand, because I know it is not the right thing for the military or for our country. In my life, I've seen positivity do wonderful things. No matter the challenge, we always come out stronger and better because of it. I believe that the right thing will prevail. Logan Downs became one of the first transgender Americans to apply to join the military following the lift on President Trump's transgender military ban. He lives in Tualatin. To comment on this OpEd, click here. Share your opinion A small oil sheen initially reported Thursday afternoon in the Columbia River near the Cannery Pier Hotel in Astoria has spread up and downriver for 5 miles, the Coast Guard said Friday. The sheen was spotted Friday morning at Piers 1 and 2 as well as in Hammond at the mooring basin. Officials haven't determined what's causing the sheen, but believe it may be coming from pier that used to serve the Union Fisherman Cooperative. Dive teams have looked for the source without success so far. "We've placed boom around locations with the greatest amount of sheen and are also taking oil samples to aid in the investigation," said Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Andrew Madjeska. A containment boom was placed around the pier at the hotel and the West End Mooring basin, where teams are working to clean up the sheen. Coast Guard personnel are monitoring the Hammond location until cleanup crews arrive, the Coast Guard said in a news release Friday evening. "City of Astoria personnel are checking outfall points to determine if any oils are coming from those locations," said Coast Guard Lt. Berit Boyle. The Coast Guard is working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Port of Astoria. The Coast Guard asks those with information regarding the Union Fisherman Cooperative building or who might know of possible locations for oil tanks used in the building to email Madjeska at Andrew.P.Madjeska@uscg.mil. -- Andre Meunier Rudy Foki Paea Fifita A Utah man was in jail Thursday after police say he evaded authorities for an hour in a high-speed chase that spanned two counties. Police arrested Rudy Foki Paea Fifita, 30, of West Jordan, Utah, on two counts of attempting to elude police, four counts of reckless endangerment, as well as reckless driving. At about 3:20 p.m. Thursday, an Oregon State Police trooper in a marked police car tried to pull over a Dodge pickup for speeding. The driver, later identified as Fifita, was headed westbound on I-84, near the Columbia Gorge town of Rufus, and did not stop, police said. Instead, Fifita cut across the grassy median, pulled a U-turn and headed eastbound on I-84. At that point, the trooper stopped following him. About 10 minutes later, a Sherman County deputy saw the truck speeding several miles south, and attempted to pull over Fifita near the town of Moro. He once more refused to stop, police said, so the deputy stopped chasing him. A short time later, an Oregon state trooper saw the Dodge headed south, out of Sherman County and into Wasco County. Wasco County deputies, along with state troopers, tried to stop Fifita by putting down spike strips at two separate locations, but Fifita swerved around them. The suspect was later seen driving through the town of Tygh Valley "at unsafe speeds," police said. Out of concern for the public's safety, all police agencies halted their efforts to stop him. Around 4:25 p.m., a Wasco County deputy found Fifita in the Dodge at a home just off US 197 about 4 miles south of Tygh Valley. As he tried to get back on the highway, police said, the deputy fired several rounds at the truck. Fifita then came to a stop and police arrested him without further incident. In addition to Fifita, two others were also in the car: Tiffany Joan Roubmai, 23, of Haiku, Hawaii, and their one-year-old son. No one was injured, police said. It is unclear why the deputy fired his weapon, or exactly where he was aiming. Lt. Cari Boyd, a spokeswoman for Oregon State Police, said she was unable to provide any more information about the shooting because the investigation is still open. Fifita was lodged at the Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facility in The Dalles. -- Anna Marum UPDATE Jan. 22, 2018: Sgt. Carrie Carver, a Lane County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman, said Laskey is accused of stabbing a 41-year-old man in Creswell on Friday night. Laskey and the man knew each other before the incident, Carver said. She said the man received medical attention for his injuries, but did not provide further detail. *** An Oregon man who spent more than a decade in prison for desecrating Eugene's largest synagogue was jailed early Saturday, records show. Jacob Laskey Jacob Laskey, 37, was arrested on suspicion of second-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon, menacing and criminal trespassing, according to Lane County Jail records. The former two are felony accusations. A county sheriff's office spokeswoman didn't immediately respond to messages seeking information about the arrest Saturday. Laskey, who spent 11 years in prison after he threw swastika-etched bricks through Temple Beth Israel in Eugene, has not shied away from building a public profile since his release in late 2015. Books he penned behind bars, including one that claims the Holocaust was a hoax and another that serves as a primer for members of the American Front, a white power group, became available on Amazon in recent months. Laskey also has become a prolific YouTube video blogger, where he has delivered lengthy diatribes against antifa activists and talked about his doubts that the Earth is round and whether the International Space Station is a Hollywood movie set. He previously told The Oregonian/OregonLive that he's no longer involved in the white power movement or affiliated with any white supremacist groups. He added that he didn't renounce his past. Laskey and his family operate Wolfclan Armory, a military surplus store in Creswell, just south of Eugene. The Oregonian/OregonLive Present and former Armenian government officials and their relatives own many businesses and real estate in the Eastern European countries, including Ukraine. Currently, there are nearly 400,000 Armenians living in Ukraine (including the Crimea), of which 40,000 live in Kyiv. Ukraine is attractive for Armenians for various reasons, such as the absence of a language barrier and liberal environment for investment and real estate acquisition. Ukraine is similar to Armenia in many ways. Foreigners may buy real estate like Ukrainian citizens, except for agricultural land and community-owned facilities. However, even these can be bought by registering a legal entity in that country. Although Ukrainian legislation doesnt foresee dual citizenship, a person may still have another citizenship, and be considered as a citizen of Ukraine within it. Last year Hetq wrote about real estate in Odessa owned by Armenian MP Sedrak (Seyran) Saroyan. Hes not the only one among Armenian officials who fails to declare their Ukrainian businesses in their financial disclosures. Gagik Tsarukyan declared two out of his three Ukrainian businesses One of these officials is Gagik Tsarukyan, the leader of the Tsarukyan Alliance. In his declarations, Tsarukyan, as a rule, includes even smaller businesses, as seen in case of his Bulgarian businesses. Gagik Tsarukyan has no real estate in Ukraine registered in his own name. Instead, we found three companies with his participation in the Ukrainian registry. Business-Techno Plaza Business-Techno Plaza LLC was founded in February, 2006 by Aleksey Grebenchenko. Initially, the charter capital was 35,000 hryvnia, which soon grew to 1.9 million. In July 2008, Tsarukyan became a shareholder of the LLC, with a share of 1,924,650 hryvnia (about USD 67,000). In April 2010, Seyran Rostomyan became another shareholder of the company. To date, according to the registry, Tsarukyan owns 99,9818% of the shares (1,924,650 hryvnia), while the remaining 0.0182% (350 hryvnia) belong to Rostomyan. Rostomyan, registered in the Golovanevsk town in Ukraine, has been the director of the company since the spring of 2010. The LLC is registered in Kyiv, at 7 Holosiivska Street. The companys activities include the sale and lease of real estate, entrepreneurship and management consultations, and other professional activities. The name of Business-Techno Plaza LLC, with a charter capital of about 2 million hryvnia, is missing from the financial disclosure submitted to the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) and property and income disclosures submitted to the Commission on Ethics of High-Ranking Officials of the Republic of Armenia. Raneb and Arben:Twin Companies Two companies were founded in Kyiv on December 16, 2010. According to the Ukrainian registry, the companies had different shareholders in the beginning: Karineh Rostomyan, the sister of above-mentioned Seyran Rostomyan, in case of Raneb LLC, and Tatyana Shugayeva, - for Arben LLC. However, after a couple of days, the charter capital of the two companies was distributed between Tsarukyan and Sedrak Arustamyan. Thus, Tsarukyan owns 99% shares of the 5,951,430-hryvnia charter capital (more than USD 207,000) of Raneb LLC, and the remaining 1% belongs to his associate. The same for the second company, although its capital is less - 2,151,253 hryvnia (around USD 75,000). Not surprisingly, 25 types of business activities of the two companies are the same, including construction, organization of trade expos and seminars, film and television production, etc. In both cases, however, the main activity is provision of subsidiary services in the field of forestry. Ranebs address is 14 Kruglouniversitetskaya in the center of Kyiv (in the photo above), Arben is registered at 15 Bastionna Street (both are multi-apartment buildings). However, there is no real estate registered in their name. Tsarukyan has declared his shares in the twin companies. However, according to the submitted documents, he doesnt get any dividends from those. Nushikyan's Ukrainian Edelweiss Businessman and MP in 2012-2017 (non-party, but representing the Republican Party of Armenia Faction) Garegin Nushikyan founded Edelweiss LLC in Ukraine (address: 4 Mekhanizatoriv Str., Kyiv) in August 2006. In Armenia, Nushikyan has a company with the same name, dealing with retail trade in clothing. The Ukrainian companys sphere is different - wholesale trade of furniture, carpets, non-electric household appliances, retail trade of furniture, intermediary trade in wide range of goods, as well as restaurant service. Nevertheless, neither the LLC nor the businessman have any real estate registered in their name. The company's charter capital is 38,000 hryvnia (USD 1,322). The current director is Olesya Dyomina. The company is registered in Kyiv. Nushikyan did not mention the 100% stake in this company in either of his disclosures. MP Arman Sahakyans Company Republican Party of Armenia MP Arman Sahakyan (an MP since 2012), who owns several businesses in Armenia, including Sovrano Ltd, also established a company in Ukraine in November 2005, called Mantashov Commercial House (address: 12 Melnykova Str., Kyiv),together with Arman Barseghyan, registered in Kyiv, with a 50-50 proportion of shares. The charter capital is 3,785,402 hryvnia (around USD 131,730). The activities include wholesale trade of fruits, vegetables, beverages, fish and seafood, retail trade of meat and meat products in specialized stores, etc. Sahakyan is not a beneficiary in the Ukrainian company. His partner Barseghyan is the beneficiary and the director of the company. Meanwhile, the Ethics Commission website doesnt have Sahakyans declarations for the MP appointments in 2012 and 2017, in which he had to present the Ukrainian property as well. Chairman of the Cadastre Committee Martin Sargsyan, who has been the Chair of the State Committee of the Real Estate Cadastre since 2014, is one of the most prominent figures of Armenian Republican Party. He was an MP in 1998-1999 and 2007-2014, head of the Shengavit district of Yerevan in 1998-2007. Since 2002, he has been the president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the RA, and the chairman of Shengavit RPA board. In September 2005, Sargsyan, together with Vahagn Movsisyan and Harutyun Khurshudyan, founded Sar-Mov LLC in Borislav city in Ukraine. Khurshudyan soon left the company, and Sargsyan and Movsisyan shared the 33,000-hryvnia (USD 1,145) charter capital equally. Vahagn Movsisyan was the director of the Armenian Development Agency in 2000-2007, and was appointed Ambassador of Armenia to China. In June 2008, he died in Beijing. It's strange, but up to now, Movsisyan's data has been preserved in the list of Sar-Mov LLC shareholders. The company's several activities, travel agency operation being the main one. There is no real estate registered in the name of Sargsyan or the company. The current director of the company is Tatyana Baranyak. Martin Sargsyan submitted disclosures in 2012 and in 2014, but did not mention his Ukrainian business in any of them. Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan will pay a working visit to France on January 22-24, and is scheduled to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and French Senate President Gerard Larcher, and French National Assembly President Francois de Rugy. Sargsyan will also meet with members of the France-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group. The two presidents will hold a joint press conference after their meeting. Statement of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh in Connection with the 28thAnniversary of the Mass Pogroms of the Armenian Population in Baku 28 years ago, on January 13-19, 1990, the Azerbaijani authorities organized and carried out mass massacre of the Armenian population in Baku. About a quarter of a million of Armenians, on the ground of the national affiliation, were subjected to violence and deportation. According to international human rights organizations, hundreds of Armenians became victims to torture and the property of Armenians was subjected to plundering and confiscation. The disintegrated Baku went down in history as the "city of three massacres" (1905, 1918 and 1990). The events that took place in Baku in the bloody days of January 1990, carried out with the knowledge and intent of the Gorbachev regime, were the implementation of the genocide of the Armenians of Azerbaijan, a policy by which Baku was striving to silent the voice of Artsakh people raised for the realization of their right to self-determination. Today, the Azerbaijani authorities take every measure to hide their genocidal actions by falsifying the facts and avoiding responsibility. Paying tribute to the memory of the innocent Armenians died in the massacre and deportation of Baku; being convinced that the impunity of the crime leads to the new crimes, which the civilized community once again witnessed during the new military aggression unleashed against the people of Artsakh in April 2016, the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations of the National Assembly: condems any manifestation of terrorism, xenophobia and extremism; insists that the violence organized against Armenians of Baku, the whole Eastern Transcaucasia, as well as the North Artsakh and Nakhijevan fully corresponds to the legal formulation of the crime of genocide defined in the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide; reiterates that the Republic of Artsakh will remain consistent in bringing the organizers and implementers of the genocide of Armenians of Azerbaijan to justice; calls upon the international community and parliamentary institutions to give legal assessment to the massacre of the Armenian population in Baku and take steps against the continuing anti-Armenian propaganda in Azerbaijan to prevent its possible consequences. 20 January, 2018 Stepanakert . As far as I know there was some ground work done by the Christian missionaries , such as dictionnary and lexicons the phonetic alphabet is much more adaptable to mass education , ideograms are language neutral but require a lifetime of specialized study the French had a revolution and were in a political phase of universal secular education for all this included some bruising political battle at home against the church universal ,free and secular teaching was one of the ideological motor of the Third republic we can't make people smart but we can teach kids to read ,write and count every one of them , that was ideology the school teachers raised in the "ecole normales"were imbued with the ethos of fighting superstition and freeing people minds ,due to their customary black dust coats , they were refereed as "the black hussars of the republic " since colonialism had an alibi of bringing good to the world , it was normal to have basic education shoved upon colonial kids . ho chi min , vo nguyen giap , president thieu and pretty much everybody else were educated by the French system and by and large lapped it up especially the history lessons full of rousing calls to fight for the Homeland poor peasants were forced to have their kids learning to read and write , they didn't really mind every poor peasants were thrilled to have someone in the family who was learned enough to make sense of some officialese piece of paper This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The Midland chapter of the American Red Cross celebrated its 60th anniversary in 1977. The Red Cross is an international organization set up to alleviate human suffering and was founded in 1863 by Henry Dunant, a Swiss businessman. Clara Barton, who had been a nurse in the American Civil War, went to Europe where she learned of the idea. She returned to the United States to set up the American Red Cross in 1881. During World War I, a group of Midlanders realized the need for a local Red Cross chapter. Their efforts were fulfilled July 18, 1917, when the chapter was granted its charter. When wars raged, the Midland Red Cross helped many military men and their families, including helping set up an emergency care unit at city hall in 1943 when the local hospital closed. Rod Wagner was executive director of the Red Cross in 1977. Today, Midland is served by the Michigan Region of the American Red Cross. GreenStone Farm Credit Services is accepting applications through March 2 for its scholarship program. The cooperative will once again award up to $40,000 to incoming college freshmen pursuing a degree in an agriculture-related field. Since 2010, the association has presented more than $175,000 in undergraduate college scholarships to the industry's next generation of leaders. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate McLaren Bay Region on Friday announced plans to open an office building near the Midland Mall. The three-story, 55,000-square-foot, leased facility will sit next to Belle Tire at 801 Joe Mann Blvd. This new development offers us the opportunity to serve our patients with better access to the high-quality health care McLaren provides and aligns with our population heath strategy. The location is a great connection between McLaren Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant and McLaren Bay Regions main campus in Bay City, said Clarence Sevillian, president/CEO of McLaren Bay Region. The 30 new employees in the facility will begin seeing patients in early 2019 by offering the following services: Occupational health and convenient care (urgent care) Primary care Multi-Specialty Suite (cardiology, vascular, neurosurgery, spine, othopedics and others) Laboratory Imaging Physical therapy Besides the McLaren Bay Region Medical Office building, McLaren has recently also announced the following acquisitions: Huron Medical Center in Bad Axe signed a letter of intent. Huron is a 58-bed rural hospital in Michigan's Thumb region. The deal is expected to close early next year. Caro Community Hospital joined McLaren, making it the system's 13th hospital. Caro Community is a 24-bed critical access hospital in Tuscola County. McLaren announced it would replace two Lansing hospitals with a 240-bed, $451 million state-of-the-art facility on land to solidify its relationship with Michigan State University, which has two medical schools. It is expected to open in late 2021. McLaren Bay Region is the only hospital in the Great Lakes Bay Region to reach the top 5 percent in the nation for Patient Safety Excellence from HealthGrades, said Magen Samyn, vice president, marketing and business development. Headquartered in Grand Blanc, McLaren includes 13 hospitals covering more than 620,000 lives in Michigan and Indiana. McLaren operates Michigans largest network of cancer centers and providers, anchored by the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute. Pregnancy Resource Center merged with two other organizations at the end of last year - Pregnancy Aid of Midland County and Abortion Alternatives, Inc. in Saginaw. Pregnancy Resource Center of Mid-Michigan will celebrate a successful 30 years of serving the greater Midland community this May. A 37.6 percent increase in the number of client appointments from the years 2012-13 to 2016-17 demonstrates the consistent growth of the center and the continued need for the services that it offers, the center stated. Pregnancy Aid and Abortion Alternatives, Inc. served their respective areas for more than four decades. The similar mission statements and goals of all three organizations made the mergers a natural next step to better and more comprehensively serve their shared clientele, the agencies stated. "We're excited to continue serving the needs of families in the area as well as work toward expanding the number of services we offer. We've experienced an incredible amount of support from both the Midland and Saginaw communities and I look forward to seeing what the future holds," Pregnancy Resource Center Executive Director Lori Drake said of the merger. The decision to merge was amicably made by all parties involved and the staff and board of directors were restructured to ensure organizations were appropriately represented throughout the changes and developments. The mergers were successfully completed in November, and were done without any disruption of services to clients in either location. Pregnancy Resource Center of Mid-Michigan now has two locations -- one in Midland and one in Saginaw. It currently offers pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, STI testing, STI treatment, parenting education, material support, childbirth classes, post-abortive support, physician and community referrals, and more. Services offered differs upon location. To inquire about or obtain these services, call 989-835-1500. The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriff's Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Kelly Dame. Friday, Jan. 19 1:53 a.m. -- A motorist was arrested at Eastman Avenue and Harcrest Drive for drunken driving. Thursday, Jan. 18 4:13 a.m. -- A Midland man, 68, was arrested in Lee Township for driving without a valid license. 9:42 a.m. -- Officers investigated a hit and run traffic crash at East Patrick Road and Waldo Avenue. 1:20 p.m. -- A Mills Township man, 20, reported he received a check written for $2,000.70 as payment for an accordion he was selling online for $450. He expected the check to be fake and a bank confirmed the check was fraudulent. 1:32 p.m. -- Police investigated a hit and run traffic crash in the 6700 block of Eastman Avenue. 2:40 p.m. -- A deputy was sent to a Homer Township school for a report of a person attempting to gain personal information from students through social media. The students were advised by school staff to be cautious while using social media. The incident is being investigated. 3:58 p.m. -- A deputy was sent to a Greendale Township business for a report of a woman in a pickup truck in a parking lot asking people for money. The woman left before the deputy arrived. 9:44 p.m. -- Police made arrests on a warrant and second-offense driving while license suspended in the 7300 block of Eastman Avenue. 9:57 p.m. -- Police were sent to a Dublin Avenue address for a report of domestic assault and vehicle theft. 10:43 p.m. -- Deputies were sent to a Jerome Township home to assist the Jerome Township Fire Department with a medical call. The call was for a 29-year-old man who overdosed, and deputies were asked to be on hand in case narcotics were found. No drugs were found. The case is closed. 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. You think watching the Netflix series The Crown is fun? Try this documentary for size. It also features a royal crown. Only this one is real. This past week, fans of Queen Elizabeth II were treated to something rare: a sit-down interview. Her first one, ever. In honor of the 65th anniversary of her coronation, the queen agreed to a filmed conversation (not an interview, per se), which was produced by the BBC. The documentary, called The Coronation, airs in the U.S. on the Smithsonian Channel, including tonight at 8 p.m. (check listings for your area). The host of the conversation was Alastair Bruce, the historical adviser for PBS Downton Abbey. Fans of that series may remember Bruce appeared at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts in December 2015. Then, his presentation was More Manners of Downton Abbey. This time, he is sitting down with Britains longest reigning monarch as she shares her memories of Coronation Day, June 2, 1953. The queen wore two crowns at the coronation: the St. Edwards Crown, which she has never worn since, and the Imperial State Crown, which she wears at formal occasions such as the opening of Parliament. Now 91, the queen shares her memories of what it was like to wear the 5-pound St. Edwards Crown. "You can't look down to read the speech... Because if you did, your neck would break, and it would fall off," she says. According to The New York Times, The Coronation is the first time the crown jewels, the collection of coronation regalia, has been filmed. The shows producer tells The Times he was not allowed to film the crowns from above, because that vantage point is reserved for God. In 2013, I had the good fortune to visit to Buckingham Palace during a special exhibit honoring the 60th anniversary of the queens coronation. Its hard to believe five years have passed. Among the items on display were the gowns, uniforms and robes worn by the major participants at the incredible ceremony. Most spectacular to me was the queens gown with a 21-foot train. The dress is decorated with symbols from the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, such as maple leaves for Canada, wheat sheaves for Pakistan, lotus flowers for South Africa, the English rose, Welsh leeks, Scottish thistles and Irish shamrocks. The dress sparkles, and its not rhinestones causing the bling effect. Diamonds, crystals, pearls, and amethysts decorate the dress. And the thread is gold. The needlework on the gown was mind-boggling. Six needle-workers stitched around the clock for 3,500 hours to complete it. Look how tiny the waist is on that dress! my friends and I said as we stared in awe. We held up our hands in a circle to mimic the small circumference of the royal waistline. The 27-year-old queen certainly was petite. Prince Charles, a grandfather today, was a mere lad of 4 at his mothers coronation. His little outfit was on display, too. Even cuter was filmed footage of the Prince of Wales goofing off during the official royal photo shoot. The military uniform of the queens husband, Prince Philip, was also on display. According to the guide that day, the Duke of Edinburgh can still fit into it. Famously, the coronation was the first to be televised (my mother remembers watching it as a young girl). Organizers were faced with the challenge of discreetly setting up cameras and lights in Westminster Abbey. A small hole was made in the carpet under the queens throne and a microphone lead was fed through it to pick up sound. The microphone was attached to the leg of the throne and painted gold to disguise it. Among the details about the coronation highlighted in the BBC documentary, the queen shares her views on crowns. Yes, they are heavy to wear, but otherwise they're quite important things." BLOOMINGTON McLean County's latest wind farm application will share the spotlight with a first-of-its-kind alternative energy proposal next month. Cypress Creek Renewables of Santa Monica, Calif., plans to build the county's first three solar farms, according to permit applications filed this week. The county's Zoning Board of Appeals will discuss them Feb. 6, the same night it will tackle the proposed Bright Stalk Wind Farm near Chenoa. Each solar farm would produce substantially less power than a wind farm 2 megawatts, versus about 200 for Bright Stalk but be less expensive and less intrusive. Each would produce enough electricity to power about 400 homes. Each solar farm would cost $3.9 million, including $2.3 million that would be spent locally for each. The farms would use 20 acres owned by David Sandage on McLean County Road 1100 North near Arrowsmith; 30 acres on the same road with the same owner; and 30 acres owned by Mary S. Trent on County Road 2200 East near Downs. "This project will not negatively impact public safety or general welfare, nor will it affect the comfort and convenience of the public in McLean County or of the immediate neighborhood," said a memo from Taylor Smith, a Cypress Creek zoning analyst. "Allowing the property to develop as a solar energy facility provides many benefits, including an opportunity for locally generated, clean energy resources in McLean County; income generation for the landowner; and economic investment and increased tax revenue for McLean County." David Loomis, director of Illinois State University's Center for Renewable Energy, said the farms could be the start of a trend caused by an emphasis on solar energy in the state's Future Energy Jobs Act. Thats just being rolled out now by the Illinois Power Agency, but I think companies like Cypress Creek are doing their legwork now so that once the state regulatory proceeding is set up, theyll be in position to build a project, said Loomis. "We may also see more 'community center solar.' Groups can get together and build a farm, and everybody shares that solar by buying in. McLean County has several solar arrays already, but they're residential or business units rather than large-scale farms or community agreements. The county also has two wind farms: Twin Groves Wind Farm, a two-phase, 198-megawatt farm near Ellsworth, and White Oak Energy Center, a 150-megawatt farm near Carlock. BLOOMINGTON An apparent dispute between a Peoria murder suspect and his lawyer derailed an anticipated plea deal Friday that could have resolved the criminal case related to a Normal man's death. Danny Smith Jr., 29, is charged with kidnapping two men from their home in north Normal in December 2016, and murder in connection with the death of Maunds Bryant, who was critically injured during the incident. Additional felony counts of home invasion, residential burglary, armed robbery and aggravated vehicular hijacking also are pending against Smith. At what was scheduled to be a plea hearing Friday, Smith told Judge Robert Freitag that he has filed a complaint with the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission against defense lawyer Gary Morris. Morris, who had asked that the case be scheduled for a May jury trial, responded, "That's the first I've heard that." Smith did not elaborate but said he has consulted with a Chicago attorney about his case. A Feb. 16 hearing is set to review the case ahead of a May 7 trial. According to police, Bryant and his father, Ray Magsby, were kidnapped after Smith demanded a ransom of Bryant's mother. The Bryant suffered a head injury when he fell during the abduction, said police. The two men were taken by Smith to a home in Peoria where Magsby was able to escape and summon help, said policep. Bryant died the following day in a Peoria hospital. The kidnapping may have been tied to a lottery prize won by the Bryant family earlier in 2016, said police. Smith also faces aggravated kidnapping charges in Peoria County. NORMAL Just as the damage from Hurricane Maria is still a raw wound in Puerto Rico, where half of its residents remain without power, emotions are still raw among Bloomington-Normal residents with ties to the battered island. We are here because we need to keep having Puerto Rico in the news, Daynali Flores-Rodriguez said Friday at a teach-in at Illinois State University on the effects of hurricanes in Puerto Rico. This is a long-term recovery. The teach-in at the Jaime Escalante Room of Hewett and Manchester residence halls in Normal included facts about the devastation, personal stories and emotions ranging from thankfulness for the survival of relatives to anger over the federal government's response. Puerto Ricans are American citizens Puerto Ricans contribute $3.6 billion in taxes, said Flores-Rodriguez, assistant professor of Hispanic studies at Illinois Wesleyan University, who was born in Puerto Rico. She said her mother first lost power after Hurricane Irma sideswiped the island on Sept. 7. She got the power back for one day Sept. 19 then Hurricane Maria hit, plunging her into darkness until one week ago. She was among the lucky ones. Power is not expected to be restored throughout the island until June, about nine months after the hurricanes hit and shortly before the hurricane season returns, noted Flores-Rodriguez. ISU senior Stephanie Rodriguez, no relation to Flores-Rodriguez, a journalism major from Elgin who was born in Puerto Rico, apologized as she wiped away tears, expressing concern about her father, who still lives in Puerto Rico, Maura Toro-Morn, professor of Latin American studies at ISU, said it's difficult not to get emotional when the Puerto Rico that you know, the Puerto Rico of your youth, is no longer there. She echoed the theme of others about the anxiety caused by a lack of communication and not knowing how relatives are doing. You become a zombie, she said. I was here trying to live my life but I was connected to Puerto Rico and trying to understand what was happening. Yojana Cuenca-Carlino, associate professor of special education at ISU, said, Now people talk about life before Maria and life after Maria. There were positive messages at the teach-in, too. Cuenca-Carlino talked about stories of resiliency and a sense of community in which people shared what they had and joined forces to cook meals. Toro-Morn said the hurricanes have strengthened links among Puerto Ricans living on the U.S. mainland and between Puerto Ricans on the mainland and back on the island. Krista Cardona, IWU assistant director of alumni relations, is not Puerto Rican but has family living on the island. After a slow burn of frustration and anger at what wasn't happening in terms of government recovery efforts, Cardona said, I decided I couldn't just sit and watch it happen. Using social media, she reached out to people for donations of much-needed supplies from batteries to baby formula and money for mailing costs. About 400 pounds of donations were left on her porch within a week, she said. Epiphany School collected 1,000 pounds of goods in three days, and members of the University High School cross-country team helped pack boxes. This is a story about how this community cares, she said. The goods were mailed in about 30 boxes and taken to central distribution sites in several communities by Cardona's cousin, Sarah Delgado, who lives in Puerto Rico. She said she got to know her island more. It was very fulfilling for her, said Delgado. SPRINGFIELD Sprouts are suspected in a salmonella cluster in December in Illinois and Wisconsin that may be tied to the Jimmy John's sandwich chain. The Illinois Department of Public Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and other state and local health departments made the announcement Friday. Two of the cases have affected Illinois residents who fell ill on Dec. 20 and Dec. 26. Neither case is from McLean County, according to the county health department. Jimmy John's announced Friday it has directed all its franchisees to stop serving sprouts as a precautionary measure after seven customer complaints during one week in December in Illinois and Wisconsin. IDPH asked Jimmy Johns to take the step until the investigation is complete. The company said Friday afternoon an investigation over the previous 24 hours indicated the sprouts were purchased from two growers in Minnesota. Food safety and the welfare of our customers are our top priorities and not negotiable in our business, said James North, Jimmy John's President and CEO, in a news release, adding the company is working with the various agencies in the investigation. "While the results of the investigation are not conclusive and we are still gathering more information, we have voluntarily directed all franchisees to remove sprouts as a precautionary measure from all supply and distribution, North said. IDPH is also reminding restaurants not to let food handlers work if they have diarrhea. If you have developed symptoms of salmonella infection after eating food at a Jimmy Johns restaurant, please contact your health care provider or local health department. Symptoms may include headache, muscle aches, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, chills, fever, nausea, and dehydration. Symptoms usually appear six to 72 hours after ingesting the bacteria, but can be longer. Most illnesses resolve on their own and do not require treatment other than drinking fluids to stay hydrated. If your symptoms persist or are severe, promptly contact your health care provider. BLOOMINGTON While State Farm is still deciding what to do with its downtown building, there is no shortage of potential reuses being suggested. Mayor Tari Renner sees the building's size 180,960 square feet over 13 floors as suitable for public/private purposes. He has suggested using part of the building for a city hall, a hotel or using some of its parking spaces to resolve downtown parking issues. "It could be anything, but at this point I would say any conversations, other than throwing ideas on the table, are premature until we hear back from what State Farm wants to do," said Renner. "I assume they're not going to keep it or keep the whole thing, but at this point we have to wait to see what they have in mind." State Farm last week said the company no longer will use the downtown building, 112 E. Washington St., but had not yet decided whether it would be sold. On Friday, a company spokesman said no announcements were imminent. Your turn: What should State Farm do with its downtown building? In a series of Facebook queries in January 2018, we asked you what should be done with State The building the insurer's first headquarters has long been a downtown beacon. Its remaining 150 employees will be moved to other sites and workers are completing asbestos removal and sprinkler system updates. State Farm previously said the building's size and layout are not conducive for the company's redesigned workspaces already in place at other buildings. On The Pantagraph's Facebook page, people posted dozens of comments about potential reuses for the building, including apartments, a hotel, a homeless shelter, office spaces and retail stores. Ward 1 Alderman Jamie Mathy, who is a downtown business owner, said the downtown building would be a good location for a tech incubator. "It's just speculative at this point ... but I do think we could support a boutique hotel in that space with so many activities and wonderful amenities in our downtown," said Tricia Stiller, Bloomington downtown development division manager. Darrell Hartweg and Ralph Turner, co-owners of the historic Illinois House office complex, said preservation of the iconic art deco-style landmark is paramount. "The State Farm building is just an elegant building. It really reflects the period of time in which it was constructed," said Hartweg. "Ralph and I think the presence of the building has added a great historical significance to downtown Bloomington." Russel Francois, who has been a downtown resident since 1977 and opened his business, Francois Associates Architects, 118 W. Washington St., in 1990, agrees. "It's a great building. We just have to think about it as a community asset and ... move forward to make that building play a vibrant role in the community," he added. "I do think it's going to take initiative and dollars. Hopefully we have the energy, and hopefully that energy will be able to target and find dollars to make it happen. Hartweg and Turner understand the changing workplace model for State Farm. "We've owned our building for 40 years. About the only thing that's been constant in our experience is that change always occurs," said Hartweg. "Change is always involved in anything." Renner said he sees the closure of the downtown building primarily affecting lunch crowds at restaurants and the downtown residential rental market. "I don't know the number, but there definitely is a core of people who rent downtown who work at State Farm," said Renner. "Some of them may decide to stay in the apartments downtown. Some of them may decide to move closer to their jobs." "I used to get a lot of State Farm people for lunch," said Mike Hill, owner of Maguire's Bar and Grill, 220 N. Center St. "It's going to be devastating to restaurants and other lunch places down here. It's going to be tough." CHICAGO U.S. prosecutors will seek the death penalty for a former physics student charged with the kidnapping and killing of a University of Illinois scholar from China, they told a judge in a Friday filing that also made a new allegation that the 28-year-old suspect once choked and sexually assaulted someone else years ago. The filing in U.S. District Court in central Illinois provides several reasons for why the death penalty is called for in Brendt Christensen's case, including because he allegedly tortured 26-year-old Yingying Zhang before killing her. It didn't say how. The new allegation is that Christensen "choked and sexually assaulted" someone referred to only by the initials "M.D." in 2013 in Central Illinois. He has not been charged in that alleged assault. Christensen also once expressed his aspiration "to be known as a killer," the filing says. Zhang disappeared June 9 on her way to sign an apartment lease off campus in Urbana. She had arrived on campus in April and had just missed a bus when Christensen lured her into his car, prosecutors say. They say Zhang is dead, though her body hasn't been found. Christensen, who earned a master's degree in physics from the University of Illinois, has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping resulting in death. His trial is scheduled to begin on Feb. 27, though his attorneys have said previously they would need more time to prepare, especially if the government intended to seek the death penalty. Illinois abolished the death penalty in 2011, years after then-Gov. George Ryan declared a moratorium on executions, citing doubts about the guilt of several of those on death row. While capital punishment is available under federal law, prosecutors typically seek it in cases involving terrorism or multiple deaths. Among other factors Friday's five-page filing says justifies the death penalty was the "heinous, cruel, or depraved manner" of the crime and that it involved "planning and premeditation," as well as what the document says is Christensen's "lack of remorse." "The victim was particularly vulnerable due to her small stature and limited ability to communicate in English," the filing says. A message seeking comment from Christensen's attorney, Robert Tucker, wasn't immediately returned. Zhang, who received her master's degree in environmental engineering in China in 2016, had hoped to eventually land a professorship and help her family in China out financially. Her father, a sometime-semitrailer driver, traveled from China to Illinois in June for the search. Her disappearance prompted a massive search that drew international media attention, particularly from China. Other disturbing details in the case emerged after Christensen's arrest last year. Months before Zhang went missing, his phone was used to visit the website FetLife.com, including to view threads titled "Perfect abduction fantasy" and "planning a kidnapping," prosecutors say. FetLife described itself as "the Social Network for the BDSM, Fetish & Kinky Community," stressing in policy statements that it's a place for consenting adults. The acronym BDSM stands for bondage, dominance, sadism and masochism. Users provide their ages, genders and roles they wish to play, but otherwise remain anonymous. Ready to feel sick? After reports emerged that Michelle Williams only earned 0.6 percent of what Mark Wahlberg was paid for the All The Money In The World reshoots to replace Kevin Spacey, it has now been revealed that Wahlberg was in fact paid eight times what Williams was for his role in the film. Wahlberg faced near instantaneous backlash after his salary was announced to the public, leading him to donate his full $1.5 million for a week's shooting to the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund. This was after details were made public that he refused to sign off on Christopher Plummer filling Spacey's role until he was generously compensated. Now we know that even prior to the reshoots, Williams signed on to the film for $625,000 while Wahlberg received $5 million. Ha! Related | Kevin Spacey Allegedly Tried to Sexually Assault a 14-year-old Anthony Rapp For those looking to argue that Williams had a lesser role, Vulture reports the two shared equal screen time and Williams, of course, was nominated for a Golden Globe for her work. Furthermore, she has been nominated for four Oscars over the past year, while Wahlberg has been nominated for two, again begging the question, what makes him the bigger drawcard? Also, let's not forget the two are represented by the same agency, WME, which felt guilted enough into donated $500,000 to Time's Up after the news broke. This latest development emerged after The Hollywood Reporter ran a story about actresses sharing with each other their and their male co-stars own pay gaps to encourage transparent negotiation of salaries. It was in this that Tracee Ellis Ross revealed she was paid "significantly less" than Black-ish co-star Anthony Anderson. It's good times all-round. Oh, and by the way, those reshoots? Yeah, Wahlberg reportedly knew he was receiving 1500x as much as Williams, while director Ridley Scott claimed the cast and crew all participated for free. Williams told the USA Today when the gross disparity was announced she was so grateful that Scott wanted to replace known-sexual predator Spacey for the sake a film that she was more than happy to waive her fee. "I'd be wherever they needed me, whenever they needed me," she said. "And they could have my salary, they could have my holiday, whatever they wanted. Because I appreciated so much that they were making this massive effort." Ah, injustice. Image via Getty On January 8th Patently Apple posted a report titled "Big Apple Shareholders Sent Apple a Letter Saturday urging them to take Steps to Address Growing iPhone Addiction." While Apple has parental controls on macOS and iOS, Apple made it public quickly that they're going to be releasing even more controls for parents in a future software update. Now Apple's Tim Cook is trying to change the direction of that conversation and uniquely away from Apple. Earlier today Patently Apple posted a report titled "70 Leading Colleges and Universities across Europe have Adopted Apple's 'Everyone Can Code' Initiative." The third photo in that report shows a male student who is now in the cover photo of a report by the Guardian, as noted above. Evidently Apple's story published today derived from somewhere in the UK. Shun Social Media While talking with a group of students, he turned the tables on the idea that the iPhone was too addictive to social media being the culprit. Specifically Cook noted: "I don't have a kid, but I have a nephew that I put some boundaries on. There are some things that I won't allow; I don't want them on a social network." How did a single nephew become "a them"? Obviously Cook's example was really meant to reach a larger audience. It's not the iPhone stupid, it's social media that's evil. Obviously Cook is trying to get his message out to a larger audience. The only Language that Matters in the World, is Swift Of course Cook was at one of the schools in London that have adopted Apple's 'Everyone Can Code' Initiative. The Guardian notes that "The one-year coding curriculum adopted by Harlow college, half an hour north of London, is intended to teach students computing skills through the use of a variety of games, lessons and interactive materials. Every student is given an iPad loaded with coding apps and tools, and the teachers guide them through the concepts of coding. Pupils are able to see their progress and get feedback, finishing the year with two qualifications. One student, Athena, 17, said: "In secondary school it was mainly about designing websites in bright colors, but this focuses on real coding and gaming." Cook said: "I think if you had to make a choice, it's more important to learn coding than a foreign language. I know people who disagree with me on that. But coding is a global language; it's the way you can converse with 7 billion people." Parlez vous Swift? Of course Cook's comments were a little self-serving and when I'm in France next time I'll try ordering a bottle of wine in Swift and see how that works out. Ha! Not likely. For more on this, read the full Guardian report here. About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or negative behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus. Patna: Police in Patna on Friday recovered the body of 14-year old Raunak Kumar who was reported abducted on Thursday morning after he failed to reach his school. The body of Raunak, a 9th-grade student at Saraswati Vidya Mandir under Agam Kuam police station was recovered from a beauty shop named Shubham Shringar. Raunak's father Sudhir Kumar who is a property dealer told the police that he informed the Agam Kuan police about this missing son on Thursday but the police initially did not file a report. Then the kidnappers called him on his mobile and demanded a ransom of Rs. 25 lakh. "My son was going to school with his sister but then he realized he had left something at home so he turned around to come home and that's when motorcycle-borne criminals picked him up and disappeared. To save the life of my son, I even agreed to pay Rs. 20 lakh to his abductors but they never got back to me. I tried to file an FIR with the police but they would not take it seriously. Had the police reacted promptly, perhaps my son would be alive right now," a grieving father told the reporters. Authorities carried out raids on late Thursday night and took three persons in custody. Based on their information, police search Shubham Shringar and found the body of the young boy hidden in a back room. If police are to be believed, the criminals killed the boy shortly after his abduction so he could not identify them if released. Police have arrested the victim's neighbor and the owner of the Shubham Shringar Vicky Paswan, 19, and two others in the case. Admitting his crime, Vicky told the police he owed Rs. 3 lakh to some people and they were now demanding the money that led to his plan to kidnap his neighbor's son for ransom money. Iran To Top Tillerson's Agenda On European Trip 01/20/18 Source: RFE/RL Iran will top the agenda for U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson as he heads to Europe next week for meetings with allies, a U.S. official said on January 19. Tillerson's trip comes amid behind-the-scenes negotiations over the fate of the landmark agreement to curb Iran's nuclear program in exchange for easing crippling international sanctions targeting Tehran. "The Mission: Killing JCPOA" U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Vice President Mike Pence (source: Iranian daily Aftab Yazd) Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he was prolonging U.S. sanctions imposed earlier against Iran. But Trump also said he wanted to work with European allies and Congress to fix what he called "disastrous flaws" in the 2015 Iran deal signed under his predecessor, Barack Obama. Trump warned that Washington would withdraw from the deal if it is not strengthened within 120 days. A State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters on January 19 that Iran would dominate Tillerson's meetings in Europe. "As you know, we really emphasize close coordination with the British in particular and the French in our efforts to close the gaps in [the agreement] and in next steps on how we curtail Iranian malign influence in the region," the official told reporters. "So I think that'll be a very high priority in his conversations." Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, meanwhile, warned that the nuclear deal would collapse if the United States pulled out. "This agreement cannot be implemented if one of the participants unilaterally steps out of it. It will fall apart, there will be no deal then," Lavrov told reporters at the United Nations in New York on January 19. Tillerson will be visiting London, Paris, Warsaw, and Davos, Switzerland, during the trip. The U.S. official said that while in Warsaw, Tillerson will be discussing the U.S. military presence in Poland, which has hosted U.S. and other allied troops following Russia's 2014 seizure of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and its backing of armed separatists in eastern Ukraine. With reporting by AFP President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will leave for Monrovia this weekend for the investitute of George Oppong Weah as President of Liberia. And with the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia also on medical leave in the United Kingdom (UK), Parliament is being recalled based on constitutional provision to swear the Speaker, Mike Ocquaye in as Acting President. A statement signed by the 1st Deputy Speaker of Parliament indicated that "in exercise of the power conferred on the Speaker by Order 42(3) of the standing orders of the Parliament of Ghana, I, Honourable Joseph Osei-Owusu, first Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Pursuant to order 13(2) do hereby summon Parliament to sit on Sunday, 21st January, 2018 at half past two oclock in the afternoon at Parliament House, Accra for the swearing in of the right Honourable Speaker as acting President of the Republic in accordance with article 60(11) and (12) of the 1992 constitution". 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 A Pittsburgh newspaper editorial denouncing efforts to brand President Donald Trump a racist for his vulgar comment about Africa and Haiti is causing a firestorm -- even within the publisher's own family. The editorial ran in The (Toledo) Blade last week and then appeared in its sister paper, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It addressed the Republican president's comment about the desirability of immigrants from Haiti and African countries by contending the "racist" label is applied too casually and, in the case of Trump, was an attempt to undermine his presidency. "Calling someone a racist is the new McCarthyism," it said. "It is not racist to say that this country cannot take only the worst people from the worst places and that we want some of the best people from the best places, many of which are inhabited by people of color. That's not racism, it is reason," the editorial added. Condemnation was swift -- and came from some unusual quarters. Publisher John Block approved the editorial. He's part of Block Communications Inc., a family-run media company that has owned the Post-Gazette and its sister paper in Toledo, Ohio, for nearly a century. In response, 16 other members of the Block family, including two members of the company board, wrote a letter to the editor published in the Post-Gazette that said the editorial attempted to "justify blatant racism" and was printed "without the Post-Gazette editorial board's consensus." "We do not condone the whitewashing of racism, nor the normalization of it," said the family's letter. "We cannot remain silent and by implication approve of the use of the Post-Gazette to provide cover for racism." John Block didn't immediately return a call for comment Friday. The Post-Gazette's editorial page editor, John Allison, said the editorial was written in Toledo. Allison said Block "liked it" and made the call to run it. "Anybody who becomes an editorial page editor, no matter the size of the paper, knows the publisher has the first and the last word," Allison said Friday. "We know going in that John Block is strong-willed. And when he says, 'I want something one way,' we know that he proceeds with it." Through their union, some 150 Post-Gazette reporters, photographers and other staff wrote Tuesday they were "appalled and crestfallen" by the editorial's "mindless, sycophantic embrace of racist values and outright bigotry" displayed by Trump. Days earlier, a tweet from the Post-Gazette's account said Block had requested the removal of Trump's "vulgar language" from an Associated Press story on the controversy. Trump is said to have used the term "shithole" to describe certain countries as places of origin for potential immigrants to the U.S. Meanwhile, two major Pittsburgh philanthropies, The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowments, also denounced the editorial, calling it "a silly mix of deflection and distortion that provides cover for racist rhetoric while masquerading as a defense of decency." Editor's note: Authorities on March 1 confirmed a PennLive report that Deputy U.S. Marshal Christopher Hill was killed by friendly fire Jan. 18 while serving an arrest warrant with a task force of law enforcement officers. Police say Kevin Sturgis opened fire on police as they were arresting his girlfriend inside the Harrisburg home but he did not fire the fatal shot that killed Hill. Gov. Tom Wolf has ordered the Commonwealth flag to be flown at half-staff in honor of U.S. Marshals Service Deputy Christopher Hill, who was killed while trying to serve a warrant in Harrisburg Thursday. "Frances and I are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of Deputy U.S. Marshal Christopher David Hill today while he was serving a warrant on a fugitive in Harrisburg as part of a Marshals Service task force," Wolf said in a news release. "He served his fellow Pennsylvanians, the Marshals Service, our country, and our commonwealth with honor and integrity. "We join all Pennsylvanians in mourning his loss, and send our sincerest sympathies, thoughts, and prayers to his family, friends, and all the women and men of the U.S. Marshals Service." The flag was lowered Thursday and shall remain at half-staff until the interment. The United States flag shall remain at full staff during this tribute, according to Wolf's office. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions also issued a statement about Hill's death, saying the officer's name should be recalled as a synonym for valor. "Every day, deputy U.S. marshals make the people of this country safer by catching fugitives on the run, protecting our courthouses, our judges and witnesses at trial," Sessions said. "They achieve these critical accomplishments at often heroic risk." The Associated Press contributed to this report. A human resources director charged with stealing more than $130,000 from a midstate Lowe's Home Improvement store is also accused in unrelated fraud cases in Dauphin and Cumberland counties. Police in Lebanon County arrested Keynan Kinard, 25, this week for the alleged con he ran for months at the Lowe's in Palmyra. Court records show Kinard is awaiting trial in an insurance fraud case in Dauphin County and a forgery case in Cumberland County. The insurance fraud case is being prosecuted by the state attorney general's office, which arrested Kinard in October. Investigators said that while working as a licenses insurance agent in 2013 and 2014, Kinard submitted 29 fraudulent applications for life insurance. That supposed scam netted him more than $7,700 in unwarranted commissions, they said. Kinard had to surrender his insurance license under a consent agreement with the state insurance department, according to the AG's office. Agents charged Kinnard with insurance fraud, identity theft, theft by deception and forgery in the Dauphin County case. He is scheduled to appear before county Judge Deborsah E. Curcillo next month. Kinard was charged by Silver Spring Township police in the Cumberland County case in October. He faces multiple charges of knowledge that property is proceeds of an illegal act, forgery, theft by unlawful taking and theft by deception. There are more than 80 counts in all. President Judge Edward E. Guido arraigned Kinard on those charges this week. Editor's note: Authorities on March 1 confirmed a PennLive report that Deputy U.S. Marshal Christopher Hill was killed by friendly fire Jan. 18 while serving an arrest warrant with a task force of law enforcement officers. Police say Kevin Sturgis opened fire on police as they were arresting his girlfriend inside the Harrisburg home but he did not fire the fatal shot that killed Hill. Court records obtained by PennLive Friday suggest one possible explanation for why Kevin Sturgis, who was shot and killed Thursday in a desperate gun battle with police, acted so rashly. After a lifetime of relatively short stints in jail, the 31-year-old charged with killing Deputy U.S. Marshal Christopher Hill moments before, might have known he was facing significantly harder prison time than he'd ever served before. The document, by itself, can't be conclusive. Attempts to reach Sturgis's family were not successful for this report, and those investigating Thursday's shooting have thus far not released their own conclusions about a motive. Several neighbors reached by PennLive this week have said that, in their sidewalk encounters with Sturgis during the brief time he lived in the neighborhood, he was very polite and friendly. He drove a car and otherwise did not act like a man on the run. But a sentencing memorandum filed by Philadelphia assistant district attorney Robert Wainwright the day before Sturgis was to be sentenced in January 2017 for illegal possession of a handgun may be instructive as facts about the new case continue to build. In the gun case, which dated to April 8, 2014, city police officers stopped a car for a stop sign violation. Officers said they saw the driver, later identified as Sturgis, moving something with his right hand. They recovered a .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun from the car's center console. And the upshot of Wainwright's memo is this: Philly prosecutors wanted Common Pleas Judge Giovanni Campbell to sentence Sturgis to 5 to 10 years in the state prison system. It was time, the prosecutor suggested, to hew to state sentencing guidelines and teach a man who regularly facing criminal charges a lesson. His argument was based on a record that showed 11 arrests and six convictions for Sturgis as an adult, plus an attempted rape case that Sturgis was found delinquent on - tantamount to a conviction in adult court - as a juvenile in 2004, when he was 17. It was not immediately clear what kind of sentence Sturgis received as a juvenile. Kevin Sturgis The adult convictions included a theft by receiving stolen property case in which Sturgis was found at the wheel of a stolen car; a drug dealing charge in 2008; and the gun charges in 2014. Those were all Philadelphia cases. There was also an incident in Myrtle Beach, S.C., during which Sturgis was found guilty of a December 2008 theft charge and sentenced to a 30-day maximum prison term. And a variety of probation violations or missed court appearances that landed Sturgis behind bars for several weeks at a time. Sturgis, for the record, was also arrested on drug charges in Harrisburg in 2013, though most of those counts were dismissed at the district justice level, and a remaining conspiracy charge, records show, was dropped. Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo said in that case, after a co-defendant took full responsibility for the drugs and pleaded guilty, prosecutors eventually recognized they had no case left against Sturgis. According to Philadelphia's prison records, Sturgis had been in and out of city jails on nine separate occasions between January 2007 and October 2015. The longest stint was from July 14, 2011 to May 17, 2012, after his arrest for an earlier set of gun charges that were ultimately dropped. Sturgis also served more than seven months after his 2014 arrest, which resulted in his conviction at trial for unlawful possession of a firearm in 2016. It was sentencing for that case that generated Wainright's memo, in which the prosecutor argued Sturgis's "lengthy criminal history in multiple states" and his prior probation violations warranted five to 10 years behind bars. Campbell, the sentencing judge, never got to make that call. At the time of Sturgis's sentencing on Jan. 5, 2017 the defendant, who had been on house arrest, was a no-show. "He didn't show up for sentencing, and I hadn't heard from him since," Sturgis's attorney, Gerald Stein, said Friday. Sturgis had apparently stayed off police radar ever since, until Thursday. That's when officers showed up at 1837 Mulberry Street in Harrsburg, ostensibly to serve warrants on Shayla Lynette Towles Pierce for charges arising from a parking spot dispute late last year. Neighbors identified Sturgis as Pierce's boyfriend on Friday, and told PennLive he had been staying at the home for about five months. It is not clear to date if the team seeking Pierce knew he was there, too. As officers were downstairs handcuffing Pierce, gunfire suddenly rained down from the top of the staircase, officials said. That, they said Thursday, was Sturgis. Shots hit Hill, a well-respected U.S. marshal, in the chest and York City police officer Kyle Pitts in the arm. Hill would later die of his injuries. Pitts is recovering. Sturgis, still armed and firing at officers, then bolted from the house, but he was shot and killed in the ensuing firefight on Mulberry Street, police and witnesses have said. Investigations into the shooting are ongoing, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation leading a probe into Pierce's connections to Sturgis and his actions, and the Dauphin County District Attorney's Office examining whether the police shooting of Sturgis was justified. By Alissa Packer On Thursday night, my local congressman, U.S. Rep. Scott Perry asserted that there was "evidence" that ISIS was somehow behind the mass shooting in Las Vegas, and implied that tighter security at the US-Mexico border could have prevented the massacre. In an exchange with Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Perry, R-4th District, said that he'd recently "been made aware of what I believe to be credible evidence- credible information- regarding terrorist infiltration through the southern border regarding this incident." If you missed the logical connections linking ISIS, border security, and the Vegas shooting, you are not alone. If you cynically believe Congressman Perry is using this as a ploy to generate support for the border wall thus justifying the GOP's willingness to shut down our government because the Continuing Resolution does not include funding for the wall, you are also not alone. When pressed to share his "evidence," Perry suggested he was "not able to" share the supposed evidence. But Perry expressed confidently that he has access to information that he "feels to be" and "believes to be" evidence of a "possible terrorist nexus" responsible for the mass shooting in Las Vegas. Let's put aside the rhetorical tools Scott Perry uses in his carefully crafted word choice ("feelings" and "beliefs" can't be challenged, right? He never said he "knew" there was a real connection). Let's consider the definition of the word evidence. Evidence is defined as "the available body of facts or information indicating whether a belief or proposition is true or valid." So what is the evidence to support Perry's claim that ISIS is behind the Vegas attack? What is the body of facts? Perry goes on to say, "Let's face it, ISIS, twice before the attack, warned the U.S. they would attack Las Vegas... and then after the attack claimed responsibility four times. Meanwhile, the local law-enforcement investigative services are telling us there is no terrorist connection." Association does not mean a causal link exists. And certainly anecdotes do not equate to evidence. He presents no facts, no "evidence," that should lead us to distrust the word of law enforcement officials most familiar with the actual evidence. It's interesting to note that Congressman Perry, who claims to support those who put their life at risk to serve our communities, is questioning their expertise without citing a single compelling reason to do so. Perry's interview with Carlson comes almost a year to the day since President Donald Trump's inauguration; since then-Press Secretary Sean Spicer's claim that up to 1.5 million people had attended the inauguration, and since Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway introduced the term "alternative facts" when she was asked by NBC anchor Chuck Todd why Spicer would "utter a provable falsehood." Despite what some of our elected officials would have us believe, "alternative facts" do not exist. They are called lies. "Falsehoods" is a euphemism for the word "lie," a way to leave open the possibility that the person uttering the "falsehood" actually believes what they are saying and is not knowingly trying to deceive their audience. And our representative, Perry, has grown all too comfortable peddling such lies. We in the Fourth District are fortunate that there are already two strong candidates seeking to unseat Congressmen Perry in 2018-- Shovannia Corbin-Johnson and George Scott. Alissa Packer, a local organizer of the activist group Tuesdays with Toomey, writes from Camp Hill. FILE - This photo provided by the Macon County Sheriff's Office in Decatur, Ill., shows Brendt Christensen. U.S. prosecutors told a judge Friday, Jan 19, 2018, that they will seek the death penalty for the 28-year-old man charged with the kidnapping and killing of a University of Illinois scholar Yingying Zhang from China, also broaching new allegations that he choked and sexually assaulted someone five years ago. (Macon County Sheriff's Office via AP, File) Only two marijuana growers are yet to be approved of the initial 12 permit holders in Pennsylvania. Read more A 10th medical marijuana grower has been approved to begin cultivation in Pennsylvania, according to the state Department of Health. Holistic Farms LLC was granted permission Friday to plant its first cannabis crop in Lawrence County, about 30 miles north of Pittsburgh. That leaves only two of the 12 companies with permits yet to be approved. AES Compassionate Care plans to open in Chambersburg in the south-central part of the state; AgriMed Industries of Pennsylvania is expected to operate in Carmichaels, 20 miles south of Pittsburgh. It was unclear why they have yet to receive approval. Grow houses must undergo several inspections and be plugged into the state seed-to-sale tracking system. Representatives of the companies could not be reached for comment. On Wednesday, the Lower Merion Board of Commissioners cleared the way for a potential medical marijuana dispensary on Rock Hill Road. Though the township has granted a zoning variance, the state has not issued a permit to any company to operate a facility at the location. A second round of permits could be granted by the Health Department by midsummer but they will be subject to a highly competitive selection process. The Health Department also certified three laboratories to test marijuana medicines before the products are sold to dispensaries and dispensed to patients. The latest lab approved was Steep Hill Pennsylvania in Harrisburg. According to the state, 13,000 patients have registered to participate in the program. About 2,100 of those have been certified by an approved physician. Patients with any of 17 qualifying "serious health conditions" are eligible. The first marijuana products are expected to ship to a handful of approved dispensaries during the second week of February. The dispensaries will only sell oil-based medicines, tinctures, and pills. They will not provide smokable marijuana. Jaap Veneman and his wife Sarah Shackleton installed a curbside electric-vehicle charger outside their West Philadelphia home in 2015. Read more A city task force has recommended scrapping Philadelphia's contentious curbside electric-vehicle parking program while stepping up efforts to create more off-street charging stations accessible to the public. The Electric Vehicle Policy Task Force, created last year after City Council voted by 11-6 to impose a moratorium on the program that allows EV owners to install a private curbside charger on city streets, posted a draft report Friday that recommends abandoning the 11-year-old program. The 16-member panel included Councilmen David Oh and Mark Squilla, who sponsored the moratorium, and its report reflects their view that the curbside EV parking program is not sustainable in the long term. Fewer than 70 electric-vehicle owners have signed up for the parking privilege, which requires the owner to pay an annual fee and the expense of installing the charger. But that was enough to trigger a backlash in parking-starved areas like Society Hill and Fairmount, where owners of conventional vehicles struggled to find an open space while electric-vehicle slots stood vacant. The report says the program "is not reliably accessible to the public, it is not scalable, it does not meet the needs of EV owners without access to curbside parking, and it has had limited effectiveness in encouraging more EV use." Council's legislation last year halted the issuance of new electric-vehicle parking permits and relaxed the 24/7 parking restrictions, which allowed conventional vehicles to use the spots between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. The task force report recommends phasing out the preferential EV parking over 15 years, after which the permits would not be renewed and the owners would be responsible for removing the charger from the public right-of-way. Philadelphia's program was among the most generous municipal efforts aimed at encouraging EV ownership. Berkeley, Calif., approved a pilot program in 2014 awarding 25 permits for private curbside vehicle chargers, but declined to include parking privileges with its permits. Philadelphia activists and several Council members regarded the moratorium as a retreat from the city's green commitments. Mayor Kenney, who sponsored the 2007 legislation as a councilman, said the moratorium "sends the wrong message" about the benefits of electric vehicles. The legislation went into effect without his signature. The draft report says Philadelphia lags behind cities like Portland, Ore., New York, and Amsterdam, and suggests the city encourage the development of more public charging infrastructure and electric mass transit. The report also questioned the "social equity" of granting privileged public parking spaces to owners of electric vehicles, who it says skew toward male college graduates who earn more than $100,000 a year. "EV owners nationwide also represent a narrow demographic and currently do not reflect Philadelphia's diversity." The task force plans to hold a public open house from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Municipal Services Building. The panel will incorporate comments into the final version of the report, which is targeted for February, said Patrick Clark, transportation planner and grants coordinator in the city's Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems. An image of the CB2 furniture store that opens at 1422-24 Walnut Street in Center City on Feb. 2. Read more Another high-end furniture seller will open next month on Walnut Street, appealing to the city's millennial boom. CB2, described as the younger, hipper sibling of Crate & Barrel, announced earlier this week a Feb. 2 opening of a 12,000-square-foot showroom in the space formerly occupied by Kenneth Cole, Lacoste, and a physical therapy office at 1422 Walnut St. The competition could be healthy for Thos. Moser known for its handmade American chairs, cabinets, and beds which moved just over a year ago into 1601 Walnut. "The urban, cultured vibe of the historic Rittenhouse neighborhood is a perfect fit for CB2," said its managing director, Ryan Turf. The Philadelphia location marks its 12th store in the country and fifth East Coast location. CB2, which has been on an expansion run, opened a location in Paramus, N.J., in August. The CB2 deal was first reported in the Inquirer in July 2017. It was handled by Andi Pesacov, then Cushman & Wakefield's senior vice president of retail services, who represented both CB2 and landlord ASI Management in the transaction. Pesacov said then that CB2 liked Center City's demographics, which are trending younger with the influx of millennials and high-income professionals. The area also has a much-improved retail scene with a mix of off-price retailers on Chestnut Street and luxury stores on Walnut to attract a large, diverse pool of shoppers. More than 7,500 multifamily units were built in central Philadelphia between 2013 and 2017, with 2,700 slated for completion in 2018, according to the most recent data from real estate consulting firm Jones Lang LaSalle. The city also leads the nation in millennial growth among major cities over the last 10 years, said Lauren Gilchrist, director of research at JLL's Philadelphia office. Millennials ages 19 to 34 are credited for dramatically changing the retail mix. "Retailers with concepts that appeal to the lifestyle of this demographic fast-casual food, fitness, and hip furniture have flocked here as well to take advantage of growing demand in key retail segments," she said. In 2016, Chris Shenian of real estate firm the Shenian Co. in Center City brokered the deal on behalf of Thos. Moser to bring that retailer back to the area. The changing demographics and retail scene helped persuade Moser, Shenian said. "Why drive an hour and fight traffic when you have topflight retailers in your backyard?" he said. CB2 describes its furniture as modern. A Delphine linen slipcover sofa retails for $1,799; a Robey charcoal velvet curved sofa for $1,499; a stairway-black 72.5-inch desk for $349; and a 23-inch leisure pillow for $39.95. "Prices range, with larger pieces in the $1,000 to $2,000 bracket, while smaller items can be under $25," CB2's Turf said. "Our price points appeal to a wide audience, so that we can be the modern destination for apartment, home, and office." South Phillys Friendly Lounge, recreated in Queens, N.Y., for "The Irishman," a Martin Scorsese film about a hit man in the Philadelphia mob. Read more So The Irishman, Martin Scorsese's film based on former hit man Frank Sheeran's story of life in the Philadelphia mob, is being shot not in South Philadelphia (where it indisputably belongs), but a hundred miles up the road in New York. Still, by the looks of photos submitted by readers and posted on social media, youse can expect to see some familiar sights. For one, Philly's only Friendly Lounge once owned by Skinny Razor, who, according to his son Marco DiTullio, was merely a razor-sharp dresser and definitely not a legendary mob killer has been uncannily reproduced in Ridgewood, Queens. (That the no-parking permits on the site list the project name as "Villa Roma" is just red gravy.) According to local residents, the block has been remade to reflect the Italian Market, with awnings and signage customized for the occasion and merchandise trucked into the stores to match. Reader Evan Branford even spotted Bobby Cannavale, set to play Skinny Razor, on the street getting feedback from Scorcese. The Netflix film, which is set to be released in 2019, stars Robert De Niro as Sheeran and Al Pacino as Jimmy Hoffa. It is reported to have cost $105 million so far. Of course, New York does tend to be more expensive than Philly. Sister Janet McCann of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ holds up the Pope Francis encyclical Laudato Si while addressing attendees at the National Constitution Center on Friday, January 19, 2018. The nuns have filed a religious freedom suit against the federal government and owners of a pipeline on their property. Read more A group of Roman Catholic nuns had a tough time in court Friday morning fighting a gas pipeline buried under their Lancaster County cornfield, so afterward they took their case to a more sympathetic public at the National Constitution Center. Sisters from the Adorers of the Blood of Christ showed a video recounting their situation before about 75 people, then took the stage at an auditorium inside, an hour after another court appearance. "If there's anybody who thinks sisters live quiet, uneventful lives, they have not met the sisters of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ," Sister Janet McCann said, referring to the legal battle the order has waged against the Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Co., known as Transco. McCann and four other speakers described the pipeline as a violation of their religious beliefs, which are infused with environmental concerns, including treating land as sacred and reducing fossil fuel use. One speaker was their attorney, J. Dwight Yoder, who quipped about his appearance Friday morning in court: "This looks like a friendlier crowd." Indeed, the federal appeals panel hearing on Friday featured three judges aggressively questioning his arguments. The panel must decide if U.S. District Court has jurisdiction to consider the merits of a religious freedom case the nuns have filed. The court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania said it could not. The main issue is whether the nuns should have made religiously based objections during the government process of awarding Transco the right to build the Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline. The pipeline runs from the Marcellus Shale across Pennsylvania, and eventually into Maryland. On the way, it crosses little more than an acre of the Adorers' West Hempfield property. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the pipeline, saying it provides a public benefit. That gave Transco the right to build the pipeline and use eminent domain to take private property after compensation. The nuns made no religious objection during the FERC process. They filed a suit to stop the condemnation of their land, but lost. Then they filed a civil suit under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. On Friday, the three-judge panel questioned Yoder on why the court should now take up a matter the nuns failed to bring up during the lengthy FERC process. Transco first applied in 2015 to FERC, which approved the pipeline in February 2017. The judges suggested the court would be the proper venue if the nuns had brought up the issue during the FERC process. "Couldn't they have chosen to raise the Religious Freedom Restoration Act with FERC?" Chief Judge D. Brooks Smith asked Yoder. The judge later added, "All they had to do was show up" and object. In addition, an attorney for Transco argued, the nuns also failed to mention their religious arguments in their other civil suit against condemnation. After the nuns lost that suit, Transco quickly set to work burying a 42-inch natural gas pipeline under their cornfield. Yoder argued that the religious freedom act was written by Congress and makes no mention of when or where a religious freedom suit has to be filed. The nuns' religious freedoms were not impacted until the pipeline was being built and buried, he said. The Adorers are an "innocent" third party and not part of the FERC application process, he said. At the Constitution Center, supporters said it did not seem fair that nuns were expected to know the intricacies of FERC proceedings. Duncan Wright of Philadelphia attended court and also was at the Constitution Center to show his support for the nuns. "I think this really has to do with the moral basics," Wright said. He referred to a line from an encyclical on the environment from Pope Francis: "What kind of world do we want to leave behind?" Yoder admitted after his appearance in court that it might be an uphill fight, but he said the nuns have faith on their side. "It's David vs. Goliath," Yoder said. "We have to believe there is a way to get this done." The appeals panel did not say when it would announce its decision. U.S. Representative Patrick Meehan (R) is under fire for using taxpayer money to settle a sexual harassment claim. (FILE Oct. 25, 2010) Read more WASHINGTON U.S. Rep. Patrick Meehan saw his political future thrown into doubt Saturday after a report that the Delaware County Republican quietly used thousands of taxpayer dollars to settle a sexual-harassment claim from a former aide. House Speaker Paul Ryan quickly removed Meehan from the House Ethics Committee and said the congressman would be investigated by the panel. Ryan also urged Meehan to pay taxpayers back for the settlement. Gov. Wolf urged Meehan to quit office. Political operatives in Pennsylvania said they were surprised to see Meehan widely seen as a mild straight-arrow type drawn into a harassment scandal, but they questioned whether his career could survive the news at a time when similar revelations have brought down powerful men in Congress, Hollywood and elite media circles. Meehan, a former federal prosecutor who is 62 and married with three sons, professed "romantic desires" to a decades-younger aide last year and grew hostile when she did not go along, the New York Times reported, citing 10 unnamed sources, including friends and former colleagues of the woman. Meehan, through a spokesman, said Saturday that he denied the former aide's allegations against him and "has always treated his colleagues male and female with the utmost respect and professionalism." Meehan did not deny the payment, or explain why he would have agreed to a payout and a confidentiality provision if he believed the complaint was false. As an Ethics Committee member, Meehan was part of a panel that had been reviewing sexual-harassment complaints against at least four other House members. In April, he was one of four House members to launch a congressional task force seeking to combat sexual violence. The ethics panel will now add Meehan to those whose actions are under review, according to Ryan's spokeswoman, AshLee Strong. The allegation against Meehan, a former U.S. attorney in Philadelphia, surfaced as the country, and Washington, has seen a sharp backlash to sexual harassment. Accusations of misconduct have already cost several congressmen their careers. The Meehan story broke as a wave of women's marches proceeded across the country and it sent tremors through Pennsylvania's political circles. "This disturbing report reveals systemic mistreatment of a female victim both by Congressman Meehan and others with power in Washington. That is wrong and unacceptable." Wolf said in a statement. Wolf, a Democrat, has been an outspoken critic of politicians caught up in harassment scandals. He has previously urged the resignations of Democratic state lawmakers accused of sexual harassment, including one of Meehan's challengers, State Sen. Daylin Leach. The accusations may open up a significant opportunity for Democrats as they attempt to take control of the House in this fall's elections. Meehan represents a moderate suburban district that Hillary Clinton narrowly won last year, and had already been targeted by national Democrats. But even they believed before Saturday's report that he looked like a strong incumbent well-positioned to withstand a challenge. The damaging accusations against Meehan come one month after Leach, the most prominent Democrat running against him, suspended his own campaign due to accusations of sexual misconduct first reported by the Inquirer and Daily News. "I certainly don't think Pat Meehan can run for reelection it's over," said David Landau, chairman of the Delaware County Democratic Committee. The county forms the base of Meehan's district, the Seventh. The precise amount of the settlement payment is not known, though the Times reported the figure was in the "thousands." The money reportedly was drawn from Meehan's office account, a tactic that critics say permits lawmakers to bury such payments. In his statement, Meehan said the public deserved to have a "true sense of the facts and circumstances" in cases of alleged harassment. But Meehan and his accused signed a nondisclosure agreement, and his statement provided no information about the allegations. Meehan's spokesman said the congressman wanted himself and accuser released from the nondisclosure agreement "to ensure a full and open airing of all the facts." "With respect to resolving any allegation made against the office, Congressman Meehan would only act with advice of House Counsel and consistent with House Ethics Committee guidance. Every step of the process was handled ethically and appropriately," Meehan spokesman John Elizandro said in the statement Saturday. Elizandro added that Meehan believes there must be "real reform to the process for resolving complaints so that those who are truly wronged are given a fair forum to be heard and vindicated, and those accused are provided with an ability to respond to baseless accusations." His accuser's attorney, Alexis Ronickher, rejected his request to end the confidentiality agreement and accused the congressman of using the proposal as a "political ploy," knowing that the former aide prizes her privacy and does not want her identity publicized. In an interview, Ronickher said she received the request only an hour before Meehan made his statement. "Mr. Meehan demanded confidentiality to resolve the matter, presumably so that the public would never know that he entered into a settlement of a serious sexual harassment claim," Ronickher said in an earlier statement. "Now that it has become public due to no fault of my client's he has flouted his legal obligations and is speaking publicly. We will not allow our client to be victimized twice by this man." Ronickher said that if Meehan "further violates" the confidentiality agreement, her client would have "no choice but to seek legal recourse." She would not comment on the details of the case or the Times report. Ryan's spokeswoman, Strong, said the House speaker "takes the allegations against Mr. Meehan very seriously." "The House is set to pass major bipartisan reform to the way the House handles claims of sexual harassment, and the speaker will apply these new standards to the allegations made against Mr. Meehan," she said in a statement. Robert Walker, an attorney who served as chief counsel for both the U.S. House and Senate Ethics Committees, said he was troubled by the report that Meehan dipped into his office account to pay the settlement. While Walker said he didn't oppose spending taxpayer money for such settlements, he did not think they should be funded out of an account used to pay for work for constituents. "That's not payment for work performed," he said. Walker added that it would have "prudent" for Meehan to have told Ryan and his colleagues on the Ethics Committee about the settlement earlier. A number of lawmakers have used taxpayer funds to settle employment disputes, dipping into office accounts to do so. They can hide the payments by stretching them out to look like normal salary, according to a senior House aide familiar with the process. The settlements don't have to be revealed publicly, the aide said. Those secret payments to settle harassment claims at the Capitol have come under intense scrutiny as misconduct has been revealed. Rep. Bob Brady (D., Pa.) has sponsored a bill to require such payments to be public, and from a lawmakers' personal funds. Meehan was like a father figure to the aide, the Times reported, but last year professed "romantic desires," including in a handwritten letter. When she did not reciprocate, according to people who worked with her, Meehan grew angry at her. This prompted her to file a formal complaint and eventually, to depart from his office, the report said. As they went through a formal resolution process, the accuser's career, finances, and personal life all suffered, the story said. The allegations flummoxed Pennsylvania Republicans. Neither the state Republican Party nor the national GOP congressional campaign arm commented on the report. Charlie Gerow, a Harrisburg-based Republican consultant, said the allegations against Meehan put "the Seventh Congressional District seat in play in an even bigger way than it already might have been." Meehan, first elected in 2010 after years serving as Delaware County district attorney and U.S. attorney, is serving his fourth term in office. Several Democrats are campaigning to challenge him this fall, and two lawyer and activist Dan Muroff and IT consultant Drew McGinty called on him to step down. "What the hell, Pat Meehan? Sexually harassing your staff and paying a settlement with taxpayer money?" said a statement from Muroff. Said McGinty: "Meehan was voted in to support the best interests of the 7th District, but instead used his power to personally and financially attack a staffer." As a federal government shutdown rolled on Saturday, Meehan did not show up for votes on the House floor. Staff writers Angela Couloumbis and Andrew Seidman contributed to this article. Unemployment rates in the badger state may be some of the lowest on record, but the types of jobs being created are generally on the low or high end of the wage scale, resulting in an absence of mid-level jobs, according to according to Dr. Steven Deller, economist with UW-Madison. Those mid-level jobs with an annual wage between $30,000-$50,000 are typically what is needed to support a family and own a home in Sauk County and other counties across the state. Deller was one of three speakers at the annual Economic Outlook event held Jan. 16 at the River Arts Center in Prairie du Sac. The event was hosted by the Sauk Prairie Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Bank of Prairie du Sac. Deller presented an economic forecast for 2018, which evaluated economic indicators for local, regional and national areas. With Wisconsins unemployment rate being as low as it is, Deller said employers typically offer higher wages to be competitive. This often occurs in a tight labor market. However current numbers arent reflecting wage increases, he said. That could mean employers are getting creative in attracting employees, Deller said. It could be in exchange for no wage increase, employers might be offering other benefits such as keeping health care premiums down. He said Sauk County has a high concentration of farms, manufacturing, retail and food service jobs, with the latter two stemming from Wisconsin Dells tourism. The farming industry in general has been declining since the recession a decade ago, with farms consolidating. However, Deller said, there has been an increase in special commodities such as hops, vinegars and even hemp. Manufacturingis also expected to change, seeing growth in small scale custom manufacturers and the arrival of automation. A study conducted by MIT estimates more than 50 percent of manufacturing jobs have an 80 percent chance of becoming automated in the future. That means employees are slowly being replaced, Deller said. Thats cause for concern. The retail experience is also changing. Wal-Mart industries recently announced the closing of 63 Sams Club stores. Sears is pairing down the size of its stores or closing them outright. Internet juggernaut Amazon is creating the type of competition some brick-and-mortar retailers cant keep up with. Its about whats convenient, Deller said. The retail industry is shifting. Its not going to go away completely, but it is shifting. Because of that, other industries such as transportation and courier-type services like FedEx and UPS are growing. The accommodation and food service industries are experiencing a major growth spurt, and there is no indication it is going to slow down, Deller said. Places like Wisconsin Dells are driving the tourism industry. He said the economy of Sauk County is shifting, and stakeholders have to decide if they want to encourage it. Jobs that require high school or little formal education are filling the largest job sector. Wisconsin is generating jobs that arent very good, dont require formal education and dont pay a lot, Deller said. Deller said although Wisconsin wasnt hit as hard by the recession as others across the nation, Wisconsins recovery is going slow. And which group is going to benefit from reducing U.S. corporate tax rates? Shareholders, Deller said. Because they have stock. In general, individuals with lower incomes cant afford stock. Kristyn Stickley, 22, of West Chester, PA, at right, holds a sign during the Women's March on the Ben Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, PA on Jan. 20, 2018. Read more The Women's March on Philadelphia Saturday has drawn thousands to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for a show of force and call-to-action that coincides with the one-year anniversary of President Trump's inauguration. >> READ MORE: A full recap of the second Women's March on Philadelphia Participants including some men began to gather around 8 a.m. near Logan Square. At the 11 a.m. official kickoff, marchers began making their way down the Parkway to hear speeches featuring Philadelphia's newly elected Controller Rebecca Rhynhart and Amber Hikes, director of Philadelphia's Office of LGBT Affairs, among others, scheduled to begin at noon. While last year's event fueled, in part, by dismay over Trump's election drew more than 50,000, organizers believe that 2017's powerful #MeToo and "Time's Up" movements over sexual harassment have helped boost Saturday's attendance. The event ended at 3 p.m. Follow along for live updates. Follow staff writer Anna Orso as well as columnists Helen Ubinas and Will Bunch covering Saturday's march. Their Twitter handles are: @Anna_Orso, @NotesfromHel and @Will_Bunch. 3 p.m.: The march concludes. 12:20 p.m.: Speakers take to the stage. Noon: Saturday's participants show off their homemade signs revealing what most inspired them to attend. 10:50 a.m.: The crowd begins to peacefully march around 11 a.m. despite calls for protest due to a social media message that spread word of possible "stopping and frisking" that left some saying that they would skip this year's march. Philadelphia police said random searches would not be conducted. 9:45 a.m.: Crowds begin to fill in around Logan Circle, donning last year's pink hats and carrying signs with phrases like, "It's Mueller time." Many are leaving their hats at home Saturday, with some suggesting the headwear isn't "inclusive." 8:45 a.m.: People head into Center City for Saturday's Women's March on Philadelphia. One participant on SEPTA's Regional Rail Chestnut Hill West train said, "It's a great day to resist!" SEPTA said Friday night that it would be providing extra train cars "wherever possible" to accommodate the large crowds. Eleven cruise ship passengers and a local tour guide were killed in a bus crash during an excursion to Mayan ruins in Mexico in December. Cruise lines say they work as hard as they can to investigate companies that provide the excursions passengers purchase. Read more FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. How safe are shore excursions for cruise line passengers? That's a question that resurfaces after highly publicized accidents such as last month's fatal bus crash in eastern Mexico that killed passengers of two ships owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises. Eleven foreign tourists and a Mexican tour guide died. More recently, a boat carrying 10 passengers from two ships owned by Royal Caribbean on a diving expedition off the coast of Cozumel in Mexico sank shortly into the trip; all were rescued by nearby vessels. Cruise lines say they work as hard as they can to investigate companies that provide the excursions passengers can purchase when they book their cruises or after they board. But a maritime lawyer who authors a blog critical of the cruise industry says cruise lines work with too many excursion companies to possibly be able to conduct thorough background checks. Officials with Miami-based Royal Caribbean did not immediately respond to questions seeking details about how the cruise line selects excursion companies and investigate their safety records, and whether the companies are regulated within destination countries. Carnival Cruise Lines spokeswoman Jennifer De La Cruz provided this response: "Before accepting any shore excursion operator into our program, the operator must meet a variety of established criteria to demonstrate professionalism, safety standards, insurance, and overall ability to deliver a quality experience to our guests. Guest feedback on shore excursions is constantly reviewed and tours are periodically assessed by company personnel in an effort to ensure standards are continuing to be met." Jim Walker, a Miami attorney specializing in maritime law, advises consumers to debark with caution. In a recent interview, Walker said cruise lines don't have the personnel to conduct thorough background checks on all of the excursion companies offered to its passengers at all of their ships' ports of call. "They're just relying on word of mouth. They don't have the manpower [to perform] real vetting," he said. Although they are obligated by U.S. maritime law to conduct background checks on excursion companies and to warn guests of dangers on shore, they often rely on endorsements from local tourism authorities or even from other cruise lines that also contract with the companies, Walker said. The fatal crash in Mexico was the latest in a series of bus crashes by shore excursion companies. In January 2016, a tour bus collided with a truck in Falmouth, Jamaica, killing a passenger of Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas and injuring more than a dozen others on a cruise line-offered excursion. A lawsuit filed against Royal Caribbean alleged the bus driver was driving erratically, speeding, and frequently changing lanes. In November 2016, a bus carrying 10 passengers from the Carnival-owned P&O Azura crashed in Dominica, killing a British passenger and injuring nine others. In 2010, a tour bus carrying passengers to an excursion sold by Princess Cruises crashed in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, killing one and seriously injuring two others. Accidents that occurred after the buses were parked included a crash of a sightseeing plane that killed the pilot and eight passengers of Holland America's MS Westerdam during a cruise to Alaska in June 2015. The National Transportation Safety Board determined after its investigation that the sightseeing company had created a culture in which pilots felt compelled to risk flying in low-visibility conditions, the Seattle Times reported. Still, a recent post on cruise enthusiast website cruisecritic.com advises that excursions booked through cruise lines are a far safer bet than excursions offered by independent operators soliciting on the docks. "When your cruise line suggests you avoid independent tour operators, it's not because they're trying to earn an extra buck; it's because they know for certain their operators are legit," the post said. "That's not to say accidents don't happen on cruise-sponsored excursions. But you at least gain more peace of mind knowing an official authority did its due diligence on your behalf." Family members, police, clergy and friends held a vigil for 8-year-old Jayanna Powell on Dec. 18, 2016, a month after her death, at the West Philadelphia crash site. Read more On the day before her 8-year-old daughter, Jayanna Powell, was killed by a hit-and-run driver in West Philadelphia, Ayeshia Poole shot a cellphone video of her. "'Mommy, I love you,'" the girl said on the video, a weeping Poole told a judge Friday. "I listen to that tape every day." At defendant Paul Woodlyn III's sentencing hearing, Poole shared photos of Jayanna: a wallet-size photo of the girl as a baby, Jayanna with her siblings, Jayanna in a prom dress bought at David's Bridal, her kindergarten graduation photo, and her last school photo. "She had the brightest smile ever," said Poole, 31. "She loved to sing, she loved to dance." The girl's father, James Powell, 45, recalled Jayanna as "a happy-go-lucky little girl" and lamented that now he must "go to a grave site to talk to my daughter." The girl's grandmothers, Joyce James and Darlene Maddox, described Jayanna as "God's sunshine." "She was his rose in this nasty world," Maddox said. At 3:12 p.m. Nov. 18, 2016, Jayanna, a second grader at the Lewis C. Cassidy Academics Plus School at 6523 Lansdowne Ave. in Overbrook, was crossing the south side of 63rd Street at Lansdowne with her three siblings. Her brother Hassan Cox, then 12, held her hand. Woodlyn, of Overbrook, was driving south on 63rd. The light had just turned green. The car in front of him was stopped in the right lane, so he drove around it and went through the intersection in the left lane. "I didn't see the kids," he testified at last year's trial. The prosecutor said Jayanna was hit with such force that she was thrown 100 feet south, landing under a tree next to the road. Her shoes and book bag were ripped from her. The 2012 Nissan Altima driven by Woodlyn also injured Hassan in his knee. Woodlyn drove off later claiming to his girlfriend, who owned the car, that he had hit a deer. On Friday, Jayanna's family and Assistant District Attorney Erica Rebstock sought the maximum sentence for Woodlyn: 8 to 17 years behind bars. To the parents' anger and dismay, Common Pleas Court Judge J. Scott O'Keefe sentenced Woodlyn, 25, to 4 to nine years in state prison, followed by nine years' probation. "That was no justice," Poole, the mother, said afterward. Powell, the father, said he was "not happy at all." The judge told the parents in court that he was "terribly sorry" for their loss. To Woodlyn, he said, "The callousness you showed by leaving the scene with that child on your hood is unimaginable." Rebstock told the judge that "when the defendant gets behind the wheel of a car, he is an absolute menace to society." She mentioned past instances in which he was cited for running through stop signs and red lights. But defense attorney Benjamin Cooper told the judge that Woodlyn was "not someone to just cast aside." At the start of his trial last Oct. 31, Woodlyn pleaded guilty to a felony charge of leaving the scene of a fatal accident. A jury three days later convicted him of misdemeanor charges of involuntary manslaughter and recklessly endangering another person. The panel acquitted him of a felony charge of homicide by vehicle. When it was his turn to speak Friday, Woodlyn, who held his head down during much of the hearing, apologized to Jayanna's family and said he would "stand up and do the time." Of that November 2016 day, he said: "I'm sorry. It was an accident. I shouldn't have left." A screen grab from an ISIS video shows Zulfi Hoxha of Margate, N.J. issuing threats against the United States. Read more Dressed in heavy combat gear and cradling a large automatic weapon, the young man looks every inch like a character in the violent video games he played just a few years before. "America today is the one carrying the banner of the cross and waging war against the Muslims," he declares to the camera in excellent English. "It openly declares that its goal is only to wipe out the Islamic State. May they fail and lose." The video features Zulfi Hoxha, now 26, the son of pizza shop owners in Margate, N.J., and a 2010 graduate of Atlantic City High School who left the United States three years ago to emerge as an ISIS commander and propaganda star. In court papers filed in federal court in Massachusetts last year, prosecutors identified the Albanian American Hoxha as a ISIS leader and, in a rare move, officially identified him as the figure in an ISIS video accusing the U.S. of waging war against the Muslim faith. In an even more chilling video, American officials told the Atlantic magazine, Hoxha is the black-robed masked man shown beheading a captured Kurdish soldier. He is in a tiny cohort among a few dozen Americans known to have left the country to join Islamic terrorists. Perhaps the most notorious was Anwar al-Awlaki, an al-Qaeda recruiter and U.S. citizen killed by a drone airstrike in 2011, after President Barack Obama secretly approved the targeting. In a lengthy article, the Atlantic chronicled Hoxha's path from New Jersey to Iraq, his ties to other plotters later convicted of a plan to kill conservative provocateur Pamela Geller, his 2015 arrival in the Middle East, and his enrollment in an ISIS training camp. He is still at large, presumably still in the Middle East, where he goes by the nom de guerre Abu Hamza al-Amriki the last name Arabic for "the American." "His high school friends said he was a bit of a loner goofy," said Seamus Hughes, an author of the Atlantic piece and deputy director of George Washington University's Program on Extremism. "You have this seemingly random guy, three months after joining ISIS, is one of the faces of their propaganda." Hoxha's radicalization, Hughes said, "speaks to how social media lowers the bar though which young men and women join terrorist organizations." In the beheading video, released six months after Customs records show that Hoxha left the U.S., he says he is "delivering a message to Obama" before killing his first victim. In the other video, made public last year, he declares that U.S. "savage air strikes have killed and wounded thousands of children, women and elderly." "Therefore," he said, believers should carry out attacks on U.S. soil against kaffirs non-Muslims. "Are you incapable of stabbing a kaffir with a knife, throwing him off of a building, or running him over with a car?" Hoxha asks. "Liberate yourself from hell fire by killing a kaffir." Hoxha's family roots are in Albania, the impoverished country in Eastern Europe whose population is heavily Muslim. The family has owned two adjacent homes on a modest block in Margate for about 40 years, and operated Pierre's Pizza on Washington Avenue there for more than a decade before selling it in 2005. The family lived in a small two-story house adjacent to the pizza shop, just steps away from the busy, shop-lined Ventnor Avenue, two blocks from the beach and three blocks from the bay. The blinds were drawn on Friday afternoon, and no one answered the door when an Inquirer and Daily News reporter visited. A handwritten note, slightly misspelled, was taped to the door. "We do not wish to talk," it read. "We are devistated. Please give us our privacy." A small American flag was tucked above the door frame. A woman at the home hung up the phone when a reporter called on Friday. On Wednesday, a woman identified by NBC10 as Hoxha's mother told the station: "No good. I'm very upset." On Friday, outside a surf shop around the corner from the house, a man unloading boxes shook his head at news of the ISIS connection. "That's gnarly," he said. "It's the world we live in." The pizza business has continued under new owners. The current operators bought the shop four years ago, keeping the name unchanged. "I have a family to feed, and this has hurt me a ton, because now people think I am connected to ISIS," operator Richie Hafizi told the Atlantic City Press. "We've gotten calls from people asking for pizza with a head on top of it, and other crazy calls." Hoxha grew up in Margate with two brothers and a sister. His Albanian-born father died at age 54 when he was 13 and the family got out of the pizza business soon after. He attended Atlantic City High, the high school for the resort city and four adjacent Shore towns. In his yearbook photo, Hoxha was a wearing a tux and had a flower in his lapel. Like other young men, he frequented Twitter and apparently was a video-game enthusiast. A few digital footprints on Twitter show a man using the name ZulfiHoxha in conflict with other users, with one telling him, "F off you terrorist scum" and another saying, "Terrorist, you wish." Twitter records also show him exchanging messages with the State Department's "Think Again Turn Away" program, an attempt to combat terrorism on social media. Under the username Hoxha77 as well as alias names KiickassBarbiie, MoSt H8TED119 and Smashing IdOls he registered in 2013 with a popular online gaming site to play against others in such games as Left 4 Dead 2, Mortal Kombat, Codename: Panzers and World in Conflict. He last left a digital track on the site in January 2015, not long before he flew to Turkey on his way into the Mideast. He played Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, in which gamers pose as an NSA agent hunting terrorists. Hoxha's unusual role as one of a handful of Americans linked to ISIS was recently made public by prosecutors as they pursued the successful prosecution of David Daoud Wright, another accused American terrorist, albeit one who never left U.S. soil. Wright, 28, was sentenced to serve 28 years in prison last month for plotting to kill Americans, including police and Geller, on behalf of the Islamic State. Wright was arrested in June 2015, shortly after his uncle Usaamah Rahim, 26, was fatally shot by authorities after he advanced on them with a machete. Just hours earlier, Wright had urged him to assault police and pursue martyrdom During the trial in October, defense lawyers portrayed Wright, who weighed more 500 pounds in 2015, as a jobless sad sack who deluded himself into thinking he was an ISIS warrior. But after the jury's verdict in the case, the judge in the case termed Wright a committed terrorist. In trial testimony, witnesses said that Hoxha, an apparent gaming buddy of Wright's who communicated with him through the Paltalk chat network, had recruited Wright to the ISIS movement. In turn, prosecutors said, Wright had encouraged Hoxha to go overseas, and he and his uncle raised money to help pay Wright's travel costs by selling Rahim's laptop on Craigslist. Until his arrest, prosecutors said, Wright was in touch with Junaid Hussain, a Syria-based but British-born ISIS "cyber recruiter" who was killed by an air strike in August 2015. At the trial, the Atlantic reported, the government also presented evidence that Hussain kept Wright's uncle posted on Hoxha's location. Among other evidence, the Atlantic reported, were text messages exchanged between Rahim and Hoxha after the latter left New Jersey for the Middle East. "In the safe house," Hoxha said four days after his departure, adding that he was looking at three months of training. "Keep in touch," Rahim responded. "We were worried about you." "Don't worry," Hoxha replied. "The kuffar can't touch me now. LOL." A neighbor of Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.) has agreed to plead guilty in federal court in a November attack that left the nation's best known libertarian with six broken ribs and briefly sidelined him during debate over the tax overhaul, according to court documents. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Indiana announced Friday that Rene Boucher, 59, would face a count of assaulting a member of Congress after becoming angry when he saw Paul stack more brush on a pile near his yard. Court documents say Boucher intends to enter a guilty plea. Police said Boucher charged and tackled Paul, 54, in the yard of his Bowling Green, Ky., home on Nov. 3. Boucher had previously been charged with a misdemeanor in a county court and had pleaded not guilty. Paul's office and an attorney for Boucher could not immediately be reached for comment. The assault in an upscale gated community drew widespread media attention and generated a political mystery, since Paul and Boucher have personally offered few clues about what sparked one of the worst assaults on a sitting senator in decades. In late November, Boucher's attorney, Matthew Baker, told the Washington Post there was no political motivation for the assault and it was tied to simmering disagreements between the successful doctors about the maintenance "or lack of it" of their adjacent properties. Kelley Paul, the wife of the senator, dismissed that explanation in a November op-ed for CNN and Rand Paul said the motivation was beside the point in a Jan. 7 interview with Face the Nation. "I think one of the things about motivations is people got obsessed, some in the media, about the motivations. But I think really we usually don't ask if someone's raped or mugged or whatever why the person did it," Paul said. Baker said in November Boucher and Paul didn't see eye-to-eye over the care of grass, trees and other aspects of their lots. He said those old animosities were triggered by a fresh incident on the afternoon of Nov. 3 that he declined to detail. Paul said in a Fox News interview in early December he was blindsided by the attack. "I was working in my yard with my earmuffs on you know, to protect my hearing from the mower and I had gotten off the mower, facing downhill, and the attacker came running full blown," Paul said. "I never saw him, I never had conversation in fact, the weird thing is, I haven't talked to him in 10 years." Kentucky State Police said they were called to Paul's house around 3:20 p.m. on Nov. 3. A police report on the incident indicates Boucher admitted going on Paul's property and tackling him. Police said Paul initially refused medical care, thinking his rib injuries were not so severe. He was eventually treated after the extent of the injuries became apparent. Boucher was charged with fourth-degree assault in Kentucky's Warren County. "He is profoundly regretful," Baker said of his client in November. "He wishes this had never happened." Baker confirmed Boucher hadn't talked with Paul in years, saying the pair had lapsed into a stony silence about the landscaping issues. Boucher, a retired anesthesiologist, and Paul, an ophthalmologist, had lived next door to each other in the Rivergreen community for 17 years and had once worked at the same hospital. Boucher's gabled house sits on a corner lot across an expanse of grass and trees from Paul's red brick colonial. Bill Goodwin, an acquaintance of both men, said he arrived at their properties about a decade ago as the men were finishing a dispute. Boucher told Goodwin that Paul had blown lawn clippings onto his yard and it angered him. " 'I ask him, I tell him and he won't pay attention,' " Goodwin recalled Boucher saying after the argument. " 'One of these days.' " Paul said in the Face the Nation interview his recovery has been arduous. "It was sort of I guess a living hell for the first four or five weeks," Paul said. "Couldn't get out of bed without assistance, six broken ribs, damage to my lungs, two bouts of pneumonia. It was really a tough go of it. But each day I feel a little bit better. This last month I've been doing better." Maru Mora Villalpando, a well-known immigrant activist, herself an undocumented person who has been put in deportation proceedings, speaks to a crowd during a press conference on Tuesday, January 16, 2018 in front of the ICE office in downtown Seattle, Wash. Read more U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has detained or deported several foreigners across the country who are also prominent immigration activists, prompting accusations from advocates that the Trump administration is improperly targeting political opponents. Detention Watch Network, a nonprofit that tracks immigration enforcement, said this week that several activists have been targeted recently, including Maru Mora Villalpando in Washington state, Eliseo Jurado in Colorado, and New York immigrant leaders Jean Montrevil and Ravi Ragbir. "They're trying to intimidate people," said Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., the ranking Democrat of the House Judiciary Committee. "These are well-known activists who've been here for decades, and they're saying to them: Don't raise your head." A top ICE official denied that the agency is targeting immigrants for deportation because of their activism. The agency says its priorities are immigrants who pose a threat to national and border security and public safety. Most, but not all, of the targeted immigrants have criminal records. "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement does not target unlawfully present aliens for arrest based on advocacy positions they hold or in retaliation for critical comments they make," said Matthew Albence, ICE'S executive associate director for Enforcement and Removal Operations, which detains and deports immigrants. "Any suggestion to the contrary is irresponsible, speculative and inaccurate." The accusations come as a congressional clash on immigration policy, and after months of rising tensions between immigrant-rights activists and the Trump administration. In California, New York and Washington, governing Democrats have discouraged businesses from cooperating with ICE part of a clash over "sanctuary status" that has been tied up in courts. Montrevil, who was deported to Haiti on Jan. 16, came to the U.S. legally in 1986 and was ordered deported in 1994. He has multiple felony convictions related to drug possession, according to ICE. But in an interview with the radio show Democracy Now, he questioned the timing of his deportation. "I have been under supervision for 15 years, and I've never violated," Montrevil said. "I have always made my appointment. And I stay out of trouble. I have volunteered, and I work and take care of my kids. I pay taxes every year. I did everything right. Everything they asked me to do, I have done it. So why target me now?" Ragbir, a citizen of Trinidad, was convicted in 2000 of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and later sentenced to 30 months in prison and ordered to pay $350,000 restitution. ICE said he will be detained until he can be deported. Montrevil is a co-founder of the New Sanctuary Coalition, which advocates for immigrants, and Ragbir is the coalition's current executive director. Ragbir has lived in the United States for more than 20 years. "We see the last few weeks as an escalating series of actions against New Sanctuary and our leaders aimed at silencing those who speak for immigrants' rights," said Kirk Cheyfitz, a spokesman for the New York-based group. "All this comes as racist rhetoric from the White House leaves no doubt about the racial basis of the Trump administration's immigration policies." Jurado, the 30-year-old husband of a Peruvian citizen living in a Boulder, Colorado, church to avoid deportation, was arrested on Jan. 11 for being in the United States illegally. ICE said he has a 2007 driving offense in Adams County, Colorado, and three misdemeanor convictions. He, too, is being detained pending a hearing before an immigration judge. Jurado's advocates say ICE detained him in retaliation for his wife's public fight to avoid deportation to Peru. Maru Mora Villalpando, a Mexican national in Washington state, said she has no criminal record and is proof that ICE is targeting activists. "This latest tactic is something we might expect from generals in a tin-pot dictatorship, not federal officers in a 240-year-old democracy," said Kica Matos, a spokeswoman for the Fair Immigration Reform Movement, the largest network of immigrant-rights organizations in the United States. "Arresting immigrant activists who speak up is meant to sow fear in immigrant communities and stop political protest." ICE mailed her a letter in December saying she may be deported. She has lived in the United States for 22 years and had met with federal officials during the Obama administration, when she helped publicize detainees' hunger strikes and other protests in Washington state. "There's no way for them to know about me except for the work that I do," she said. "I think my case makes it clear that actually Ravi and Jean's case were politically motivated." ICE officials would not say how Mora Villalpando came across the agency's radar, but said they are pursuing her deportation. "All those in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to enforcement proceedings, up to and including removal from the United States," the agency said in a statement. Increasingly, Democrats are handling that information as a potential threat. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., an advocate for the Deferred Action for Child Arrivals program who has held a number of town halls and hearings to talk to constituents about their immigration status, worried that the reports from New York, Colorado, and Washington were part of a growing trend. "I have long suspected that very vocal advocates were harshly targeted after they spoke out," said Gutierrez. "I would go to a hearing, an immigration hearing, and the person who made the biggest impression? I'd find out that they'd been detained. And that started last year." In January, congregants from Temple Beth Am in Jenkintown visited the North Penn Mosque in Lansdale to learn about the Muslim religion, observe a prayer session and share a meal. Read more A recent survey published by the Cato Institute reveals that 28 percent of Americans and 47 percent of Republicans would support legislation banning the construction of mosques in their communities. We can't know the reason behind their support of this idea, but given the relationship between international terrorism and radical Islamic ideology, a likely possibility is the assumed relationship between mosques and Islamic terrorism. This perspective misses the point. If communities wish to confront radicalization, they should encourage the construction of mosques. Those making a connection between mosques and terrorism have been publicly affirmed in their false assumptions. Several political leaders have forcefully linked the two, including President Trump, when he called for the closure of all mosques in America in the wake of the Orlando shooting. Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the House, also did so when he responded to a proposal to build a Muslim community center a few blocks away from the site of the World Trade Center with: "Nazis don't have the right to put up a sign next to the Holocaust Museum in Washington. We would never accept the Japanese putting up a site next to Pearl Harbor. There's no reason for us to accept a mosque next to the World Trade Center." The presumed relationship between American mosques and terrorism is not supported by evidence. While there may be isolated examples of certain mosques being associated with religious extremists, research on the social attitudes and political behaviors of Muslim Americans demonstrates that those who attend mosque are more likely to be engaged in their local communities and participate in politics. This is because mosques build community, promote service, and build social capital. The results are even stronger when the community in the mosque is ethnically and socioeconomically diverse, and the Muslim community is the most diverse minority group in the United States. In this regard, mosques are no different from churches, synagogues, or other clubs and associations that bring people together: These organizations are sites of civic inclusion, not isolation or radicalization. Radicalization at the hands of an organization like ISIS preys on solitude, where messages are electronically submitted and instructions are downloaded in a one-way flow of information. Correspondence is limited to other like-minded individuals in a digital echo chamber. This was exactly the case with Omar Mateen, the Orlando gunman, who was radicalized on the internet. It also appears to be the case with Sayfullo Saipov, the Uzbek national who killed eight pedestrians on a bike path in New York. The greatest enemy of organizations like ISIS are venues where likely recruits will meet and talk with others who highlight theological inconsistencies and expose misinformation, or where recruits will find a social network of friends who will reduce feelings of alienation. In the American context, these organizations are most likely to be mosques. This is why ISIS is quick to discourage its followers from attending local mosques and in some cases calls for violence against Muslim imams and scholars in the West. ISIS correctly identifies mosques as the first line of defense against radicalization. If the concern of those who oppose the construction of mosques is Islamic fundamentalism, radicalization, or terrorism, communities should encourage and celebrate the construction of mosques and endeavor to build links between mosques and other community organizations. However, if the objective of banning mosque construction is to isolate or stigmatize Muslims, an ambition rooted in Islamophobia or racism, that's another issue entirely. Aubrey Westfall is an assistant professor of political science at Wheaton College in Norton, Mass., and co-author of the forthcoming book "The Politics of the Headscarf in the United States" (2018, Cornell University Press). westfall_aubrey@wheatoncollege.edu Broadcasters dont like it, but a national push for TV airwaves to be used for internet expansion in rural areas is catching on in Wisconsin. Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less. 4D3N Costa Fortuna Cruise in Malaysia From RM 499 2018 is another awesome year to travel on cruise. Remember last year, we went to Superstar Libra Cruise by Hwajing Travel & Tours to Phuket? This year HwaJing Travel & Tours will offering an awesome new cruise package from RM 499 per person! Italian cruise Costa Fortuna is coming to Port Klang Malaysia this year. She will be traveling to Penang, Singapore and Phuket depending on dates and packages. From now until 31st January 2018, you book Costa Fortuna Cruise Packages from Hwajing Travel and Tours as below: Costa Fortuna Cruise Packages from Hwajing Travel and Tours Costa Fortuna Cruise Package 1 : ROH from RM 499 per person 4 Days 3 Nights Port Klang Penang Singapore Port Klang Sailing Date : 30 Nov ; 11, 14 Dec 2018 Costa Fortuna Cruise Package 2 : ROH from RM 699 per person 5 Days 4 Nights Port Klang Phuket Singapore Port Klang Sailing Date : 15, 19 Nov ; 03, 07 Dec 2018 Additional Informations: 1.Top-Up RM12 upgrade your cabin from Oceanview to Balcony (book Twin Special rate) 2.Kids Cruise FREE under 13yrs old (book Family Special rate) 3. Book now! For free Basic Travel Insurance!! *ROH means Run of house cabin and you will be assigned a room based on what is available on the cruise. Dont say we didnt bojio. The early birds get the worms. Book now and enjoy later. Now everyone can cruise on Costa Fortune Cruise. Booking and more info is as below. Hwajing Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd Offices Address and Details: Hwajing Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd KLKL Branch / Address Block N-26, 2nd Floor, Warisan Cityview, Jalan 3/93A, Batu 21/2 Off Jalan Cheras, 56100 Kuala Lumpur. www.hwajing.com.my / Phone +603- 9200 2929 WechatHwajing_travel Hwajing Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd PenangPenang Branch / Address 15A, Rangoon Road, 10400 Penang FB Hwajing Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd Penang / Phone +604- 229 6566 Terms and Conditions Apply Wilson Ng A Father and traveler who enjoys to eat, shop, travel and taking pictures with Samsung S22 Ultra and Sony ZV-1. Im a full time blogger, youtuber and father for two. I used to travel around 17 International trips per year but now staying at home. Remember to follow us at www.instagram.com/placesandfoods and www.youtube.com/placesandfoods. For advertisements or features, contact me at [email protected] See author's posts FN America, LLC has announced it will host Black Rifle Coffee Company in its booth at the 2018 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jan. 2125, 2018. Black Rifle Coffee Company will be serving a limited-edition FN SCAR Mission Adaptable Blend, available only by visiting FN's booth during the show. 225 bags of the select blend will be given away per day to show attendees on a first come, first serve basis, with a limit of one bag per person. FN America will host Black Rifle Coffee Company in its booth at the 2018 SHOT Show. (Photo: FN America) "Black Rifle Coffee Company's veteran and premium product focus combined with its customer reach align perfectly with our values and mission to provide the world's most battle-proven firearms to military, law enforcement and civilian customers. As coffee aficionados and huge fans of the Black Rifle Coffee Company ourselves, we are thrilled to partner with them and offer this unique blend for SHOT Show," remarked Tom Scott, director of marketing for FN America, LLC. "We are excited to share this limited-edition coffee with our customers but the key is to visit to our booth and try it in person because once it's gone, it's gone for good. Only a limited quantity was made." "Black Rifle Coffee Company is excited to be partnered with FN for SHOT Show," said Daniel Hollaway, vice president of marketing for Black Rifle Coffee Company. "We can't wait to see the new industry innovations and our fans at the show. Come see us at booth #13662." The FN SCAR Mission Adaptable Blend is a dark roast coffee of Central American and Colombian premium beans, described by Black Rifle as "no frills, no froth, no foam. Just. Black." Influenced by Black Rifle's Just. Black. Blend that contains twice as much caffeine than other coffees, the FN SCAR blend will give you the power to meet the demands of any mission. For more information about FN and FN products, visit www.fnamerica.com, or visit the FN Booth (#13662) at the 2018 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jan. 23-26, 2018, at The Sands Expo and Convention Center. To learn more about Black Rifle Coffee Company or purchase one of their blends, visit www.blackriflecoffee.com. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print By Michael Martina and Kevin Yao BEIJING (Reuters) As influential voices within the U.S. business community warn China that U.S. President Donald Trump is serious about tough action over Beijings trade practices, there is little sense of a crisis in the Chinese capital, where officials think he is bluffing. In Beijing, many experts think Washington is unwilling to pay the heavy economic price needed to upset prevailing trade dynamics between the worlds two largest economies. Hanging over trade relations are several inquiries into whether steel and aluminum imports including those from China are harming U.S. national security, possible tariffs on imported solar panels, as well as an investigation into potential Chinese abuse of intellectual property. I think this might be a threat to ask for deals from China, said He Weiwen, a senior fellow at the Center for China and Globalization, a government-affiliated research organization in Beijing. Results in most, if not all, of the investigations are seen as imminent. Trump warned in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday of potentially big damages against China as a result of the intellectual property inquiry under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. People in the U.S. business community say this growing gulf in expectations between Washington and Beijing is fueled in part by the dwindling frequency of talks on commercial issues. The resulting vacuum could set the two governments on a collision course over trade. Dialogue is a shadow, a shell, a trickle of what it was, particularly on the economic and commercial issues, said one U.S. industry source who accompanied a business delegation to Beijing last week to warn senior Chinese officials that time was running out. The bipartisan group of mostly former senior U.S. officials, including George W. Bush administration veterans Stephen Hadley and Carlos Gutierrez, met with Wang Yang, a member of Chinas ruling seven-man Politburo Standing Committee, and Liu He, an economist and ally of President Xi Jinping, among other senior Chinese leaders, the person said. They delivered a message that trade frictions are not under control and that there was a high likelihood of significant actions coming soon, according the person who was present at the meetings. We hear everything from: both sides will lose, to youll lose more, the person said, characterizing the reception the delegation received from Chinese leaders. RESILIENT TO A TRADE WAR U.S. businesses operating in China have long chafed at government policies they see as intended to assimilate and supplant foreign technology. At stake is who controls intellectual property, and how you protect it, said Tim Adams, former U.S. Treasury undersecretary for international affairs in the Bush administration. The question is, how do you use a scalpel to respond to it, and does the scalpel actually change behavior because its a scalpel and not a sledgehammer, said Adams, who now leads the Washington-based Institute of International Finance. He said China would probably retaliate by weighing whether the actions were in line with World Trade Organization rules before slowly ratcheting up pressure on U.S. businesses, for example by buying from a European company such as Airbus instead of Boeing. Meanwhile, Chinas 2017 trade surplus with the United States reached an all-time high of $275.81 billion, Chinese Customs data showed last week. The growing likelihood of U.S. trade remedies against China comes amid a bipartisan push in Washington to tighten national security reviews of Chinese companies efforts to scoop up U.S. technology firms, often in industries closed to U.S. companies in China. But many in China see such efforts as sure to backfire. Politically, the administration of President Donald Trump cant afford to see China-U.S. economic and trade ties become strained. China is more resilient to a trade war, Chinas state-run Global Times said on Sunday. Chinas Ministry of Commerce did not comment on the U.S. business delegation or the risk of major trade friction. But it said last week that China would take all necessary measures to defend itself. KIBBLES AND BITS Beijing suspects that even if Trump implements targeted tariffs, as some in the U.S. tech sector expect, they would likely amount to just a few percentage points of the more than $600 billion annual goods and services trade, Chinese experts have said. For local governments in export-dependent areas, the threat is more worrying. One official in the export powerhouse of Zhejiang province expressed concern to Reuters about Trumps possible actions, but declined to speak on the record. The government in Beijing, however, remains stoic. Are Chinese officials getting nervous now amid a coming U.S.-China trade war? I dont think so, said Wang Jiangyu, a trade expert at the National University of Singapore. The country has negotiated its way out of previous Section 301 investigations, including in 1992 and 1995. And a person close to Chinas Commerce Ministry, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter, said tariffs from the Section 301 case would be self-defeating, and urged negotiation instead. We should sit down and discuss this. If their demands are reasonable, we dont want to go to the WTO, the person said. That inclination to fall back on talks and the WTO to resolve frictions may be Chinas miscalculation this time, people in the U.S. business community say. What the Chinese government doesnt understand is that the Trump administration is deadly serious, the member of the U.S. business delegation said. They arent going to settle for kibbles and bits. (Reporting by Michael Martina and Kevin Yao; Additional reporting by Lesley Wroughton in Washington; Editing by Gerry Doyle) Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Tens of thousands of women all across the country from Los Angeles to Chicago to New York marched on Saturday, marking a year since the first Womens March and Donald Trumps inauguration. The demonstrations were held all across the country, in red states and blue. Theyre proof that the energy fueling opposition to this president hasnt diminished over the past year its only gotten stronger as the country heads toward the pivotal 2018 midterm elections. New York: LIVE NOW: Thousands take to the streets of New York City for the second annual Womens March. https://t.co/Q2rk4mCaI7 ABC News (@ABC) January 20, 2018 Philadelphia: The Womens March on Philadelphia is going strong. pic.twitter.com/wKIDzTG0d9 SeriouslyUS? (@USseriously) January 20, 2018 Charlotte: Richmond, Virginia: Seneca Falls: The Womens March at Womens Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls! #WomensMarch2018 pic.twitter.com/xwY7ntB8Gh SeriouslyUS? (@USseriously) January 20, 2018 Morristown, New Jersey: Thousands of people gathered in Morristown for the start of Womens March on New Jersey. #WomensMarch2018 #Resist pic.twitter.com/5UUTqJFREt SeriouslyUS? (@USseriously) January 20, 2018 Chicago: Denver: As we noted via Reuters a short time ago, This years demonstration is being held in coordination with rallies planned for the weekend in some 250 other cities across the United States and overseas. The main goal is to register a million new voters and get more strong advocates for womens rights into office. All across the country and the world, women (and men) are marching to show the president that they are more motivated than ever to stand up to his dangerous agenda, which has already hurt millions of men and women. This level of mobilization and activism combined with Trumps dismal approval ratings and the Republican Partys inability to keep the governments lights on is likely to deliver a major wake-up call to the GOP come November. JEN: The U.S. State Department just issued a Level 4 (highest level) travel advisory against five states in Mexico. The advisory is a "do not travel" warning for "U.S. citizens because of violent crime and gang activity." In less than a week, I'm scheduled to travel to one of those states. What do you think? Do I still go? JOY: Ooooooh boy. JEN: Right?! I'm not heading off to some unknown resort or anything. I'm meeting my mom in Zihuatanejo, where we're visiting my uncle/her brother. He lives in Minneapolis, but winters in Zihua. He assures us that it's perfectly safe and that we should come on down. Meanwhile, the State Department tells us it's like going to a war-torn country. JOY: "Perfectly safe" famous last words. PAM: Our federal government is spouting a lot of hyperbole these days! I would say that parts of Puerto Rico look like a war-torn country. ADVERTISEMENT JEN: I mean, my Uncle Mark lives there, so he should know, right? But the parent zone in my brain which is, like, all of it is saying: WHAT IF? JOY: I would go with your uncle's opinion, personally. It's less likely to be fake news. But I'd be very aware and cautious, of course. PAM: I personally would not travel anywhere besides Canada right now. I lived in Asia for half a decade and have been to 15 countries, but the anti-American sentiment abroad makes me nervous. JEN: It's so hard to know what's true. Did you know that several countries have travel advisories against the United States? PAM: I believe that. Some of it is tit-for-tat diplomacy, but there are people abroad who avoid the U.S. now. JEN: Other governments are warning citizens against traveling to the United States because of gun violence. And yet I feel safe going to the grocery store after dark, you know? I'm sure that's the feeling my uncle has: "I live here, and I'm safe! Don't be ridiculous!" JOY: Tell people you are Canadian. PAM: I used to do that traveling in Europe. Here's the thing: We Americans are mono-linguistic and have an inflated sense of entitlement. We assume that the rest of the world likes and admires us. That is not always the case. ADVERTISEMENT JEN: I think that's a pretty broad generalization. I do not assume anyone likes me. I do not feel entitled when traveling in Europe. In fact, I feel pretty stupid because I only know one language. PAM: Having humility makes you a better and safer world traveler. JEN: Jay and I plan to take the boys to Europe in just a few months and I don't feel one bit nervous about that. But this travel advisory for next week's trip has me seriously considering a cancellation ... even though I'll have to eat that cost. Apparently travel insurance doesn't cover Level 4 travel advisories. JOY: Honestly, it's a tough call. JEN: It IS a tough call. On one side, my uncle a man I'd love to see and spend time with in gorgeous coastal Mexico is saying, "Hope to still see you next week!" On the other side, my government is saying, "Don't you dare go down there right now!" JOY: I do put a lot of stake in your uncle's opinion. He is right there, after all. On the other side, well we've already been through that. PAM: It's possible to get caught in the middle of a conflict anywhere. Just don't seek it out. I was asked by my Chinese college officials to move inland or take a vacation in 1996 when China and Taiwan were rattling sabers with their navies right off the coast. JOY: You can get mowed down by a madman anywhere. ADVERTISEMENT JEN: Agreed. There are risks everywhere. But it seems especially brazen to tempt fate a week after increased threat warnings. PAM: Joy is right. You can carpe diem or live in fear. Two things to consider: You are the only mother to your children. I think of that every time someone asks me to ride a strange horse. And if your gut tells you it's not right the place, the timing, the doubt you can always take that trip later. JEN: I think I know my decision; I just don't want to admit it because I just came in from shoveling snow in 8-degree weather and I have the chance to be in MEXICO IN JANUARY. PAM: Yeah. It's like Florida but more colorful and with better drinks. JOY: It's an agonizing decision. PAM: So we didn't change your mind? We just got you to say it? JEN: I think so. Sigh. Sob. Dear Answer Man, BB's Pizzaria is advertising "Minnesota style pizza." What the heck is that? Business Tiger You'd think it would be pizza-on-a-stick. The stick is Minnesota's great contribution to world cuisine. A delivery system. Deep-fried, impaled, handed off there you go, you betcha. But nope. Somehow there is actually a bit of a push to make Minnesota-style a thing. It emerged as a hot-button issue in the Twin Cities last month, when Red's Savoy, the pizza joint with 17 locations across the Twin Cities, debuted the term with new branding declaring itself "'Sota-style, since 1965." What that means, according to Red's Savoy, is a pizza with a thin crust, loaded with toppings and cheese, with a spicy "passive-aggressive" sauce. Plus, as a general rule, the pizza is cut in squares, not wedge-shaped slices. So is it a thing? Maybe. But plenty of nay-sayers have been trying to push "Minnesota style pizza" back in the oven. Right or wrong, I suppose the least you're left with is a good marketing schtick and hot topic to toss around over a hot pie. ADVERTISEMENT And that seems to be where BB's comes in. Owner Jason Brehmer saw the big debate unfold online and saw an opportunity to differentiate BB's pizza from local competitors'. "Everywhere else in town is New York style, Chicago style We make, we think, a better pizza, so we're going to be 'Minnesota style.' I actually did some research on it. I don't think you can trademark that." You've got two places now to give BB's a try in the former Zpizza spot in the skyway level at University Square, and its original location, 3456 East Circle Drive NE. PINE ISLAND The Pine Island City Council on Tuesday approved the first updated Alternative Urban Areawide Review of Elk Run since the original AUAR was passed in 2008. "The AUAR is an environmental study," said City Administrator David Todd. "It has to precede any development if the development exceeds 80 acres." The reason Tower Investments, the owner of Elk Run, decided to pay for an updated AUAR is a potential development for a "private motorsports park" that "will consist of a 3.5-4.5 mile paved track, garage rentals, car condos, ancillary buildings, and a 20,000-square-foot state-of-the-art clubhouse," according to the AUAR. Todd said a third party has approached Tower with a potential development, but at this point it is just a concept. "No permits have been pulled. There haven't been any zoning requests," he said. "No plans have been filed as of now." ADVERTISEMENT What the proposal is not is a competition racing track along the lines of a NASCAR or IndyCar racetrack. "It's nothing like that," Todd said. Rather, the concept is similar to a club for auto enthusiasts similar to a facility in Dawsonville, Ga., where car owners can take there cars and put them through their paces on a closed-road course. That facility also has kart-style racing track for families and driving instruction for everyone from teens to adults looking to improve their driving skills. In other business, the city council gave final approval for the design of its new swimming pool. The estimated cost for the pool would be $2.39 million, just short of the $2.4 million approved by voters for the new swimming pool. Because the new pool would be built on the site of the current pool, construction would begin this spring and be completed next spring. That would mean no pool in Pine Island for this summer, Todd said. Finally, the city contracted with Countryside Disposal to pick up the city's trash at city parks, at receptacles along Main Street, and at the fire hall and city hall. The city had contracted with Waste Management for that work, but the company had a spotty track record of picking up the trash at city sites on time, Todd said. The problem has been ongoing since last summer, he said, and eventually the city's public works employees expressed their frustration with Waste Management and efforts to reach the company's customer service. "It was a struggle," Todd said. ADVERTISEMENT Waste Management is one of two solid waste companies authorized to collect trash from residents in Pine Island. The other is Advanced Disposal. Todd said Countrywide Disposal might enter the mix as a residential option in the future. The Destination Medical Center Corp. Board's executive committee is short a person, but Vice Chairman R.T. Rybak and Treasurer Jim Bier are slated to meet at 9:30 a.m. Monday in suite 101 of the Mayo Civic Center. The executive committee is scheduled to approve a report, due by Feb. 15, to the Minnesota Legislature. The report includes details of DMC efforts in 2017, including the fact that the first state funds nearly $2.7 million for the project were released after the effort topped $200 million in private development. Of the $297.7 million in certified private investment documented since DMC efforts started, more than $239 million were Mayo Clinic investments. The remaining investments were connected to other projects in the DMC district, ranging from window replacements for existing buildings to new construction. Additionally, the report notes related costs paid by the city since the effort began reached $27 million by the end of the year. Olmsted County has contributed $4.5 million so far. ADVERTISEMENT The DMCC board's executive committee will remain a person short until the full board meets again, according to Bier, who is the Olmsted County Board's representative on the DMCC board. The full DMCC board is scheduled to meet again on March 22, when it is expected to review the report on private development projects through the end of 2017. The report, which is used to determine the amount of state funding provided for the DMC efforts, is due to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development on April 1. The board is missing two members following resignations by Susan Park Rani and former Chairwoman Tina Smith, the only two women on the board. Rani resigned at the end of 2017, and Smith resigned this month after being appointed to replace former U.S. Sen. Al Franken. Both resignations were from positions nominated by Gov. Mark Dayton. Applications to fill the position are being accepted through the Minnesota Secretary of State's website . So far, 14 applications have been received. They are from: Vickie Froehlich Glenn Melcher ADVERTISEMENT Robert Sixta Chris Miksanek Melissa Stanton Julie Stanton Ken Ujifusa Brett Olson John Edman James Kelly Jr ADVERTISEMENT Eugene Grover Joseph Weis Walter Smith III Mark Dascalos Once the governor nominates replacements, the Minnesota Senate must approve them, which is expected to take place during the upcoming legislative session, which starts Feb. 20. Rochester Civic Theatre is close to hiring a new executive director, the president of the theater's board of directors said Friday. Originally, the board had hoped to have a new executive director in place in mid-January, when the contract of interim director Teresa Waldof expired. "Not yet, but very soon," Kay Hocker, Civic board president, said via email when asked for a status update on the hiring process. "We are in the next step of our process." The theater has been without a permanent executive director since Gregory Stavrou resigned from that position last April. Stavrou cited health issues after suffering a heart attack. Subsequently, allegations that Stavrou sexually harassed women involved in the theater came to light. The contract of Waldof , who had previously worked in private business, expired this week. She had been running the theater on an interim basis since last July. The former Hotel Carlton is set for a public hearing Tuesday, more than nine months after the Rochester City Council nominated it as a landmark property under the city's revised historic preservation ordinance. The city's Heritage Preservation Commission has faced a series of delays since scheduling a September hearing on the nomination of the building on the northeast corner of West Center Street and First Avenue. The hearing for the Hotel Carlton, also known as the Days Inn, is seen as a test case of sorts. It's the first hearing on potential landmark status under a revised heritage preservation ordinance. At this point, the only properties on the city's landmark list are also on the National Register of Historic Places. Delays started after attorneys for the building's owner, Mark Kramer of MKDI LLC, challenged the process and called for three members to step down from voting on the issue. ADVERTISEMENT The city responded by adjusting the preservation ordinance to note the city council will make the final decision on the status of the building after the commission makes a recommendation. Additionally, the commission adopted Robert's Rules of Order in response to concerns cited by Kramer's attorney, Brian McCool of the Fredrickson and Byron law firm. In a letter to McCool, Rochester Assistant City Attorney Patricia Alfredson said the city staff considers the other objections to be "without merit." . The response spurred new objections from McCool, who requested a memo sent to commission members by Alfredson, arguing that it should be considered a public document. City Attorney Terry Adkins, however, said it is considered attorney-client communication between the commission members and an attorney representing them. McCool further found fault in the city council's clarification of the preservation ordinance, noting it sets up the council members to eventually rule on a nomination they already supported. "As is obvious to see, the Common Council would have an inherent conflict of interest in such a circumstance that would bar the property owner from receiving the impartial review it is entitled to receive under Minnesota law," he wrote in a letter to Adkins this week. In another letter sent this week, McCool raised other objections to the process with Brent Svenby, who serves as the city's advisor the Heritage Preservation Commission. In that letter, McCool reaffirmed objections to participation by three commission members Christine Schultze, Valerie Guimaraes and Barry Skolnick claiming past actions undermine their ability to be impartial. ADVERTISEMENT Schultze and Guimaraes were part of the commission when it recommended the hotel be listed as historic under a previous version of the city's preservation ordinance. While not on the commission at the time, Skolnick has publicly suggested the city council adopt the earlier recommendation, rather than restarting the process under the new ordinance. In addition to asking the three commission members to step aside in the process, McCool is also asking that commission member Tasos Psomas not take part, since he operates the Panneoeken Restaurant in the building being discussed. Among other objections, McCool also references more than 30 letters from community members, including former Heritage Preservation Commission Chairman Jeff Allman, who oppose a landmark designation for the building. Several of the submitted letters appear to be copies of the same letter with different residents' signatures. The hearing on the issue is scheduled following other commission business in a meeting that starts at 5 p.m. Tuesday in the city council chambers of the city-county Government Center, 151 4th St. SE. Other meetings Meetings during the week of Jan. 22 include: ADVERTISEMENT Rochester City Council committee of the whole, 3:30 p.m. Monday in room 104 of City Hall, 201 Fourth St. SE. Planning and Zoning Commission, 6 p.m. Wednesday in council chambers of the government center. Olmsted County Oronoco Planning Advisory Commission, 7 p.m. Monday in the Oronoco Community Center, 115 Second Ave. SW, Oronoco. Olmsted County Housing and Redevelopment Authority and Olmsted County Board of Commissioners Retreat, noon Monday at Vermillion River Crossing, 21400 Dushane Parkway, Farmington. Soil and Water Conservation District, 8 a.m. Thursday in conference room A of 2122 Campus Drive SE. Destination Medical Center DMC Corp. executive committee, 9:30 a.m. Thursday in Suite 101 of Mayo Civic Center, 30 Civic Center Drive SE A quick call and detailed description led to the arrest of a suspect approximately an hour after he allegedly robbed a Marion Township convenience store Friday afternoon. The lone clerk at Jeff's Little Store, 5395 Highway 52 South, dialed 911 shortly after 3:15 p.m. after being pushed into a restroom before the suspect left the store. "That I know of, there was only one person in the store," Olmsted County Sheriff Kevin Torgerson said shortly after the incident. The sheriff said the clerk provided a detailed description of the suspect, as well as the gray Chevy van he was driving. That description allowed a nearby deputy to spot the vehicle before it left the area. While being pursued, the van crashed near the intersection of Countrywood Drive and 45th Avenue Southeast, where the suspect fled on foot. ADVERTISEMENT Torgerson said it was unclear whether the suspect had shown the store clerk a gun or simply said he had one during the alleged robbery, but law enforcement officers responded as if he was armed and established a perimeter around the area with the help of the Rochester Police Department and Minnesota State Patrol. In addition to ensuring the suspect didn't leave the area, Torgerson said the perimeter was used to monitor people entering the area to make sure the suspect had not used a cell phone to call for a ride. "That is another challenge we had in letting people into the area," he said, noting it was a time when people were returning home from work and other activities. The suspect's tracks quickly revealed he was going door to door, evidently looking for an unlocked house to use as a hiding place. Torgerson said he was unsuccessful until he found an unlocked detached garage. With the help of two police dogs, the suspect was found in the garage about a mile from where he had left his vehicle. "He made the route a lot longer," Torgerson said, noting the suspect had zigzagged between homes. The arrest was made without further incident shortly after 4:15 p.m. Torgerson said the identity of the suspect will be released at later date with more details expected to be available Monday. A long-shot Republican gubernatorial candidate is getting national attention for writing that he does not consider Islam a faith and that it is "the antithesis of the Constitution." Phillip Parrish, of Kenyon, wrote the comments in an email to Community Interfaith Dialogue on Islam founder Regina Mustafa. Mustafa, of Rochester, sent Parrish an email inviting him to sit down with her after learning he had recently attended a meeting featuring Usama Dakdok, an outspoken critic of Islam. "I do not object to you attending his presentation, but wanted to know if you would like to speak to a Muslim about Islam. Since you have attended this talk about my faith, I figured you would also like to hear from a person who actually practices Islam," wrote Mustafa, a former DFL candidate for the 1st Congressional District seat. Parrish responded by saying he would be willing to meet but that "I separate Islam from the word faith because faith takes belief and Islam requires only submission." He added that he would ask her to publicly denounce Sharia law and declare that "Islam, Sharia and the Quran are the antithesis of the U.S. Constitution." Mustafa posted the email exchanges on her Facebook page. Since then, Parrish's response has drawn sharp criticism from civil rights organizations. The Southern Poverty Law Center wrote about Parrish's comments on its "Hatewatch" blog . Muslim Advocates, a nonprofit based in Oakland, Calif., blasted Parrish's remarks. ADVERTISEMENT "Anti-Muslim bigotry like this emboldens those who would discriminate or commit acts of violence against Muslims. We've seen hate crimes, violence, and bigotry skyrocket as politicians have increased their attacks on Islam and Muslims," said Muslim Advocates Policy Director Scott Simpson. Mustafa has called on Parrish to drop out of the Republican gubernatorial race. In a press release, Parrish pushed back, saying he has no intention of leaving the race. In an interview, Parrish accused Mustafa of making a "disingenuous request" to meet with him in order to advance her own propaganda. What is his response to being called anti-Muslim? "I see myself as a person attempting to expose those who are attempting to set up rules and laws and regulations contrary to the U.S. Constitution," Parrish said. As a U.S. Naval intelligence officer, he said he has extensive knowledge of Islam. "It's causing harm to people. Thousands of analysts like myself, thousands of law enforcement specialists have been trying to tell leadership this same message for over 20 years. And no one seems to want to listen or they live in some kind of utopic world of no, people really don't think like that. They don't really mean to cut somebody's hand off because they stole something. They don't really mean to put someone to death because they defiled themselves with an unclean woman. They don't really mean to rape little boys on Thursday night because the imam gave them permission to do that," Parrish said. Mustafa rejected the idea that her invitation was in any way insincere. She said she is deeply disturbed by Parrish's comments, saying they demonstrate a lack of understanding about Islam. She said Muslims in America have demonstrated a respect for both the U.S. Constitution and their religion and his comments are unfair to the Muslim men and women who have served in the U.S. armed forces. "If you don't think (Islam) is a faith, then my religious freedoms to you are negotiable and are at risk and I find that very alarming, and if he is saying that to his supporters, it's the epitome of fear mongering and hate," Mustafa said. ADVERTISEMENT Parrish is one of 10 Republicans running for governor in 2018. He received nearly 4 percent of the vote in a recent statewide straw poll of Republican activists. Rochester DFL Rep. Tina Liebling, a candidate for governor, called on Republican candidates to "denounce Mr. Parrish's ignorant, islamophobic statement and pledge to encourage peace and understanding among Minnesotans regardless of race, religion, or national origin." RACINE Three Racine women are facing charges after allegedly attacking a woman at Ascension All Saints Hospital. Tatiana L. Clemon, 19, Contessa M. Clemon, 34, and Geneva Clemon, 37, all of the 1300 block of Park Avenue, are charged with misdemeanor counts of battery and disorderly conduct, all charged as a party to a crime. According to the criminal complaint: At about 11:15 a.m. Dec. 7, Racine police were dispatched to the hospitals women and childrens building, 3801 Spring St., for a report of a woman being assaulted. An officer spoke with the victim, who said she was waiting for a bus outside the building when Geneva and Contessa walked by her. The victim said Tatiana approached her, allegedly asking when they were going to fight, as the two reportedly have a long-standing issue over a man who fathered both of their children. Contessa then also approached the victim, who reportedly told the two she was not going to fight over nothing. Tatiana and Contessa reportedly walked away and returned with Geneva, who reportedly starting yelling at the victim. The victim said she told the women there was nothing to fight over, but Geneva reportedly lunged at her and punched her, beginning a fight involving all three Clemon women. During the fight, the victim was allegedly pulled off a chair and fell to the ground, then reportedly was lifted by her feet and head. Eventually, a third party and hospital staff reportedly separated the four women. The incident was captured on surveillance video, which the officers viewed. The victim claimed that while all three women were part of the fight, Geneva and Tatiana were the main two instigators. Contessa and Tatiana were both in custody as of Thursday afternoon and were being held on $3,000 cash bonds, online records show. Geneva signed a $500 signature bond and was released on Wednesday. The women are scheduled to appear in court for pre-trial conferences on Feb. 22 at the Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave. Prosecutor in police shooting to enter alcohol program MINNEAPOLIS The prosecutor whose office won a recent conviction in the high-profile case of a Minneapolis police officer who killed an unarmed woman says he will be entering a treatment program for alcohol issues. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman issued a statement Friday saying he was evaluated for alcohol issues and agrees he needs treatment. Hell be entering a program Monday. Freeman announced last week that he was taking a medical leave, but didnt say why. His Friday statement says he has also worked to stabilize his "unacceptably high blood pressure." He says hes determined to reclaim his health and hopes to be back to work in mid-June. ADVERTISEMENT Last month, a jury convicted Mohamed Noor of murder in the 2017 fatal shooting of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia who called 911 to report a possible crime. Minnesota seeks to add Purdue Pharma owners to opioid suit ST. PAUL Minnesotas attorney general is asking a state court for permission to add the owners of drugmaker Purdue Pharma to a lawsuit that seeks to hold the company responsible for the opioid addiction crisis. Connecticut-based Purdue Pharma makes OxyContin and has been the subject of legal action in nearly every state. Attorney General Keith Ellison wants to add eight members of the Sackler family to Minnesotas lawsuit. He says the Sacklers, who own and operate Purdue, were involved in deceptive marketing tactics and strategies to sell more opioids, despite knowing the risks. If a judge approves, Minnesota would become at least the 11th state to take legal action against one or more members of the Sackler family. A family spokeswoman issued a statement denying the allegations, calling the lawsuit a misguided attempt to place blame where it doesnt belong. Man holed up in hotel surrenders to police ADVERTISEMENT BROOKLYN PARK Authorities say a standoff at a Brooklyn Park hotel ended after more than six hours when a man suspected of assaulting his girlfriend surrendered to police. SWAT officers and crisis negotiators were called to the La Quinta Inn early Friday after a woman reported she was being assaulted by her boyfriend and threatened with a gun. Police say the standoff began at 3:30 a.m. and ended when the man was arrested at about 9:50 a.m. Authorities say the woman was taken to a hospital with minor injuries. Police say the 31-year-old suspect was not carry9ing a gun but it was unclear if there were any weapons in the room. The suspect, who has not been formally charged, has previous convictions for drug possession, motor vehicle theft, aggravated robbery, making terroristic threats, drunken driving and burglary. Jail inmate accused of running prostitution ring MORA An inmate at the Kanabec County Jail is charged with running a prostitution ring from his cell. Thirty-eight-year-old Daniel Ellington is charged in Washington County District Court with two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of promotion of prostitution. Prosecutors say Ellington communicated with a prostitute by text and "promoted and profited" from her activities in Woodbury last month. ADVERTISEMENT East Metro Sex Trafficking Task Force director Imran Ali says Ellington was 100 miles away and incarcerated, yet was promoting prostitution and profiting from it. The task force began investigating after a Woodbury detective found an online ad entitled "Blonde Bombshell." The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports Kanabec County Sheriff Brian Smith says Ellington used a jail-issued iPod to text and paid a certain price for each message. Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS A popular Minneapolis lake named in honor of slavery supporter and former Vice President John Calhoun will get its original American Indian name back, Minnesota officials announced Thursday. Lake Calhoun will be renamed Bde Maka Ska, the Department of Natural Resources announced. The name, which is pronounced beh-DAY' mah-KAH' skah and means White Earth Lake, was used by the Dakota people before federal surveyors renamed it in the early 1800s for Calhoun, who was then secretary of war. Official signs around the lake use both names. Calhoun, who also served as a U.S. representative and senator from South Carolina, and as U.S. secretary of state, defended slavery as a "positive good" that benefited slaves and slave owners alike. While he died in 1850, his views on slavery and states' rights remained influential when Southern states seceded in 1860-61, leading to the Civil War. The Hennepin County Board and the city's park board backed the name change last year after more than two years of public input. The DNR approved the change despite opposition from some homeowners around the lake who called it an unnecessary rewrite of history and said it would hurt businesses that use the name. DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr said he was confident that the county carefully considered community values and opinion. "We did not substitute our judgment for that of the duly elected county commissioners," Landwehr said on a conference call with reporters. "Rather, our job is to consider whether the county followed the proper public process prior to making the resolution and whether the county-approved name complies with naming conventions. ... We found everything in compliance and approved the name change." ADVERTISEMENT The DNR will forward its decision to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to decide whether to approve the change for federal use. But Landwehr said his decision essentially makes it official once it's published in the State Register within the next couple weeks, and the state will call the lake Bde Maka Ska in all official state documents and actions. Opponents of the change said they'll ask the Minnesota Court of Appeals to reject the decision. "The Save Lake Calhoun group is gravely disappointed with the DNR's decision to rename Lake Calhoun," said the group's attorney, Erick Kaardal. Kaardal said the commissioner exceeded his authority under state statutes. He said the relevant statute bars the DNR from changing the name of a lake that's been used for 40 years or more, and that proponents of renaming the lake Bde Maka Ska would need approval from the Legislature instead. But Landwehr said in his order that other language in the statute, which gives him authority to determine the "correct and most appropriate" names for lakes and streams, is what applies in this case. St. Catherine University (a/k/a St. Kates, formerly St. Catherine College) sits on a leafy 110-acre campus in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul. It is located a few blocks down the street from my high school alma mater and within shouting distance of Macalester College as well as St. Thomas University. A Minnesota woman went on an arson rampage at St. Kates this past Wednesday. Tnuza Jamal Hassan a 19-year-old former student set eight fires in seven buildings across the campus. All but one of the fires were set in trash cans inside bathrooms. Hassan kindly explained that she did so in retaliation for American military intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the criminal complaint failed in Ramsey County District Court. Her religious inspiration isnt expressly stated, but she appeared in court yesterday wearing garb including a black face covering that exposed only her eyes and what appeared to be a large white sheet draped over her head. I think she was shooting to make a bold fashion statement with a makeshift niqab. The St. Paul Pioneer Press covers the story here, the Star Tribune here and here. The Pioneer Press story includes readers comments at the bottom. The Star Tribune story does not want to hear from readers on this one. Video of the report by the local Fox affiliate is below. (Stick with the video for the statement by the president of St. Kates toward the end.) Hassan is a hard, hard case. She set one fire at St. Mary Hall, the schools largest dorm. It houses first-year students (welcome to St. Kates!) and the Early Childhood Center, a day care facility. Hassan appears to have included St. Mary Hall on her rampage because of the day care facility. Thirty-three children and eight adults were at a day care in the building at the time, along with 10 to 15 students who were also evacuated. Hassan did a lot of talking that will prove helpful to the prosecution of the case against her. She explained to police that she wanted the school to burn to the ground and that her intent was to hurt people. She said similar attacks happened on Muslim land and no one cared if Muslims were hurt. Hassan also told police that she had written a letter to her roommates containing radical ideas about supporting Muslims and bringing back the caliphate. And just to be clear, she also told authorities, You guys are lucky that I dont know how to build a bomb because I would have done that. Good to know. Her efforts to burn the St. Kates down ran from some time before about 11:40 a.m. with the first reported fire and ended about 2:00 p.m. with Hassans arrest on campus. She was taken into custody at the schools Jeanne dArc Auditorium at 2004 Randolph Av. On a personal note, Ive been to Jeanne dArc Auditorium many times for performances by artists ranging from my kids to Cry Cry Cry, Alison Krauss and Union Station, and Livingston Taylor, among others. Its a magnificent performance space. Like the defendants convicted in the case of the Minnesota men that I covered for Power Line and the Weekly Standard, Hassan has been the beneficiary of the best Minnesota has to offer. She attended Highland Park Junior High School, a couple blocks from our old home in Highland Park. She graduated from Johnson Senior High School in St. Paul before moving on to St. Kates to go to college. If you have additional background on Hassan, please write me at [email protected] Bail has been set at $100,000. She was also ordered to stay away from the campus and surrender her passport. If she makes bail and violates that court order about returning to St. Kates, shell really be in trouble. Few people had heard of Bruce Ohr until recently, but he was an important bureaucrat in the Department of Justiceuntil a month or so ago, he was both associate deputy attorney general and director of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. He was demoted in December 2016, apparently because he withheld his contacts with the Fusion GPS men [Glenn Simpson and Christopher Steele] from colleagues at the DOJ. So Glenn Simpsons testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, as it relates to Ohr, is of great interest. Simpson testified in November 2016, a month before it came out that his wife, Nellie, worked for Fusions Simpson; not only that, she worked on the Donald Trump investigation. The conflict of interest here is almost unbelievable; but remember, in November 2016, no one knew about it. This is what Glenn Simpson had to say about his dealings with Bruce Ohr, when Ohr was a senior member of the Department of Justice: Q Youve never heard from anyone in the U.S. Government in relation to those matters i.e., the fake Trump dossier], either the FBI or the Department of Justice? A After the election. I mean, during the election, no. Q What did you hear after and from whom and when? A I was asked to provide some information to the Justice Department. Q By whom and when? A It was by a prosecutor named Bruce Ohr, who was following up. You know, l cant remember when. It was sometime after Thanksgiving, I think. Q Thanksgiving of 2016? A Yes. Consider the monumental dishonesty of Simpsons answer. He was asked to provide some information to the Justice Department by a prosecutor named Bruce Ohr. Simpson neglects to mention that Ohrs wife, one of only a handful of employees of Fusion GPS, had been paid to work on the Trump investigation at Simpsons direction. According to Simpson, Ohr was just a prosecutor who was following up. Q Did Mr. Ohr reach out to you, or how did that shake out? A I think Chrisit was someone that Chris Steele knows. I think Q Im sorry. Chris Steele knows who? A Bruce Ohr. This testimony is absurd. Simpson has testified that Fusion GPS has approximately 10 employees, one of whom was Nellie Ohr. His testimony that Bruce Ohr was someone that Chris Steele knows was at best deliberately deceptive, at worst outright perjury. Simpsons testimony, and his deception, continue: The context of this is that it was after the election. A very surprising thing had happened, which is that Donald Trump had won. There was we were by that time, we were enormously concerned about rapidly accumulating indications that the Russian Government had mounted a massive attack on the American election system and that, you know, Donald Trump or his associates might have been involved. And there was a lot of alarming things happening, including Donald Trump saying things about Vladimir Putin that didnt really make any sense, werent ordinary things for a Republican to say, and, you know anyway. . So we had also by this time given this information to the FBI, and they had, you know, told indicated to Chris that they were investigating it, and then told apparently told The New York Times they werent. That situation was unacceptable to a firm whose client, as Simpson has acknowledged, was the Democratic National Committee. Fusion GPSs effortone should rather say, the DNCs effortto undermine the Trump administration continued after the election: And so it was not clear to us whether anyone at a high level of government was aware of the information that Chris had gathered and provided to the FBI. And, you know, so we were, frankly, you know, very scared for the country and for ourselves and felt that if we could give it to someone else, we should, higher up. Yes, plus they were being paid by the DNC. Simpsons protestations that he is merely a Boy Scout/good citizen are laughable. And so Chris suggested I give some information to Bruce, give him the background to all this. And we eventually met at a coffee shop, and I told him the story. Again, Simpson treads the fine line between deception and perjury. He obviously didnt need the Brit Christopher Steele, his subcontractor on the DNCs dirty tricks job, to introduce him to Bruce Ohr. Nellie Ohr was his employee, who worked on the anti-Trump project on behalf of the DNC. No doubt Bruce and Nellie are loyal Democrats, like Glenn Simpson. It would take an idiot (or maybe a journalist) not to understand what happened here. The DNC and the Hillary Clinton campaign wanted to continue their anti-Trump campaign, notwithstanding that Trump had been elected president. To their surprise, evidently, although I, for one, predicted it. Someone continued to pay Fusion GPS to try to undermine the nascent Trump administration with the lies that were assembled in Steeles laughable dossier. Simpson had an easy connection to the FBI through his employee Nellie Ohr. It was no problem for him to slide the fake dossier to Ohr, and perhaps others at the Obama DOJ, who were relied on to take it from there. What happened after that, we dont know for sure. We do know that Barack Obama corrupted the Department of Justice to an unprecedented degree. It is being widely reported, as Paul has noted, that Congress is in possession of a document that might lead to the removal of senior officials in the FBI and Department of Justice, and perhaps even to the criminal prosecution of some. I suspect that Bruce Ohr is high on the list of potential criminal defendants. At this point, one could say that the Fusion GPS Democratic Party smear is a bad joke, except that it isnt funny. Government corruption never is. Przepraszamy! Ogoszenie na stanowisku: Test Analyst with Banking experience wygaso z dniem 2018-01-20 Ta propozycja bya zozona przez Cognizant EU Mozliwe przyczyny wygasniecia oferty to: oferta zozona przez pracodawce zostaa wycofana z naszej bazy firma zakonczya proces rekrutacji uzyskujac odpowiednia ilosc zgoszen ogoszeniodawca zmodyfikowa tresc ogoszenia i jest ono dostepne pod innym adresem url dostawca tresci usuna ogoszenie z bazy danych niewasciwy adres url ogoszenia Jezeli poszukujesz pracy w branzy Informatyka / Telekomunikacja, zajrzyj tutaj: Praca Informatyka / Telekomunikacja Jezeli poszukujesz pracy na stanowisku Test Analyst with Banking experience, zajrzyj tutaj: Praca Test Analyst with Banking experience Jezeli poszukujesz pracy w miescie: Zurich, zajrzyj tutaj: Praca Zurich Pamietaj, ze mozesz takze rozpoczac poszukiwanie pracy od strony gownej, kliknij tutaj. Inne oferty, ktore mogy byc w kregu Twoich zainteresowan: Life-Decisions "A voice shall sound in your ears: 'This is the way; walk in it,' when you would turn to the right or to the left." Isaiah 30:21 Life-decisions are those that relate to vocation, ministry, employment, education, residence, etc. Life-decisions deal with such questions as: Should I be married or single? Should I be a priest, deacon, brother, or sister? Should I go to college? Should I change jobs? Should I move if I'm transferred on my job? Should I buy this house in this city? Should I retire now? The answers to these very important questions are found by first answering three other more important questions: "Who is Jesus?" "Who am I in Christ?" "What is God's plan for my life?" When we answer these three questions, all the other questions will virtually answer themselves. WHO IS JESUS? "'And you,' He said to them, 'Who do you say that I am?'" Matthew 16:15 The first question in life is: "Who is Jesus?" Jesus says He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (Jn 14:6), the great I Am (Jn 8:58), one with the Father (Jn 10:30), God Himself (Jn 1:1). Either Jesus is a blasphemer and should be rejected, or He is God and should be worshiped. Until we accept Jesus for Who He is, there is no way we can know the true meaning of life . Without Jesus, we can do nothing (Jn 15:5); and marriage, the single life, work, school, and retirement will be mere exercises in futility. WHO AM I IN CHRIST? "Who are you?" John 1:19 When we tell Jesus Who He is and make a personal commitment of our lives to Him, He tells us who we are. For example, when Simon Peter acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the living God, Jesus called Peter the "rock" on which He would build His Church (Mt 16:16-18). Our identity is based on our relationship to someone or something. If we ask people who they are, they will say what job they have, what city they're from, or what things they possess. All of these identities are unworthy of the human person. Our true identity is found only in our relationship with Jesus. And only people who know who they are can know what is their vocation, where to work, what to buy, and how to live. WHAT IS GOD'S PLAN FOR MY LIFE? "We have been praying for you unceasingly and asking that you may attain full knowledge of His will through perfect wisdom and spiritual insight. Then you will lead a life worthy of the Lord and pleasing to Him in every way." Colossians 1:9-10 Many people think the purpose of life is to pursue petty pleasures or to collect possessions. They have believed the devil's lies and trivialized their lives. But once we know who we are in Christ, we know that "God doesn't make junk" and there's a special and glorious plan for our lives. When we start to see the outlines of God's blueprint for our lives, we have a pattern by which we can make our life-decisions. For example, we would not marry for mere sexual attraction. Rather, our concern is: "How does this person fit into God's plan for my life?" We don't move just because the company moves or buy a house because the price is right. The overriding question is always: "How does this fit into God's plan for my life?" ALL THE OTHER QUESTIONS "Seek first His kingship over you, His way of holiness, and all these things will be given you besides." Matthew 6:33 Jesus promised that, if we seek first His kingdom and His way of holiness, all our basic needs will be given to us besides. When we totally give ourselves to Jesus, find out who we are in Him, and commit ourselves to fulfill His plan for our lives, He takes care of the rest. With Jesus as Lord, it would be hard not to know if we are called to be single or married for His kingdom, if we should take this job, go to this school, buy this house, or live in this city. The Lord Jesus can communicate His will to those who are committed to listening to Him. Only our sins can prevent God from getting His way in our lives. In that case, we should simply repent, confess our sins, and return to doing His will. When we're right with God, we can hardly help but make the right decisions. Take the first step to a happy, victorious life and eternity. Pray from your heart: "Lord Jesus, I believe You died for me and that You are alive and listening to me now. I repent of my sins and ask Your forgiveness. From this moment on, I decide to live for You and no longer for myself, to do Your will and not mine. Make me the kind of person You want me to be. Show me the way to the Father. Now fill me with Your Holy Spirit, Who will teach me how to live for You and how to tell the world You are my Savior and Lord. I love You, Father, Son and Holy Spirit." If you made this commitment to Jesus, write us so we can share your joy. Nihil obstat: Reverend Edward J. Gratsch on November 5, 1989. Imprimatur: Most Reverend Carl K. Moddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, on November 11, 1989. Five people in Wisconsin have fallen ill with a salmonella infection after eating raw sprouts at Jimmy Johns restaurants around the state, according to the state Department of Health Services. The department requested that the sandwich chain stop selling sprouts and warns customers not to eat sprouts from Jimmy Johns until the investigation is completed. Because of the warm and humid conditions that are both needed to grow sprouts and conducive to bacteria growth, they are a known source of foodborne illnesses. Three more people in neighboring Minnesota and Illinois have also contracted the infection of the same strain from eating sprouts at Jimmy Johns restaurants. Jimmy Johns president and CEO James North said in a statement that food safety and the welfare of our customers are top priorities and not negotiable in our business. Jimmy Johns said it made the decision to stop serving sprouts across the country after an investigation in the last 24 hours indicated that sprouts purchased from two growers in Minnesota could be linked to seven food safety complaints received over a one-week period in December in Illinois and Wisconsin. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported the most recent illness began Jan. 3 and that no hospitalizations or deaths have been reported. Seven of the patients told the CDC that they ate at several of the restaurants locations and had sprouts on each of their sandwiches. Jimmy Johns sprouts were linked to outbreaks of salmonella in 2010, 2012 and 2014. Sprouts at the Champaign-based chain also were linked to an E. coli outbreak in 2008. Salmonella symptoms include abdominal cramping, diarrhea, vomiting and fever, although not all may be necessarily present, according to the Department of Health Services. Symptoms usually develop with six to 72 hours of consumption, with the illness lasting three to seven days. Most people recover without treatment, according to the CDC, although a doctor should be consulted if a person has eaten sprouts and develops salmonella symptoms. Salmonella can still be transferred from person to person even after symptoms subside, the Department of Health Services said. Regularly washing hands with soap and water reduces the chance of spreading the bacteria. The Chicago Tribune contributed to this report. ( Read 4739 Times) Source : The Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra will hear the Loya case -- two Public Interest Litigations demanding an independent probe into the death of special CBI court judge BH Loya who died in 2014.The Loya case is seen as the trigger for the top four Supreme Court judges after the CJI to go public with their criticism of CJI Misra for allocating sensitive cases to junior judges.Judge Loya, then presiding over the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case, died in Nagpur on 1 December, 2014. Current BJP president Amit Shah was named in the case but, in late December the same year, he was discharged by the court.Besides the CJI, justices AM Khanwilkar DY Chandrachud will be on the bench, according to the list of business released by the Supreme Court registry on Saturday.The fresh twist in the case comes four days after a bench of justices Arun Mishra and MM Shantagoudar ordered the listing of the Loya case before an appropriate bench, triggering speculation that they had withdrawn themselves from hearing it.Read moreJustice Loyas death should be probed by an independent agency: CongressSC asks Maharashtra govt to give judge Loyas reports to petitionersOn Friday, the CJI ordered that the matter be put up before an appropriate bench as per roster but there was uncertainty over who would hear it. Lawyers for the petitioners - Tehseen Poonawala and Mumbai-based journalist BR Lone mentioned the matter before the CJI. Lones advocate Anita Shenoy said she went to the CJIs court to apprise him about the last order in the case and seek a date for hearing.On January 16 Justice Arun Misra had said the matter should be listed before an appropriate bench after a week. It was, therefore, mentioned to the chief who said the case would be now be heard by the bench as per roster, Shenoy explained.The two public interest litigations (PILs) demand an independent probe into the death of special CBI judge BH Loya. The petitions were originally listed before a bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra.On 16th, the bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra heard the matter directing the Maharashtra government to share details of the police investigation into judge Loyas death with the petitioners and also passed an order for listing of the case before an appropriate bench.In the SC a roster system is followed to mark cases to benches that sit in the combination of two judges. Roster is notified by the SC registry after the CJI approves it. However, the roster is not made public and even lawyers are unaware of the same. When a sensitive matter or PIL is filed the SC registry brings it to the notice of the CJI who then takes a call on who will hear it.Justice Arun Mishras January 16 order, fuelling apprehensions over him hearing the case again came a day after he broke down at a morning tea meet of SC judges where he expressed his anguish at being collateral damage in the fight between the four senior judges and the CJI because their allegations cast aspersions on his abilities. source Hindustantimes.com ATLANTIC CITY This week, New Jersey got a new governor and administration. While the future of the state takeover in Atlantic City remains uncertain, Gov. Phil Murphy and his Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver were inaugurated and both have previously expressed interest in ending the takeover. Oliver, also the head of the Department of Community Affairs, said during her inauguration speech that she wanted to free the city of state intervention. The same week, state Local Government Services Director Timothy Cunningham told City Council on Wednesday he would remain in his role with the DCA and will continue to work with the city for a little while longer. On this week's Atlantic City Story podcast, Erin Serpico is joined by staff writer John DeRosier to discuss the state takeover in the city, as well as the State of the County address earlier this week. A new episode of The Atlantic City Story podcast is available every Saturday morning. This podcast and previous episodes are also available on iTunes, SoundCloud and Stitcher. Now it's your turn. Got an idea for a podcast episode? Just want to tell us what you thought about the show? Let us know. Call us at 609-272-7238 and share your thoughts (we may include them in an upcoming episode if you tell us who you are). If you prefer writing, you can send comments to Erin or Nick directly. Question: I am seeking information about a wooden kitchen table that was recently removed from a Pennsylvania farmhouse owned by a family member for generations. The tables hinged rectangular plank top is 6 feet long, 42 inches wide and rests on a hollow, box-shaped, lidded 6-foot-long storage bench. When the tables top is lifted into an upright position, the hollow bench can be used for seating or storage. Anything you can tell me is appreciated. V.B., Linwood Answer: Your dual purpose country-style hutch table can be used as a table or a settee, based on the horizontal or vertical position of the tables top. The top was made to be lifted into an upright position to provide seating when the piece was not being used as a table. When the tables top was pivoted to a vertical position, it became the back of the settee. Furniture such as hutch tables, also known as settee tables, was particularly popular during the 18th and 19th centuries, when space was an important consideration in homes. Originally produced in Europe, their prominence in America was during the mid-1800s, when they were created by local carpenters as well as some skilled cabinetmakers and eventually at factories. Usually made from pine or poplar, country-style hutch tables often were stained or painted with a solid color. Last year, prices paid for a number of 19th-century stained hutch tables ranged from $200 to $350. During 2016, one example with original paint sold for $800 and another, made in New England, fetched $4,750. Question: Last year, I bought several used hand puppets at a Delaware thrift shop and I hope you can tell me something about a 17-inch brown dog with a soft vinyl head, movable mouth and flannel ears. Printed on its box is Jimmy Nelsons T.V. Farfel Juro Celebrity Dolls, NY, NY. G.C., Port Elizabeth Answer: Farfel was the lovable dog-character puppet pal of celebrated American ventriloquist Jimmy Nelson. Together the pair appeared during the 1950s and 60s on television as guests of the Ed Sullivan Show and as regulars on Texaco Star Theater, hosted by Milton Berle. From 1953 to 1965 they starred in several commercials promoting Nestle chocolate candy and Nestle Quik chocolate milk flavoring. Farfel gained long-lived fame by ending his part of every commercials ditty with his deep-throated signature Chawklet. Headed by Sam Jupiter, Juro Novelty Co. was located in New York City from 1955 to 1977, when it closed. The firm made composition and plastic celebrity and personality dolls as well as ventriloquists dummies and puppets. Prominent characters included Charlie McCarthy and his sidekick Mortimer Snerd, Groucho Marx, Howdy Doody, Danny ODay and Oliver Hardy. Junos brown Farfel hand puppet currently is valued at $60 to $75 when it is in excellent condition. Long-term funding for a crucial childrens health care coverage program hangs in the balance amid a potential federal government shutdown, and New Jersey health experts say the delay in taking action is unacceptable. The Childrens Health Insurance Program has been without permanent funding since October. An estimated 113,000 or more kids in New Jersey are at risk of becoming uninsured if the money isnt restored. Extending the program for the long term should be a no-brainer for Congress and the president, said Cathleen Bennett, New Jersey Hospital Association president and CEO and former state commissioner of the Department of Health. CHIP is a federal program managed by states that provides medical coverage to an estimated 8.9 million children nationally from families who may earn too much to qualify for Medicaid. Eligible children in New Jersey get coverage through NJ FamilyCare, which also covers Medicaid enrollees and residents who qualify through the states Medicaid expansion. Health experts and providers said CHIP has historically had bipartisan support among state leaders and representatives. The debate in Congress includes how the program will get funded moving forward, which has made CHIP a pawn in other legislative agendas and discussions. House Republicans introduced a short-term spending bill earlier this week that included a six-year CHIP funding extension in an effort to entice Democrats to vote in favor of the bill and avoid a government shutdown. Many Democrats have responded that the six-year extension is not enough and are reluctant to vote for the bill while a solution for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program remains to be found. President Donald Trump further complicated the GOPs plan Thursday by tweeting that CHIP funding should not be included in any kind of short-term extension plan. New Jersey has always supported the program, even figured out ways to streamline the application process and simplify renewals, said Mary Coogan, attorney and head of Advocates for Children of New Jerseys Kidlaw Legal Resource Center. But now the CHIP program, theyre holding it hostage. CHIP coverage in New Jersey will cost the federal government an estimated $490.7 million in fiscal year 2018, according to the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, a nonpartisan legislative branch agency that provides Congress and other departments with analysis, data and recommendations. Although that may seem like a lot, a report earlier this month from the Congressional Budget Office said CHIP would actually save the federal government $6 billion in the next decade. Some states, such as Connecticut, Colorado and Virginia, have already sent parents letters about how their children may lose health insurance next month as funding runs out. Other states nearing that point are expected to send out letters soon. New Jerseys CHIP funding is not at that level yet, Coogan said, as reports estimate the states money could last as late as April, but that doesnt lessen the feeling of alarm, she said. Medicaid directors have already had to start making plans, she said. We have seen that, because kids get regular check-ups, things like asthma are addressed and ER visits decreased. Weve been seeing an increase of kids getting preventative dental care and addressing oral health. We dont want to see an override of those things. If CHIP funding is not restored and New Jersey makes efforts to cover those children using state funds, health policy experts like Katherine Hempstead, senior adviser at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, said the responsibility to provide that type of coverage would be too much for states to shoulder. Transitioning those kids into marketplace plans would likely raise their cost-sharing burdens considerably, she said. Bennett said New Jersey hospitals are prepared to treat children with limited or no insurance who may have no other choice but to go to an emergency room for care, but it is no replacement for being able to regularly see a primary-care doctor for wellness. She also warned that passing CHIP funding while other health care initiatives and programs undergo cuts could also lead to problems down the road. Coogan remains hopeful. I think movement this week is good, she said. People are talking about long-term and permanent funding, and thats the most positive direction Ive seen so far. We have our fingers crossed, and were still making calls to our representatives and encouraging other people to do the same. OCEAN CITY For the second year, local women and supporters marched in solidarity with several Womens Marches across the U.S. Activist group South Jersey Connection to Action hosted a march Saturday along Asbury Avenue. Second District Congressional candidate Tanzie Youngblood was a featured speaker at the event, along with Atlantic County Freeholder-at-large Caren Fitzpatrick, Northfield City Councilwoman Susan Korngut, Danielle Davies and Alexi Velez of the New Jersey chapter of the ACLU. About 600 people walked along Asbury Avenue, then gathered at Mark Soifer Park, across from City Hall. Former Atlantic County Freeholder John Carman was spotted at the march Saturday. I was there to listen and see what they had to say, Carman said. Some of it I agreed with, some I didnt, but I wanted to hear what was said. Carman came under public scrutiny in 2017 after posting a meme on Facebook that belittled the Womens March on Washington. What happened last year painted me as a man Im not, Carman said. His post incited more than 30 woman to attend and inspired current Freeholder Ashley Bennett to run against him in the 2017 election. This year, Bennett was invited to speak at the Womens March in New York City and was one of a dozen women who ran for office featured on the most recent cover of Time Magazine. South Jersey Connection to Action formed in 2017 in response to the national Womens March movement. On Feb. 20, the group walked across the Route 52 causeway bridge in support of equal rights for women and immigrants. Last week, the Trump administration announced it will allow states to impose a community engagement requirement on healthy adults getting Medicaid, the public health insurance program for low-income people. So far, 10 states intend to do it, though not welfare-haven New York. To get Medicaid, adults in these states will have to work or look for a job, study for a high school diploma, learn English as a second language, volunteer, get addiction treatment or take care of a family member. In short, they must do something. Democrats and the liberal media call the requirement cruel and pathological. Baloney. Theres no reason taxpayers should pick up the tab for able-bodied people who wont get off the couch. Medicaid was created in 1965 as a safety net health program for pregnant women, children and the disabled. Then Obamacare distorted it into permanent insurance, raising the allowable income level and opening it up to healthy adults who refuse to work. The Medicaid rolls now top 74 million, and are projected to reach 87 million within a decade. As Medicaid dependence soars, the left brags that more people are covered. Technically true, but misleading. Medicaids ballooning enrollment is creating a national crisis. And not just because its the fastest growing federal entitlement program and the biggest item in many state budgets. Medicaid is sending commercial health premiums through the roof. How? It shortchanges hospitals and doctors, and they make up for it by shifting the unmet costs onto privately insured patients, explains Don George, president and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont. Every family that buys insurance or is covered through an employer gets socked with hundreds or thousands of dollars extra in yearly premiums. The bigger Medicaid grows, the higher these premiums will skyrocket, threatening to kill private insurance as a viable option. Yikes. Democrats boasting about the millions of people newly enrolled in Medicaid arent about to admit its driving premiums skyward. Allowing states to impose conditions for Medicaid will help curb the enrollment explosion. The history of welfare reform proves it. Welfare reform, enacted in 1996, introduced a work requirement, as well as a time limit on cash benefits. New Yorks Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan predicted children sleeping on grates, picked up in the morning, frozen. Instead, welfare caseloads plunged by half within five years, as the freeloaders dropped out and the number of single mothers entering the workforce soared. Thats the goal again now. Nearly 10 million of the 25 million adults on Medicaid are not working, not even part time, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Yet there are millions of unfilled jobs available, and the labor participation rate for working-age men is even lower than at the end of the Great Depression. So far, Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Utah and Wisconsin are planning to impose work-related conditions on Medicaid. Its a national movement to dignify work, not dependence. If you earn too little to afford insurance, you can get Medicaid. But dont sit home and do nothing. Theres no question it will reduce Medicaid rolls. And not a minute too soon. The Mayo Clinic warned nine months ago that it had reached the tipping point, where 50 percent of patients rely on Medicaid or Medicare, public insurance for the elderly. Both programs underpay, forcing Mayo to shift costs to the privately insured. But cost-shifting only works until public insurance grows too large. Mayo is now sending Medicaid patients to the end of the line to avert a financial meltdown. Mayos dilemma previews the impact on our health care system, unless Medicaid enrollment is limited. Disregard the hysterical warnings that imposing conditions on Medicaid is heartless. Its a promising first step to avert a national crisis. The alternative is truly needy Medicaid patients enduring long waits for treatment and middle-class consumers priced out of health insurance. That would be far more painful. Email Betsy McCaughey, a senior fellow at the London Center for Policy Research and a former lieutenant governor of New York State, at betsy@betsymccaughey.com. Ventnor firefighters called to clear snow Like most of the residents in our area, we two senior citizens were left literally stranded due to drifts from the snowstorm on Jan. 3 and 4. Our back door was completely blocked and our driveway was the victim of snowplows that sealed our only other escape. There are few year-round neighbors on our street and we were at a loss as to what to do. Then the light bulb went off: call the fire department because this was certainly a life threatening situation. Within 15 minutes three strong, bundled-up Ventnor Fire Company members were at the door, shovels in hand. Twenty minutes later, we were cleared for any escape we might need. They would not accept a hot drink, stating they had a lot of work to do. We are so thankful they included us on their schedule and even thanked us for giving them the opportunity to serve. Charles and Kay Myers Ventnor Jesus was a progressive Regarding the Jan. 7 letter, Left disparages everyone who disagrees with them: The writer suggests that maybe the political right should say it is now time for all good Christians to stand up against liberal socialism before it is too late. Maybe he needs to take a closer look at who Jesus really was, based on the Bibles account of Jesus and not what others have to say. Jesus was a progressive, a liberal in his day. Did Jesus take the five loaves and two fish and keep them for himself? No. He redistributed them among the people. Jesus cared for the hungry, naked, sick and downtrodden. Sounds like a little bit of socialism to me. Jesus stood with the poor, not the rich and powerful. So-called Christians should get off their high horses claiming conservative Republicans have a monopoly on God. Karl M. Frank III Mays Landing Weatherscan frozen out Thanks again to Comcast for removing local weather coverage during the most active winter weather season in years. Michael Maggio Galloway Township After much consideration, Sauk County will move forward with a proposal to install solar arrays at two government buildings. The Sauk County Board voted 23-6 Tuesday to approve a third-party financing arrangement with Eagle Point Energy. In an email Thursday, Administrative Coordinator Alene Kleczek Bolin said the countys consultant was working with the Iowa firm to finalize terms of the contract before it is signed. Eagle Point Energy will buy and install a rooftop solar array on the countys Baraboo law enforcement facility and a ground-mounted system near its Reedsburg nursing home. The county will purchase energy produced by the panels from the contractor presumably at rates cheaper than those of the power company which supporters say will allow for annual savings. The deal allows Eagle Point Energy to benefit from the countys payments and from financial incentives only available to private entities that invest in solar. The county will have the option to purchase the arrays after the seventh year and up through the 25th year of the contract, if it sees a financial benefit to doing so. The solar energy would then cost the county nothing, potentially reducing annual utility bills. Supporters point to a consultants analysis that said the county stands to save more than $550,000 over 25 years. Opponents have raised doubts about that projection, and concerns about installing arrays at the nursing home because of uncertainties about that propertys future. The county, going forward, will save money, said Supervisor Scott Von Asten of Baraboo, who chairs the committee that spearheaded the project. The county, going forward, at least until the moment we decide to purchase (the solar arrays), if ever, is taking no risk. The risk is all on Eagle Point. The savings are ours. Concerns raised Tuesday nights vote brought closure to a proposal that has received broad public support, but has been the subject of much political infighting among the board. The project has faced longstanding resistance from skeptical supervisors. Two board members who have consistently opposed the deal made last-minute, unsuccessful pitches to alter the contract Tuesday night before ultimately voting to approve it. Supervisor Henry Netzinger of Prairie du Sac said he conducted his own analysis, and wasnt convinced that the 3 percent annual rate hikes built into the contract will keep solar energy costs lower than those of the utility company. If we go into this thing, I would like to see an adjustment made on tying it to something real, Netzinger said. The countys consultant, Mark Hanson of Hoffman Planning, Design & Construction, said his analysis incorporated energy rates going back to 2002. Those figures showed an average annual rate increase of 4.1 percent, he said, making it likely that solar energy will remain the cheaper option. Another critic of the project, Supervisor Dennis Polivka of Spring Green, lobbied to untie the nursing home from the deal, and only move forward with an array on the law enforcement facility. He said he could not support the contract if it included systems at both buildings. Despite their reservations, Polivka and Netzinger who both face opposition in the April 3 election were among the 23 supervisors who voted to approve the deal as it was proposed. Supervisors and members of the public in favor of the project have said supporting a shift toward renewable energy is just as important as any potential savings to the county. Board Chair Marty Krueger of Reedsburg, who has feuded with the committee that proposed the project, was among the six who voted against it. He explained his reasoning during a radio interview Wednesday morning with WRDB-AM/1400. I would have liked to have started, personally, with just doing the law enforcement center, Krueger said. But the board voted to do both, so Im fine with that. 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 Hyderabad, Jan 18 : Actor Vishal Krishna feels that the next assembly elections in Tamil Nadu will be a game changer. Stating that people want a change, the young actor said he would like to wait for the agenda and policies of superstars Rajinikant and Kamal Haasan before making any comment. Vishal, as he is popularly known, was speaking at India Today south conclave here on Thursday. The actor, whose nomination for the recent by-election in R.K. Nagar constituency was rejected, said the person who signed his nomination papers later claimed that it was not his signature. "This is the first time in the history of Indian democracy that a nomination was rejected by election authorities after accepting it. I never thought my candidature will create so much fear among so people. It made me decide to enter politics," said Vishal. The actor said that the urge to do good to people through power is what is making the actors take a plunge into politics. Vishal appealed to actor Prakash Raj, who was also one of the speakers at the session on 'stand out, speak up: Make yourself count', to contest the elections in Tamil Nadu. "Definitely India," remarked Prakash Raj when asked from which state he would be contesting the elections. Prakash Raj said Rajinikant, Kamal Haasan and Vishal all have good chance. He, however, said people of Tamil Nadu will decide who will be their leader. He, however, said if they win just because they are popular nobody can save Tamil Nadu. Dalit writer Kancha Ilaiah said if Rajnikant tilts towards the right, he would be wiped out. United Nations, Jan 20 : Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said his country is in favour of collective leadership instead of US global leadership. Asked on Friday at a news conference at UN Headquarters whether Washington is losing global leadership on key issues and in key conflict areas under the Trump administration, Lavrov said: "In today's world, leadership can only be a collective thing," Xinhua reported. There are a lot of examples as proof, he said. "The creation of the Group of 20 reflects the fact that we need to create a collective agenda, using the leaders of all regions of the world. And the same applies in the fight against terrorism -- we need collective efforts." The first year of Donald Trump's presidency has seen many departures from the foreign policies of previous administrations. Washington has announced to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and a UN-led initiative to formulate a global compact on migration. It has also threatened to pull out of the UN Human Rights Council. The Trump administration has also cut aid to various countries and its contributions to the United Nations. Most recently it has withheld funds for a UN agency that supports about 5 million Palestinian refugees both in the occupied territories and neighbouring countries. Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and to move the US Embassy in the country from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem has triggered an international outcry. Lavrov said on Friday that people may draw their own conclusions on whether those US actions are in line with US interests. "We are in favour of solving everything together." Lavrov is in UN premises for high-level meetings at the Security Council. United Nations, Jan 20 : At a high-level Security Council meeting, Pakistan has raised the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav, whom Islamabad has accused of being an Indian spy and given him a death sentence. "Those who speak of changing mindsets (about terrorism) need to look within and their own record of subversion against my country as our capture of an Indian spy has amply demonstrated and proved beyond any shadow of doubt," Pakistan's Permanent Representative Maleeha Lodhi said during Council meeting on Afghanistan. She did not mention his name. Her statement was response to India's statement in the Council meeting on Afghanistan that India is a victim of the same Pakistani "mindset" that promotes terrorist attacks everyday in Afghanistan. India has denied that Jadhav, a retired navy officer, worked for the government and said that he was abducted by Pakistan from Iran to stage a show-trial. Denying that Pakistan was giving terrorists a safe haven or support, Lodhi also took a swipe at the US saying it needed a "reality check." The administration of President Donald Trump suspended security aid to Pakistan this month citing its provision of sanctuaries and assistance to terrorists attacking Afghanistan. Jadhav was captured by Pakistan in 2016 and was sentenced to death by a military court martial last year. India appealed to the International Court of Justice against his sentence and the court has stayed his execution. Lodhi was originally listed to address the Council two spots before India's Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin, but she chose to speak later and amended her prepared speech with the response to him. Akbaruddin said that after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Lahore in December 2015 in a bid to promote peace with Pakistan, "a heinous and barbaric terrorist attack" was launched on the Pathankot airbase in a week's time by "the very same mindsets which attack the spirit of Afghanistan every day." "These mindsets differentiate between 'good' and bad terrorists," he said. "These mindsets refuse to see reason in peace." "These mindsets,a Akbaruddin declared, "need to change." Lodhi said that Pakistan was against terrorism, being itself a a victim. She blamed the conditions in Afghanistan and the drug trade, which she said brings terrorists $400 million every year, for the insurgency and asserted that they didn't need outside support or sanctuaries because "over 40 per cent of the country is under insurgent control, contested or ungoverned." "Afghanistan and its partners, especially the US, need to address these challenged inside Afghanistan rather than shift the onus for ending the conflict on to others," she said. "Those who imagine sanctuaries outside (Afghanistan) need a reality check," she added. (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in) United Nations, Jan 20 : Pakistan's "mindset" that unleashes terrorist attacks on India and Afghanistan must change, India has told the Security Council. Only by changing the terror mindset can peace come to Afghanistan, India's Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin said on Friday during a high-level Council meeting dealing with Afghanistan. "Terrorism and externally induced instability pose the gravest threat to Afghanistan's peace, stability and prosperity," he said. "And the growing arc of terrorist violence endangers our entire region." New Delhi has been working with regional and international partners to bring security, peace and development to Afghanistan, he said. To further these objectives and promote peace, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stopped over in Lahore in December 2015 on his way back from inaugurating the Indian-built parliament house in Afghanistan, he said. But "a heinous and barbaric terrorist attack" was launched on the Pathankot airbase in a week's time by "the very same mindsets which attack the spirit of Afghanistan every day," he said. "These mindsets differentiate between 'good' and bad terrorists," he said. "These mindsets refuse to see reason in peace. They are mindsets that are reluctant to join hands in moving the region forward to build a shared future for our people and our youth." "These mindsets," Akbaruddin declared, "need to change." The high-level Council meeting was presided over by Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov and focused on regional cooperation to promote development and security in Afghanistan. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was among those attending the session. Terrorism has taken a huge toll on Afghanistan, Akbaruddin said backing up his assertion with World Bank statistics. Afghanistan recorded a 9.6 per cent annual economic growth rate from 2003 to 2014, but it has fallen to 2.2 per cent in 2016 as terrorism increased and it was 2.6 per cent last year, according to the bank. Illustrating how terrorism impacts development, he said that a disproportionate amount of resources are diverted from the aid projects to protecting them rather than building more projects. The New Development Partnership between India and Afghanistan cover education, health, agriculture, infrastructure, renewable energy, drinking water supply and human resource development, he said. The recent visits by Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Dr. Abdullah Abdullah have given the partnership a boost, he added. India pledged a $1 billion package for Afghanistan last year. (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in) Islamabad, Jan 20 : Two people have been arrested in connection with the rape and murder case of seven-year-old Zainab in Pakistan, with police terming it an important development in the search of suspect(s) involved in the case. Zainab Amin was kidnapped from her neighbourhood on January 4. She was raped and later murdered. Her body was found from a heap trash on January 9. Investigators found an empty box near the body of the girl and one of the suspects arrested on Friday was identified by the help of a forensic examination, Dawn News on Saturday quoted unnamed sources as saying. The suspect had already been booked in six rape cases. The other suspect is his brother who is also booked in some similar cases. The sources said the two brothers were residents of the College Road area in Punjab province where a minor rape survivor was found in November. The girl is still under treatment at Children's Hospital, Lahore. The joint investigation team formed on January 10 to probe the Zainab murder case has collected data of 300 mobile phone numbers and six of them have been marked for further investigation. The sources said locator vans had been working in Punjab's Kasur city for the past three days to trace the location of the two suspects. They said they were arrested from a place outside the district where they were hiding. The police had interrogated around 1,300 people and released many of them after their DNA tests. Also on Friday, Punjab Inspector General of Police Arif Nawaz said that investigators were going in the right direction. A new video footage emerged on social media regarding a suspect moving near the house of the victim. A police official said that the JIT had not released any video footage. In fact, the video clip was the initial part of the first video shared by the family of the victim with the JIT. Separately, on a call at helpline, police raided two rented houses in Ali Park and Peerowala Road whose tenants had gone missing. Police took the owners into custody to know the whereabouts of the tenants. Pakistan's National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Friday formed a 10-member committee for suggesting recommendations to stop child abuse incidents. The committee has been asked to give its recommendations to the house within 30 days. Are you a new homeowner? Your first 12 months of homeownership set the tone for the entire journey. With just a few smart decisions, you can save money now and get more out of your investment later. 1. Start an emergency fund: An emergency savings fund provides a financial safety net, and your new home is the perfect reason to start one. Ideally, your emergency fund should cover several months of expenses, but its OK to start small. Set aside a portion of every paycheck with the goal of saving $500 as quickly as possible, and then contribute as much as you can moving forward. 2. Take a closer look at your homeowners insurance: Just because a standard homeowners insurance policy satisfied your lender doesnt mean youre adequately covered. Homeowners insurance isnt one-size-fits-all. There are unique coverage options and, more importantly, exclusions that homeowners need to be aware of, says Ryan Andrew, president of The Andrew Agency, an independent insurance agency in Richmond, Virginia. Does your policy cover the full cost of your jewelry or other valuables? Are disasters like earthquakes and floods excluded? Will the policy pay if your dog bites the new postal carrier? 3. Get an energy efficiency audit: Heating, cooling and powering a home isnt cheap. After the dust settles, you may notice more about your home, particularly if you bought new construction, says Jessie Ferguson, director of operations at Renewablue, a home energy consulting company. Maybe the air smells funny or one bedroom is colder than the others. She recommends getting an energy efficiency audit rather than guessing at the problem. Using blower door tests and infrared cameras, energy audits measure air leaks and detect air infiltration or missing insulation. Audits are performed by utility companies, city governments and some contractors. In addition to lowering your utility bills and making you more comfortable, a more efficient home may end up putting free money in your pocket, thanks to local, state and federal rebates. 4. Consider a home warranty: If the appliances in your new home are near the end of their life cycles, a home warranty may help shield you from the cost of replacement. Also called home service contracts, home warranties are annual agreements that offset the repair or replacement cost of major home components and appliances. Approach home warranty companies with caution, however. Read customer reviews and avoid gimmicks that seem too good to be true. Like insurance policies, home warranties are full of fine print, and homeowners often fail to realize whats excluded until they try to make a claim. 5. Create a disaster kit with a home inventory: Your new home is your castle, but its not indestructible. A disaster kit that includes financial documents and a home inventory will speed up recovery if the unthinkable happens. A home inventory can be as simple as snapping pictures of big-ticket items in your home, or you could record items, brands, original prices, ages and condition in a spreadsheet. No matter which method you choose, a home inventory is the best way to make sure you have enough insurance coverage to replace your valuables, Andrew says. Store the inventory, along with copies of your personal identification, credit card information, vehicle records and other important documents, in a fireproof safe or another place thats easily accessible if you have to evacuate. 6. Make a plan to build equity: Unless you bought your home with cash, it will be many years until you own it outright. Make plans now to build equity faster so you can unlock more benefits of homeownership even sooner. Equity is a fancy word for how much of your house is paid off. Home equity is a valuable asset; accrue enough and you can use it to finance major renovations or pay off student loans. You can build equity slowly just by making your monthly mortgage payments, or you can find ways to speed up the process. For example, take on smart home improvements or switch to biweekly payments to get equity rich even faster. New Delhi, Jan 20 : More and more kids are hooked on to screens, parents are worried how to create homework-play balance and tech giants in Silicon Valley are in a huddle, deliberating over how to help children cut screen addiction. Two key Apple shareholders this month requested the Cupertino-based iPhone maker to take urgent steps to safeguard young users from the ill-effects of iPhone addiction. In a letter, Jana Partners and the California State Teachers' Retirement System told Apple to make its products safer for the younger users. "We have reviewed the evidence and we believe there is a clear need for Apple to offer parents more choices and tools to help them ensure that young consumers are using your products in an optimal manner," the letter read. Facebook, which has over two billion users, is making drastic changes to its News Feed that will allow users to see more updates from family and friends than posts from businesses, brands and media. According to its CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook has got a feedback from the community that public content -- posts from businesses, brands and media -- is crowding out the personal moments that lead us to connect more with each other. Zuckerberg admits that the new changes might not pay off at first, but believes it is important that users have more meaningful social interactions. The decision may result in a massive $23 billion revenue loss for Facebook as advertisers are not happy about being shooed away from their biggest online market on Earth. This is not the first time such fears have come out in the open from the global tech industry. Microsoft founder-turned-philanthropist Bill Gates, in an interview to the Mirror last year, said he has set strict rules for how his three kids grew up "in a home that forbade cell phones until age 14, banned cell-phone use at the dinner table, and set limits on how close to bedtime kids could use their phones". "You're always looking at how it can be used in a great way -- homework and staying in touch with friends -- and also where it has gotten to excess," Gates told the Mirror. Late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs never let his kids use iPads at home. "We limit how much technology our kids use at home," Jobs had told The New York Times. According to Sean Parker, one of Facebook founders, the digital world's addictive qualities "exploit a vulnerability in human psychology... God only knows what it's doing to our children's brains". To buttress their point, Apple shareholders, in their letter, cited latest research that linked depression to smartphone use among students. However, a December study from the University of Michigan suggests that how children use the devices -- not how much time they spend on them -- is the strongest predictor of emotional or social problems connected with screen addiction. "Typically, researchers and clinicians quantify or consider the amount of screen time as of paramount importance in determining what is normal or not normal or healthy or unhealthy," said lead author Sarah Domoff. "Our study has demonstrated that there is more to it than number of hours. What matters most is whether screen use causes problems in other areas of life or has become an all-consuming activity," she added. Some of the warning signs include if screen time interferes with daily activities, causes conflict for the child or in the family, or is the only activity that brings the child joy. It's now a familiar sight in the majority of families including in India -- young children bent over a screen for hours, texting or gaming, lost in a digital world -- with parents worrying how much screen time is too much. The awakening in the tech world is just another discussion point -- this time among those who built it in the first place. However, with billions of devices now being used in homes across the world, it is practically impossible to turn the clock back and tell kids to stop using gadgets. The onus lies on parents who can learn from Gates and Jobs how to minimise screen time cautiously and judiciously -- without making our kids angrier and more stubborn. Meanwhile, Apple CEO Tim Cook wants all primary school children to be taught coding alongside the alphabet. For him, coding is "just another language, and just like any other language, it should be taught in schools". It is possibly time to buy a device with high-performance computing capabilities for your kids at home. (Nishant Arora can be contacted at nishant.a@ians.in) Patna, Jan 20 : Two crude bombs were recovered near the Mahaboddhi temple in Bihar's Bodh Gaya, where Tibetian spiritual leader Dalai Lama is camping, prompting authorities to heighten security, police said on Saturday. The bombs were found on Friday night, police said. Police have denied media reports that claimed that the bombs were found inside the Mahaboddhi temple. "The explosive materials were found in the vicinity of the Kalachakra ground near the temple and kept far away from the temple," Inspector General of Police, Patna Zone, N.H. Khan said. "Security was already tight in Bodh Gaya but it was further reinforced," he added. Security of foreign monasteries and other sensitive places have also been beefed up and additional security forces have been deployed. A senior police official camping in Bodh Gaya said that three suspected persons have been found roaming in Bodh Gaya. Police will identify them soon, he said. Meanwhile, an NIA team from Delhi will reach Bodh Gaya on Saturday to start probe. A team of FSL from Patna has already reached to investigate the matter. In 2013, a series of bombs exploded at Bodh Gaya's Mahaboddhi temple in which two Buddhist monks were injured. New York, Jan 20 : As an upstart candidate aiming for the highest office in the United States, Donald Trump promised an election rally of Indians that they "will have a true friend in the White House" and "we are going to be best friends" with India. In his first year as President, Trump has stuck to the promise, appointing for the first time an Indian-American, Nikki Haley, to the cabinet and giving India a "leadership role" in Washington's global strategy across a broad geographic swath. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a man of humble origins, and Trump, a billionaire and a flamboyant reality TV personality, have struck an unlikely friendship. During a White House visit in June, their hitherto phone friendship was sealed with hugs. "The relationship between India and the US has never been stronger, never been better," Trump declared. "I am thrilled to salute you, Prime Minister Modi, and the Indian people for all you are accomplishing together." The ties have been growing strong under the previous three administrations of Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, and Trump has moved it to a higher trajectory given its preoccupations with China and Afghanistan. Global security has emerged as the centrepiece of Trump's approach to India. "We welcome India's emergence as a leading global power and stronger strategic and defence partner," said his national strategy unveiled last month, with a view to making New Delhi a counter-balance to Beijing in the Indo-Pacific region. And Modi had said in October that India-US ties were growing with a "great deal of speed". While Indian-Americans are overwhelmingly Democrat -- a Pew Research Center survey said 65 percent support that party -- Trump has given members of the community some top administration jobs. Trump appointed Haley to the high profile US cabinet rank post as UN Permanent Representative in which she is often the face of Trump's hardline foreign policy. Ajit Pai became the Chairman of the Federal Communication Commission, a position with a vast portfolio overseeing of the Internet, mobile phones, airwaves, broadcast and communications. He took the administration's controversial decision to end net neutrality. Trump appointed Raj Shah as his deputy adviser and principal deputy press secretary. Uttam Dhillon, another deputy adviser, is also his deputy counsel. Others include Seema Verma, administrator of the health insurance programmes for seniors and the poor; Neomi Rao, administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs; Vishal J. Amin, White House's intellectual property enforcement official, and Neil Chatterjee, a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. They all shape and implement Trump's controversial policies. But there have also been areas of friction with India, with immigration as the most contentious. The Trump administration -- and his campaign -- have signalled plans to fundamentally change the H-1B visa programme for professionals that overwhelmingly benefits Indians. But so far it hasn't, although it has tightened the scrutiny of the visas. It also backed off a threat to make H1-B visa holders in line for Green Cards return home while they wait out the years for their permanent residencies. He has also announced that he wants to end the immigration of relatives beyond the immediate family, categories that mean a lot to Indians. But his proposed reforms also include a points system to rank applicants on the basis of their qualifications, which could benefit Indians. On the economic front, Trump's "America First" and Modi's "Make in India" are likely to come into conflict as each seek manufacturing, jobs and investments in their own economies, and Trump threatening nations with which the US has a trade deficit. The five Indian Americans in the Congress opposed Trump on most issues. The first Senator of Indian-American ancestry, Democrat Kamala Harris, has emerged as one of the fiercest critics of Trump. She is pushing the Senator Judiciary Committee enquiry into Trump campaign's alleged links to Russia and has called for his resignation over charges of sexual harassment. But Trump's India policy "transcends partisanship" and the party supports his initiatives to strengthen it further, according to Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi. An important area of convergence for the two countries is the fight against terrorism. "Both our nations have been struck by the evils of terrorism and we are both determined to destroy terrorist organisations and the radical ideology that drives them," Trump said during Modi's visit to the White House in June. After several warnings to Pakistan that it "has much to lose" by supporting terrorists, the Trump administration tightened the screws on Islamabad by suspending security assistance this month. The administration has added Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, which carries out attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, and its leader Mohammad Yusuf Shah to the lists of global terrorist organisations and individuals to choke off financial and other support. In the South Asia region, where Trump's main focus is on stabilizing Afghanistan and ending terrorism there, Trump said in his August strategy speech, a "critical part of the South Asia strategy for America is to further develop its strategic partnership with India - the world's largest democracy and a key security and economic partner of the US". He asked India "to help us more with Afghanistan". But the truly transformational prospects are in the Indo-Pacific region where the US and its allies see a growing threat from China - and for Washington a challenge to its global status. In his National Strategy document Trump declared: "We will deepen our strategic partnership with India and support its leadership role in Indian Ocean security and throughout the broader region. "We will seek to increase quadrilateral cooperation with Japan, Australia, and India." (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in) Mumbai, Jan 20 : Actor Shahid Kapoor feels his daughter Misha is trying to take away his shoes from him. On Saturday, Shahid shared a photograph of his one-year-old, capturing a moment of her standing in his shoes, on his Instagram account. The image shows Misha looking into the lens directly with confidence, dressed in a fluorescent orange frock. He captioned the image saying: "Guess she has decided to take over." Pritish Nandy lauds Prakash Raaj for speaking up Film producer Pritish Nandy lauded actor Prakash Raaj for speaking up on issues that "concern all Indians". On Thursday, Prakash said at a conclave that "he was not anti-Hindu as alleged by critics but only anti-Modi". The actor went on to say that those who support "killers" cannot be called Hindus. He said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi remained silent when he appealed to him to speak out when some Modi supporters celebrated the killing of journalist Gauri Lankesh. Praising the guts of the actor to speak out publically without fear, Nandy posted on his Twitter account: "I like the courage and dignity of Prakash Raaj who speaks up on issues that concern all Indians. And he speaks softly and firmly, without the slightest fear." Washington, Jan 20 : The US Supreme Court has announced it would consider a legal challenge to President Donald Trumps latest version of ban on travel to the US by residents of six majority-Muslim countries. The justices said on Friday that they plan to hear arguments in April and issue a final ruling by late June, CNN reported. The court said it will consider questions concerning whether the ban violates immigration law as well as the Establishment Clause of the Constitution. Late last year, the justices allowed the entire travel ban issued in September to go into effect pending appeal. The court's eventual ruling will determine the fate of the third attempt of the Trump administration to restrict entry to people from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. The ban also affects two non-Muslim countries, North Korea and Venezuela. It marked the second time the Supreme Court agreed to hear the issue. Lower courts in two separate challenges had partially blocked the ban. A three-judge panel of judges on the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last year that travel ban 3.0 exceeded the President's authority, calling it "an executive override of broad swathes of immigration laws that Congress has used its considered judgment to enact". However, the Trump administration maintained that the President had the authority to install travel bans in order to protect national security. Ankara, Jan 20 : At least 11 people were killed and 44 others injured in a bus accident in Turkey's northwestern Eskisehir province on Saturday. The accident took place early on Saturday when the bus carrying a tour group from capital Ankara to northwestern Bursa province veered off the road and crashed into a copse of trees, Xinhua news agency reported. The driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed against trees along the roadside. Eskisehir Governor Ozdemir Cakacak told media that the driver of the bus has been detained. Kabul, Jan 20 : Afghan security forces have freed 67 soldiers and police officials from a Taliban-run jail in Afghanistan's Helmand province, officials said on Saturday. The rescue operation was launched in Baghram district and 20 of the freed hostages were taken to neighbouring Kandahar province. The remaining 47 would be taken there "soon", the Afghan Defence Ministry was cited as saying by Efe news. Helmand province is an area mostly under Taliban control. The Afghan authorities regularly conduct operations to liberate those being held by the militants. Currently, 9 out of the 14 districts of the province are controlled or threatened by the Taliban, according to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction of the US Congress. There has been an escalation of violence in Afghanistan since the end of NATO's combat mission in January 2015 and the government has been steadily losing ground to insurgents and now controls only 57 per cent of the country. New Delhi : Book: Why I Am A Hindu; Author: Shashi Tharoor; Publisher: Aleph Book Company; Pages: 302; Price: Rs 699 Shashi Tharoor's new book on Hinduism -- the religion followed by a majority of Indians -- comes at a crucial juncture when there is an upsurge in fringe elements that practise and propagate the ideology of Hindutva. The book, therefore, was being thought of as Tharoor's response to Hindutva. However, limiting "Why I Am A Hindu" to the debate between Hinduism and Hindutva will be a grave injustice to this riveting offering as the book is much more than the sum total of this debate. At the onset, it is a layman's account of his journey of discovering the "extraordinary wisdom and virtues of the faith" that he has practised for over six decades. Tharoor himself makes it clear in the Author's Note that he is neither a Sanskritist nor a scholar of Hinduism and, thus, did not set out to write a "scholarly exposition of the religion". The book comes across as the author's attempt to understand the religion that he follows, calling it a self-discovery of sorts will be accurate. Tharoor's exposition travels between personal accounts and his understanding of the religious scriptures as well as the values propagated by the likes of Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna Pramahamsa and others in the league whom he refers to as the "Great Souls of Hinduism". It is thus imperative for the reader to have a clear state of consciousness before setting on to read the book because more than anything else, it is about Hinduism, a religion, and religions are, after all the reasons behind most conflicts. The book is divided into three sections, the first of which is titled "My Hinduism". This answers the question raised by the title of the book: Why I Am A Hindu? Admitting as sincerely as is expected of a liberal intellectual as Tharoor, he sets the record straight and confides that he is Hindu "because I was born one", and goes on to elaborate that religion is selected for most people at birth, "by the accident of geography and their parents' cultural moorings". But this analogy is not to suggest that he is not a proud Hindu. "I was never anything else: I was born a Hindu, grew up as one, and have considered myself one all my life." The section talks at length about Tharoor's early days, highlighting how his personal understanding of the religion developed with time. "My Hinduism was a lived faith; it was a Hinduism of experience and upbringing, a Hinduism of observation and conversation, not one anchored in deep religious study," he points out. The section also explains at length what he calls "My Truth," where he describes the reasons why he is "happy to describe" himself as a "believing Hindu", before going on to present a fair perspective on the values propagated by the "Great Souls of Hinduism." The second section is titled "Political Hinduism" and this is where Hindutva comes into play. It is interesting to note that the author takes 140 pages (about half of the book) to reach to the burning debate of our times and in doing so, he succeeds in providing a background on his belief of the religion, supplemented by the values propagated by the likes of Swami Vivekananda before explaining Hindutva. He begins this section by providing a clear distinction between Hinduism and Hindutva. For Hinduism, he presents an imagery of a banyan tree, in whose shade, "a great variety of flora and fauna, thought and action, flourishes". From here, he moves to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and its ideologues -- Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and M.S. Golwalkar, explaining their perspectives on Hindutva. Using original quotes, he mentions Savarkar's assertion: "Hinduism is only a derivative, a fraction, a part of Hindutva." The book then moves, at an incredible pace, to the advent of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya and the Bhartiya Jana Sangh and then to the Bharatiya Janata Party. Tharoor then devotes 40 pages decoding the philosophies of Hindutva -- not as he perceives it but exactly how its ideologues propagated it. Contrary to all expectations, he does not criticise them or counter their views, at least at this stage. It is from page 183 of the 302-page book, that he unleashes a storm of arguments on "the politics of division" that has led to "a travesty of Hinduism". Next, the author eloquently elaborates on the uses and abuses of Hindu culture and history in the contemporary scenario, resulting from "the politics of division" that he early mentions. The 28-page-long last section of the book is all that he spends on addressing what most would have expected from the entire book: "Taking Back Hinduism". Beginning with a reference to former US President Barack Obama's speech where he mentioned that "India will succeed so long as it is not split along the lines of religious faiths," he elaborates on the "travesty of Hinduism" in the contemporary times. Tharoor is brutal in his criticism of the saffron brigade but equally accommodating when it comes to presenting their views. "Why I Am A Hindu" is a well-researched exposition and is yet a charming personal account -- and it floats seamlessly in rich prose and diction synonymous with one of the most widely-read and revered authors of our times. (Saket Suman can be contacted at saket.s@ians.in) New Delhi, Jan 21 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday ordered a thorough probe into the Bawana plastic factory fire incident that claimed at least 17 lives and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the next of the kin of the deceased. As many as 17 people, including 10 women, were burnt alive or asphyxiated and 30 others injured at a fire in a plastic warehouse in west Delhi's Bawana on Saturday evening, officials said. "It is a very tragic incident. We have ordered a probe into the incident," Kejriwal told reporters after meeting the injured people at a hospital here. He said the injured will get an ex-gratia of Rs 1 lakh. The Chief Minister said the matter will be fully probed on how the licence was given, who gave the licence and how the incident happened. Union Minister Harsh Vardhan, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manoj Tiwari and Leader of Opposition in Delhi assembly Vijender Gupta and North Delhi Municipal Corporation Mayor Preety Agarwal also reached the spot. Manoj Tiwari also announced compensation of Rs 50,000 to the victims of fire incident. "Saddened at the loss of 17 lives in the Bawana cracker factory fire. My thoughts are with the families of the persons killed in the mishap," Harsh Vardhan said in a tweet. He also said that the government should "enforce strict safety regulations to such hazardous industries" to avoid at least future accidents. "Seventeen bodies have been taken out from the warehouse. As many as 30 persons, including some women, have reportedly sustained burn injuries. Some others are still feared trapped inside," a Delhi Fire Services officer said, adding that the condition of four persons is critical. The officer said the fire in Bawana Industrial Area was reported to the control room around 6.20 p.m., following which 10 fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The fire was doused after three hours. "Police as well as fire brigade and ambulances were rushed to F-83 in Sector 5 of Bawana Industrial Area. The cause of the fire is not yet known," Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajneesh Gupta said. He also said police would register a case. The officer also said that it has apprehended Manoj Jain. According to police, the factory was downed by two persons, Jain and Lalit Goel. "It is to be verified whether they are the owners or have taken the premises on rent," Gupta said. Gupta also said that as per an injured labour of the factory, packing was being done in the factory. "The crackers used to come from outside," he said. A man who jumped from the second floor of the building in a bid to save himself later succumbed to injuries at a hospital. The victims were trapped in the basement, first and second floors when the fire spread from the basement to the floors above, the police officer said. The bodies have been kept in mortuary for identification. The relatives of some of the deceased and the injured have been informed, he added. Ankara, Jan 21 : Turkish Foreign Ministry has informed the ambassadors of Iran, Russia and the US in Ankara about a military operation launched by Turkey's army in Afrin in Syria, a ministry official said. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also held a phone conversation with US counterpart Rex Tillerson in the wake of the announcement of the air strikes on Saturday by Turkish Air forces, at Washington's request, the official told Xinhua news agency on the condition of anonymity. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Saturday the military operation in Syria's Afrin has "actively" started. Turkey is determined to ensure its national security and to clear its borders of the People's Protection Units (YPG), which is considered by Ankara as the Syrian affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Turkish war jets have been hitting the YPG positions in Afrin on Saturday after days of shelling from the border. The Turkish Army stated that the operation is named "Olive Branch". Notebooks seized from the apartment of former UW-Madison student Alec Cook, which prosecutors saw as evidence that he schemed to sexually assault women he met on campus, cant be used during any of Cooks trials, two judges wrote in a collaborative decision issued Friday. The first of the notebooks was discovered by police while they performed a limited search of Cooks apartment with his consent in October 2016, and the contents of that notebook led investigators to get a search warrant to more thoroughly search the apartment a few days later. That first notebook, and any evidence taken by police during the subsequent search of Cooks apartment, are out and cannot be used at Cooks upcoming trials, Dane County Circuit Judges Stephen Ehlke and John Hyland wrote. The decision doesnt say specifically whether other potential testimony that may be the result of the now-suppressed evidence will also be out. The state has not established by clear and convincing evidence that the search of Mr. Cooks notebook fell within the scope of Mr. Cooks limited consent, Ehlke and Hyland wrote, nor has the state demonstrated that a different warrant exception applies. One of Cooks lawyers, Chris Van Wagner, declined to comment immediately. Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne said he had not yet seen the decision. Cook, 21, of Edina, Minnesota, was charged in 2016 with 12 counts of varying degrees of sexual assault involving six women, along with several other charges that include stalking, disorderly conduct and false imprisonment. Prosecutors alleged that 11 women have been the victims of sexual assault or harassment by Cook. Cooks case has been broken into seven trials, the first of which is to begin before Ehlke on Feb. 26. Last month, Ehlke and Hyland granted a motion to move the trials to another county because publicity has made it impossible for Cook to receive fair trials in Dane County. The location of the trials has not yet been disclosed. Last year, Cooks lawyers argued that Madison police exceeded the scope of the consent that Cook gave them to search his apartment when they read through and photographed pages of a notebook found in Cooks nightstand. Cook had not given police explicit permission to look for or read any notebooks, only to look for and seize clothing, biological evidence including hair, sex toys, bedding, condoms and lubrication and photographs. While searching the nightstand, Madison police Detective Grant Humerickhouse found the small leather notebook sealed inside a plastic bag. He removed it from the bag and looked through it, and noticed entries that were systematically formatted. They described women and listed goals that Cook had with each woman. With a written search warrant that described the notebook and its contents, police seized other notebooks from Cooks apartment. State Assistant Attorney General Christopher Liegel and Assistant District Attorney Bryce Pierson argued that based on its evidentiary value and the possible incriminating nature of the writings, Humerickhouse had the authority to photograph the notebook. They also argued that it was reasonable for Humerickhouse to search the notebook for biological material and photographs, as permitted under Cooks consent. But the judges said that while police were free under the grant of consent to open the nightstand drawer, take the notebook out of the bag and even shake it to see if something fell out of it, anything beyond that was unlawful. Reading the contents of the notebook was unnecessary and a clear invasion of privacy, the judges wrote. The limited consent grant did not permit police to gather information regarding Mr. Cooks personal thoughts or writings. Nor did it permit police to photograph the notebooks contents. Humerickhouse knew that reading the journal wasnt authorized under the consent agreement, the judges wrote, but instead he became caught up in what he had seen and could not stop himself from taking further steps. While such conduct is human, it is not to be encouraged if we hope to preserve the ability of citizens and law enforcement to enter into limited consent agreements such as the agreement here. Aaron Kofsky is Ivey Engineering's winter 2017 scholarship winner. I've loved the computer science field since teaching myself programming in the seventh grade. Ivey Engineering, Inc. (IEI), an engineering consulting firm, is pleased to announce the recipient of the winter 2017 $1,000 bi-annual scholarship essay contest. The winner is Aaron Kofsky, a high school senior from Ann Arbor, Michigan, who is currently dual-enrolled at the University of Michigan while attending high school. He will more than likely continue his education in the fall as a full-time student at the University of Michigan. Kofsky, who plans to major in computer science, competed with over 100 other high school seniors or college students from the United States and Canada. "I've loved the computer science field since teaching myself programming in the seventh grade," Kofsky says. Applicants were tasked to write an 800- to 1,000-word essay on one of three topics and were judged for creativity and originality. Kofsky's winning essay gave several detailed steps on investigating the cause and origin of a building fire. "The second step in root cause analysis is to find the origin of the fire," Kofsky explains in his essay. "This location, often called the seat of the fire, will be extremely damaged, possibly to the point of complete destruction. In larger structures, the seat of the fire may be buried under rubble due to intense structural damage," he says. "Aaron's essay on investigating building structure fires was unique and well thought-out," says Scott Friesen, principal consultant at IEI. "You can tell he took some time researching the topic since he used various examples and statistical information to support what he wrote," Friesen says. Kofsky sees himself in the next 10 years working at a company that develops robotics. "I'd like to help bring technologies like self-driving cars to fruition," Kofsky says. "I'm impressed with Aaron's determination and where he wants to go in life," Friesen says. "We wish him the best in his future studies." IEI understands how valuable a college education is and also the expense that goes along with it. The scholarship contest is a win for both IEI and the student since it allows the firm to give back to the community. Those applying for the bi-annual scholarship contest don't have to live within the San Diego area. Any potential or current college or university undergraduate student within the United States or Canada is able to apply. Furthermore, applicants from any major are able to apply. The next submission deadline for essays is May 1, 2018. For contest requirements or for more information about the scholarship, visit IEI's scholarship web page. About Ivey Engineering IEI is an expert witness and building systems consulting firm in San Diego, California. Established in 1994, Ivey Engineering services clients in over 40 states and in several Canadian provinces. IEI's consultants have experience in the design, construction, service and repair of HVAC, plumbing, fire sprinkler, fire alarm and life safety systems, as well as energy-efficiency related issues. To read more about Ivey Engineering and its consulting services, visit the companys website. Little Hoboken Favorite Preschool "Putting him into this Apple Montessori School was the best decision we have made! The results are in, and Apple Montessori has been named the number one preschool in the Hoboken region. Thousands of moms and families cast their votes for their favorite local businesses in the second annual Little Hoboken Awards. Apple Montessori earned the top spot in the Favorite Preschool category. This award is a recognition of the schools important role in the community. For 45 years, Apple Montessori Schools have been delivering quality education and supporting local families throughout New Jersey. Throughout those years, they have continued to innovate with ongoing teacher development programs, a diverse curriculum, and state of the art facilities. Above all, the schools commitment to its simple core principles of active learning and exploration, social and emotional development, and a nurturing environment is what makes it stand out. As one Hoboken parent, Casey Glugeth, put it, We feel Apple Montessori is the best preschool in Hoboken because our son started at Apple back in June (at about 1.5 years old) and he has completely flourished at Apple. It is truly unbelievable. The teachers and staff are so kind and really make the whole experience enjoyable for him and us parents. Sometimes he does not want to go home! Putting him into this Apple Montessori School was the best decision we have made! Were so proud to be part of such a vibrant and family-oriented community, said Joanne Mooney, President of Apple Montessori. We have always been driven to elevate the standard of education in New Jersey, and our two Hoboken schools prides themselves on giving children the best possible head start. Parents interested in learning more about Apple Montessori Schools and how its approach to education can benefit their children are encouraged to visit the schools website. Or, schedule a tour of your nearest school and see for yourself what makes Apple Montessori a local favorite. Apple Montessori also hosting a series of Open Houses January 26-February 10. About Apple Montessori Schools: Apple Montessori Schools is a family owned and operated organization committed to inspiring a life-long love of learning in all students. We offer infant, toddler, preschool/kindergarten, and elementary programs designed to nurture the whole child intellectually, socially, and emotionally. Our approach recognizes the uniqueness of every child and cultivates each students potential in a safe, caring, and supportive learning environment. Dr. Raymond Huntington, Anne Huntington, "2017 Educator of the Year," Todd Silver, and Eileen Huntington Todd is a talented, passionate teacher who cares about helping students be successful learners. We are so grateful that he is part of the Huntington team. Huntington Learning Center is proud to announce its 2017 Educator of the Year, Todd Silver, of the Huntington Learning Center in Massapequa Park, NY. Silver was named recipient of the award on January 9, 2018, at the annual Company Center Convention, which took place at the Teaneck Marriott at Glenpointe in Teaneck, NJ. The convention attendees included Huntington directors from its 35 company-owned centers, corporate and regional staff, co-founders, Chairman Dr. Ray Huntington and CEO Eileen Huntington, and Vice President, Business Development Anne Huntington. Nominations for Huntington Educator of the Year are based on a teachers commitment to the Huntington mission of giving every student the best education possible. Silver, a special education elementary school teacher, is a veteran tutor at Huntington Learning Center for 15 years, tutoring thousands of students in reading, math and other subjects. He was one of 35 nominees selected from more than 1,000 teachers at company-owned Huntington Learning Centers throughout New York and New Jersey. The 2018 convention celebrated Huntington's 41 years of helping children do better in school and praised staff members for their dedication to students, parents and students school teachers. The convention theme was creating miracles by giving every child the best education possible, which is firmly rooted in Huntingtons mission. Expert panels and roundtable discussions allowed center staff and teachers to share best practices and exchange ideas. Massapequa Parks Center Director Amanda Smith says that Silver is deeply dedicated to teaching and his students. Todd embodies what Huntington is all about, she says. He always connects with his students by finding something they both have in common. He strives to provide every one of our students the best education possible and ensures students leave the center with new tools to improve their grades and their confidence. He also makes everyone feel valued and appreciated, from his students to his fellow teachers to the full-time staff at the Massapequa Park center. Dr. Huntington says that teachers like Silver are the reason that Huntington can fulfill its mission. Todd is a talented, passionate teacher who cares about helping students be successful learners, he says. Were so grateful that he is a part of the Huntington team. He is very deserving of this honor and he is a stellar example of what we strive to be for the students we serve. About Huntington Huntington is the tutoring and test prep leader. Its certified tutors provide individualized instruction in reading, phonics, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. It preps for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Founded in 1977, Huntingtons mission is to give every student the best education possible. Learn how Huntington can help at http://www.huntingtonhelps.com. For franchise opportunities please visit http://www.huntingtonfranchise.com. Arlington has a high-touch approach with personalized attention and service. Patricia Casey, the owner, has developed a well-managed company with a stellar reputation for developing loyal customers, said Cornerstone president and CEO Steve Drexel. Cornerstone Staffing Solutions has finalized the purchase of Illinois-based Arlington Resources, Inc. (Arlington). Arlington Resources will continue to operate under its current brand name and will become a division of Cornerstone Staffing Solutions. De Bellas & Co. acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Arlington in the transaction. Transaction details were not disclosed. Arlington is headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois with staff also working in Chicago. The company provides Human Resources (HR), and Finance and Accounting professionals to customers ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies seeking temporary, temporary-to-hire, and direct hire services. Cornerstone Staffing Solutions, Inc. now has offices in California, Nevada, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Texas, and Illinois. Arlington has a high-touch approach with personalized attention and service. Patricia Casey, the owner, has developed a well-managed company with a stellar reputation for developing loyal customers, said Cornerstone president and CEO Steven Drexel. Patricia was a great partner throughout the process. I am pleased to announce she will join the Cornerstone executive team as President of the Arlington Resources Division of Cornerstone. When choosing a company to purchase a business that youve carefully grown, it was important that Cornerstones core competencies matched well with Arlingtons business philosophy, commented Patricia Casey, owner of Arlington Resources. I appreciate De Bellas & Co.s expertise in identifying the right partner for Arlington. We are grateful Steve Drexel valued my employees contributions and relationships theyve established, and it was important to him that he kept our team together. We are all very excited for the additional resources and services we can propose to our clients. About Cornerstone Staffing Solutions Cornerstone Staffing Solutions ranks among the largest staffing firms in America and received Inaveros Best of Staffing Client Award in 2016 and 2017. Since 2003, Cornerstone has grown from a neighborhood staffing provider to a national firm that employs thousands of people at hundreds of companies from coast to coast. The Company provides candidate searching and job placement for administrative, industrial, technical, sales and transportation positions. About Arlington Resources Arlington Resources was founded in 1997 by Patricia Casey. The company offers a "boutique style" approach to recruiting, talent selection and staffing of Human Resources, and Accounting and Finance Professionals (through Casey Accounting & Finance Resources) to the greater Chicago area. As a nationally accredited, best in class recruitment firm, their staff is well networked in the HR community, tenured and industry certified. The company has been awarded Inaveros Best of Staffing acknowledgement for Client Satisfaction in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, as well as Best of Staffing Talent Satisfaction for 2016 and 2017. Arlington has been listed on the Inc. 5000 list five times. About De Bellas & Co. Investment Banking De Bellas & Co. is the leading investment banking firm focused on providing merger & acquisition and other financial advisory services exclusively to the Staffing and Workforce Solutions industry. Since 1983, De Bellas has completed over 225 M&A transactions in this space. # # # Cashing in on solar isnt just for big corporations; businesses of all shapes and sizes are capitalizing on the financial opportunities of going solar. Adding a solar system can be a solution to tax woes. Whether mounted on rooftops, the ground, or parking structures, adding solar to a business has become a financial no brainer. That's why big companies like Wal-Mart, Apple, and Intel are all jumping on board. But cashing in on solar isnt just for big corporations; businesses of all shapes and sizes are capitalizing on the financial opportunities of going solar. The recently passed tax reform bill retains the most popular deduction for solar: a 30-percent Federal tax credit. This means that one can deduct 30-percent of the total cost of the system from what they owe in federal taxes. This is a straight tax credit, not based on tax bracket. For example, if one spent $100,000 for a solar system, they will get a $30,000 tax credit. This tax credit can be taken back one year, or carried forward for up to 20 years if one can't use the entire tax credit in year one. But what many people don't realize is that in addition to the federal tax credit, a business can also depreciate the solar system. Solar systems qualify for MACRS depreciation, offering up to 30-percent of the system cost in additional tax savings, depending on the tax bracket. Additionally, while adding value to a property, installing a solar system does not increase property taxes. Solar systems are exempt from property tax increases as long as they are installed on property one currently owns. If the property is sold in the future, the new owner will be assessed for the increased value. For commercial property landlords, installing solar gives one the 30-percent federal tax credit, the MACRS depreciation, and adds value to property. Plus, one can sell the solar power generated to tenants at a discounted rate, making them happy while providing an additional revenue stream for 30 plus years. Without a solar system, every dollar sent to PG&E is gone forever. Solar is a solid investment that includes a 25-year warranty on most solar panels. In those 25 years, its very possible that a business could purchase multiple solar systems with all the money it paid out to PG&E. As an example, let's say a business spends $1,200/month in PG&E bills. If the rates only increase by an average of 4% per year, it will spend $599,701 over the next 25 years. Or, as an extreme case, let's say that PG&E rates never go up for the next 25 years. The total spent on PG&E bills still comes to $360,000. Compare that with spending $100,000 on a solar system getting a $30,000 tax credit and saving another $30,000 in depreciation for a net cost of $40,000. "Heres another way of looking at it: If PG&E came and said, 'pay us for three years of power up front and well give you free power for another 22 years,' would you do it?" Mike Shaheen is a commercial and residential Paso Robles solar expert. If you would like more information about adding solar to your business or home, please call (805) 468-9030. CalSun Electric & Solar Systems Inc. 574 Spring St Paso Robles, CA 93446 United States Phone: (805) 239-0111 Press Release by San Luis Obispo SEO company Access Publishing 806 9th Street, #2D, Paso Robles, CA 93446. (805) 226-9890 Today DECO, Inc., a provider of law enforcement and military training, security solutions, and specialized technical services, announced that Chief Executive Officer, Derek J. Dorr, has acquired company shares owned by founder and Chairman Robert A. Dorr. With DECOs recent contract wins we have secured healthy, continued growth for the coming years which stands to exceed all projections. Robert, my leadership team, and I all felt this was the best time to complete the transition in ownership. After being out of day-to-day operations for years, he is ready to fully step out of the business and into full retirement, said Derek Dorr. My leadership team is poised to effect sustained growth in the near and long term. With renewed market optimism fueled by increased defense spending, tax reform, and a shift back to best value contract evaluations, DECO is in an optimal market position for continued success, Dorr added. The acquisition of Roberts interest makes Derek the sole owner of DECO after over 20 years with the company. As the sole owner, Derek will transition into the role of Chairman and is proud to announce the following key appointments to the management team: Jeff Gibson, Chief Executive Officer Formerly DECOs President, Jeff Gibson has been with DECO since 2009 and has been instrumental in orchestrating the companys steady growth and position as a leader in the training industry. As a retired U.S. Navy SEAL officer and an experienced executive, Gibson possesses nearly 30 years of leadership experience in the defense industry and military space. Gibson is a graduate of the University of Missouri, and holds a masters degree from the John M. Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis. Brad Gresham, Chief Operating Officer Brad Gresham joined DECO in 2017 as Senior Vice President, bringing with him 25 years of management and operations experience. His background and experience include military service as a U.S. Navy SEAL, international Fortune 100 business leadership, and defense industry leadership and consulting. Gresham is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, and possesses a masters degree from the John M. Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis. Alexander Monroe, Chief Financial Officer Alexander Monroe joined DECO in April 2017, bringing with him more than 15 years of corporate finance and investment banking experience, as well as having led corporate development groups for two Fortune 100 companies. As the CFO, he will be responsible for overseeing accounting, finances, and financial risk management of the company. Monroe holds a masters degree in international finance from the Thunderbird School of Global Management. About DECO Founded more than 30 years ago, DECO, Inc. is a leading global provider in law enforcement and military training, security solutions, and other technical services to the United States Government. With headquarters in Minneapolis, MN and operations out of Virginia Beach, VA DECO has a global presence in over 75 counties. DECO specializes in providing personnel that excel in challenging environments where every action demands strict accountability, situational awareness, and unique knowledge applied from years of leadership. DECO provides uniquely qualified law enforcement and military veterans to meet our customers training, security, and technical requires wherever they are needed in the world. They utilize their significant global footprint and deep bench of experts to design and deliver high quality, turnkey solutions in dynamic locations deemed important to U.S. security interest in an impactful, sustainable, and accountable manner. For more information, please contact: Stephanie Magyera Semanko, Vice President of Business Development ssemanko(at)deco-inc.com. 800-968-9114, ext 115 WCX is designed to give attendees critical insights on the latest technology and regulations for powertrain, propulsion, emission, safety and electronics to maintain a competitive advantage. - Jim Forlenza, SAEs Group Director of Engineering Events SAE International's WCX World Congress Experience, the three-day event that unites the best talent in the worldwide mobility industry, is pleased to announce that automotive industry veterans Bob Lutz, former Vice Chairman at General Motors and Kenneth (Ken) Kelzer, General Motors Vice President, Global Vehicle Components and Subsystems, will lend their insights and expertise as keynote speakers at the April 10-12, 2018 event. The 2018 WCX will stage in Detroit, the heart of the Motor City, the perfect backdrop to host this group of industry professionals. WCX is designed to give attendees critical insights on the latest technology and regulations for powertrain, propulsion, emission, safety and electronics to maintain a competitive advantage, said Jim Forlenza, SAEs Group Director of Engineering Events. With Bob and Ken joining as keynote speakers, the need to attend has been elevated. This is a unique and coveted opportunity to to hear these two industry leaders who are eager to share their history and experience, and will provide their predictions and guidance as we enter a new era of automotive manufacturing. The full spectrum of mobility professionals will converge at WCX for expert insight, revolutionary inspiration and technological innovation that keynote speakers Lutz and Kelzer will share. They are thought leaders with their finger on the pulse of market trends and directions. Their leadership will provide insight into the future of mobility that will lend to future innovations within the event attendees organizations. Bob Lutz has enjoyed a robust 50-year tenure in the automotive industry, leaving an indelible mark on all three of the big US automakers. Most recently Lutz retired as Vice Chairman at GM, where he was noted for reinvigorating its vehicle lineupleading the renaissance of fresh, bold designs and performance engineering in US cars. Lutz is the author of the New York Times bestseller, Car Guys vs. Bean Counters. Car Guys was chosen for the Financial Times/Goldman Sachs Best Business Book of 2011 long list. His latest book is Icons and Idiots: Straight Talk on Leadership is a management manifesto, chronicling colleagues that made the strongest impression on him throughout his career. Additionally, Lutz is a contributing writer to Forbes and Road & Track. Ken Kelzer, currently GM Vice President, GM Global Vehicle Components and Subsystems, leads engineering operations, components development, advanced vehicle development, and other engineering business initiatives. Most recently, Kelzer was Vice President GM Europe Powertrain Engineering, where he oversaw European powertrain operations. Kelzer began his GM career as a student intern from 1982-1984, and was hired on as a college graduate in training in 1985, and was quickly promoted to project engineer a year later. After rotating through several engineering positions of increasing responsibility at Chevrolet and Pontiac, and Midsize and Luxury vehicles, he was promoted to Director, Chassis, HVAC, Electrical and Operations at the Canadian Regional Engineering Center in Oshawa, Ontario in August 2002. Upon returning to Michigan two years later, he was named Director of Vehicle Performance at the Milford Proving Grounds. Kelzer is GMs key executive for the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, and represents GM on the board of PATAC (Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center), and also is a board member of the Michigan Science Center. Video from last years event will provide an overview of what to expect in 2018: wcx18.org/video-gallery/. For more information and to register, visit http://www.sae.org/wcx. Journalists and members of the media can request credentials by emailing pr@sae.org or calling 724-772-8522. About SAE International SAE International is a global association committed to being the ultimate knowledge source for the engineering profession. By uniting over 127,000 engineers and technical experts, we drive knowledge and expertise across a broad spectrum of industries. We act on two priorities: encouraging a lifetime of learning for mobility engineering professionals and setting the standards for industry engineering. We strive for a better world through the work of our philanthropic SAE Foundation, including programs like A World in Motion and the Collegiate Design Series. For more information: http://www.sae.org/. At the Closing. (Left to Right: Anastasia Polles, Mark Smith, Marianna Polles) With their help, it will allow us to move onto the next chapter in our lives. - Anastasia Polles Performance Brokerage Services, a new car and Harley-Davidson dealership broker is pleased to announce the sale of Sweetwater Harley-Davidson in National City, California from mother and daughter, Marianna and Anastasia Polles to Mark Smith. Sweetwater Harley-Davidson was established in 1985 the Tom Horning. Tom formed the first H.O.G. Chapter in California, which is nearly 30 years running. He also helped to establish the Tijuana Toy Run, which is the worlds largest international toy run. Sweetwater Harley-Davidson was the first dealership to feature an in-house tattoo studio on the West Coast and the first dealership to hold a biker church, named the Biker Breakfast. Tom passed in 2008 and left the dealership to his wife and daughter, Marianna and Anastasia Polles. Following the sale, Marianna shared, Tom was out riding and came home one day in 1984 and said, I bought a Harley-Davidson dealership!, which became South Coast Harley-Davidson in a little 2,300 square foot dealership on Main Street in Chula Vista. A few years later, they expanded into a 15,000 sq. ft. facility on E Street. In March 2008, Tom and his family opened his dream Harley-Davidson dealership with the Grand Opening of Sweetwater Harley-Davidson in National City. The 43,000 sq. ft. dealership features and 8,000 sq. ft. upper deck with an executive office, roof access with tables, benches and room for major events for customers while overlooking San Diego County. Unfortunately, Tom Horning passed away in April 2008, just a month after his grand opening, though Marianna and Anastasia continued to operate the dealership in his vision focusing on innovation and community giveback. Anastasia was quoted after the sale, This was a very difficult and stressful transaction, but George Chaconas was able to help and guide us through the process. Without Georges expertise and tenacity, we would not have been successful. We also want to thank his assistant, Jennifer Malcolm, as she was a lifesaver. With their help, it will allow us to move onto the next chapter in our lives. Mark Smith, the new owner of Sweetwater Harley-Davidson, is bringing tremendous experience to National City. A motorcycle enthusiast since 1992 when he built his first Sportster, Mark Smith also owns and operates Orange County Harley-Davidson in Irvine, California, Harley-Davidson of Fort Worth, Texas and Stampede Harley-Davidson in Burleson, Texas, which was awarded to Mark as a new location in 2015. That was the first newly added point in 8 years. After the purchase of Sweetwater Harley-Davidson, Mark Smith shared, This is the second Harley-Davidson dealership that we were able to acquire with the help of George Chaconas and Juan Pardo of Performance Brokerage Services. I am very grateful that they assisted with this exciting opportunity to expand our footprint in Southern California. They were very professional and helped tremendously with a sensitive, multi-generation family. If it was not for their patience and follow up, this deal would not have happened. Thank you very much and I look forward to working with you guys again. The dealership will operate under its new name Coronado Beach Harley-Davidson. Mark intends to rebuild the local ridership community and add the EagleRider Motorcycle Rentals & Tours, as well as a Riders Academy. George C. Chaconas, the exclusive agent for this transaction and the head of the National Harley-Davidson and Powersports Division for Performance Brokerage Services commented, I am privileged to have been involved in such life changing events. Marianna and Anastasia have selected the perfect buyer in Mark Smith to carry on their familys legacy. About Performance Brokerage Services Performance Brokerage Services, an auto dealership broker, specializes in professional intermediary services to buyers and sellers of automotive, Harley-Davidson and Powersports dealerships. The company offers a different approach to the automotive, Harley-Davidson and Powersports industries by providing complimentary dealership assessments, no upfront fees, no reimbursement of costs and is paid a success fee only. Performance Brokerage Services gets paid only after the client gets paid. With over 25 years of experience, the company utilizes an extensive network of industry related accountants, attorneys, hundreds of registered buyers and enjoys longstanding relationships with most of the auto manufacturers and the Harley-Davidson Motor Company. The intermediaries at Performance Brokerage Services have been involved in well over 600 transactions. Pledging loyal and unwavering representation, confidentiality is vigilantly protected during the selling process and after the transaction closes. With corporate offices in Irvine, California, six regional offices in Utah, Florida, Texas, New Jersey, Alberta and Ontario, and a dedicated Harley-Davidson and Powersports Division, Performance Brokerage Services provides its clients national exposure with local representation. For more information about the services offered by Performance Brokerage Services, visit https://performancebrokerageservices.com. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: According to reports by eNCA, the ANCs National Executive Committee (NEC) have resolved to ask Zuma to resign and if he refused, he would be forced to step down by all the six powerful blocs in the party. If this happens, Zuma will be the second president that would be ousted by his own party. The first was Robert Mugabe who was forced to step down by the military with the full support of ZANU-PF, Zimbabwes ruling party. However, ANC spokeswoman described the reports as rumour. We cant confirm rumours of things that we dont know. The NEC has issued a statement on the totality of discussions yesterday. News24 also reported that a member of ANC's NEC, who craved anonymity, told its reporters that the decision to oust Zuma is a collective one by the top echelon of the party. Zumas second term as president of South Africa has been tainted with corruption allegations. Although, he denied all of them. Efia Odo on Friday shared a photo of herself dressed all blue, her nipples showing from her transparent bra, her mini skirt revealing her thighs. "Time heals all," was all she wrote. This is not the first time the controversial actress has gone nude. Last year, she shared a photo posed in relatively provocative manner on a weaved couch. The photo shows the sides of her butt and boobs as well as she wears a seductive face in it. This story might just make you CRY... Literally. This story is saddening, saddening because the lady in question may or may not be able to conceive again. Saddening because some men are truly scum and also because a lover was not only fooled but a close friend was used to fill the gap. Life! More.In the year 2009, Ms. J who resides in Abuja, rounded up her Secondary School studies and like many other Nigerian fresh high school graduates, she attempted JAMB. (For readers who arent familiar with our great countrys education system, Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) is a Nigerian entrance examination board for tertiary-level institutions.The board conducts entrance examinations for prospective undergraduates into Nigerian universities. Of course, she was a very smart girl, so she passed with a good score (297 to be precise) and luckily for her, she was shortlisted for PUME (An examination conducted by Universities to further screen candidates).Fast forward to her journey to the West, she was to stay with her aunt for her PUME and like every concerned Nigerian parent, they had instructed her aunt (fathers youngest sister) to make sure she read thoroughly for her PUME which was suppose to hold in few days. But truly, they didnt even need to go that far, because she was a serious-bookworm, a bookworm who intentionally bereft herself from the pleasures of hanging out or making friends but made sure her books followed her wherever she went to!In fact, she was the Library perfect in her Secondary School days (I forgot to chip that in, earlier.) Few days after flying into town, it was time for her to yet again make her family proud. Her aunt drove her to the University. It was the University for the big boys and girls.The University where things happen... The University where all dem ladies loved packaging themselves. She went in for her PUME and came out with smiles. She knew she had worked her usual magic and was very certain her first attempt into University was a done-deal.She had asked and begged her parents to let her stay with her aunt for a while, so as to chill with her (her aunt wasnt married by the way).Her parents agreed, after all, she was with her closest relative they thought, it wouldnt be so nice to just let her breeze in for her PUME then out immediately shes done. Give the girl some breathing space, they thought. Her aunt was an entrepreneur who had a thriving Digital Agency, which was quite popular. She had a staff strength of about 25. One day, Ms. J asked that she followed her to the office, and she obliged. That was the day everything started changing! She met Mr. J in her aunts company. He was a part-time staff in the agency and right after her meeting with him, things took a drastic turn. In fact, it was love at first sight for her. According to her, Mr J had everything she ever wanted in a guy. He did not only tickle her fancy, he also took her to cloud 9 by just gazing. (The question would be, what does a 17-year-old book-worm know about tickling fancy right??).. Well,One thing led to another, they started communicating, and all through the five weeks she stayed at her aunts, she always followed her to her workplace and the times she stayed back home as a result of her menstrual cramps, she informed Mr. J, so he called in sick, didnt show up at work but went to chill with, comfort and caress her. At that point, she was over the moon. To her, no one had ever shown her such care during her painful moments. This happened for 3 days and right under her aunts supervision. She got excited when she got to realise that he was in the same university she applied and wrote her PUME. He was a second-year student who decided to make extra cash by running a part-time job in Ms. Js aunts digital agency.. It meant one thing, they will be closer if she eventually got admission into the University.It was time for her to fly back to Abuja, they said their goodbyes over the phone and she begged that he continued communicating. This, they did and when the list came out, she was accepted into the University to study Law (Her first choice).Fast-forward to when she got into Uni: Ms. J had convinced her parents that, she wanted an accommodation in campus. She told them that it would be easier for her to be more focused with her studies, easier to access the schools library, study there and also, easier for her to attend lectures on time because her aunts place was quite a distance from the University and the usual traffic will be stressful. Her parents okayed it and sent her funds for her hostel accommodation but unbeknownst to them, she did this so as not to be supervised by her aunt and also, to be free to be with her Mr. J (Young love).In her first year, second semester, on her birthday to be precise, Mr. J asked her to be his girl, of which she agreed to and that indeed, changed the course of her destiny. She was so in love with Mr. J that she became his mother, care-taker, lover, financial adviser, helper, money lender, money-dasher, bill-footer and the list goes on. (By the way, she was from a very rich family, so money was truly never her problem).She did everything for and with him and maybe, just maybe thats why he decided to take her for granted. Three days after her birthday, he begged her to come over and spend the night at his place (He shared a room with his friend). They had planned to make love that night. Of course, this was her first time, and she was very much okay giving her body to her first love. Things were going great, her clothes off, about getting a lubricant then a knock on the door was heard. It was his roommate. He had come back from a fellowship. The time was some minutes past 8pm.Though he had informed and begged his roommate to chill in another room that night, his roommate didnt oblige. (His roommate was one of those overly-not soggy guys), so he had messed up their plans big time! So many pleas from Mr. J fell on deaf ears and he actually insisted on lying on the same bed as the girl and Mr. J.. In his own words, I pay the same amount of money with you, so I have to sleep on the bed. Crazy right?. Yes! Every plan they had was shattered, she had to leave the room and head back to her hostel because the bed was not big enough to accommodate three people. Luckily, his apartment wasnt so far from the hostel.Four days after the incident, Ms. J paid in a huge sum of money into her boyfriends account and asked him to get a well-furnished accommodation. The decision to do this was made after she consulted her closest friend on campus, Titi. Titi happened to be her bonk mate and also, course-mate. Mr. J, after series of refusal to accept her offer, later obliged (After all, it was beneficial to both of them). He got a house, very comfortable, got furniture and also, got a generator. The money was that much that her could get all these and have some more change for running aroundThe night after he had settled into the new house, his wash-night plan was to deflower her. He made love to her (at least, that is what she thought). From that moment, she became his sex doll. Every time and everyday, hed control her to his house for sex. Sometimes during her lectures, he will keep buzzing her till she finally decides to leave class for his apartment. He even suggested that she moved in with him, to stay from Monday to Fridays since she normally spends the weekend at her aunts. She accepted this, thinking it was in her own best interest. At least, everyone would know it is official So, she thought.His fourth year was a bit rough for him. He had quit his part-time job in Ms. Js aunts place to fully concentrate in school, and for the fact that he was the first of five kids from a broken home and his mum did menial jobs to sustain herself and the kids, help from home wasnt forthcoming. He was sad to say the least but Ms. J became his knight and shinning armour. She would make sure he lacked nothing, I mean nothing at all. Ms. J always got an excess of N70,000 monthly allowance from home, so shed keep N20,000+ for herself and give N50,000 to her boyfriend. (It is noteworthy to mention that Mr. J was paid N50K monthly for his part-time job he quit).Meaning, she started paying the exact same amount he was receiving when he was still working.. (Indeed, she truly loved this lad). Shed use N20,000+ to take care of herself. Deprived herself of the things she normally used which were expensive and because she didnt want her parents thinking about how she suddenly developed a lavish lifestyle, she never asked that they topped her monetary-allowance.Mr. J was living the life. Now he could afford to spend without thinking of how the money was made. Flexing at the detriment of his bae. Drinking, smoking and even womanising.. His true colours started showing but she still loved him, regardless. Prior to his fourth year, after deflowering her, he normally wore a condom each time he wanted to have sex with her, but, after his fourth year; the second semester, he insisted they go raw. This caused a strain in their relationship because Ms. J didnt want it but he insisted that if she truly loved him, she would oblige.They had a serious fight over this, so she went back to her accommodation in school, once again, confided in Titi (who eventually became her best friend in Uni). Titi advised that she give in because she had already given a lot to the relationship and it will be dumb for her to lose him because of sex. And like always, she agreed. Days after their fight, she went to his house to apologise but met a girl there. A 300L Law student who she recognised (She would later discover he had sex with her and many others too). Bae begged silly that night, cried her eyes off, cried like a pikin just so he could forgive her for refusing to have sex without a condom. But my guy refused. It took the intervention of Titi, who came to his house to subdue the whole tension and issue.Titi had played her part, time for her to go, he asked that he gets her number just so as to be able to reach Ms.J through her incase Ms.Js phone is switched off. Ms. J, reluctantly accepted (She couldnt do much at this point, because she didnt want another issue and for the fact that Titi was her closest friend and the reason why things didnt fall apart, she just kept mum in the background). Sex was like free food for Mr. J and his PULL OUT GAME was LAME! That same year, she had 3 abortions for him (3 abortions in one year) and each time she aborted, hed promise that he would be careful next time.Mr. J in his final year, had issues with some courses, so he automatically had an extra year. Ms J was in her 4th year now, and about to graduate. Her grades had somewhat nose-dived because of the stress in her relationship. Things werent going as planned anymore and it now looked like she was just a sex-doll for him, yet, she still had hope that he loved her. That same year, she had another 3 abortions, and on her sixth attempt, she almost died of complications. In fact, the doctor said he wont be involved in any abortion case concerning her, anymore. She almost bled to death. It was at this point she started re-thinking life.(But this didnt last for long because she was blinded by love)Just like her boyfriend, she had issues with some courses and had to re-sit. That year saw her G.P fall like an Iroko tree. She started struggling with average grades in almost all papers. Her boyfriend finally graduated with a 2.1 after sorting some lecturers (money he got from his bae) and was posted to Abuja for his NYSC. She was ecstatic after hearing about this because she had planned to relocate full time to Abuja immediately after the completion of her studies. Her law school was already prepped by her parents in Abuja. (They were that influential).Titi had graduated before her and left the university to her base in Oyo State. She regularly spoke to her concerning lifes matters and most importantly, issues between her and her bae Even after graduating, Ms. J was still financially responsible for him and the funny thing is, after four years of dating, he never for once even introduced her to his nuclear family. (He always had an excuse each time she raised the topic. Always!) After 3 weeks in Kubwa camp, and getting his Place of Primary Assignment (PPA), he headed back to Lagos to see his family and also, Ms. J. Unbeknownst to her, he actually came to see her so she could help him raise some money to rent a boys quarters (BQ) he found which was close to his primary assignment.The sum was quite much, but she just had to raise it so he could be comfortable in Abuja, she did the usual, sent funds to his account. After that day, he was coming to their lodge for steady knacks.. She fell pregnant again! And like always, was asked to do the needful which she reluctantly did. (Her 7th abortion in 4 years). Because their regular abortion-expert doctor refused to do the D&C, they had to travel all the way to another state to flush it. Titi had recommended a good doctor. After the successful D&C, the doctor made it known to her that, she might not be able to bear a child again because her womb may have been affected. And she decided to share this vital information with her best friend, Titi (Ladies, keeping to yourself helps a whole lot).Fast forward to her graduation and relocation back to Abuja: Titi had started her Law School earlier and was based in Abuja too, a stone-throw from Mr.Js house. In fact, Ms. J was aware they sometimes visited themselves. Ms. J begged her friend to help with foodstuffs for her bae, which she obliged. Their bond became stronger, then the long-overdue affection began to manifest. Titi had made it known that she always had feelings for him since University days and was jealous of her his relationship with Ms. J. Mr J also, made it known that he felt the same way and though he never buzzed her after collecting her digit way back in school, his main intention was to get to know her better but couldnt because he somewhat had Ms.J full time at home and didnt want to arouse suspicion.Titi decided to spill the beans on her best friends inability to bear a child and immediately Mr. J heard it, he found a LEVERAGE to leave her. Citing that, he definitely wont be with her anymore because what he is looking for right now is a WIFE MATERIAL. When Ms. J came back to Abuja, she noticed Mr. J had changed towards her, and in fact, each time they had sex, he always wore a condom, cold shoulders, lackadaisical attitude towards her and rarely even called or checked up on her but still, she was still giving him his regular pay check on a monthly (50k). Three months gone, his behaviour worsened, it was clearer to her that she probably had lost his love. So one day, she decided to show up at his, unannounced. Lo and behold, she met bae with Titi, lying down in his bed,. Stark Naked! (My question at this point was, since he heard a knock on his door and most likely verified it was Ms. J, why didnt he ask Titi to dress up? At least, even if she had her clothes on, she wont have been really fussed!)..The answer I got was; maybe they were tired of hiding and didnt care anymore. She was greeted with a smile from her supposed BEST FRIEND and before she could say a word, Mr. J said, I broke up with you long ago, I broke up with you the very day I was told you may not be able to bear children. How will I marry a barren woman? Right there and then, she knew Titi was behind this but all she could do was sob and leave 5+ years of her life gone, 5+ years of so many sacrifices for Mr. J, 5+ years of giving her all for the relationship. 5+ years gone to the drain.. 5 + years! All these flooded her thoughts. As I write this, Ms. J is out of the country and an IV for Titi and Mr. Js wedding has flooded Social Media. Titi and her Ms.Js ex dated for a year+ and decided to tie the knot. Mr. J now works in a big Engineering Firm in PortHarcourt while Titi just finished her NYSC.The wedding is for 27th, January What a life! In order to escape the hardship known to Nigerians in their country, Harry and his friend Denis who was accompanied by his girlfriend, Rita, left the shores of Nigeria in April 2016, but what lied ahead was far more grievous, which ensured the death of the latter, the only woman in their group. The 40-year-old man told the Vanguard News in an interview his experience in the hands of Libyan human traffickers. "My friend, Denis, said I could travel to Europe if I could raise at least N500,000. He told me that he was also trying to raise same amount for an agent that would facilitate it. I had to sell all my property, including the parcel of land I acquired at Ogudu Bale area of Ogun state. But I could only raise N350,000 at the end. Denis was able to raise N300,000 while his girlfriend, Rita, had N250,000. The agent said he would complete the money but that we would pay him the balance when we got to Libya. When asked how, he said he would introduce us to someone, who would get us a job and that after paying his balance, we would proceed to Europe. We bought gala, garri and bread and also bought two bags of sachet water as advised by the agent and left Lagos for Kano. On arriving the border between Kano and Niger, the agent told us to bring N7000 out of the money with us. As we approached the border, a Customs officer came, collected the money from us and asked us to wait until he gave the directive for us to cross thorough a bush path. Finally, we arrived Qatrun, the first state in Libya. We were taken to a connection house. In that connection house were tranke which are camps where migrants who do not have the needed amount to continue the journey are kept. On the first day at the Tranke, we were welcomed with good food. But at night, they began a roll call and separated those who had completed payment from those who hadnt. Of course, myself, Denis and Rita were in the disadvantaged group. At this point, the agent was nowhere to be found. In fact we were all confused as to what to do next. At this connection house, the head is called Capon. We also had OC Torture. The Capo collects relatives number and demand money for captives to continue their journey. It was at that point that I got to know that Rita did not tell her parents she was traveling. When she was given the phone to speak with her mother, we overheard her crying. Ritas parents sent N150,000, which covered three of us. We thought we were free, not knowing that the horror had only just begun. From Qatrun, we were moved to Sahba, in Western Libya, where the main tranke called Ali ghetto is located. It is close to the University of Sahba. It was a place of no return. From there, you are expected to pay another sum to cross to another connection house in Inias, from where you will embark on the sea trip to Europe. When they demanded for more money, Rita said she would like to go back home. But they insisted that she must pay before going back. Immediately we got there, they collected our international passports and tore them. They said they dont allow people to embark on the sea trip with anything except the clothes on them. In my excitement, I called my people in Lagos and they sent N150,000. Unfortunately, it could only take me , as Denis and Rita did not have money to cross the second huddle. Instead of leaving them behind, I kept my money and decided to wait until their relations could send money to them. Ritas parents called to say that they had no money. Immediately the call was received, Rita was chained to an iron rod where White Libyans came and took turns to rape her. This continued for two weeks without food . In one of the instances, Denis stood up to challenge one of the men but he had his ear chopped off with a hot iron rod that was plugged to a socket. On the day she died, five boys first came, had their turns with her and left. At that point, she could only stare into space. Ten minutes later, another set of young men came to have their turn. It was when the third person was on her that she was discovered to be motionless. Her body was there for two days before it was removed," the narrator recounted. ALSO READ: Emotional Libya deportee kneels on airport tarmac to thank God The Vice President of the Republic, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, on Friday, 19th January, 2018, left Ghana for the United Kingdom for medical leave, on advice of his doctors. He was accompanied by the 2nd Lady, Hajia Samira Bawumia, a statement said. Multiple media reports said he was treated and discharged Friday evening and was asked by his doctor to take a rest. A statement earlier confirming the travel of the Vice President to the UK was denied by the Director Communications at the Flagstaff House, Eugune Arhin. In a Facebook, described the statement writing a statement giving an update on the Bawumia's health status. READ MORE: GMA petitioned to punish pathologist in JB Danquah case Formal charges are expected to be filed Wednesday against a Marshall man who police said shot and killed a Sun Prairie man, then hid his body in a self-storage locker in Rio. Daniel Lieske, 59, appeared in Dane County Circuit Court on Friday on tentative charges of first-degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse, for the death Monday night of Jesse Faber, 21, at a gathering in the town of Medina. Faber was reported missing on Tuesday, and a search for him was to commence again Thursday morning, until his body was found following a search of the storage unit by Dane County investigators on Wednesday night. Our information in the case is that the defendant was standing over the defenseless victim, four shots were heard and verified, Assistant District Attorney Timothy Helmberger said in court Friday. The defendant went to great lengths to conceal the crime and the body for 15 hours, including engaging with law enforcement and the family of the deceased during the search. Sheriff Dave Mahoney said on Thursday that Faber was shot during a confrontation at a gathering at Lieskes home in the 5600 block of Box Elder Road in the town of Medina, about 1.5 miles southeast of Marshall. Rio, where Storage Solutions is located, is about 30 miles northwest of Marshall. Faber was reported missing after he didnt return from the party Monday night. Attorney Tim Verhoff, appearing with Lieske on Friday, said there was a suggestion in a probable cause affidavit prepared by investigators that Lieske may have been acting in self-defense. But Dane County Court Commissioner Brian Asmus said that while that claim was made, some of the things that are also in the probable cause affidavit undermine that argument. Asmus noted that the affidavit describes how Fabers body was wrapped in plastic and disposed of elsewhere, arguably not all that consistent with somebody who is threatened with their life and took action. He said, however, that will be for another day and a trial and a jury to determine, but it reflects on arguments for setting bail. The Wisconsin State Journal has asked for a copy of the probable cause affidavit, but it was not immediately made available. Helmberger asked for $2 million bail, while Verhoff asked for $100,000. Asmus set bail at $350,000 and ordered that if Lieske posts the bail, he is released directly to someone from the Dane County Bail Monitoring Program. He also ordered that Lieske have no contact with any member of Fabers family. Lieske will return to court for an initial appearance on Wednesday. If he posts bail, that court appearance will instead happen on Feb. 1. Dr Adusei on January 4, 2018, told a court in Accra that he could not find the report after thieves ransacked his house. According to Dr Adusei, all the autopsy reports in his possession had been stolen and he cannot say specifically whether the late MPs own was part. A petition to the GMA from the Enso Nyameye Chambers of the Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Obiri Boahen, described the conduct of Dr Edusei not only as reprehensible, but also unacceptable. The petition said that the trial had suffered numerous adjournments thereby, stultifying the committal proceedings, all because of the conduct of Dr Edusei. I have been attending court proceedings, and I have been doing so by watching brief for the NPP, sympathizers, friends and relatives of the assassinated MP and I am ever ready to appear in person to proffer much information and evidence, the petition signed by Obiri Boahen said. READ MORE: Magistrate fumes over delay in ruling READ MORE: Ankaful prisoners defraud woman The Mercedes Benz cargo truck with registration number GT 6675 was loaded with copra from the Nzema area heading to Accra. The driver of the car, Emmanuel Asamoah, 43, reportedly went into hiding initially after the incident but has been arrested by the police. The remains of the G/LCpl Animon has been deposited at the Winneba Trauma Hospital for onward transfer to the Police Hospital in Accra. READ MORE: All 216 District Directors transferred According to a police situational report, the truck which was loaded with copra dangerously and recklessly ran over the metal barricade. The Vice President is said to be at his Kanda residence in Accra, according to a news report by Accra-based Citi fm, after he was under medical observation by his doctors. Multiple media report say he has been advised to take some rest. Earlier, a statement issued by the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, said the Vice President reported feeling unwellin the early hours of Friday. He said:"in exercise of the power conferred on the Speaker by Order 42(3) of the standing orders of the Parliament of Ghana, I, Honourable Joseph Osei-Owusu, first Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Pursuant to order 13(2) do hereby summon Parliament to sit on Sunday, 21st January, 2018 at half past two oclock in the afternoon at Parliament House, Accra for the swearing in of the right Honourable Speaker as acting President of the Republic in accordance with article 60(11) and (12) of the 1992 constitution." While the deadly protests that erupted in the Palestinian territories at the time have subsided, concerns are mounting over the future of the UN aid agency for Palestinians (UNRWA). Washington has frozen tens of millions of dollars of funding for the cash-strapped body, putting at risk operations to feed, teach and heal hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees. The Palestinian leadership, already furious over the Jerusalem decision, has denounced the US administration and had already refused to meet Pence in December. But the vice president's press secretary, Alyssa Farah, said he would still meet the leaders of Egypt, Jordan and Israel on the high-stakes four-day tour. Pence will arrive in Cairo on Saturday for talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi before travelling to Amman for a one-on-one meeting with King Abdullah II on Sunday. Key security partners The leaders of both countries, the only Arab states that have peace treaties with Israel, would be key players if US mediators ever manage to get a revived Israeli-Palestinian peace process off the ground, as Trump says he wants. They are also key intelligence-sharing and security partners in America's various covert and overt battles against Islamist extremism in the region and Egypt is a major recipient of aid to help it buy advanced US military hardware. Sisi, one of Trump's closest allies in the region, had urged the US president before his Jerusalem declaration "not to complicate the situation in the region by taking measures that jeopardise the chances of peace in the Middle East". Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Egypt's highest institution of Sunni Islam, cancelled a meeting with Pence in protest at the Jerusalem decision. The head of Egypt's Coptic Church, Pope Tawadros II, did the same, saying Trump's move "did not take into account the feelings of millions of Arab people." After Jordan -- the custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem -- Pence will head to Israel for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. He will also deliver a speech to parliament and meet President Reuven Rivlin during the two-day visit. Pence can expect a warm welcome after Trump's decision on Jerusalem, which Israelis and Palestinians alike interpreted as Washington taking Israel's side in the dispute over the city. Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967 and later annexed east Jerusalem in a move never recognised by the international community. Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its united capital, while the Palestinians see the eastern sector as the capital of their future state. The international community considers east Jerusalem illegally occupied by Israel and currently all countries have their embassies in the commercial capital Tel Aviv. 'Matter of years' The State Department has begun to plan the sensitive move of the US embassy to Jerusalem, a process that US diplomats say may take years to complete. This week reports surfaced that Washington may temporarily designate the US consulate general in Jerusalem as the embassy while the search for a secure and practical site for a long-term mission continues. This could prove just as controversial as building a new embassy, however, as the building currently serves as the US mission to the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. And the facility sits astride the "Green Line" that divides Jerusalem. A senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has yet to make a decision on either a permanent or interim location for the mission. "That is a process that takes, anywhere in the world, time. Time for appropriate design, time for execution. It is a matter of years and not weeks or months," he said. The Turkish army has over the last two days shelled camps and refuges used by the People's Protection Units (YPG) militia in response to fire from the militia group, which Turkey deems to be a terror organisation. "The Afrin operation has de-facto been started on the ground," Erdogan said in a televised speech in the city of Kutahya, without elaborating. "This will be followed by Manbij," he added, referring to another Kurdish-controlled Syrian town to the east. Turkey accuses the YPG of being the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has waged a rebellion in the Turkish southeast for more than three decades and is regarded as a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies. But the YPG has been the key ally of Turkey's fellow NATO member the United States in the fight against Islamic State jihadists, playing a key role in pushing the extremists out of their Syrian strongholds. 'Needs Moscow's blessing' AFP correspondents in the area around the Turkish border village of Sugedigi in Hatay province saw several more Turkish military vehicles heading south to the border. But it was still unclear what form a Turkish ground operation will take amid considerable political and military risks. Turkey from August 2016 to March 2017 pushed into Syria in its more than half-year Euphrates Shield operation in an area to the east of Afrin against both YPG and IS. Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad warned on Thursday that the Syrian air force could destroy any Turkish warplanes used in the new offensive. Analysts say that crucial for any major ground operation will be approval from Moscow which has a military presence in the area and a cordial relationship with the YPG. With conspicuous timing, Turkey's army chief General Hulusi Akar and spy chief Hakan Fidan were in Moscow on Thursday for talks with Russian counterparts on Syria. "A full Turkish air and ground offensive will not take place without Moscow's blessing," said Anthony Skinner, Director MENA at global risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft, adding a full Turkish campaign is "not inevitable". Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported Friday afternoon that Russian military personnel in the Afrin area were withdrawing from their positions but Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later issued a strong denial. 'Won't serve regional stability' Meanwhile the Turkish threats of an intervention have also raised eyebrows in Washington, which has backed the YPG as it dislodged IS and gained control of the swathe of northern Syria up to the Iraqi border. The YPG-held enclave of Afrin marks the westernmost extent of its control and Turkey wants to make sure it is kept well to the east of the Euphrates River. "We do not believe that a military operation... serves the cause of regional stability, Syrian stability, or indeed Turkish concerns about the security of their border," a senior US State Department official said on Friday. Skinner said a Turkish operation would be a "serious blow" for the US-led coalition in Syria which still depended heavily on the YPG to stabilise the area after the ousting of IS from major towns. But Erdogan accused the United States of not keeping its past promises that the YPG would clear out of Manbij. "The promises made to us over Manbij were not kept. So nobody can object if we do what is necessary," said Erdogan, threatening to pursue the operations up to the Iraqi border. Erdogan had reacted furiously this week to an announcement of plans to create a US-backed 30,000-strong border security force in northern Syria composed partly of YPG fighters, describing it as an "army of terror". US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson later said the "entire situation has been mis-portrayed, mis-described", admitting "we owe them (Turkey) an explanation. But Erdogan appeared to scoff at the mixed messages and lashed out at American military support for the YPG. "My four-year-old son is terrified every time he hears the sound of an airplane," said Nisrin, a housewife in Afrin who asked that her real name not be used. "What crime did he commit, that he has to live in terror? This boy who has seen nothing of life yet?" When the bombing began, Nisrin and her relatives rushed to hide in a lower level of the building, following instructions issued by the Kurdish authorities. "We'd prepared our basements to protect our children and young people, and also stocked up on essentials like milk and medicine for the children and elderly, who can't handle this," Nisrin added. Turkey and allied Syrian rebels on Saturday began an air and ground operation, dubbed operation "Olive Branch", aimed at ousting the YPG from Kurdish-majority Afrin. A reporter inside Afrin contributing to AFP said residents quickly disappeared from the town's streets when the Turkish bombardment began at around 4:30 pm local time (1430 GMT). YPG military vehicles took their place instead. Local authorities enforced a curfew on Saturday, banning civilians from gathering in public and shuttering businesses and schools. 'Psychological warfare' "I don't know how to describe what I felt in the moments after Turkish warplanes began flying over Afrin and bombing civilians," said , a teacher in her 40s. "The children are scared. Our men, women, and young people are peaceful. What crime did they commit?" She accused Turkey of trying to sow discord among Syrians and waging "psychological warfare" against the people of Afrin. Ankara vehemently opposes the YPG, accusing it of being the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which has waged a rebellion in southeast Turkey for more than three decades. The YPG's political branch, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), said on Saturday that Turkish bombing had wounded 25 civilians. Turkey said earlier there were casualties, but that they were all Kurdish militants. "We took steps to protect civilians, including digging bomb shelters and tunnels to use during emergency situations," said Heve Mustafa, who co-chairs Afrin's executive council. "The biggest fear we have is that international forces on the ground in Syria which claim they're here to fight terrorism and find a solution to the Syrian problem will turn a blind eye," Mustafa said. Several world powers have deployed forces in northern Syria, among them regime ally Russia. There are also troops from the US-led coalition fighting jihadists. Russia said on Saturday it was withdrawing its soldiers from areas around Afrin. 'No choice' but resistance "The only option the autonomous administration has is resistance. Nothing else. We will not allow a Turkish occupation of Syrian territory," Mustafa said on Saturday. A YPG statement echoed this stance, saying the Kurdish fighters had "no choice" but to fight back against Turkey's "barbaric aggression". Afrin was long known for its abundant olive groves and fragrant soap, and as the first area where Kurdish authorities implemented the self-rule model they later used across parts of northern Syria. After regime forces withdrew from Kurdish-majority areas in 2012, local authorities took over and established autonomous institutions, including schools and police forces. Jamil, a 22-year-old communications engineer in Afrin, said he could not believe Turkey had dubbed its assault operation "Olive Branch". "(Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan called it 'Operation Olive Branch' precisely because Afrin is the town of olives and peace," he said. To many Nigerians, Aisha Buhari is the ideal wife of the President the country needs at this moment. For some reasons, the wife of the president seems to be one of the voices of the poor in Nigeria. This is as she couldnt care less about the performance of the government led by her husband. Due to these attributes of her, here are times Aisha Buhari had to publicly attack the government led by her husband. 1. BBC Interview Aisha Buharis outburst during an interview with the BBC Hausa service shocked the whole nation and all media machinery of government. This is the first time such time will be happening in the history of Nigeria. Nigerias wife remarked that some individuals have hijacked her husbands government. Also, she disclosed that her husband didnt know about 90 percent of his cabinet members. Whether he knows or he doesnt know, those who voted for him know. There is nothing I will tell him. He can see. Among all the people he selected, if he is asked among 50 people, he doesnt know 45. I dont know them despite staying with him for 25 years. She said. She disclosed that if things didnt change, she will not support her husbands re-election. "He is yet to tell me but I have decided as his wife, that if things continue like this up to 2019, I will not go out and campaign again and ask any woman to vote like I did before. I will never do it again." Also Read: Aisha Buhari is seriously campaigning against her husband right now 2. State House Clinic The second time Aisha Buhari will be coming for husbands government was the poor state of the State House clinic that supposed to the first family. Just like the first case, it was during a public event she disclosed this state of the centre and prompted an investigation by the countrys House of Representatives on the matter. If the budget is N100 million, we need to know how the budget is spent. Along the line, I insisted they call Aso Clinic to find out if the X-ray machine is working, they said it is not working. They didnt know I am the one that was supposed to be in that hospital at that every time. 3. Sharing video of critical of Buharis government on social media The social media environment was shocked to see a post from Aisha Buhari on Twitter containing a video of Senates plenary session where Buharis government is put under the spotlight. With hours to go before a government shutdown deadline, President Donald Trump and congressional leaders scrambled to work out a compromise to keep the government open. A key vote on whether to proceed with a short-term funding package passed by the House is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET, just two hours before the shutdown deadline. It's unclear if Republicans have the needed 60 votes to get over the procedural hurdle and ensure passage of the bill. With a few hours left before the midnight deadline, a flurry of activity in the Capitol broke out as both parties attempted to reach an agreement. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, who announced he would go against his party and vote for the House-passed funding bill, said that there were active discussions about a number of ways to keep the government open. "I think they're working on some things," Manchin told Business Insider. "Theres a group a contingency group going to speak to both leaders and well see what happens." The House-passed bill would push the deadline for the shutdown back to February 16, but Manchin said that other deadlines prior to that date were being discussed. According to the West Virginia Democrat, the alternate deadline would be before the State of the Union on January 30. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other members of the GOP leadership previously rejected the idea, but some Republican senators were on board. "We could easily pass a continuing resolution which lasts days (certainly more than the four proposed by the Senate minority leader) and less than the 30 days passed by the House of Representatives to close the deal on outstanding issues which remain," Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of three Republicans who rejected the House bill, said in a statement. Graham later suggested that the two sides could agree on a deal to fund the government through February 8. Sen. Lamar Alexander concurred with Graham that a short-term bill may be ideal. "Grown-ups ought to be able to sit down and say we can begin 2018 with solutions on these major areas affecting the American people would be a great way to start the year," Alexander told Business Insider. "I think we could do it in a short period of time. Probably be longer than four days and not as long as 30 days." Trump cast doubt on the possibility of a deal with a tweet late Friday, just 20 minutes before the planned vote. " The work in Congress came a few hours after Trump met with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer at the White House to try to hash out a deal. Democrats are insisting that any funding bill include a codification of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration program. The DACA program shields from deportation nearly 700,000 unauthorized immigrants who entered the US as minors. Following the meeting, Schumer told reporters that the time with the president was productive but there is no deal yet. "We had a long and detailed meeting," Schumer said. "We discussed all of the major outstanding issues, we made some progress, but we still have a good number of disagreements. The discussions will continue." A few hours later, Trump took to Twitter to extol the progress made with Schumer and Republican leaders. "SenSchumer - working on solutions for Security and our great Military together with @SenateMajLdr McConnell and @SpeakerRyan Trump originally kicked off the fight over DACA by ending the program in September. The president built in a six-month delay for the program's end to give Congress time to pass a bill to protect the more than 700,000 DACA recipients. With the program set to expire at the beginning of March, Schumer and the Democrats are attempting use the shutdown as leverage to codify it in legislation. A former CIA case officer who was arrested on Tuesday on a single count of illegally possessing classified information real names and phone numbers of covert CIA sources, locations of covert facilities, and meeting locations may have compromised US assets in Russia, according to current and former US officials cited in a NBC News report published Friday. A secret task force involving the FBI and CIA suspected that 53-year-old ex-CIA officer, Jerry Chun Shing Lee, could have been spying for China, during a period when at least 20 CIA informants in China were executed. FBI agents were said to have received information that Lee, who left the CIA in 2007, was cooperating with Chinese intelligence officers while working in Hong Kong, according to sources cited in the report. In 2012, agents reportedly searched his hotel room and discovered notebooks with the names and phone numbers of CIA sources. US intelligence officials, who suspected that China had infiltrated their covert communications following the executions of their sources in the country, believed that Chinese intelligence officers shared the US's method of covert communications with Russian intelligence officers during a joint training session. After the training session, Russian officers reportedly "came back saying we got good info on [covert communications]," a former official said to NBC News. US assets in Russia reportedly began disappearing, prompting a change in operational procedures for communications. The former officials noted that the information Lee possessed was not all-inclusive, and that not all of those who were sought by Chinese officials were linked to his notebook: "No single officer had access to all of them," one official said to NBC News. The former officials also noted that the CIA's method for sharing messages with agents could have been easily accessed by the Chinese due to its simplicity: "All they had to do was get one agent's laptop, and they could figure it out," and official said. Lee reportedly flew to back to the US in 2012 with his family on the promise of a job offer, which turned out to be a plan by authorities to lure him back to the US. Photographs taken of items in Lee's hotel room at the time indicated he possessed a 49-page datebook and a 21-page address book filled with sensitive information. Tuesdays Democratic upset in a northwest Wisconsin legislative election has created an unexpected late hiccup in Republican Eric Hovdes deliberations about whether to run for U.S. Senate. Hovde, a Madison businessman who sought a Wisconsin U.S. Senate seat in 2012, has been readying for a possible entry into this years race. Then came Tuesdays special election in state Senate District 10, where Democrat Patty Schachtner upset Republican Adam Jarchow in a district Donald Trump carried by 17 points in 2016. The outcome was hailed by many Democrats and some Republicans as a sign the states political winds may be shifting. Prominent GOP strategist Brian Fraley called it the most significant political development in Wisconsin since Walker won the recalls. In an interview, Hovde acknowledged the Senate District 10 result factors in to his own decision-making process. Its relevant, without question, Hovde said. If more signs emerge that 2018 could be an election cycle that favors Democrats, Hovde said that could further influence his thinking. Hovde said the special election also raises questions about how GOP President Donald Trump is affecting the national political climate heading into 2018. The stock market is booming and Islamic State terrorists are losing ground in the Middle East, Hovde said, adding Trump deserves credit for both. But Hovde said hes not sure that translates into a favorable environment for Republicans in 2018. Because (Trumps) personality is such that a lot of people do not care for his style and his personality traits, its swinging the pendulum the other way, Hovde said. Hovde said in December that hes taking certain steps to enter the race in early 2018, should he choose to do so. Delafield businessman Kevin Nicholson and state Sen. Leah Vukmir, R-Brookfield, already are vying for the GOP nod to face Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, of Madison, this November. Nicholson has officially been in the race since July, and Vukmir since September. Hovdes personal wealth is a factor: He spent more than $5 million of his own money when he ran for U.S. Senate in 2012 and likely could self-fund again. So Hovde says he wont rush a decision about run- ning. I dont feel compelled it has to happen in the next 30 days, Hovde said. With the Senate at a standstill on the passage of a continuing resolution to keep the federal government open, the federal government entered into a partial shutdown at midnight Saturday. As a result, various government services are set to come to a halt, including national parks, museums, and zoos, along with government bureaus like the But despite dramatic pronouncements from President Donald Trump, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, and others about the military being compromised and people dying as a result of the impasse, not all government agencies and departments will shut down services that are deemed "essential" will continue to operate. This includes any federal government work related to national security, law and order, and emergency life-and-death services. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, for instance, will continue to operate. And although military personnel might have their paychecks delayed, they will still be required to show up for duty as usual. "Essential" services also include Social Security and the Transportation Security Administration. There are also employees or agencies whose work is not funded through Congress that will be largely unaffected by the shutdown. Postal services are one example of this. Special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election interference will also continue to operate under the shutdown for this very reason, despite Trump's personal concerns about its growing costs. A matter of judgment But aside from these cut-and-dry cases, there is no hard-and-fast rule as to which services are considered "essential." Even within agencies that will continue to operate, there may be employees who are put on leave, and the determination about which parts of the government to keep open is, at least in part, a subjective one. The Environmental Protection Agency is one agency that will likely see most of its employees furloughed placed on temporary unpaid leave judging by the Trump administration's dismissive approach toward the body during his first year in office, according to Vox. In addition, while the State Department will continue to operate its "essential" and "non-excepted" divisions that are necessary to maintain national security, it too will have to furlough sizeable segments of its employees, according to the department's contingency plan. In its own updated contingency plan, the Department of Housing and Urban Development stated that only 289 out of 7,797 While the number of government employees who are placed on furlough is not set in stone, in 2013 a peak of 850,000 people per day were on leave, according to the Office of Management and Budget. Looking at combined paydays, a total of 6.6 million days were lost during 2013's government shutdown due to employee furloughs. The federal government slipped into its first partial shutdown in more than four years early Saturday morning, as the Senate voted against a key procedural step to pass a short-term funding bill Friday night. The cloture vote, which allows a bill to proceed without a filibuster, failed to get the 60 votes needed for passage. The vote closed with a final vote of 50 to 49. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell voted against the measure so that he could reconsider the motion. While the vote remained open, the funding for the government ran out at midnight. A shutdown was triggered when the Office of Management and Budget released a memo directing agencies to enact contingency plans they have already prepared for such a scenario. All but five Democrats voted to block the short-term bill that would have sustained federal funding at current levels, called a continuing resolution (CR). Most cited the fact that the measure did not include a permanent solution for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration program. Four Democrats who voted for the bill Joe Donnelly, Joe Manchin, Claire McCaskill, and Heidi Heitkamp are all from states that President Donald Trump won and are up for reelection in 2018. New senator Doug Jones of Alabama, a deep-red state, was the only other defection. Trump announced he would end the DACA program in September, but he gave Congress six months to codify it into law. With the March deadline approaching, Democrats demanded that a DACA fix be included in the CR. According to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Trump agreed to a deal that included protections for DACA and even some funding for a border wall. "I In addition to the Democratic wall, a handful of Republican senators voted against the bill. Sens. Lindsey Graham and Mike Lee voted against due to concerns about the adequacy of another CR in funding the government. The bill would have only funded the government through February 16. Sen. Rand Paul also voted against the bill because of its addition to the national debt. Jeff Flake also voted no. The White House decried the vote's failure in a statement from Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. " McConnell told members during a speech after the shutdown kicked in that an amendment would be offered to push the deadline to February 8 instead of February 16 as in the House bill. This would require the House to revote on the bill, but is closer to the Democrats' request for a shorter CR to finish off negotiations. According to Senate rules, the vote on that amendment could not come until later on Saturday at the earliest. Based on public comments, it appears no one deal currently has the support of enough members to pass the 60-vote threshold. But members were upbeat. GOP Sen. Bob Corker told reporters that the two sides were closing in on a deal and it was "a date in early February, a few days apart." The failure of the bill is the culmination of a day of wrangling in which Schumer met with Trump in an attempt to get a compromise which did not come. The US Navy's newest commissioned warship, the littoral combat ship USS Little Rock, was commissioned in Buffalo on December 16 and scheduled to sail for its home port at Mayport Naval Station in Florida the next day. But that departure was delayed three days by weather conditions on Lake Erie. It left Buffalo on December 20, and by December 27 it had reached Montreal, where it was scheduled to stop before heading on to Halifax in Nova Scotia. But an exceptionally frigid winter has kept the Little Rock in Canada much longer than expected. Because of ice on the water around the port and a lack of tug boats to guide the warship out, the Little Rock remained in port through January 11, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Courtney Hillson, public affairs officer for the US Naval Surface Force Atlantic, told Business Insider at the time. The Little Rock is the most recent ship to enter service for the US Navy. It is the fifth Freedom-class littoral combat ship to join the fleet. LONDON Britain may decide to rejoin a reformed EU, Theresa May's deputy David Lidington has said. While suggesting that it was unlikely that Britain would rejoin the EU in its current form, the Minister for the Cabinet told the Telegraph that it was "dangerous to say never in politics." "There's going to be a need for a system of cooperation within the continent of Europe, including the UK that covers both economic and political cooperation," Lidington told the paper. He added that "we may be looking in a generation's time at an EU that is also configured differently from what it is today, and the exact nature of the relationship between the UK and that future system - whatever it turns out to be - of European cooperation is something that future parliaments, future generations, will have to consider," he said. Lidington, who backed Remain in the EU referendum, said it was down to future generations to decide whether a new form of union with Europe was necessary. "I can't predict sitting here today what that network of organisations and alliances, including the EU and how that will have changed, is going to look like in 10 years or 20 years times," he said. Mustafa Suleyman is one of the three cofounders of DeepMind, an artificial intelligence (AI) lab in London that was acquired by Google in 2014 for a reported 400 million the search giant's largest acquisition in Europe to date. Listen to a few of Suleyman's talks on YouTube and you'll quickly realise that he's a left-leaning activist who wants to make the world a better place for everyone as opposed to an elite few. He differs from many of today's tech founders in that he genuinely seems to care about the welfare of everyone on the planet. The 33 year old affectionately known as "Moose" internally at DeepMind and amongst his friends lives in Peckham, South London, with his artist fiancee. He can often be seen on Twitter making his thoughts known on issues like homelessness, diversity, and inequality, and also once retweeted Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. DeepMind may be owned by one of the largest companies in the world but Suleyman strongly believes capitalism is failing society in a number of areas. He explained this during a talk at a Google event last May. "We believe today that in some sense, capitalism in many ways has delivered so much for us over the last couple of centuries," Suleyman said at a Google ZeitgeistMinds event in London. "We've delivered so much progress. No other construct or idea has been able to distribute benefits so broadly and so rapidly. And yet in many areas, capitalism is currently failing us. We actually need a new kind of set of incentives to tackle some of the most pressing and urgent social problems and we need a new kind of tool, a new kind of intelligence, that is distributed, that is scaled, that is accessible, to try and make sense of some of the complexity that is overwhelming us." DeepMind's not-so-simple mission is to solve intelligence and then to use that to solve everything else. The company is building complex algorithms that can learn for themselves using techniques similar to those seen in the human brain. Ultimately, it hopes to end up with something that works like an artificial hippocampus the part of the brain that is mainly associated with memory, and long-term memory in particular. Since its incorporation in 2011, DeepMind has been aggressively hiring some of the smartest computer scientists, neuroscientists, mathematicians, and physicists around the world. Today it employs around 700 people across offices in the UK (London), Canada (Edmonton and Montreal), and the US (Mountain View). The vast majority of DeepMind's staff (over 500 people) are currently located across two floors in Google's main office in London's King's Cross. Unlike his cofounders, Suleyman does not have a background in science. As a result, he is more focused on the business side of the company and today he is trying to find applications for DeepMind's technology both inside and outside of Google while also ensuring that the company's work in AI remains safe and ethical. Suleyman grew up in North London and developed a passion for philosophy Suleyman grew up just off Caledonian Road in North London where he lived with his parents and his two younger brothers. His father was a Syrian-born taxi driver and his mother was an English nurse in the NHS. Suleyman went to Thornhill Primary School (a state school in Islington) followed by the free, but selective, Queen Elizabeth boys school in Barnet. Suleyman read widely as a child, according to a Wired feature on DeepMind from June 2015, developing an early love for philosophy. He also had a passion for business and entrepreneurship from an early age and he wasn't afraid to try to hustle his fellow students on the school playground. "Ever since I was a kid I was always starting small businesses and dreaming they would one day grow like crazy," Suleyman told Business Insider. "When I started secondary school at 11, me and my best friend started selling sweets in the playground. We would go to the wholesaler and buy in bulk and rent peoples lockers to store them in. We started hiring other kids out at break-times to sell for us. It got pretty big before the teachers shut it down." Suleyman moved from selling sweets in the playground to exploring how he could help the disabled in his spare time. "A few years later, a team of us got together and spent a summer visiting restaurants and attractions across London in a wheelchair we borrowed to review their accessibility for disabled people," he said. "Based on that, we published an 80-page guide to London for young disabled people. "It's part of the reason why I believe so strongly that if we rewrite the incentives for businesses today to include social responsibility in addition to fiduciary duties, plenty of leaders will jump at the chance to redirect their energies toward building a better, fairer world." As a straight A student, Suleyman could afford to be fairly selective about where he went to university. He chose to go to Oxford one of the top (and most elite) universities in the world to read philosophy and theology. Interestingly, Suleyman joined Oxford's Mansfield College, which is leading the charge on anti-elitism at the university; nine in 10 of the students it admitted in 2017 came from state schools. "Philosophy and theology is an interesting course and I thought it was a nice combination," Suleyman said. "Mansfield is an amazing place to study theology, and my tutor was one of the leaders in the field." But Suleyman realised that he didn't want to focus on education in his late teenage years. Young and eager to get out into the world and use his intelligence to have an impact, he dropped out of the centuries-old institution at 19 because he didn't feel like his degree was practical enough. "Throughout my life, I've always been focused on maximizing social impact with everything I do," said Suleyman. "At the time, I was enjoying studying philosophy and theology but it felt so abstract and impractical to me. "Like many teenage activists I guess I was restless and angry at what I saw as such widespread injustice and inequality. And I felt compelled to do something to help people directly in the wider world." Suleyman dropped out of Oxford to set up a counselling service for young Muslims After dropping out, Suleyman and his university friend Mohammed Mamdani set up a telephone counselling service called the Muslim Youth Helpline which went on to become one of the largest mental health support services of its kind in the UK. "I wanted to broaden my scope to tackle social challenges affecting all of society, not just a specific subgroup," Suleyman said. "At the Helpline I realised that the problems many of our service users were facing were actually rooted in the wider systemic inequalities and prejudices present in broader society." At 22, Suleyman left Muslim Youth Helpline after realising non-profit organisations are held back by multiple factors. "After three or four years, I realised in some sense the fundamental limitations of charities," Suleyman told The Financial Times. "It was really difficult to scale the organisation and to raise funds in a sustainable way." He went on to work for former London mayor Ken Livingstone. "When I got an offer to work for Mayor Ken Livingstone on human rights policy, it seemed like a brilliant opportunity to to fight the systemic injustices that create so much of the suffering I saw first hand at the Helpline." He left City Hall when he realised that government wasn't the vehicle to promote radical systemic change either. "It was pretty challenging and despite all of the high-minded principles it was actually really difficult to get practical things done on a day-to-day basis," Suleyman told the FT. Suleyman worked with the UN, the US government, and Shell Following his stint in politics, Suleyman helped to cofound a consultancy called Reos Partners, which aims to help drive change on global issues like food production, waste, and diversity. "[Through Reos Partners] I ended up working for a whole bunch of different organisations including the UN, the US government, the Dutch government, WWF, Shell," he told the FT. His work for Shell was on sustainability-related projects. "We worked all over the world, ended up growing [Reos Partners], which is still going today, to about five or six offices around the world specialising in large scale conflict resolution and negotiation." Suleyman left Reos Partners in 2010 after a year-long piece of facilitation work at the Copenhagen climate negotiations left him feeling frustrated. "There was a very natural alignment back in late 2009, early 2010 when I had just sort of finished the climate negotiations, which of course were at the time a massive disaster and everybody was really broken hearted" he told the FT. He added: "Traditional vehicles for addressing climate change the various meetings and minds, grassroots campaigning, high level political negotiations, waiting for spontaneous market driven outcomes were, to put it bluntly, just not working fast enough. Time and again we found ourselves failing to come to grips with a dizzyingly complex world, with groups of the smartest experts struggling to make sense of the relationship between cause and effect. "Of course climate change is just one of many strands of a complex, interdependent, and dynamic set of problems that we currently face as a species. If we don't tackle these problems, the future of humanity and the planet is at best uncertain. At worst, it's an extremely grim prognosis." DeepMind was born in London in 2009 Realising the potential that technology and AI have to benefit the world, Suleyman set up DeepMind around the end of 2009 with his childhood friend Demis Hassabis and a New Zealander called Shane Legg. Before incorporating DeepMind, Suleyman and Hassabis (who were friends through Hassabis's younger brother) had many deep discussions and debates about how to improve the world. They typically approached the matter from different angles but they both say they're fundamentally motivated by the opportunity to alleviate human suffering at scale, and they've talked about how best to do that endlessly. "Demis and I grew up in the same neighborhood and his younger brother and I were and still are best friends," said Suleyman. "We often had conversations about how to improve and impact the world from solving inequality to malnutrition. He felt the solutions would come through simulations that could model the complex dynamics in the world causing these problems, while I would always emphasize more near-term practical change efforts. "Building and applying general purpose learning systems combined our two different approaches. And after working in many different arenas from government to think tanks and the charity sector trying to tackle our most intractable social challenges, it was clear to me that we needed new institutions, creativity and knowledge in order to navigate the growing complexity of our social systems. Reapplying existing human knowledge was not going to be enough. Starting a new kind of organisation with the single purpose of building AI and using it to solve the world's toughest problems was our best shot at having a transformative, large scale impact on societys most pressing challenges." Suleyman is well-liked across DeepMind and the UK tech sector. Many people said they liked the fact that he's humble and down to Earth, and they respect the fact that he's willing to talk about difficult issues like equal pay and capitalism in a way that many other tech leaders aren't. He's seen by some as a revolutionary and whether he realises it or not, may people are more than willing to sign up to his mission and his way of thinking. In the company's early days, Suleyman made several trips to Silicon Valley and successfully convinced billionaires like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk to invest in DeepMind, telling them that he and his cofounders planned to hoover up as much brain power in Europe as they could and get these smart young people working on the most advanced AI systems on the planet. Frank Meehan, an early investor in DeepMind and a former board member on virtual assistant startup Siri, which was acquired by Apple in 2010, said he first met Suleyman when DeepMind employed about six or seven people and was based out of a tiny office in London's Russell Square. "Mustafa is a key part of the whole thing," Meehan told Business Insider. "He's confident, he's energetic, and he stays on top of things," said Meehan. "He's focused and he gets things done." Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), former head of the No 10 Policy Unit, and an independent reviewer of DeepMind Health, described Suleyman as an "open" and "rounded" leader, adding that he respects his willingness to talk about the big issues facing the world's tech giants. "Everyone thinks if Mustafa is running the world it would be a pretty amazing place, to be honest," Taylor told Business Insider. Taylor said that if he were to take a cynical view of DeepMind, "the question is whether or not he is someone inside the system genuinely transforming the culture of Google, or, if you were cynical, is he the kind of acceptable face for an industry that knows it has its issues but is actually going to plough on regardless?" But he later clarified on Twitter that he has a "very positive" view of Suleyman and the company. Commenting on his relationship with Suleyman, Hassabis said: "Mustafa is a fantastic cofounder we were family friends growing up together in North London and we share a deep belief in the potential of scientific and technical advances for positive social change. He brilliantly leads our applied and commercial efforts including spearheading our work in healthcare and energy, as well as being a respected thought leader on the ethical and societal impact of AI." Suleyman is leading DeepMinds health projects DeepMind's algorithms have been used by Google to reduce the amount of energy used in its vast fleet of enormous data centres by 15%. "Anything that we can do to reduce the amount of energy required to deliver the same service is fantastic for the planet and has a very significant dollar impact at the bottom line, which is also good," Suleyman said in July 2016. Google has also used DeepMind's WaveNet neural network to generate the Google Assistant voices for US English and Japanese. Looking outside Google, Suleyman, who oversees a growing DeepMind Health team, has convinced several NHS trusts to work with DeepMind on projects including a patient monitoring app for clinicians and an AI system that can learn to spot early signs of cancer. DeepMind's work with the NHS didn't get off to the best start and Suleyman found himself under the spotlight when a freedom of information request from New Scientist revealed the extent of a data sharing agreement with the Royal Free Trust in North London, which was DeepMind's first NHS deal. The deal which was later deemed illegal by the Information Commissioner's Office, the UK's top data regulator gave DeepMind access to 1.6 million NHS patient records to help it build a kidney monitoring app called Streams. Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham said in a statement at the time: "There's no doubt the huge potential that creative use of data could have on patient care and clinical improvements, but the price of innovation does not need to be the erosion of fundamental privacy rights. Our investigation found a number of shortcomings in the way patient records were shared for this trial. Patients would not have reasonably expected their information to have been used in this way, and the Trust could and should have been far more transparent with patients as to what was happening." But that's the only major setback that the company has had since it was acquired by Google. Looking ahead, DeepMind is keen to work with the National Grid to see how it can cut energy consumption across the UK in the same way that it's helped Google in its data centres. Beyond that, Suleyman is also one of the founding members of the Partnership on AI an organisation set up in September 2016 to ensure that AI is developed safely, ethically, and transparently along with Facebook's AI head Yann LeCun, Microsoft Research director Eric Horvitz, and several others. Suleyman accepts there are very real concerns about the future of AI While AI clearly has great potential, academics, philosophers, and technologists have warned that AI may be humanity's biggest downfall if it is programmed incorrectly or harnessed for wrong doing. Renowned scientist Stephen Hawking said at the Web Summit conference in Lisbon last November: "Success in creating effective AI could be the biggest event in the history of our civilization. Or the worst. We just don't know. So we cannot know if we will be infinitely helped by AI, or ignored by it and side-lined, or conceivably destroyed by it." When it comes to DeepMind's research, Suleyman and his cofounders realise that there are two sides to the coin. The DeepMind leaders allowed their startup to be acquired by Google on the condition that Google set up an internal AI ethics board to oversee AI developments across the entire organisation. Little is known about the mysterious ethics board but Suleyman said at a Bloomberg conference in 2015 that he wanted Google to disclose the board members. He's been asked about the board several times since then but remained tight lipped. "Getting these things right is not purely a matter of having good intentions," Suleyman wrote in Wired this month. "We need to do the hard, practical and messy work of finding out what ethical AI really means. If we manage to get AI to work for people and the planet, then the effects could be transformational. Right now, there's everything to play for." SULEYMAN'S 3 FAVOURITE BOOKS Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! Okonkwo said this at the Business Entrepreneurship Empowerment and Professionalism (BEEP) conference organised by Fidelity Bank in conjunction with Flame Consulting Ltd in Lagos. He said that entrepreneurs should take advantage of evolving business environment to grow their business. Okonkwo, who was represented by Mr Ken Opara, the Regional Head, Ikeja Bank, said that entrepreneurs should embrace collaboration and take advantage of shared services and offerings. The managing director said that renting a space for business was not necessary, as an entrepreneur could start small and grow in bounds later. You dont need to rent a building before you start a business, take advantage of shared services and offerings, Okonkwo said. He said that talent was the major thing in entrepreneurship and not emphasis on funding, noting that an entrepreneur with great talent would grow. A business plan is not about having a consultant, you must know why you want to enter a business, he added. Okonkwo described a business plan as a road map for a successful business. He said that the bank would assist entrepreneurs with sustainable business with funding. According to him, the bank will launch an Enterprise Development Fund in March for businesses with high sustainability. Mr Aruosa Osemwengie, one of the speakers, said that organisations were looking for resourceful persons and not just anybody. Osemwengie, who spoke on Find and Keeping Your Great Job, said that entrepreneurs must market themselves online, offline and on the job. He said that a great resume would help an entrepreneur to market himself. According to him, entrepreneurs must start with what they have, their location and must start with what they can do. The Governor said this while hosting All Progressives Congress (APCs) northern Governors forum. Ortom said that despite the initial attacks of January 1 and 2, 2018,the Fulani herdsmen have attacked vulnerable communities several times. While pledging his loyalty to President Buharis administration, the Benue state Governor also urged leaders to stand by the truth. He also accused members of Kautal Hore of masterminding the recent attacks, and called on the police to arrest the group. Ortom said We thank God that peace is gradually returning to the state, but there are still pockets of challenges here; we know the challenges will soon be over because our people are always alert to give useful information to security operatives around. Let me tell you that our people are still living in fear and are under siege because of the series of threat by the Kautal Hore, which started the threat seven months ago. Theirs are not mere threats. We have evidence against them. What we are saying is that the Federal Government should arrest the leadership of Kautal Hore. Tunde Bakare condemns Buhari over Fulani herdsmen attacks The Senior Pastor of the Latter Rain Assembly (LRA),Tunde Bakare recently criticised Buharisadministration for doing nothing about the Fulani herdsmen attacks in Benue. Bakare also said that Buharis silence has permitted genocide in various parts of the country. The fertilizer production company was established in 2017 as a joint-venture entitybetween the Sokoto state government and IML Industries Ltd. Speaking at the flag-off ceremony, Tambuwal said the event is a clear testimony of his administrations ongoing efforts to enhance the economic well-being of the people of the state. He said apart from the fertilizer company, other policies have been implemented in order to put the state economy in the right direction. The micro and macro-economic policies of both the federal and Sokoto state governments have started yielding positive results. As we can see, positive results have been churned out from sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, entrepreneurship development and other areas in the social investments chain. It worthy to note that governments at all levels are making progress in empowering the people to become self reliant with a view to addressing socio-economic challenges bedeviling the country, he added. Tambuwal said Sokoto state is one of the few states in Nigeria endowed with lots of unexploited natural resources adding that significant progress has been made in the last two years in harnessing such resources for the benefit of the people. ALSO READ: EFCC challenges Governor Tambuwal for pardoning 5 politicians He said governments strategic investment plan has been worked out and is being implemented through a special purpose vehicle (SPV) under the management of Sokoto Investment Company. He also announced the purchase of two trucks of the fertilizer for each of the 23 local government areas in the state totaling over N104 million. Ambode, during the inaugurating the new board of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), said that the waste on most Lagos highways will be cleared soon. According to the Governor, the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI)is aimed at creating a clean, hygienic and sustainable environment. Vanguard also reports that Ambode said Let me assure the people that in the coming weeks, there will be improvement. We are already witnessing a high-level of improvement; we promise that throughout this week and throughout next week, people will see a marked improvement in our state as more equipment come into the country and we are able to deploy the equipment accordingly. We are all living witnesses to the restructuring we are trying to do in the environmental sector. That restructuring culminated in the introduction of CLI, which is focused at ensuring that the way we clean Lagos is comparable to what is being done in first class cities in the world. As a result, we are changing the way the environment in Lagos is being managed, and to help us to achieve that, this Sanitation Corps is important. More importantly now is to speak to the fact that yes, we are having some challenges in the area of waste management in Lagos today. We all live in Lagos, but I want to reaffirm that we are doing everything to ensure that this becomes a thing of the past. Beyond the fact that we are clearing waste, the CLI is also ensuring that we have landfill sites; not dumping sites but landfill sites, where the waste generated in Lagos can be recycled and re-engineered and also resold so that we can create wealth and a new business for Lagosians to tap into, he added. Lagos bans cart pushers The Lagos State Government recently announced a ban on the operations of cart pushers and wheelbarrow operators, saying their activities are inimical to the environmental cleanliness of the state. It has been nearly two years since a hunter shot and killed two dogs that he thought were coyotes at a state wildlife area in southern Dane County, yet the state Department of Natural Resources still hasnt changed the confusing sign at the site entrance that many say deserves a big share of the blame for the tragedy. A legislator whose district includes the Badfish Creek Wildlife Area where Deanna Clarks Alaskan Husky mix and mastiff were shot and killed by Evansville hunter Kurt Rausch the night of Jan. 22, 2016, says her patience has run out. If the DNR doesnt do anything, the legislature should do something, said Sen. Janis Ringhand, D-Evansville. You have to make it very, very clear what the terms are. We need some real clarity on this. Its a safety issue. As traumatic as the experience has been for Clark, Ringland said, You dont want it to be a person next time. We need to follow through on this. The sign was in the spotlight during Rauschs jury trial in a Dane County courtroom last month where he was acquitted of one count of mistreating an animal for shooting the husky but convicted on a second count for shooting the mastiff, which had no characteristics resembling a coyote. The testimony was so graphic and emotional at times that the original court reporter asked to be excused. Clark, a veterinarian from Edgerton, testified that she thought it was legal to run her dogs on the site and had done so more than 100 times because of the DNR sign that said dogs must be leashed April 15 through July 31. But Rauschs attorney, Michele Tjader, focused the jurys attention on the sentence directly below that. It said Additional restrictions apply and directed users to unspecified regulation pamphlets and a section of the state administrative code. Those rules not made clear anywhere on the sign specify that the only dogs that can run unleashed are hunting dogs or dogs in training to become hunting dogs. The sign didnt only mislead Clark. Rausch testified that he never thought dogs would be in the wildlife area that January. Both sides brought in former DNR officials to testify, and both told the court that the law in its strictest sense allows only hunting dogs to run unleashed during that nine-month period. But both officials also testified that the signs language sent the wrong message and should be changed. It is confusing. I wish it said something different, said Timothy J. Lawhern, who was the longtime administrator of the DNRs hunting education program and led the agencys Department of Enforcement and Science. Lawhern was testifying for the defense so he didnt openly express his concerns during the trial about potential ramifications if the DNR doesnt clarify the language on the sign. But in an interview afterward, he said more tragedies are possible if the DNR doesnt act. Its a problem, he said. The DNR sends regulation pamphlets that explain the rules to hunters, but others must seek them out. Clark said she had no idea that coyote hunting and night hunting was allowed year-round in Wisconsin and was unaware of the risk in letting her dogs run loose. While admitting no errors on her clients part, Tjader also questioned after the trial why the DNR allows both practices on large mixed-use sites. Its too hard for a patron to ascertain whether theres somebody else on the property, she said. Were putting these two populations together that have two separate knowledge bases. DNR: It will be reviewed DNR spokesman James Dick said the case has not prompted the agency to change the sign. He did not say why. But he added that some people within the agency have begun to look at the issue in response to some recent questions. Unfortunately, that means there is nothing definitive to say about it at this time since it will be reviewed, Dick said. The agencys slow response angered environmental attorney Jodi Habush Sinykin, who said the sign is a symbol of the DNR putting others at risk in order to boost the declining number of hunters. Its a recipe for disaster, Sinykin said. The state has a fiduciary duty to better manage their land and it has to be managed fairly, not just for small groups that they feel they must protect. Sinykin and Patricia McConnell, an adjunct professor of zoology at UW-Madison and a certified applied animal behaviorist, echoed the fears of Ringhand and Lawhern that more tragedies will occur if the DNR doesnt make more of an effort to educate everyone about the rules. McConnell, a widely known author and speaker on animal behavior, said more than 90 dogs were caught in traps in Wisconsin in 2016. But I think more than anything, the laws opening up all the state parks and trails to hunters has scared people away from going there, McConnell said. I know it has scared me and I know many people who feel the same way I do. Law changed in 2012 There is some evidence that has happened. The Republican-controlled state Legislature expected some backlash when it opened up much of the acreage in state parks and trails to hunters, trappers and anglers in 2012. The move was widely opposed by state residents: In a memo just before the law went into effect on Jan. 1, 2013, then-DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp said just 84 of the 2,033 comments the agency had received about the law were in support of it. Stepp also warned of a possible dropoff in attendance at state properties from October 15 through Memorial Day, the primary hunting and trapping seasons. Monthly attendance data from the DNR for state parks and trails appeared to bear that out. The data, collected through either traffic counters or formulas based on sticker sales, showed about 5.4 million visits during prime hunting months in the first year after the law took effect, an 8.2 percent drop compared to the same period one year earlier. The following fall and winter of 2013-14, there were more visitors 5.7 million but that was still 3.3 percent fewer than 2012. The biggest dips occurred in November and December. When compared to 2012 figures, overall attendance in November dipped 8.1 percent in 2013 and 17.5 percent in 2014 and in December it fell 24.8 percent in 2013 and 22.3 percent in 2014. Some of the states busiest parks were affected. Devils Lake, for instance, saw a 17.6 percent dip in attendance in November 2014 compared to 2012 numbers. The overall numbers rebounded in 2015 to 6.4 million or 8.6 percent more than in 2012. And in recent open houses to discuss recreation opportunities around the state, most of the feedback came from hikers, kayakers and other wildlife enthusiasts, DNR official Cameron Bump said, showing interest in such pursuits remains strong. McConnell said that means the DNR needs to be more proactive in making the rules and regulations clear to everyone, not just hunters. At his trial, Rausch said he was startled when the dogs rustled through the brush near him while he was hunting at night. While Sinykin said thats no excuse for not properly identifying the animals as dogs, he was set up by that sign, she said. He thought, Who else could be here? He had no idea that people like Deanna Clark were out there, Sinykin said. The DNR has to protect us from hunters like that. They have to make our parks and trails safe again for all the people who use them. Wike said that the President revealed this to him when they met recently in Abuja. The Governor also said that anyone who plots evil against his state will never have peace. He said this while speaking with Anglican bishops in the Niger Delta Province in the Rivers state Government House. According to Daily Post, Wike said When I went to see the President, he told me that he was under pressure to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State. Those things they planned to use in declaring a state of emergency in Rivers State fell on their own states and it became difficult to do so. When you sit and plot evil against Rivers State, you will not know peace. If they dont apologise for plotting and executing evil against Rivers State, they will never know peace. ALSO READ:Governor Wike says SARS is responsible for robbery and kidnapping in Rivers If you dont participate in what is happening through voting, the country will degenerate further. People should acquire their Permanent Voter Cards to enthrone the leadership they desire, he added. The youths also condemned the recent attacks on several communities in Benue state by Fulani herdsmen. According to Punch, the spokesman of the group, Richard Akinaka said "As a people, we have taken that position that herdsmen are private business people. Some of us who have private businesses, take private and personal responsibility to advance our business interests. If herdsmen want land and spaces to do their business, they should acquire them within any of the states and do their business as it demands the way it is done elsewhere all over the world where you have people get ranches for their cattle and people go there to buy cattle for consumption purposes. So, that is the best thing to do. Government does not need to buy land for a private businessman and all of that. But if that is what the government wants to do, we are asking for oil and gas colony for our people too. We should be given extra reserve right to take full responsibility of our oil and gas industry because that is our area, that is our environment. We suffer environmental problems. So, if they want colony for their cattle, we want colony for our oil and gas business. Militants to resume attacks on pipelines Following the killings in Benue state, the dreaded militant group, Niger Delta Avengershave announced that they will commence attacks on crude oil pipelines. According to the Governor, the President deserves a second term in office based on his performance. Okorocha also said that all the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors have agreed that Buhari should run for President in 2019. He said this while speaking to journalists at the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, Owerri on Friday, January 19, 2018. According to Punch, the Governor also said We were in Abuja for three days, holding meetings of the Progressive Governors with the APC leadership. We deliberated on so many issues. First among the very important issues that we discussed, was the issue of Mr. Presidents second term bid and it has the endorsement of all the governors of the APC. There is the need for him to complete his second term as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and he should go ahead to declare. We also deliberated and a unanimous decision was reached that we liaise with the campaign team, to be headed by the Minister of Transportation, Amaechi, as the Director-General. The governors also endorsed his (Amaechis) reappointment as the Director-General of the campaign team due to his track record ahead of the last election. Four years are not enough to show what the President can offer. We believe that another four years will bring out the best in him. The first four years are a very difficult period, and we believe that as things are stabilising, he will take Nigeria to the next level. The governors have serious responsibilities. All the governors were asked to put up a team as the campaign council. Sani condemns those asking Buhari to run in 2019 Senator Shehu Sani recently told President Buhari to forget about the callfor him to run in 2019, and work towards ending the clashes between Fulani herdsmen and farmers. Sani said that it is not right to be talking of re-election, when people are losing their lives and properties are being destroyed. On both her Instagram and Facebook accounts, she shared clips of lawmakers calling out the President. Obviously, such a move by the first lady did not go unnoticed most especially on social media. Trending on social media Aisha Buhari has 19,000 tweets on Twitter today, Saturday, January 20, 2018. It's not every day that a first lady would publicly throw shade at her husband. For this present first lady, this, however, is not the first time, neither is it the second. Aisha Buhari has a track record of shading Mr President in public. History of Aisha Buhari going rogue In October of 2016, Mrs Buhari told the BBC that her husband is being held hostage by a cabal. "The president does not know 45 out of 50, for example, of the people he appointed and I don't know them either, despite being his wife of 27 years," Aisha Buhari lamented. "Some people are sitting down in their homes folding their arms only for them to be called to come and head an agency or a ministerial position," she added. ALSO READ: President Buhari is aware of Nigeria's problem In 2017, the first lady criticized the state of affairs at the Aso Rock clinic. If the budget is N100 million, we need to know how the budget is spent. Along the line, I insisted they call Aso Clinic to find out if the X-ray machine is working, they said it is not working. They didnt know I am the one that was supposed to be in that hospital at that every time" she said. Cracks in the first marriage? Clearly, there is a history of the first lady throwing jabs at her husband's administration. The issue at heart right now is if it is right for Mrs Buhari to be criticizing her husband publicly? Aisha Buhari has definitely entered the history books at the first 'first lady' to criticize her husband. There are people who believe no matter how bad the President has performed, Aisha Buhari should not come publicly and call out her husband. In an ideal marriage, it is presumed that husband and wife stick together at least publicly no matter what. However, let's not forget that the President's comment of 'the other room' in Germany was less than ideal. It seemed like a case of 'an eye for an eye'. It is clear that the presidential marriage in Aso Rock is far from picture perfect. For love of country The dilemma here is love of husband over love of country. Aisha Buhari seems to have picked the latter. She is calling President Buhari out because of his promises to the Nigerian people during the campaign period. She is also worried that the 'cabal', a shadow government of mysterious men might have hijacked the presidency. ALSO READ: Aisha Buhari speaks on the health of children in Nigeria These are sentiments that many common Nigerians have had for a while now. Aisha Buhari's indicates that she understands the plight of everyday Nigerians. None of you are supposed to be here, she said. Im not supposed to be the anchor of the 4 p.m. hour. Im not. Indeed. Its been a surprising career trajectory for Wallace, who after four years as a regular panelist on MSNBCs Morning Joe, and a yearlong (and not entirely successful) stint on The View now anchors a prime spot on MSNBCs afternoon lineup, acting as a lead-in for Chuck Todds MTP Daily, and going up against Jake Tapper on CNN and Neil Cavuto on Fox News. And while plenty of former White House aides or campaign strategists appear as pundits-for-hire on the cable and network news shows David Axelrod and Josh Earnest (Barack Obama), Paul Begala (Bill Clinton), and Karl Rove (Bush), among them Wallace is the first former White House aide since George Stephanopoulos (ABCs This Week with George Stephanopoulos), to be named solo anchor of a network news program. Dana Perino, a former press secretary for Bush, has followed both with The Daily Briefing, which airs daily at 2 p.m. on Fox News. Further, Wallace, 45, now occupies a key spot within the networks afternoon lineup, leading the daily transition from hard news reports to the opinion and analysis programs that define its prime time, including The Rachel Maddow Show and The Last Word With Lawrence ODonnell. Four oclock is the gateway drug to prime time, said Jonathan Wald, who came to MSNBC as the senior vice president for programming and development in February from CNN and was instrumental in creating the format for Deadline: White House. The morning has its own rhythm, but 4 p.m. is a tough time because it really is the beginning of all the analysis. The timing of Wallaces show coincides with the presidency of Donald Trump, which this week marks its first anniversary. And it is that president who has been Wallaces most frequent on-air foil since her show began. Before that, she had been an outspoken critic of his campaign, calling out the candidate for what she saw as his xenophobic and racist views, going back to his role in the birther movement that questioned the legitimacy of Barack Obama. That antipathy has not ebbed since the 2016 election. What a disgrace this White House is, she tweeted in November, reacting to reports that Trump had made critical comments about the presidencies of both George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. New low. Appalled for my former colleagues from the 43 White House. On her program in January, she said Trump is like a 12-year-old commander in chief. Her eagerness to take on the president, especially from the vantage point of someone who long played a key role in the political party he now heads (and thus offered the perspective of a former insider) apparently appealed to her MSNBC bosses. We were talking about a lot of things, said Phil Griffin, the MSNBC president, about the networks discussions with Wallace after the 2016 campaign. I saw an opportunity in the late afternoon and we needed help there. He added, She thrived there from Day 1. Andy Lack, chairman of NBC News, who returned to run the news divisions of NBC and MSNBC after falling ratings and the suspension and then removal of Brian Williams from the Nightly News program, acknowledged that Wallaces political bona fides were part of her appeal as he looked for ways to remake MSNBCs afternoon lineup. Clearly she brought some diversity in terms of her ideology and background, Lack said. It was important to me and remains important to me. But, he added, Wallace had something else going for her. Shes got sources, he said. Shes a real reporter and gets information and perspective you wouldnt find otherwise. And for NBC, thats an asset. That adds real strength to our schedule. And so far, so good. According to Nielsen data, in the period beginning with its debut on May 9 until the end of 2017, Deadline: White House averaged 1.1 million viewers. During the same time frame, The Lead With Jake Tapper averaged a little more than 1 million, while Your World With Neil Cavuto led with almost 1.6 million. In the same period in 2016, the show that Wallace replaced, MSNBC Live With Steve Kornacki, averaged 727,000 viewers. From Jeb Bush to Sarah Palin Nicolle Devenish was born in Orange County, California, the eldest of four children, and raised in Orinda, in the San Francisco Bay Area, where her father was an antiques dealer and her mother a third-grade teacher. She received her undergraduate degree in mass communications from the University of California, Berkeley, and a masters in journalism from Northwesterns Medill School. She worked briefly as an on-air reporter in California, before switching to politics, working for the Republican Caucus of the California Assembly. In 1999, she moved to Florida to be the press secretary for the newly elected governor, Jeb Bush, and later worked on the recount effort for his brother, George W. Bush, in the contentious 2000 presidential race. It was while working on the recount that she met her future husband, Mark Wallace, then the general counsel for the Bush campaign in Florida. (The two married in 2005 and have a 6-year-old son, Liam.) When George W. Bush moved into the White House, Wallace joined his staff as director of media affairs, and was named communications director in 2005, the start of his second term. Wallace maintained an easy relationship with the White House press corps, even as the Iraq War became an increasingly divisive issue and the administrations handling of the Hurricane Katrina crisis was widely criticized. Though Wallace still reveres the Bush family, and says that George W. Bush respected the traditions and norms of the presidency (unlike, she implies, you-know-who), she frequently reminds people that she knows what it is like to work for an unpopular president. In 2006, Bush appointed her husband ambassador to the United Nations, and the couple moved to New York, where Wallace signed on as a political analyst for CBS News. As the 2008 elections approached, a call came from Steve Schmidt, then in charge of the fledgling presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain, whose candor and accessibility aboard the Straight Talk Express in 2000 Wallace greatly admired. The Wallaces signed up to work on McCains 2008 presidential race. And thats when Wallace met Sarah Palin, who was plucked from the relative obscurity of the Alaska governorship to be McCains running mate. The experience with Palin was searing. First came the blowup over the $150,000 spent on Palins campaign wardrobe, then the disastrous interview with Katie Couric, a friend and former CBS colleague of Wallace. Our relationship really erupted and exploded, and was irreparably damaged after the Katie Couric interview, in which she had thought I had set her up for failure, Wallace said of Palin years later on The View. (Sarah Paulson played Wallace in the HBO movie about that election, Game Change.) That campaign marked the end of Wallaces life in active politics. Wallace has thought a lot about the phenomenon of that vice-presidential pick. Looking back, she said, it served as the canary in the coal mine of what was to come. The Palin campaign is where it belongs in the past, Wallace said. But it did inform me where the party was going. The way the crowds reacted to her they were so energized by her in a way they werent by McCain. She made comments that werent politically correct and the party not only tolerated it, but was excited by it. She was probably more important than we realized at the time in signaling where the party was going. After 2008, Wallace, who has acknowledged not voting in that race and then voting for Hillary Clinton in 2016, explored career alternatives. She began writing a series of three well-received novels, the first of which, Eighteen Acres, told the story of the first female president and her controversial and polarizing running mate, also a woman. (From the book: She was loud, tacky, and rude. She seemed to calculate the least presidential approach to every situation and pursue it with vigor.) More important, in 2013 she signed on as a regular contributor to Morning Joe. Early on, Wallace seemed an awkward fit, especially compared with her voluble and more experienced colleagues. The shows co-host Mika Brzezinski, who watched Wallaces growth, said she felt that over the course of the time that she was on Morning Joe what I saw was Nicolle learning to have fun being on TV. Wallace doesnt recall having growing pains as a panelist I have never engaged in any self-examination as it pertains to television, she said but she does acknowledge that her very first appearance on the show, as a senior adviser to the McCain-Palin campaign, had the potential to be contentious. That was certainly an awkward job to have, to be speaking for Palin who was internally at war with me, she said. So, when I first showed up on that show, it was often to spar with all of the other guests about Sarah Palin and McCain. But I always felt welcome and comfortable on that show. And one of the hallmarks of that show is that everyone is given all the space and time and latitude to be themselves. Soon after being added to Morning Joe as a regular panelist, Wallace added another TV job to her resume, joining The View in 2014 to replace the combative Elisabeth Hasselbeck as the resident Republican. It was not a success. Wallace said that ABC executives let her go for not being Republican enough and that she learned of her dismissal from her fellow sacked colleague, Rosie Perez, who read about it in Variety. (The producers of the show reportedly offered her the chance to return as an occasional contributor, but she declined.) Though Wallace had worked with ABC News on special events, she made sure that her View contract let her keep a place as a contributor to Morning Joe. After her dismissal, NBC and MSNBC offered her a job, and within a month she was filing the first of her reports for Today. Over the course of the 2016 campaign, executives, including her now-executive producer Patrick Burkey, raised her on-air profile. She conducted candid, hourlong interviews with Jeb Bush, her former boss, and Chris Christie, then the New Jersey governor, after both had left the presidential race. In the latter interview, Christie acknowledged that he hoped to be picked as Trumps running mate, a spot that ultimately went to Mike Pence. Im a competitive person, so Im not going to say it wont bother me if Im not selected, Christie told Wallace. Of course it bothers you a little bit, because if youre a competitive person like I am and youre used to winning like I am, again, you dont like coming in second. Ever. By then, Wallace had all but officially left the political party she had been an active member of for decades. Her public breaking point came after Trumps strident and often angry acceptance speech for the Republican nomination in Cleveland. On air with Tom Brokaw and the NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt after the speech, Wallace said, The Republican Party that I worked for for 20 years died in this room tonight. I Cant Explain Why They All Talk The idea for the show was very much mine, Wallace said of her initial pitch to Griffin. What she wanted most, she told him, was a show revolving around a round-table conversation and always having a boisterous conversation with very, very little script. That comes across in the freewheeling nature of Deadline, aired live every weekday from 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Wallace will raise her voice in reaction to clips, and doesnt withhold her indignation. She often puts on her reading glasses when looking down at the sheets of paper on her desk, only to take them off when she stares up to talk to one of her guests. She laughs easily and strikes a tone between sarcasm and outrage over the actions of the institution she once served. Her guests joke with one another. In a recent episode, Schmidt, her former colleague and now a frequent guest, compared the journey of the Trump delegation to Davos to the two-part Brady Bunch episode in which the family decamps to Hawaii. Wallace says her on-camera personality is one that anyone who knew her before Deadline: White House would instantly recognize. I am the same on TV as a guest as I am as a host, as I was a White House communications director, as I was Jeb Bushs spokesperson, she said. I dont speak any differently. I dont hold any different views ideologically. I dont hold back. Said Schmidt: I think who you see is the real Nicolle. Wallace begins each day by calling some of the several staff members she knows in the current White House looking for dish, for insight, for a talking point she can bring up with her guests later that day. But why, given the stance shes taken toward Trump, who she feels debases the presidency to the last cell of my body, do they open up? Sometimes theyre there to talk about how theyve made things better, she said. But I dont know why. I cant explain why they all talk. Wallace frequently mentions to her guests and her viewers that she has worked in GOP politics for a good part of her adult life, and that she now despairs for its future under the current leadership, beginning with the occupant of the White House. I think shes suffering, said her husband, Mark, chief executive of two nonprofit groups, United Against a Nuclear Iran and the Counter Extremism Project. Shes concerned about the office. She understands the gravity and importance of the office of the president. On air and on Twitter she has 195,000 followers at last count its clear Wallace has embraced the role as the public scold of the Republican Party. A flash point came in the recent Alabama senatorial campaign, when the Republican candidate, Roy Moore, was accused of sexual misconduct involving girls as young as 14 when he was in his 30s. The men and women in the U.S. Senate, that would be Roys Senate colleagues on the Republican side, have largely stuck with a line that goes like this: If these allegations are true, then I think he should step aside,' said, staring directly into the camera. Heres a less polite decision for them: Republicans need to decide if its worse to have a Democrat in the Senate, or a pedophile. More recently, she lashed out at House Speaker Paul Ryan, who called Trumps profanity-laced comments about Haiti and African nations very unfortunate and unhelpful and spoke highly of great friends from Africa who are incredible citizens. Oh, my God, did you say that? Wallace said after showing the clip to her roundtable. An ice storm is unfortunate and we have friends from Africa? Thats like 20, 40 years ago when people would say, I have a friend thats a lesbian.' She went on to say of Ryan: Hes like the incredible shrinking man. Its like his spine has been removed and hes trying to diminish himself as a moral human being, as a leader, by the hour, by the day. And then there is Trump, whom Wallaces parents voted for, and who holds the office once occupied by one boss and unsuccessfully sought by another. Trump posted tweets in June attacking Brzezinskis appearance at a social event at Mar-a-Lago, saying that she had approached him and was bleeding badly from a face-lift. Wallace responded by calling out women in high posts at the White House for remaining silent and warned that the party will be permanently associated with misogyny if leaders dont stand up and demand a retraction. I was shaking, Brzezinski said when she heard Wallaces soliloquy. And, really, the tweets didnt bother me until I watched Nicolle, and then I was like, You know what? Yes.' This month, reacting to profane comments by Trump, Wallace, without hesitation, nearly screamed, This is so abnormal! This is a freak show! For the foreseeable future, it will be Wallaces freak show to oversee. This White House, she said, is the most extraordinary political story of my lifetime. Following the lead of Fernand Point, the spiritual father of nouvelle cuisine and a mentor to many of its pioneers, Bocuse shaped a style of cooking at the Auberge du Pont de Collonges, his three-star restaurant near Lyon, that stressed fresh ingredients, lighter sauces, unusual flavor combinations and relentless innovation that, in his case, rested on a solid mastery of classic technique. His signature dishes not only pleased the palate; they also seduced the eye and piqued the imagination. He stuffed sea bass with lobster mousse and encased it in pastry scales and fins. He poached a truffled Bresse chicken inside a pigs bladder. His most famous dish was truffle soup VGE, a heady mixture of truffles and foie gras in chicken broth, baked in a single-serving bowl covered in puff pastry. First served at a dinner at the Elysee Palace in 1975, the soup was named for French President Valery Giscard dEstaing, who had just awarded Bocuse the French Legion of Honor. Bocuse, a tireless self-promoter, was a constant presence in the news media and on television. Youve got to beat the drum in life, he told People magazine in 1976. God is already famous, but that doesnt stop the preacher from ringing the church bells every morning. He parlayed celebrity into a restaurant empire that extended beyond France to embrace the United States and Japan, and in so doing he became a role model for the chef-entrepreneurs of the present day, like Jacques Pepin. Certainly he did more than any other chef in the world that I can think of to bring the chefs in the dining room and to make the profession respectable and to make us who we are now, Pepin said in 2011, when Bocuse was named chef of the century by the Culinary Institute of America. Now the chefs are stars and its because of Paul Bocuse. We are indebted to him for them. Paul Bocuse was born on Feb. 11, 1926, in Collonges-au-Mont-dOr, where his forebears had been cooking and serving food for seven generations. At the age of 8, he made his first serious dish, veal kidneys with pureed potatoes, and as a teenager he began an apprenticeship at a local restaurant. The training was interrupted by World War II, however, when he was assigned to a Vichy government youth camp and put to work in its canteen and slaughterhouse. In 1944, he joined the 1st Free French Division and was wounded in combat in Alsace. He received the Croix de Guerre. After the war, he resumed his apprenticeship at the restaurant, La Mere Brazier in Le Col de la Luere, outside Lyon. Like its twin in Lyon, it was owned by the legendary Eugenie Brazier and had achieved three Michelin stars by serving impeccable renditions of regional classics. After a brief stint at the three-star Lucas Carton in Paris, where he worked alongside brothers Pierre and Jean Troisgros, Bocuse spent eight years under Point at La Pyramide in Vienne, near Lyon. Back then a lot of restaurants were doing the same kind of old-fashioned Escoffier-style cooking, with lots of sauces hiding the ingredients, and the same dishes night after night, Bocuse told The New York Times in 2007. Point was a perfectionist who gave value and credibility to the finest ingredients. In 1956, Bocuse returned to the family restaurant, the Auberge du Pont de Collonges, which earned its first Michelin star two years later. Despite the paper tablecloths and stainless-steel cutlery, a second star was awarded in 1960. In 1966, a year after the restaurant earned its third star, Bocuse bought back the old family restaurant that his grandfather, in straitened circumstances, had sold in 1921 along with the rights to the Bocuse name. He renamed the building, which once belonged to an order of monks, the Abbaye de Collonges and converted it into a banquet hall. He also hoisted a 4-foot neon Paul Bocuse sign atop his restaurant. The groundswell for nouvelle cuisine transformed Bocuse into the international face of French cooking. He appeared on the cover of The New York Times Magazine in 1972. In 1975, resplendent in chef whites and toque, he looked out from the cover of Newsweek under the banner headline Food: The New Wave. An apprenticeship at his restaurant became a rite of passage for ambitious chefs, including Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Daniel Boulud. In time, as a backlash against nouvelle cuisine developed, Bocuse put some distance between himself and the movement. He referred snidely to mini-portions on maxi-plates and at one point dismissed the movement as a joke. It is not true that Paul Bocuse invented Nouvelle Cuisine, he told The Wall Street Journal in 2011. There were a few dishes that were developed lighter, but that is normal in cooking. The term Nouvelle Cuisine as it came to be known was nothing to do with what was on the plate, but what was on the bill. Nouvelle cuisine lost momentum, but Bocuse did not. In the early 1980s, the Walt Disney Co. invited him to create restaurants for the French pavilion at Epcot Center (now Walt Disney World) in Orlando, Florida. With Gaston Lenotre and Roger Verge, he developed Les Chefs de France restaurant, which is now operated by his son, Jerome, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. It serves 2,000 meals a day and generates about $30 million a year. When the organizers of Eurexpo, a culinary trade fair in Lyon, approached Bocuse for ideas on how to promote the event, he proposed a cooking contest in which chefs would prepare two elaborate dishes, one fish and one meat, before a live audience and then submit them to a panel of expert judges for scoring. The Bocuse dOr, held every two years, made its debut in 1987 and is now regarded as the culinary equivalent of the Olympics, attracting teams from all over the world. In addition to his restaurant in Collonges-au-Mont-dOr, Bocuse operated brasseries in France, Switzerland and Japan, and a culinary school at Ecully, near Lyon. His cookbooks include Paul Bocuses French Cooking (1977), Paul Bocuse in Your Kitchen: An Introduction to Classic French Cooking (1982), Bocuse a la Carte (1989) and Paul Bocuse: The Complete Recipes (2011). For many years, Bocuse resisted writing the story of his life, but he eventually worked with Eve-Marie Zizza-Lalu to produce an as-told-to memoir, Paul Bocuse: The Sacred Fire, published in 2005. Even in France, eyebrows lifted a little when Bocuse revealed that for more than 30 years, he had enjoyed the company of not only his wife, Raymonde, the mother of his daughter, Francoise Bernachon, but also of two mistresses, one of them the mother of Jerome. His wife survives him, as do his two children. It would not be everyones idea of married life, but everyone gets on, he told The Daily Telegraph of London at the time. They are all happy, with me and each other, and if I add up the time we have spent together as couples, it comes to 145 years. Despite his international status, Bocuse remained a chef deeply rooted in his native soil. He loved the traditional dishes of Lyon. He slept in the same bedroom where he had been born. When the time comes, I too will end up in the oven, he told LExpress in 2005, musing over the multiple meanings of his memoirs title. I want my ashes to be scattered in the Saone, which flows right past my house. It is the river of my life. Zuma's presidency has been engulfed by corruption scandals and a weakening economy, with the party losing public support ahead of next year's general election. Ramaphosa's supporters are keen for him to take over as president and try to revive the economy before the election, when the ANC could lose its grip on power for the first time since the end of apartheid. "The ANC must act decisively and with determination to rebuild the bond of trust between our people and the movement," the party said in a statement after a two-day meeting of its senior members. The statement addressed criticism that South Africa currently has two centres of power -- Zuma still in office as president, while Ramaphosa heads the ruling ANC party. "(Party) officials, led by President Ramaphosa, will continue their engagement with President Jacob Zuma to ensure effective coordination between the ANC and government," it said. Zuma to leave, but when? The News 24 website said the party's executive meeting had decided that Zuma must leave office, but that no exact timeline had been agreed. "We will have a new president in the coming weeks," it quoted one unnamed party member at the meeting as predicting. Zuma's closest allies still hold senior positions in the party, and he could in theory remain president until the 2019 election that marks the end of his second and final term in office. His control over the ANC was shaken when his chosen successor -- his former wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma -- lost out to Ramaphosa in the closely-fought race to be party leader. Zuma, 75, could leave office either by resigning, through losing a motion of no-confidence in parliament or impeachment proceedings. He could also be recalled by the ANC, forcing him to step down. Whoever is president on February 8 will deliver the annual state of the nation address in parliament -- providing one deadline for political manoeuvering. Ramaphosa, 65, is a former trade unionist who led talks to end white-minority rule in the early 1990s and then became a multi-millionaire businessman before returning to politics. To stay at the top of your game in any sport for 22 years is one thing, but to consistently challenge the status quo is another. 2 hours ago A jury of 12 Quebec citizens, after several days of deliberations that came very close to impasse, declined Jan. 19 to accept prosecutors contention that three Montreal, Maine & Atlantic employees were criminally responsible for the July 2013 runaway oil train calamity in the lakeside resort town of Lac-Megantic that claimed 47 lives and destroyed the historic towns downtown core. The jurys not guilty verdict means that no person, corporation or government agency will be held criminally negligent for the tragedy, at least not for the foreseeable future. MM&A locomotive engineer Tom Harding, dispatcher Richard Labrie and operations manager Jean Demaitre of the now-defunct Class II railroad were charged with criminal negligence in 2014 by Quebec police. During trial proceedings, but with jurors excluded from the courtroom, Quebec Superior Court Justice Gaetan Dumas had scolded prosecutors over the substance of their case against the three men, who controlled neither the railways operational and safety policies nor government regulation. Independently, the jurors agreed. The case against engineer Harding was more understandable since he had control of the train before it was parked and left unattended on a steep downhill grade without derailers or other physical protection beyond what was prescribed. Harding was accused of criminal negligence causing death by failing to set an insufficient number of handbrakes before leaving the train, with its lead locomotive running to maintain brake pipe pressure in the consist. The flaring of fire from the locomotives exhaust stack caused local firemen to shut down the diesel engine, resulting in the loss of brake pipe air pressure and the subsequent eight-mile runaway that culminated in a 65-mph derailment and chain reaction explosions at the very center of town. Harding was unaware that the trains cargo of Bakken light crude oil destined for the Irving Oil refinery in New Brunswick had been incorrectly classified by its U.S. shipper but was in fact highly explosive, not just flammable. Nor did he make the rules that allowed one-person operation of a 73-car train of hazardous materials over a railroad the Transportion Safety Board of Canada (TSB, the Canadian equivalent of the NTSB) cited as having a weak safety culture. The jury also appears to have agreed with TSBs opinion that Transport Canada, the Federal Railroad Administrations Canadian counterpart, had failed to provide adequate safety oversight of the railroad as well as the hazmat it was transporting. When the TSB released its report in 2013 on the causes of the catastrophe, the boards leadership made it plain that a key culprit was Transport Canada and its lax regulatory oversight of the MM&A: This was a company with a weak safety culture, a company where people did what was needed to get the job done, rather than always follow the rules, TSB Chairperson Wendy Tadros said. A company where unsafe conditions and unsafe practices were allowed to continue. Which begs questions: Who, then, was in a position to check on this companyto make sure safety standards were being met? Who was the guardian of public safety? Thats the role of governmentto provide checks and balances. Oversight. And yet this booming industrywhere unit trains were shipping more and more oil across Canada, and across the borderran largely un-checked. Yes, Transport Canada knew about some of the problems at MM&A, but the follow-up wasnt always there. If the guard dog doesnt do its job, then indeed it is to blame, said TSB Chief Operating Officer Jean Laporte when asked to say directly whether Transport Canada held major responsibility for the disaster. Courtroom spectator Jean Clusiault, who lost his daughter Kathy in the explosion, praised the verdict, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Clusiault even hugged the acquitted Labrie. I felt relieved because these are not the right people who should be there, he said. These are human beings with families who worked hard all their lives. We treated them like killers. Railway Age Contributing Editor Jim Blaze, who closely followed the case for his lecture documentation of railway accidents, and uses such case histories to teach some of his students, comments: The tragedy began after Harding had parked the train in the village of Nantes and then left as off duty for the night. That was part of company train operations practice. That practice pattern and corporate culture was noted by the defense in its presentations to the jury, which must have paid attention. After the engineer left the train, a fire broke out in the locomotive [that had been left running to maintain air in the trains brake pipe]. Firefighters arrived and then extinguished the flamesbut then turned off the locomotives diesel engine. That action cut off part of the trains air brake system, something that the now-away-from-the-scene engineer did not know. About an hour later, the train lost its remaining effective brake holding capability, and it began a long downhill roll into the center of Lac-Megantic. There, the train loaded with crude oil derailed and for a variety of complex and unexpected reasons the leaking tank cars erupted into a huge blaze. Harding admitted that he had that night only applied seven handbrakes on the parked train and did not fully test them before leaving the train. The prosecution argued more handbrakes would have stopped the train from moving. The defense argued that Harding was following what management trained him to do, and that this was a common practice at this location. When he learned of the disaster, Harding went to the town to help emergency responders detach the remaining tank cars from the train to prevent further explosions. Criminal intent? The jury concluded that was not the circumstance. Who does bear much of the responsibility, if not the three men on trial? The jury did not decide that. Left open is the conclusion from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, which identified 18 related causes, among them a poor corporate training and management safety culture. The jury never read or heard about this report. The three men on trial? They were not the root cause. Were they the easiest of targets to blame? Maybe. Maybe not. Someone needs to dissect what the 12 Canadian jurists discovered over those nine days. Who is going to do that? Justice took a really long time to find, at a cost to the families of those accused. And the decision by a jury of peers brought no resolution to the families of the dead. Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono contributed to this story. The U.S. House voted Friday to pass a measure protecting babies born alive in a botched abortion, and punishing those performing the abortions. It next faces the U.S. Senate. After the Democrat-controlled Illinois House and Senate refused to pass any measures banning the practice, it took President George W. Bush and a pro-life Congress to move at the federal level. The Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002 ("BAIPA" Pub.L. 107207, 116 Stat. 926, enacted August 5, 2002, 1 U.S.C. 8) extended legal protection to an infant born alive after a failed attempt at induced abortion, but had no legal teeth to enforce the law or protect the innocent victims. CHICAGO - Babies born alive after an abortion and then purposely allowed to die made headlines in 1999 when nurse Jill Stanek discovered the practice going on a Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois. The prolife movement was assured Friday during their annual March for Life that President Trump would sign the measure into law. He addressed the crowd via live video. U.S. Representative Mike Bost (IL-12) voted with a majority of his colleagues in favor of the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (H.R. 4712). The bill, which Rep. Bost and six other Illinois congressional delegates cosponsored, ensures medical care and legal protection for babies who survive an abortion, while protecting their mothers from prosecution. As a father and grandfather, I value the preciousness of human life, said Rep. Bost. It is my sincere belief that America is only as strong as our willingness to protect the weakest and most vulnerable among us. We should all be able to agree if child is born, human dignity requires that we protect his or her life. This commonsense bill ensures that a baby who survives an abortion procedure receives the same treatment that would be given to any other child born prematurely at the same state of development. H.R. 4712 was co-sponsored by Republican U.S. Reps Bost, Peter Roskam, Adam Kinzinger, Rodney Davis, John Shimkus, and Randy Hultgren. One Democrat - Dan Lipinski - signed on as a co-sponsor, as well. The Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act will need to pass the U.S. Senate next. The legislation: , We're sorry, this article is not currently available Chrissy Teigen is offering up $100,000 in support of Olympic gold medalist McKayla Maroney. ADVERTISEMENT The 32-year-old model said in a tweet Tuesday that she'd be "honored" to handle a $100,000 penalty if Maroney, 22, chose to break a non-disclosure agreement and speak at former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar's sentencing. "The entire principle of this should be fought - an NDA to stay quiet about this serial monster with over 140 accusers, but I would be absolutely honored to pay this fine for you, McKayla," she wrote. "Parks and Recreation" creator Mike Schur and actress Kristen Bell also offered to help pay the fine. "I'll split it with you," Schur tweeted before Bell chimed in, "I'll 1/3 with you guys." Maroney, who publicly accused Nassar of sexual abuse in October, had signed a non-disclosure agreement as part of a $1.25 million settlement in 2016. She thanked Teigen for her "generosity" in a statement through her attorney Tuesday. "I'm not on social media right now, but I wish I was for this! I'm shocked by your generosity, and I just want you to know how much hope your words bring to all of us!" the retired gymnast said, according to Us Weekly. FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! "Thank you Chrissy, you're so inspiring, and things are starting to change because of people like you! Just saying that was worth the decision to speak up regardless of a fine," she added. Nassar, who is accused of molesting over 140 former patients, pleaded guilty in November to sexually assaulting 10 girls under the guise of medical treatment. His sentencing began Tuesday and is expected to run until Friday. ABC News reported Wednesday that USA Gymnastics revoked the fine for Maroney after Teigen offered to pay. The organization said it "encourages McKayla and anyone who has been abused to speak out." Budget forces last minute change in finance minister's plans. Archis Mohan and Arup Roy Choudhury report. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra D Modi has been meeting CEOs since his appointment in May 2014. Here he is, flanked by Jeff Bezos of Amazon, John Chambers of Cisco, Tim Cook of Apple and Sunder Pichai of Google in Washington, DC, June 25, 2017. Photograph: Press Information Bureau Prime Minister Narendra D Modi is scheduled to meet over 100 of the world's top business leaders during his visit to Davos to attend the World Economic Forum's annual meeting. The PM is slated to be in Davos on Monday, January 22, and Tuesday, January 23, and will be the keynote speaker at the WEF's inaugural plenary session. The highlight of Modi's visit -- apart from his speech at the plenary session -- will be a dinner he is hosting for top global CEOs. 60 CEOs have confirmed their attendance, including 20 from India, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion Secretary Ramesh Abhishek said. The other 40 confirmed invitees, Abhishek added, represent 18 different countries. These 60 companies, across 26 different sectors, cumulatively have a turnover of $3.3 trillion, thhe DIPP secretary pointed out. 12 of these companies provide jobs to 4 million people around the world, including 1 million jobs in India. 12 of these companies, Abhishek added, have been operating in India for over a century. Airbus CEO Tom Enders, Hitachi Chairman Hiroaki Nakanishi, WEF Founder Klaus Schwab, IBM's Ginni Rometty, The Carlyle Group's David Rubenstein and the BAE Systems chief, among others, have confirmed that they will attend the dinner with Modi on January 22, Abhishek said. Modi is also scheduled to meet the WEF's 120-member International Business Council. The two interactions, with 60 and 120 business leaders, Abhishek said, will give Modi an opportunity to showcase the changes he has brought about in India in the last three years and articulate his vision. The PM will have a separate interaction with Indian CEOs attending the WEF. The Indian delegation will showcase the jump in India's rankings in ease of doing business and various other reforms at the main venue in front of 1,500 delegates. Indian cuisine will be showcased, as also its soft power with two yoga teachers being flown to Davos. IMAGE: Modi will address the World Economic Forum in Davos a year after Chinese President Xi Jinping became the first Chinese leader to address the WEF. The last Indian prime minister to address the WEF in Davos was H D Deve Gowda a couple of months before he resigned. Photograph: Ruben Sprich/Reuters Apart from Modi, five Union ministers will attend several sessions. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was scheduled to be one of the key speakers at the India-specific sessions at Davos, but he will now not travel to the Swiss town. A finance ministry source said the change in plan was because the FM was needed in New Delhi to devote time to the Budget. Jaitley was earlier scheduled to be in Davos on January 24 to take part in the key 'country strategy dialogue on India'. Sources confirmed the change in the FM's itinerary barely 24 hours after the ministry of external affairs held a press conference on Friday to announce that Jaitley would travel to Davos. Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu and Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will now address the 'country strategy dialogue on India' session. Prabhu will attend nine sessions across three days while Pradhan will attend five sessions. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal will attend 10 sessions, Minister of State in the PMO Dr Jitendra Singh three sessions and Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar will be part of two sessions. The large number of sessions being addressed by ministers, Abhishek said, reflected the importance the WEF has accorded India this year. The Indian delegation will organise discussions on financial inclusion, promoting digital payments, clean energy, modernisation of the Indian Railways and skill development, which will be attended by the ministers. Officials ruled out any meeting between Modi and US President Donald J Trump, who is scheduled to address the closing session at Davos this year. Modi will have returned to India by the time Trump arrives in Davos. DIPP Secretary Abhishek and Secretary (Economic Relations) Vijay Gokhale -- India's foreign secretary-designate -- said Modi's message to global CEOs will be India's increasing GDP, reforms implemented in the last three years and the opportunities India offers global business. New Delhi, Gokhale said, had a lot to say to the international community, particularly the fact that certain economies are increasingly contributing more and more to the world economy -- one is China and the other being India. 'If you consider only demonetisation and GST as my government's work, it will be a big injustice to me.' Archis Mohan and Indivjal Dhasmana report. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra D Modi believes India remaining in perennial election mode not only affects governance, but also hurts the nation's federal structure. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters Countering the allegation that his government had reneged on the promise of creating 10 million jobs a year, Prime Minister Narendra D Modi quoted a recent study showing seven million jobs had been created in the formal sector alone in the current financial year. "This data of seven million jobs is not like building castles in the air. It has been calculated by an independent agency on the basis of the Employees Provident Fund Organisation figures," Modi said in a television interview, a couple of days before leaving for Davos to address the World Economic Forum. One should also count the opportunities that were being created in the informal sector, he added. "As many as 100 million people have taken loans from the Prime Minister Mudra Yojana without any bank guarantee. Loans to the tune of Rs 4 trillion have been disbursed. New entrepreneurs are being created. Won't you count these figures as job creation?" he asked. "One can counter these figures on political lines, but these numbers are not based on just wishful thinking," he said. "We are on the right track so far as job creation is concerned." According to a study authored by SBI Group Chief Economic Advisor Soumya Kanti Ghosh and IIM Bangalore Professor Pulak Ghosh, 590,000 jobs had been generated every month until November in the current financial year. This means that seven million jobs will be created in the formal sector in 2017-2018 if one expands the trend on a pro-rata basis. The study, Towards a Payroll Reporting in India, calculated the number of jobs in enterprises from the membership of the EPFO, the Employees State Insurance Corporation, the General Provident Fund, and the National Pension System. So far as data from the EPFO is concerned, the study estimated that 3.68 million jobs were generated till November of FY18, which would imply 5.5 million in the entire year. This would be higher than the 4.5 million created the previous financial year, a period which saw disruption from demonetisation. Asked what kind of Budget -- the last full one of his government -- it will be, the prime minister said the mantra of his government was development. "Whether this is the last Budget or the first Budget, whether there are elections or not, the mantra of Modi is only development, development and development." "The mantra of the Bharatiya Janata Party is only development." The PM spoke at length about the need for simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls. He said there was a need for increased debate on the issue. "This cannot be the agenda of one political party or individual. It isn't Modi's or the BJP's agenda only. There is a need for discussion on this," he said. Modi felt the country remaining in perennial election mode not only affected governance, but also hurt the federal structure of the country. Talking about how elections lead to war of words between political rivals, Modi likened elections to the festival of Holi. Holi, he said, was celebrated on a particular day where it was acceptable to throw colours or mud on people. "Similarly, the Lok Sabha and assembly elections should take place at a fixed time, for example in the second week of February." Modi said expenditure on the 2009 Lok Sabha elections was Rs 11.1 billion, which increased to Rs 40 billion in 2014. He also highlighted the enormous manpower that was deployed to conduct elections, and how it interfered in governance. On agriculture, he said his government had an ambitious programme to double the farmers' income by 2022 through the prime minister's crop insurance scheme, value addition of farm produce, irrigation programme etc. On the criticism related to demonetisation and the goods and services tax, Modi said his government's achievements were much beyond these two reforms. "If you consider only these two things as my government's work," he said, "it will be a big injustice to me." Income tax department sends out notices to cryptocurrency investors on suspicion of tax evasion. Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com The income tax department has sent notices to thousands of cryptocurrency investors across the country, seeking additional details on the money invested in the virtual currency during the governments demonetisation exercise. Among 28 questions in total, the income tax department has sought details on investment or sales of bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies in India and abroad during 8 November-31 December 2016, said a notice to cryptocurrency investors on December 20. A cryptocurrency, such as bitcoin, is a virtual currency created and stored electronically using the blockchain technology. We have issued notices to cryptocurrency investors in cases where their investment in not in line with the income declared in their returns, a Central Board of Direct Taxes spokesperson confirmed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced demonetising old currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 on November 8, 2016, in an attempt to curb black money in the economy. The Union government had asked people to deposit old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes in banks till December 30, 2016. The income tax department sent the notices to investors a week after it conducted survey operations at major cryptocurrency exchanges across the country on suspicion of alleged tax evasion. During this process, the department sought details of cryptocurrency investors from all exchanges, sources said. The income tax department has asked for bank statements of investors and their family members for 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18, along with the computation of loss or gain arising out of investment in cryptocurrency during these financial years. The department has also inquired whether the users have brought or sold cryptocurrency from websites registered outside the country and if they have paid any advance taxes against the gains arising out of the investments. Please furnish details of all transactions in bitcoins and cryptocurrencies from the date you started dealing with them, the notice said. It further asked if the users had shown the gains made out of sale of cryptocurrencies as income in annual income tax returns filed for the present fiscal year and the two preceding years. The finance ministry had last month cautioned investors against trading in cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, and likened such investments to Ponzi schemes. The VCs [virtual currencies] do not have any intrinsic value and are not backed by any kind of assets. The price of bitcoin and other VCs, therefore, is entirely a matter of mere speculation resulting in spurt and volatility in their prices Consumers need to be alert and extremely cautious as to avoid getting trapped in such Ponzi schemes, the finance ministry had said in a statement on December 29. The income tax departments survey on cryptocurrency exchanges was aimed at gathering evidence for establishing the identity of investors and traders, transactions undertaken by them, identity of counterparties, related bank accounts used, among others". The Reserve Bank of India has issued three warnings against investing in cryptocurrencies -- in December 2013, February 2017, and earlier this month. The department of economic affairs in the finance ministry had also constituted an inter-disciplinary committee to examine the existing global regulatory and legal structures governing bitcoin and other such virtual currencies. The government is examining the committees report. 'Some BJP old timers have remarked that the BJP is now driven by its own high command, the way the Congress was under Mrs Gandhi, says Subir Roy. Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com There are remarkable parallels between the evolution of the careers of Indira Gandhi and Narendra Modi. While the two careers are naturally not identical, the similarities are too powerful to ignore. Mrs Gandhi consolidated her position at the top by splitting the Congress party and thereby ousting the old guard who made up the 'Syndicate' and expected her to be a puppet in their hands. Mr Modi has not done anything as dramatic, but put the old guard in the BJP permanently on the shelf, much to their chagrin. On becoming prime minister and seeking to consolidate her position as a national leader with grassroots support, Mrs Gandhi launched the historic Garibi Hatao programme which endeared her to India's poor. Mr Modi won his remarkable 2014 victory by making vikas (development) the primary plank of his election campaign. This made his appeal truly broad-based, causing the young and the aspiring to vote across traditional caste and even religious lines. Mrs Gandhi did not just offer hope to India's poor, she also tapped into their resentment against the rich through the abolition of princely privy purses. The princes, a relic of the past, even lost the right to officially call themselves so. Mr Modi similarly cashed in on the resentment among the poor towards the rich through demonetisation. Why the decision was actually undertaken is not known, beyond the official reason of starting a war on black money. But it created a tremendous feeling among the poor of 'serves them right' towards the rich who are seen as having amassed wealth at the cost of the rest and not paid taxes. I have come across huge anecdotal evidence among people like maidservants and drivers whose attitude has been: 'We are willing to bear the suffering if only because it will take away the ill-gotten wealth of the rich.' Or so they thought. What Mrs Gandhi did to the Congress party and what Mr Modi is doing to the BJP also have a lot in common. She destroyed party leadership down the line and made the party structure entirely subservient to her. State leaders who survived did so only no her say so. Demonetisation hit hard an important support base of the BJP, the trading community. From small to large businessmen who were not corporatised and did a lot of their business in cash -- from gold to diamond trading -- all felt let down. Then in the run-up to the UP assembly elections, there was a large exodus of sectional leaders with their entourages from the Congress, Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party into the BJP. Not only did many of them get tickets for the polls, among those who won, several have been made ministers. What this has done to the morale of the local BJP leaders who have been left out in the cold can be imagined. The last straw is the way in which the UP chief minister was chosen. Some BJP old timers have remarked, naturally off the record, that the BJP is now driven by its own 'high command,' the way the Congress was under Mrs Gandhi. The last and in some ways vital is the way in which Mrs Gandhi dealt with the higher judiciary. In getting the Supreme Court to see her way she packed it with 'committed' judges. For Mr Modi it is still early days, but the then appointment of Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar and subsequent decisions by the Supreme Court are pointers. Justice Khehar handed down two decisions which go part of the way in making life easier for Mr Modi's government. One, the long delayed memorandum of procedure for the appointment of senior judges was cleared with the court agreeing to consider the issue of national security. Two, the court rejected the Congress petition challenging the Goa governor's decision to ask the BJP, not the Congress, the single largest party, to form the government. Fali Nariman told The Indian Express in forthright terms that his 'understanding of the law and the precedents (benches of nine and five judges, respectively) is that the governor of a state is under Constitutional duty to first invite the leader of the single-largest party to form the government.' Just before Chief Justice Khehar's appointment, advocate Prashant Bhushan asked him to recuse himself from hearing the Birla-Sahara payoff case involving allegations of Mr Modi receiving payoffs while he was Gujarat chief minister. Mr Bhushan said Justice Khehar should withdraw as his file for elevation was pending before the prime minister. Justice Khehar termed Mr Bhushan's position 'unfair' and 'unreasonable.' Since there is nothing conclusive to go by, the jury is still out on whether Mr Modi is on his way to getting the higher judiciary to fall in line with him. The biggest difference between Mrs Gandhi and Mr Modi is, of course, on the issue of secularism. Mrs Gandhi of Emergency fame had dictatorial tendencies, but stood by secularism. Mr Modi has been different. Allegedly by first playing the communal card and allowing the 2002 Gujarat riots to happen, and then putting the Vishva Hindu Parishad and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in their place in the state, Mr Modi has indicated that he can both play the communal card and set it aside when it suits him. We had the Hindu consolidation in the UP elections and Yogi Adityanath's choice as chief minister. If the first was very much Mr Modi's idea, was his hand forced on the second? 'No country has a richer history than India. We cannot let someone twist our history.' IMAGE: Protests against the release of Padmaavat. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters The raging controversy over Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film Padmaavat, set for release on January 25, refuses to die down. After the Supreme Court on Thursday, January 18, paved the way for the film's nationwide release by lifting the ban on its screening in Gujarat and Rajasthan, the Rajput Karni Sena has called for a 'janata curfew' on January 25. Around 1,700 women have threatened to perform jauhar (self-immolation) on January 25, coinciding with the release. "Rani Padmini had chosen women from 36 different castes and communities to perform jauhar," Rani Mahendra Kanwar of Bassi, Chittorgarh, vice-president, Johar Smriti Sansthan, which is among the organisations leading the protests against Padmaavat, tells Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf. The CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification) has approved the release of Padmaavat. The Supreme Court has permitted its release. Why are you still opposing the film? The movie projects history incorrectly; we cannot tolerate it. It is not only the Rajputs that are opposing this movie, every community is doing so too. Rani Padmini had chosen women from 36 different castes and communities to perform jauhar. So, it is not the Rajputs alone who are protesting, but everyone is. Even the Muslims are opposed to the movie. Those who have seen the film say it is actually pro-Rajput. They (the producers) have shown this movie to those who have no knowledge of history. They (the producers) are projecting history incorrectly, which can't be tolerated. A school of historians believe that Rani Padmini never existed. That is not true. You read history and you will find Rani Padmini existed. The villages, palaces, even the place where the jauhar took place, exist even today, which is enough proof of her existence. If Rani Padmini didn't exist, why did Alauddin Khilji attack Chittorgarh? He did it because he wanted Rani Padmini in his harem. I agree that the story of the mirror is wrong as that kind of mirror did not arrive in India till then. It was only later that these mirrors came from Belgium. Another historical fact is that Rani Padmini's husband was taken prisoner through cheating by Alauddin Khilji. It was then Rani Padmini went to rescue him. How can these historians say Rani Padmini did not exist? X According to Malik Muhammad Jaysi's poem Padmaavat -- on which Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film is based -- a glimpse of Rani Padmini is shown to Alauddin Khilji via a mirror at Chittorgarh fort. It is agreed that he would return to Delhi after seeing that image of the queen. But Khilji reneges on his assurance, according to the poem, and instead captures Raja Ratan Singh, Rani Padmini's husband. IMAGE: Rani Mahendra Kanwar of Bassi, Chittorgarh, says 1,700 women have signed forms vowing they will commit jauhar if the movie is released. The film very clearly states it is based on Malik Muhmammad Jasyi's poem, which is fictional. We made a team, which included the Maharana of Mewar (Arvind Singhji). We call him Maharana because for us he is still the Maharana. He told the makers of the movie that either he or his son must be allowed to watch the movie before its release. This permission was not granted by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. I want to know why. If he had a clean heart, he would have shown the movie to the Maharana whose ancestor was Rani Padmini. The Supreme Court has okayed its release. The Supreme Court of India has given its order in just one day. There are thousands of files in the Supreme Court, but this decision to release the movie came in one day without any discussion and debate. We feel the decision came too quickly. The court had to take a quick decision as the movie is releasing on January 25. I respect the law and order of the country. I am hurt because they are releasing the movie on January 26 which is our Republic Day. Many foreign dignitaries come on this day to India and I feel very worried about this fact. But what is the value of my words? What is happening in Chittorgarh right now? There are many women who are sitting on dharna protesting against the movie. You say women will perform jauhar if the film is released. Many women have filled forms stating that they will commit jauhar if the film is released. Around 1,700 women have already filled the form. Isn't your organisation going too far by threatening jauhar? But what can we do? How do you control the emotions of people? A country works on law and order, not on emotions. When dealing with history, laws don't matter, emotions matter. No country has a richer history than India. We cannot let someone twist our history. The kind of respect women get in India is unparalleled; no other country respects women as we do. We cannot play with that image. Karni Sena members beat up children in Madhya Pradesh for dancing to the Ghoomar song from the tilm. I oppose that. You cannot beat up children for doing the Ghoomar dance. What is the situation in Chittorgarh now? Right now, we are meeting in Chittorgarh. Women are taking out silent marches against the release of Padmaavat. I believe the mirror put up by the ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) has been removed from the Chittorgarh fort. Is that true? Yes, that has been removed now. It was wrong to put up that mirror in the Chittorgarh fort. That mirror has been removed for a month, ever since we protested. Are tourists visiting Chittorgarh? More tourists are coming to Chittorgarh to know about Rani Padmini. They are coming to see where she performed jauhar. Foreigners are taking the mud of Chittorgarh back to their country as they feel she made a huge sacrifice and in her remembrance they are doing this act. Three people, including an army jawan, were killed and six injured in firing by Pakistani troops along the International Border and Line of Control in Jammu division for the third day on Saturday, police said. IMAGE: A villager shows mortar shell marks on a wall after firing from the Pakistani side, at Korotana village near R S Pura Sector about 35 km from Jammu. Photograph: PTI Photo Nine persons have been killed so far in ceasefire violations over three days, police officials said. An army jawan was on Saturday killed after being hit by a bullet during cross-border firing in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district, the officials said. A defence spokesman identified the slain soldier as sepoy Mandeep Singh, 23, a resident of Alampur village of Sangroor in Punjab. He said the Pakistani Army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing of small arms and automatics form 0820 hours in Krishna Ghati sector, resulting in grievous injuries to Singh who later succumbed. The Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively, the spokesman said. The officials said two civilians, Gaura Ram, 17, of Kapur R S Pura and Gour Singh, 45, of Abdullian, were killed and five others injured in firing by Pakistani rangers along the IB in Jammu district. IMAGE: A villager shows a damaged section of his house after shelling from the Pakistani side on the India-Pakistan international border at Village Suchet Garh of R S Pura Sector. Photograph: PTI Photo A Border Security Force spokesman said cross-border firing was underway in the area from Octroi to Chenab (Akhnoor) in Suchetgarh sector of R S Pura from Saturday morning. He said the firing in R S Pura sector stopped around 1.30 am but resumed again after four hours. He said a BSF jawan in Pargwal sector was injured in the heavy firing and shelling and was later hospitalised. The BSF is retaliating and the exchange of fire between the two sides was underway till the last reports were received. A jawan of the Sashastra Seema Bal was injured in cross border shelling in Jammu, officials said. The jawan, constable Lallu Ram, was evacuated to a nearby hospital and was said to be stable. IMAGE: The heavy firing has forced thousands of border residents to flee their homes and authorities announced closure of educational institutions for three days along the LoC and IB. Photograph: PTI Photo The jawan, who belongs to the 14th battalion of the force, was deployed for rendering law and order duties along with the Jammu and Kashmir Police at the Kanachak police station, when he was hit by splinters of a mortar shell that landed in the area. While a BSF jawan and a teenaged girl were killed on Thursday, four people--two civilians and one BSF jawan and an army jawan -- were killed and over 40 others, including two BSF personnel, injured in the Pakistani firing on Friday. The heavy firing had forced thousands of border residents to flee their homes and authorities announced closure of educational institutions for three days along the LoC and IB. Between 8,000 to 9,000 people living along the IB have migrated to safer places and most of them were living with their relatives, officials said. Over 1,000 people are housed in camps in R S Pura, Samba and Kathua areas, they said. Blood splattered compounds, smashed window panes and demolished roofs are all that are left of houses in border hamlets which have been battered in Pakistani firing and shelling in the last three days. A smell of gunpowder lingers in these villages whose residents are living in increasing fear. Nine people, including 5 civilians, have been killed and 47 injured in ceasefire violations over last three days. We were living in the shadow of death. Mortar bombs were raining on our houses and we thought we would die any moment but the police brought us out from the Sai Khurd village in Arnia, Ratno Devi said. In Sai Khurd, several houses were damaged and some animals killed in shelling, Devi said, adding that a woman, was killed while her husband and son were injured in the village. Ratno Devi, who along with six family members left home and took shelter in the house of her relatives in the outskirts of Arnia belt, said, The government should stop firing from Pakistan. The firing and shelling were so heavy that 82 mm mortar shells landed much beyond Arnia town, which is 5 kilometre away from the International Border in Jammu district. Farmlands have craters due to mortar bombs and have turned into live minefields. In Jhora farm in RS Pura, 150 khullas or mud houses of Gujjars were burned down in the shelling. Several bovines were killed and injured due to mortar bombs and bullets in these villages. Police vehicles have been pressed into service and people living in border hamlets evacuated. The border hamlets have virtually turned into war zones. Pakistan is targeting civilian areas intensely. There has been huge damage to houses and a loss of cattle, Sub Divisional Police Officer R S Pura, Surinder Choudhary, said. Chanchalo Devi said the firing and shelling by Pakistan was haunting them. Only three months back, Pakistan caused huge damage and again we are facing death. How long will we keep living in fear. The government should give us safe alternatives, she said. Chanchalo Devi said she and her husband had woken by the sounds of mortar shells in Arnias ward number 13 and they immediately tried to shift to a neighbours house as their own house is made of mud. When we were about to cross the lane to move to our neighbours house when a shell burst and injured both of us and our neighbour Darshan Lal, she said in a hospital. Desh Raj of Vidhipur said his family lived in a room without food and water until they left home to escape the shelling and firing. Arnia town, which was once considered to be safe from Pakistani firing and shelling, was also hit by several mortar bombs. Several of the houses in Korotana, Sai Khurd, Mahasha Kote, Pindi, Suchetgarh, Jhora farm, village were hit by bullets and splinters of mortar shells which tore through the roofs and walls of houses. The villagers claimed the government had failed to construct bunkers despite the tall claims made by it for several years. The border people would not have died or been injured had the government constructed bunkers or given us plot at a safe place as per a promise made several years ago. They have not fulfilled the promise, Sudershan Singh of Arnia said. On Saturday, three people, including an army jawan, were killed and six injured in firing by Pakistani troops along the International Border and Line of Control in Jammu division. On Friday, a 17-year-old girl and a BSF jawan were killed while six people, including five civilians, injured in ceasefire violation in three sectors of Jammu and Samba districts. The Pakistani troops targeted around 45 border outposts and around 50 village in five sectors of R S Pura, Arnia, Ramgarh, Samba and Hirnagar along a 40-km stretch along the IB. SDPO Surinder Choudhary, who led a police team for rescuing and shifting those injured to a hospital, said, We have also evacuated border villagers to safer places. Pakistan cannot be trusted. Image: A police personnel inspects a temporary shed of a nomadic Gujjar, damaged in the cross-border shelling by Pakistan at Jora Farm village in Jammu. Photograph: PTI Photo Donald Trump blamed the Democrats after the bill, which would have provided short-term funding for the Pentagon and other federal agencies, did not receive the required 60 votes. IMAGE: The shutdown is the first time in five years and comes exactly a year after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. Photograph: Yuri Gripas/Reuters The United States government officially shutdown on Saturday for the first time in five years after the Senate rejected a short-term spending bill to keep the federal government running, marking a chaotic end to Donald Trumps first year as president. The shutdown began at 12:01 am (local time) after a few Republicans joined Democrats in blocking the crucial measure which would have provided short-term funding for the Pentagon and other federal agencies. Trump blamed the Democrats for the shutdown which comes exactly a year after he was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. Dems want a shutdown in order to help diminish the great success of the tax cuts, and what they are doing for our booming economy, he said. Despite last minute bipartisan meetings, the bill to fund the government until February 16 did not receive the required 60 votes. The Senate voted 50-48 to block the stopgap funding measure. The short-term spending bill was passed by the House on Thursday. This is part of the Democrats strategy to force US President Trump and the Republicans to negotiate with them on illegal immigrants who are facing deportation. IMAGE: The Ohio Clock shows midnight to begin Government shutdown outside the Senate chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The effect of the shutdown would be felt most from Monday when the federal government employees would not be able to join for their work and be forced to stay at home without pay. Photograph: Yuri Gripas/Reuters The effect of the shutdown would be felt most from Monday when the federal government employees would not be able to join for their work and be forced to stay at home without pay. It is estimated that more than 800,000 federal employees would be furloughed. Only the essential services would be open. The last time that a government shutdown happened was in 2013. Earlier in the day, the Office of Management of Budget said it was preparing for what were calling the Schumer Shutdown. The Director of Office of Management of Budget Mick Mulvaney told reporters that efforts were being made to have the government shutdown less impactful than it was in 2013. Were going to manage the shutdown differently. We are not going to weaponise it. Were not going to try and hurt people, especially people having to work for this federal government. But we still need Congress to appropriate the funds, he said. IMAGE: It is estimated that more than 800,000 federal employees would be furloughed. The last government shutdown lasted for 16 days in October 2013. The previous shutdown before that was for 21 days that ended on January 6, 1996. Photograph: Yuri Gripas/Reuters Military will still go to work, the border will still be patrolled, fire folks will still be fighting the fires and the parks will be open. But in each of these cases people will not be paid, Mulvaney said. Fanny and Freddy will be open, the post office will be open, the Transportation Security Administration will be open, but again all of these people will be working for nothing, which is simply not fair, he said. US Postal Services would be working. The last government shutdown lasted for 16 days in October 2013. The previous shutdown before that was for 21 days that ended on January 6, 1996. However, this is for the first time in recent history that a shutdown has taken place when both the House and the Senate as well as the White House is controlled by the same party. This is completely unfair and uncompassionate for my Democratic colleagues to filibuster government funding, harm our troops, and jeopardise health coverage for nine million children because extreme elements of their base want illegal immigration to crowd out every other priority, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said. He argued that immigration reform needed to be handled separately from the spending bill. IMAGE: A staff member carries pizzas to a lunch time meeting of the Democratic caucus. Congress wrestled with the passage of a continuing resolution to fund the federal government. Photograph: Win McNamee/Getty Images Trump has cancelled his scheduled weekend trip to Mar-a-Lago in Florida. However, he would continue with his trip to Davos to attend the World Economic Forum meeting next week. Democrats cant shut down the booming Trump economy. Are they now so desperate theyll shut down the government instead? said White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders and described it as a Schumer shutdown. Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer is the Senate Minority Leader. Senate Democrats own the Schumer Shutdown. Tonight, they put politics above our national security, military families, vulnerable children, and our countrys ability to serve all Americans, Sanders said. We will not negotiate the status of unlawful immigrants while Democrats hold our lawful citizens hostage over their reckless demands. This is the behaviour of obstructionist losers, not legislators, Sanders said in a statement. When Democrats start paying our armed forces and first responders we will reopen negotiations on immigration reform. During this politically manufactured Schumer Shutdown, the President and his Administration will fight for and protect the American people, the White House said. Earlier, Trump held a last-minute meeting with Schumer to avert a government shutdown. We had a long and detailed meeting. We discussed all of the major outstanding issues, we made some progress, but we still have a good number of disagreements. The discussions will continue, Schumer said soon after his meeting with Trump. 'It would be interesting to see how Yogi Adityanath is received in Tamil Nadu, where he is due to end his Ram Rajya Rath Yatra in Rameswaram on March 23,' says Aditi Phadnis. IMAGE: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, BJP Kerala President Kummanam Rajasekharan to his right, and other party leaders at a rally in Kannur, Kerala, October 5, 2017. Photograph: PTI Photo Rajinikanth, actor and now politician, launched his political party on January 1. It is now more than 20 days old. So far, he has created a Web site and mobile app for registered and unregistered fan clubs. These are thought to be his core supporters. His slogan? 'Do good, speak and only good will happen.' Right. He has also shared the stage with Kamal Haasan (in Malaysia for a event for actors called Nadigar Sangam) unleashing a frenzy of speculation among fans about their future plans together and separately (Kamal Haasan had also expressed strong views about politics and is considered close to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, especially its leader M Karunanidhi). So Tamil Nadu politics is on a roll. Rajini has spoken in race and nationality-neutral terms. He wants his party to work towards ending corruption; and good governance. In a state where politics is dominated by pushback to Hindi-Hindu-Hindustan, the future course of politics in Tamil Nadu promises to be exciting. Here's why. Politics in Tamil Nadu has been cerebral -- possibly more so than many other states in India. It has taken a sharp, strong position on issues like language, culture, caste and identity. True, governments have not always put their money where their mouth is: M G Ramachandran's political devotion to the subaltern classes as seen in his films did not extend to the budgets his government presented -- direct taxes such as land tax, agricultural income tax and urban land tax fell progressively whereas indirect taxes kept going up during his 11-year rule, including on alcohol, especially arrack and toddy consumed mostly by the poor. This is a point made eloquently by M S S Pandian, the author of brilliant studies on MGR. But the discourse has been about the lives of subalterns. Similarly, weighing in on his background and knowledge of the language, Karunanidhi has built upon and contributed to the richness of the debate around the Tamil nationality. Being Dravidian doesn't mean you are less Indian. But if you can speak Tamil, you are a different kind of Indian. In October last year, the Bharatiya Janata Party's state unit demanded that dialogues in a Tamil film Mersal that criticised demonetisation and GST be censored. H Raja, the national secretary of the party, pointed to the hero, Vijay's Christian faith, attracting heavy pushback on social media. 'Vijay is a practising Christian. He should have said (in the film) 'build hospitals before churches'. But he says 'build hospitals before temples'. It is an attempt to provoke Hindus,' Raja alleged. He also posted the actor's voter ID on Twitter with his full name Joseph Vijay and captioned it 'Truth is Bitter'. The film has a scene where Vijay says Singapore has a GST of 7 per cent and yet provides free medical services, whereas in India you pay 12 per cent GST for medicine, while there's no GST on alcohol. Later in that scene, Vijay also talks about the death of children in a hospital in Gorakhpur and power outages at a hospital in Pondicherry. The film grossed Rs 1.7 billion in the first week. It was a sellout success. For those in Tamil Nadu, the criticism of Mersal is only one in a series of attacks on Tamil-ness. Every day brings new evidence of the discovery of Tamil culture. The latest? Carbon dating of charcoal found at the Keezhadi site in Sivaganga in February 2017 establishes that the settlement there belonged to 200 BC. The excavations thus proved that urban civilisation had existed in Tamil Nadu since the Sangam age. To impose a Delhi diktat that wants to outlaw jallikattu via ordinance, sees speakers of the Tamil language as Christians and Muslims and generally negate Tamil identity is hard for people to accept. Little wonder then that in the R K Nagar assembly by-election, the BJP candidate polled even fewer votes than those who voted NOTA. Is Tamil Nadu approaching a post-Dravidian era with Rajinikanth talking about spirituality in politics and putting his faith in doing good, speaking and expecting only good to happen? Hard to say just yet. But for a real test, it would be interesting to see how Yogi Adityanath is received in Tamil Nadu, where he is due to culminate his Ram Rajya Rath Yatra in Rameswaram on March 23. 'Could the Khar police and the CBI have tinkered with the driver's call data records?' 'And did their fiddling with the information not make it that they were tampering with the lives of people that were in the balance as a result of this case?' Vaihayasi Pande Daniel reports from the Sheena Bora murder trial. Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com The moon was a crescent in the sky on that dark monsoon night. A middle-aged man, carrying a plastic bag, that said Mamta Tailors on it, was walking swiftly along the ocean promenade at Carter Road, Khar, north west Mumbai, at about 9 pm. In his pocket, or maybe in his hand, was a silver/white cellphone and Rs 100. He was probably slightly out of breath, or even sweating, given that he had been walking about 40 minutes or much more, all the way from Santa Cruz East, north west Mumbai. By the side of the road were clumps of water-logged shrubs, perhaps mangroves. The moustachioed man was headed to this jhar (greenery) to dump his plastic bag. Before he could do so, a white Mumbai police Tata Sumo rolled down the road near him. The jeep scared the man. He took off running. The police, suspicious of a man racing away, came after him and nabbed him. When they opened the Mamta Tailors bag they found a country-made weapon or katta and cartridges inside it. The man was arrested August 21, 2015 for possession of a weapon without a license and taken to the Khar police station. After a few days of cross questioning it emerged that the weapon had been given to him and he was trying to dispose of it. It also was revealed, to the police's surprise, that the man had helped murder a young woman in 2012. Here's another account: The moon was not even a crescent in the sky on that dark monsoon night. The man, who once had a Mamta Tailors plastic bag and a silver/white cellphone, was already at the Khar police station, helping them crack a case. He had been missing from his home in Mosambi Tabela, Santa Cruz East, since about August 16, 2015, lured to the police station, and taken into protective custody. This happened shortly after the Khar police learned -- in some mysterious, yet undisclosed manner -- that a young woman had been murdered three years earlier and the man knew something about it. The first is the prosecution's version of how the Sheena Bora murder came to light in 2015. The second is the defence's take on how the trial for Sheena Bora's murder in 2015 came about. For many months now, right from July 2017, CBI Special Courtroom 51 at the Mumbai city civil and sessions court, Kala Ghoda, south Mumbai, has been hearing evidence, and through the defence's cross-examination, getting to know further information from Peter and Indrani Mukerjea's former driver Shyamvar Pinturam 'Suryavanshi' Rai on how he was arrested. And how he ended up telling the Khar police about his role in Sheena Bora's murder. With each telling of his tale, through six months of 2017, new details were uncovered that often didn't ring true. Like Rai did not remember which road he used to cross over from the eastern suburbs to the western suburbs that fateful monsoon night. Or which way he was walking on Carter Road and in which direction the police jeep came. He did not remember if the cellphone confiscated by the police that night was white or silver. He could not recall the exact nature of the greenery where he planned to throw the bag and why he had not chosen similar greenery located adjacent to his home. Though he may have passed several police vans along the way, that night in 2015, while carrying a plastic bag containing a country-made revolver and cartridges, he did not recall why the Khar police station's Tata Sumo made him run. The defence, based on Rai's confused set of facts, and from the information gleaned from his call data records, has since early December been putting forth their theory: That Rai was never actually arrested. And that his Carter Road walk, past the mangroves, never occurred, nor did he ever have a katta and its cartridges in his possession. The entire tale was a figment of his imagination. The defence has continued to mount their version of the facts. They alleged that Rai turned himself into the police station five days before August 21 and had, for reasons yet unknown, joined forces with the police and the CBI to frame a case against the Mukerjeas and Sanjeev Khanna, Indrani's former husband. Till date they have had not much to back up their claim, apart from showing up how tattered Rai's memory was. On Friday, the well-regarded Shrikant Shivade, Peter's lawyer, arguing an application that he had put before CBI Special Judge Jayendra Chandrasen Jagdale about tampered call data records last week, offered suggestions on one of the methods, he alleged, that was used, by the Khar police or the CBI, to paper over Rai's pre-'arrest' visit to the Khar police station. Shivade told the court, angrily, that it was quite easy for the prosecution to have hidden evidence of Rai's movements just prior to arrest. The lawyer charged that the call data records of the cellphone Rai was using at the time of his arrest, released to the defence by the prosecution, was allegedly manipulated and whole columns of information were missing. Before levelling his accusations, the advocate took care, as is his method, to lay out details of judgments in earlier cases on how call data records are to be handled fairly. Shivade reminded the court about the circumstances in which the CDRs for Rai's 2015 cell phone were released. The nodal officer for Airtel, the company from which Rai had his last SIM (subscriber identification module), first said they did not have records beyond a year though the lawyer pointed out that the Government of India's Department of Telecommunications insists on records being maintained for seven years. The nodal officer then procrastinated further, saying he would need to check and finally only after the court ordered him to produce the records, did he get cracking. Even after continuous pressure from the court -- with the cross-examination of Rai being halted as it waited for the Airtel records -- it took Airtel's nodal officer over a month to spit up the CDRs, as delays were cited at every turn. Said Shivade: "Why they didn't give the data for 65 days? They knew it was fictitious data!" Shivade alleged that Airtel did not attach a '65B' certificate of verification with it and provided a soft copy of the records in which the records had been downloaded into excel sheets. Peter's lawyer said if you loaded these CDRs onto any laptop, the first thing one noticed was that the excel sheets had its enable edit button activated. Secondly some columns of information had been deleted. The other serious issue Shivade's application raised was about the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) of the handset Rai was carrying on the night of his arrest. The 15- or 17-digit global IMEI code uniquely identifies a cellphone and can be utilised to block a cellphone from use if it has been stolen. But Shivade explained technology has allowed thieves and scamsters to illegally use software to alter the IMEI code of a stolen phone. He said the police -- and definitely the Khar police -- was aware of that. It so happened that IMEI number cited for Shyamvar Rai's phone was incorrect and the prosecution in their reply to Shivade's application even admitted that IMEI number was wrongly quoted. Bit by bit Shivade's ire visibly built up, before the judge. The lawyer, referring to the IMEI number in the original statement from the Khar police station, said, "None of this tallies. The number here is totally different. This is a bogus number! Something, somewhere, by someone, has been fabricated!" Shivade was finally apoplectic and, in his anger, at his finest. Not even a paper moved (nearly) nor did the attention of the courtroom wander as he thundered on darkly: "It is fictitious, which they have admitted. You want to give me data which is fictitious... and have an unfair advantage over me?!" Seething with indignant fury, he examined the motives for having received tampered CDRs, the wrong IMEI number and the wrong physical description for Rai's 2015 cellphone. He alleged that the Khar police station, the CBI and the nodal officer were aware of this fact, because they would have been the first parties to work with the call data records. He wondered why such "talented officers" could make such mistakes and wondered why they had not done their "duty." Knowing they were tampered, what led the Khar police or the CBI to continue to use the records? Could it be, Shivade alleged, that they were the ones who tinkered with this information in the first place? And did their fiddling with the information not make it that they were tampering with the lives of people that were in the balance as a result of this case? "Why this is important? Because Rai was taken into custody a few days before?! The arrest is a sham. What are the checks (in place guaranteeing the information) on the CDRs of Shyamvar Rai?" "Enable editing is on (on the soft copy). Click that and you can delete the entire data. If the police had made calls to Shyamvar Rai it is deleted." "The arrest of Shyamvar Rai is the most important part of the case! They must have the copies of the CDRs with them. If so, this CDR is not the CDR the court has ordered." Shivade went onto explain that by this action, those guilty for the action, have not respected the court. In a ringing voice, steeped with righteousness, Shivade heaped accusation upon accusation on the Airtel nodal officer, the CBI and the Khar police station, whose representative Inspector Ganesh Dalvi was sitting there, since he was the next witness up for the stand. "The nodal officer should be hanged," Shivade declared. CBI Special Prosecutor Bharat Badami objected to this and Shivade backed down, humouring him, saying he had said this in a manner of speaking. The lawyer was equally irate with the reply he received from the prosecution -- from K K Singh, the CBI investigating officer -- for his application. The CBI in its reply said there could be, what Shivade termed, "parity errors" while retrieving CDRs more than a year old, since generally records are not kept beyond one year and these records were three years old. Shivade: "This is a shameless explanation. It is not to be tolerated by the court. This is a serious case. Someone can be sentenced to death or to a whole life in prison. Lives are hanging by a slender thread!" Badami and K K Singh, who were sitting at the lawyers' bench, exchanged glances with each other several times during the proceedings as Shivade spoke. But neither did they nor Dalvi look particularly perturbed, although Badami grumbled from time to time under his breath. Judge Jagdale listened to Shivade gravely, carefully following his arguments, a solemn expression fixed on his face throughout. When Shivade sat down, Indrani's defence lawyer Sudeep Pasbola sprung up and also took on the CBI for their alleged wrongdoing, not in his usual fiery way. Instead, Pasbola's tone was less angry but more moralistic, as in a quiet, sombre, voice he went on about "deliberate suppression" and how "wool had been pulled over the eyes of the court" and a "mockery" had been made of the system and for the need to punish those responsible. He reminded Judge Jagdale of all the excuses the Airtel nodal officer has given for the delay in producing the CDRs -- "pretexts like son is sick" -- when in reality Pasbola alleged the information was being cooked up. Both Shivade and Pasbola asked for two things: The appointment of an expert to look at the CDR issue and that Rai's last handset be summoned to the court. Further, Shivade requested the logbook for the Khar police station's Tata Sumo that nabbed Rai in 2015 and for the CDRs of Dalvi and Dinesh Kadam, the investigating officer of the Sheena Bora murder case at the Khar police station. Badami, in response, mumbled that he wondered why the defence was not interested in his CDRs. "Ask for my CDRs also," he said, provoking the first round of laughter on Friday afternoon. Judge Jagdale laughed heartily too in an otherwise solemn day's proceedings. Finally, at the end Badami got up to defend the prosecution, saying that the defence had no business "tarnishing the name of the CBI" and said it was only reasonable that they first checked with the Airtel nodal officer about these allegations. "It was his duty. Not the CBI's duty." Pasbola turned to Badami and asked roundly, "Can anyone take the court for a ride?!" Badami suggested that Rai's confusion over the colour of the phone was understandable because, being a virtually unlettered man Rai, could not distinguish between silver and white, which had the entire bench of defence lawyers tittering. He embarked on his now oft-repeated line about the issue not being about seeking justice only for Peter Mukerjea, but that it was about seeking justice for the late Sheena Bora first of all. In the accused enclosure, Peter, wearing, for a change his white Chinese-style shirt-jacket and chinos, listened with rapt attention to Shivade and Pasbola's arguments and Badami's replies, wrinkling up his face in puzzlement when Badami explained his stance. Sanjeev was also all ears. Indrani, wearing a white shirt with brown leggings, was rather preoccupied, sitting hunched in her corner, head bent, writing and reading something throughout the arguments. Judge Jagdale was in a stern mood on Friday. Sensing many additional delays as a result of this new development, he wanted action quickly. He ordered that the Airtel nodal officer to appear in court on Saturday and was not amenable to excuses. He also wanted the next witness, Dalvi's testimony to start as soon as possible. When told that Inspector Dalvi would be busy with Republic Day security from January 23 to January 24 onwards, Judge Jagdale said he didn't care and that: "This is a trial!" Badami continued to say that January 23 as the next court date was not possible. The judge said firmly, "Then you file an extension" on January 23. After exiting the courtroom Badami chatted with the defence lawyers, Singh, Khanna and journalists. Referring to Shivade's arguments, he said, "They threw a brick and we threw some stones back." The CBI prosecutor, who was on his cellphone trying to locate the Airtel nodal officer to ask him to come to court on Saturday, also spoke to Sanjeev's lawyer. He praised a mildly bemused Shreyansh Mithare for not giving him any trouble in the court and that all his troubles came from the "big shots." From the "King and Queen." Postscript: According to the Khar police station chargesheet, the Mukerjeas' driver was arrested at 5.20 pm, August 21, 2015. But Rai has told the court, twice, that he left his home in Santa Cruz East in the afternoon, and took between two and four hours to walk to Khar, which indicates, that as per his information, he might have been arrested later too, ie after dark. MILLERTON, N.Y. The Salisbury Forum will present the documentary, A Plastic Ocean, which explores the issue of how plastics in our oceans effect the marine ecosystems and human health. The movie will be shown on Sunday, Jan. 21 at 11:30 am at The Moviehouse on Main Street in Millerton, NY. Admission is free. In the center of the Pacific Ocean gyre, a large system of circular ocean currents, researchers found more plastic than plankton. Instead of an anticipated solid mass that could be contained, the expedition discovered free-floating microplastics which enter the food chain where they attract toxins like a magnet. These toxins are stored in seafoods fatty tissues and eventually consumed by us. Producer Jo Ruxton joined an expedition to the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch, 1500 miles off the coast of San Francisco, and learned she had to develop a film about the problem. She brought on Craig Leeson, a director and journalist, and Dr. Lindsay Porter, an expert on whales and dolphins. Come and learn how a four-year global odyssey discovered the negative effects on human health from the plastic pollution in our oceans. Kent Back Then to be held Jan. 21 Kent Historical Society Sunday Series on January 21, 2018 highlights Kent Back Then, a look at Kent in the Mid-20th century as lived by its citizens. The award-winning curator of the Kent Historical Society (as well as the Sharon Historical Society), Marge Smith will take a nostalgic look at Kent life in the mid-20th century, including farming, the village, moving to Kent, and the role that three private schools have played in the towns life. Kent Back Then will be presented by the Kent Historical Society, as part of its Sunday Series lectures in the Kent Town Hall Sunday, January 21, at 2 p.m. The depth and breadth of Ms. Smiths knowledge of Kent is the backbone of the Kent Historical Society, and in this interactive discussion with the audience, she will link the past with today using a series of images and old advertisements from Kents iconic local newspaper - The Kent Good Times Dispatch, known fondly as The GTD. In its heyday, The GTD had its finger firmly on the pulse of the town, with reporters submitting stories from every corner of town. So, search your memory banks and plan to join us for a fun afternoon. This Sunday Series lecture inaugurates the theme for the Historical Societys 2018 events, Our Town: A Sense of Community in the Mid-20th Century. One goal for the year will be to celebrate the memories of those who lived through the dramatic changes that took place in Kent before and after World War II. The Kent Historical Society sponsors the Sunday Series in March, May, July, September, and November. Free admission for members; $5 suggested donation for non-members. For more information,call 860-927-4587 or visit www.kenthistoricalsociety.org. School to hold Internet Safety program BURLINGTON The Har-Bur Middle School PTA in Burlington is sponsoring an Internet Safety presentation for parents of middle school and high school students on Thursday, Jan. 25, from 6:30-8 p.m. in the Lewis Mills HS Auditorium. All parents are encouraged to attend to hear all of the important information that Law Enforcement Officer Scott Driscoll has to share. Through this presentation, parents will be informed of new trends and techniques that are being used on-line by predators and by our children. They will also be given tips on what to do to prevent a dangerous situation from happening. Parents will see how what their children do on-line now can have long term negative effects on their future and will learn tools and strategies they can use to keep their families safe. For more information on Officer Driscolls presentation, please visit: http://internetsafetyconcepts.com/. Scholarship applications now available The Greenwoods Scholarship Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit corporation that manages funds from individual and corporate donors in northwest Connecticut and makes awards to recipients in the names of individual scholarship accounts. Students who are residents of Barkhamsted, Colebrook, Hartland, New Hartford, Norfolk and Winchester, as well as students at Northwestern Connecticut Community College, are eligible to receive a Greenwoods Scholarship. High school graduates and those already matriculated in a college or university may apply. Application forms and instructions may be obtained online at www.gsfct.org or from The Gilbert School, Northwestern Regional #7, Explorations, Oliver Wolcott Technical School, the Hartland Town Hall, and the Financial Aid Office at NCCC. Last year the Greenwoods Scholarship Foundation distributed scholarships valued at $110,000 to 79 recipients. In addition, the Foundation also gave a $ 9,000 Allied Health Grant to Northwestern Connecticut Community College. All applications must be returned to the high school counseling office, mailed to Greenwoods Scholarship Foundation, P.O. Box 834, Winsted, CT 06098 or faxed to Mrs. DePaoli at 860-379-0618 by Feb. 15. Sign up now for Northwest Kid Rock contest TORRINGTON The City of Torrington Parks & Recreation Department is now accepting registrations for this years Northwest Kid Rock Contest. The contest is open to youth ages 8-14 from Torrington and other surrounding towns. Past NW Kid Rock winners are not eligible to participate. All contestants will be required to fill out an application form prior to auditioning. Registration Forms will be available at the Torrington Parks and Recreation Department located at 153 South Main Street in Torrington or online at www.torringtonct.org under Parks and Recreation. Registration forms are due by February 23, 2018. Auditions will take place at Coe Memorial Park on Saturday, March 3 at 12 p.m. Auditions will consist of each contestant having a one minute introduction, in addition to an acappella performance. Contestants can also showcase any other talents along with their singing; such as dancing and playing an instrument. Contestants will be notified the Monday following the auditions if they have been chosen to move on to the Finals. The finals will take place on Saturday, March 17 at 6 p.m. at Coe Memorial Park. This event will be hosted by Casey McKenna, with music provided by Vin Avallone Productions. Prizes will be awarded to the top finalists. For more information call 860-489-2274. TORRINGTON A city man charged with murder after the death of his wife last year pleaded not guilty and waived his right to a probable cause hearing Friday in Superior Court in Torrington. Daniel Gervais was arrested May 3, 2017, by Torrington police after his wife, Phyllis Gervais, was found dead in the couples home on Cider Mill Crossing on April 22, 2017. He responded to questions from Judge John A. Danaher Friday after his attorney, A. Thomas Waterfall, announced that he would waive his right to a probable cause hearing. Gervais affirmed this decision, and said that no one had threatened him or coerced him to make that choice. Waterfall entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. State Attorney David Shepack provided discovery to Waterfall Friday in the form of a series of disks, he said. The documentation shared included police reports, pictures from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and photos from state police, Shepack said. More discovery in the case is expected, according to Shepack. The hearing was scheduled Nov. 14, after Gervais competency to participate in his own defense was questioned and evaluated. Gervais was sent to the Whiting Forensic Division of the Connecticut Valley Hospital in Middletown after he was found incompetent to participate in his own defense on Sept. 12. At the time, a clinical team with the Office of Forensic Evaluations, a subgroup of the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, concluded that he displayed significant deficits that interfered with his ability to learn, retain, or apply information that was presented to him during an evaluation. He was then deemed competent to participate in his own defense in November, according to a report entered as an exhibit in the case. According to the report, Gervais complained of short-and-long-term memory loss while being evaluated at the facility, but demonstrated an ability to recall information from both the relatively distant past and the near-term, including details regarding his children, businesses, property, and family life, and learned the regulations of life in the unit. He also demonstrated an understanding of court proceedings and roles, the report said. (I)t is the unanimous opinion of the treatment team and this writer that Mr. Gervais now demonstrates a sufficient understanding of the proceedings and has the ability to assist in his defense, said Julie Pratt, competency monitor, in the report. Throughout his WFD admission, Mr. Gervais has asserted that he has significant memory deficits stemming from the stroke he suffered in January 2017, but his self-report is not consistent with his demonstrated capacities over the past two months. Gervais called Litchfield County Dispatch at 4:05 a.m. on April 22, 2017, reporting that he believed his wife had fallen during the night and died. Police were called to the scene, where they found Phyllis Gervais body in a bloody scene. In all, police collected 57 separate pieces of evidence at the scene, according to an affidavit seeking a warrant for Gervais arrest, including bloody clothing from a laundry basket, sponges, washcloths and a 24-inch steel rod with blood on it found on a shelf in the garage. All the described circumstances taken in totality show that Daniel Gervais cannot explain his actions and dispute the physical evidence developed against him that shows his involvement with the bludgeoning blunt force traumatic death of his wife, police said in the warrant affidavit. Deputy Medical Examiner Maura DeJoseph determined the injuries Phyllis Gervais sustained were from the blunt impact from at least three strikes of a weapon. DeJoseph ruled Phyllis Gervais death a homicide, according to the affidavit. As Gervais was arraigned May 4, Waterfall asked that he be placed on medical watch during court proceedings due to his previous strokes. Murder is a Class A felony under Connecticut law, punishable by 25 to 60 years in prison, up to a $20,000 fine, or both. A 60-year prison term is considered a life sentence in Connecticut, according to the Division of Criminal Justice. Gervais is next scheduled to appear in court March 16. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A federal government shutdown Friday could force closure of San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Texas. Although visitation in Texas is slower this month than in October 2013, when the four federally run missions closed during a 16-day partial shutdown, some fear that a shutdown in a few days could dampen travel to the historic colonial missions, a focal point of the citys 300th birthday celebration. It will have an impact in our Tricentennial year, said Steve Wood, president of the Professional Tour Guide Association of San Antonio. The original Mission San Antonio de Valero was founded on May 1, 1718, and establishment of a local presidio and villa followed four days later. At the missions, indigenous people lived, farmed and learned trades and living skills from friars, craftsmen and soldiers when San Antonio was a 1700s village of New Spain. If Congress does not meet a midnight Friday deadline to pass a spending plan, missions Concepcion, San Jose, San Juan and Espada could close as soon as Saturday. The Alamo, which occupies the third site of the mission de Valero established in 1724, is state-owned and would remain open. Professional tour guides in San Antonio can still lead bus or bicycle tours to the missions but would not be able to provide full access to the sites, especially at San Jose, the restored Queen of Missions surrounded by gated stone walls, Wood said. There are all kinds of ways to get visitors there. But the bottom line is that you cant get them inside to learn about our heritage, he said. Richard Perez, president and CEO of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, said a closure would undermine community efforts to draw visitors to the states only World Heritage Site. And to turn around if they came, and turn them away, if theyve traveled thousands of miles or hundreds of miles for that matter, it would be devastating, Perez said. During the 2013 shutdown, 40 of the parks 43 employees were furloughed, with security rangers staying on duty. The park, normally open year-round except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day, lost some 11,500 visitors during that closure, including travelers from Iowa and California. It was very frustrating, recalled Frances K. Rosebud Coffey, executive director of Mission Heritage Partners, a nonprofit friends group of the park formerly known as Los Compadres. Some maintenance and restoration work, including structural repairs and upgrades at Mission San Jose being done through the groups masonry apprentice program, would be temporarily suspended during a shutdown, Coffey said. Texas had the option in 2013 to join Utah and Colorado in using private, local and state funds to resume operations, without federal reimbursement, at federal parks. The Department of the Interior authorized parks to reopen through agreements with state governors, in support of local tourism. But the department required full funding of reopened parks at normal staff levels a condition some state officials in Texas said was unreasonable. At the time, a study prepared for Bexar County estimated the five San Antonio missions generate more than $180 million in direct visitor spending annually, with potential to grow to $285 million under World Heritage status a designation given in 2015 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Churches at the four federally run missions, each of which has an active Catholic parish, were open for Mass on weekends during the 2013 closure, which precluded access to the churches on weekdays and to visitors centers, convento structures and other buildings with frescos and other mission features that give the park its outstanding universal value, as stated by UNESCO. Some events at the missions were relocated to county parks. This years potential shutdown comes as many people are planning vacations, Wood said. If we see a prolonged shutdown, we may see a shift in people deciding to go elsewhere, he added. Those concerned about mail delivery can take heart. The U.S. Postal Service, which receives no tax dollars and is funded through stamp sales and other revenues, would not be affected by a shutdown. Scott Huddleston is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of his stories here. | shuddleston@express-news.net | @shuddlestonSA The wife of Chinese rights lawyer Jiang Tianyong, who was jailed last November for two years for "incitement to subvert state power," says he recently received a visit from his father at the Changsha No. 1 Detention Center, and that he will be transferred in March from the police-run facility to prison to serve the remainder of his sentence. Speaking from her home in the U.S., Jin Bianling said Jiang's father had been brought to Changsha under the escort of two state security police officers on Tuesday. Their conversation took place under the watchful eyes of six or seven prison guards, she said. "Jiang Tianyong asked about some family matters, and had his father tell me not to worry too much about him," Jin said. "He said he was allowed to read books inside." "He also gave his father a message: to thank everyone for their concern and support," she said. She said Jiang has been in the Changsha No. 1 Detention Center for more than a year, but had only recently been issued with a payment card used to buy goods from the detention center store. "Jiang Tianyong didn't even know there was money in his account until his sister visited him last month. Only then did they issue him with a card," Jin said. "The food is, of course, terrible, in the detention center, and he can't sleep there. He should have lost weight but he seems to be as plump as he ever was, so I'm really worried about him," she said. Jin said Jiang is now waiting for a transfer in March to an unknown prison in Henan province, with the details of the transfer to be advised by phone at a later date. "His family will continue to fight for his visiting rights [after the transfer]," she said. "Also, we will continue to call on the international community to pay attention to Jiang Tianyong's case." "We don't know what the conditions will be like at the next prison he goes to, so I hope people will keep watching, to ensure that the authorities don't start to mete out worse treatment or torture to Jiang Tianyong," she said. Jin has previously said she received an account of his torture after he went missing on Nov. 21, 2016 in the central city of Changsha. He was identified as vulnerable to torture by Amnesty International in January 2017. Reported by Lin Ping for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. A primary school student whose snow-encrusted photograph went viral after he struggled to school in sub-zero temperatures in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan has received only a small fraction of the 50,000 yuan (U.S. $7,800) donated by well-wishers, RFA has learned. Wang Fuman, 8, was dubbed "Snowflake Boy" after a photograph of him with frozen hair after his daily 2.8-mile walk to school was posted to social media in China, prompting a flood of donations from well-meaning strangers. But local officials have given him just a small proportion of the money, saying they will share out the rest among other children like him, local sources told RFA. "There are a lot of media reports about this right now, saying he only got 500 yuan," an official who answered the phone at the Ludian county government propaganda department said on . "If the money is labeled for Wang Fuman, then the youth development foundation will definitely give it all to him." "But the rest of the money certainly won't all be given to one person; they will ... make arrangements for it to be given to children like Wang Fuman in Ludian county who need it even more," he said. Some reports said Wang only received 8,000 yuan, while others said the amount he received was as low as 500 yuan. The official said the foundation would publish a detailed account of where the money was sent. "They will definitely be making this public, exactly how much went where, and what it was used for, where and for whom," he said. Wang's photo has once more focused media attention on the plight of China's army of "left-behind" children, whose parents travel far afield in search of work in bigger cities. Migrant worker father Wang's father Wang Gangkui said he had no choice but to seek work as a migrant to a far-off city, leaving his son behind in Yunnan. "Our family has no means, no other options," Wang Gangkui said. "If we were to stay home and take care of our kid, that would mean we had no income at all." "Our son is back home, staying with his grandmother, so I can work elsewhere to get the money for him to get an education," he said. "I am very very grateful to everyone who donated." Wang's hometown of Zhaotong city is home to more than a million people living in extreme poverty, nearly 47 percent of the school-age population, government figures indicate. The confusion over the ultimate destination for the flood of donations has sparked allegations of "abuse of power" by officials in Yunnan's Zhaotong municipal education bureau. "The head of the local education bureau said that there are other children like [Wang] who also need the money," a volunteer who helped gather the money told RFA on . "This is a classic example of the abuse of official power." He said many rural families struggle to find the money for their children to attend all nine compulsory years of schooling mandated by Chinese law, even though the funding should be provided by the local government. "There are all sorts of expenses, including lunch, and then overnight boarding fees if the child lives too far away," he said. "But implementation has been rolled back in a lot of places. The governments have the money, but they don't want to spend it on that." Yunnan-based rights activist Yu Yunfeng said Wang should be the main beneficiary of the money, adding that some donors had collected money privately and given it straight to him. "All the money we raised we intended to go straight to the kid, because he is in such dire straits, and we felt sorry for him," Yu said. "We don't feel sorry for the government." "It is shameless that the government is now taking that money away from him," Yu said. "If other people also need this money, then it should be him who hands it out to them; total strangers shouldn't do it on his behalf." Funds often go missing Yu said other types of funding have a habit of going 'missing,' too. "They also did this with social welfare payments," he said. "There is no good governance under a dictatorship ... as soon as there is money, they will do everything they can to get their hands on it." An official who answered the phone at the Ludian county education bureau denied the allegations, saying that the collection of the funds had been delegated to a government-backed "foundation," and had never been through the bureau. The principal of Wang's Xinjie Township Zhongxin Primary School, Chen Kui, said he had no idea how much money the boy had eventually received. "We can't really try to find out, because it is a private matter for him," Chen said. "The foundation didn't go through the school, so we had nothing to do with it." "We have about 2,000 students here in the township, and physical conditions are very challenging," he said. "We are 2,870 meters above sea-level. I'm not sure of the exact number of poverty-stricken, left-behind children - you'll have to ask a different department." Calls to the government-backed Yunnan Youth Development Foundation and the Zhaotong Youth Development Foundation rang unanswered during office hours on . Reported by Wong Siu-san and Sing Man for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Yang Fan for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. A banner listing 21 pre-conditions made by a Rohingya group for the repatriation of refugees to Myanmar was palced at the Kutupalong camp in Ukhia, in Bangladeshs Coxs Bazar district, Jan. 19, 2018. About 500 Rohingya refugees staged protests Friday at a camp in southeastern Bangladesh to air concerns about their safety and other questions tied to a government plan to repatriate thousands of their people to Myanmar. The two demonstrations the first of their kind took place at the sprawling Kutupalong refugee camp in Coxs Bazar district while Rohingya leaders visited camps to post a list of 21 pre-conditions they want the government to meet before refugees would agree to be repatriated voluntarily. These demands include that the stateless people be given Myanmar citizenship. Listed on banners, the 21-points were formulated by a new group, the Rohingya Rights Establishment Committee, sources in Coxs Bazar told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service. We appeal to Bangladesh, the U.N. and the international community not to repatriate us without securing our citizenship. If we get citizenship, we can get our houses and property back and compensation for the loss of lives and wealth, Abdul Khaleq, a Rohingya leader at the Madhuchhara camp in Kutupalong, told BenarNews. Otherwise, we will be thrown into the bay, said Khaleq, who was involved in framing the 21-point list. The list was circulated as officials from Bangladesh and Myanmar moved to implement a bilateral agreement signed on Nov. 23 to repatriate about 700,000 Rohingya refugees from southeastern Bangladesh to Rakhine, a state in Myanmar that borders Coxs Bazar. Two brief demonstrations took place on Friday one at block-B/3 and the other at block E/3 at the Kutupalong camps in Ukhia. I have talked to the protesters about their demands. They protested against the government plan to repatriate them without ensuring their safety and security in Rakhine, Nur Khan Liton, the former director of a leading Bangladeshi human rights NGO, Ain-O-Shalish Kendra, said in an interview from Coxs Bazar. They want to return to Rakhine; they are not against the repatriation. But their first demand is: Myanmar must announce granting them citizenship, and ensure their civil rights in Rakhine, Liton said. Voluntary, safe and with dignity At least 655,000 Rohingya fled from an outbreak of violence and a brutal military crackdown in Rakhine, which started in late August 2017 following attacks on government security posts by a Rohingya insurgent group. Overall, about 1 million Rohingya refugees are sheltering in Bangladesh, including those who fled earlier waves of violence in Rakhine. Liton said the demonstrators want to return to Rakhine under the protection of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). They also want assurances that returnees be taken to a safe zone under the auspices of the United Nations before going back to their home villages. They also demand that the Myanmar authorities must give them compensation for destroying their houses and other property, and try the perpetrators committing killings, rape, arson and other crimes against humanity, Liton added. He was referring to widespread allegations that Myanmar security forces and militiamen in Rakhine carried out atrocities against Rohingya civilians, including the burning of villages. Bangladeshi police and government officials on Friday denied any demonstrations had taken place at the Kutupalong camp in Ukhia, a sub-district of Coxs Bazar. Bangladeshi State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam said the first group of refugees would begin returning to Myanmar early next month. The repatriation would be voluntary, safe and with dignity, he told BenarNews. Meanwhile, on the other side of the border, government officials told the Myanmar Service of Radio Free Asia (RFA), a sister entity of BenarNews, that they were handling paperwork for more than 700 Muslims and 400 Hindu refugees from Rakhine who had applied to return home. About 1,100 Muslims and Hindus who lost their houses in fires informed us they want to come back. We have already checked their names and photos and asked Bangladesh to send their application forms, but we havent received the completed forms yet, said Myint Kyaing, permanent secretary at Myanmars Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population. Set of demands In Coxs Bazar, District Deputy Commissioner Ali Hossain said he had not seen or obtained a copy of the 21-point list, which was circulated and posted at the Kutuplaong, Balukhali, Jamtoli and Thaingkhali, and Leda refugee camps and settlements in the area. We will investigate who set up the boards, he told BenarNews. Apart from a guarantee of citizenship, the pre-conditions for repatriation, as listed by the committee, include civil rights, freedom of movement, as well as rights to religion and education be guaranteed for Rohingya, and that perpetrators of atrocities against the minority group be arrested and put on trial. The 21-point list is similar to recommendations made last year by the Rakhine State Advisory Commission, which was headed by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. The Annan Commission recommended that Myanmar grant citizenship to the Rohingya and ensure their civil rights as a solution for easing long-running inter-communal tensions in Rakhine state. We support the demands. We must be given our civil rights back. Otherwise, we will not go back, Abdul Hakim, another leader of a Rohingya refugee camp, told BenarNews. Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service. Security personnel monitor the exterior of a government building in Sittwe, in Myanmars Rakhine state, Jan. 19, 2018. Authorities in western Myanmars Rakhine state are bolstering security measures amid public anger over a deadly incident in which police opened fire on a crowd of ethnic Rakhine protesters, a police official said Friday. On Tuesday, police shot dead at least seven protesters and wounded 13 others after thousands of members of the Rakhine minority group marking a Buddhist anniversary converged on the government office in the town of Mrauk U when authorities attempted to stop the event. Police have since arrested Rakhine social critic Wai Hin Aung and Rakhine nationalist lawmaker Aye Maung after they delivered speeches calling for revolt against Myanmars ethnic majority Bamar-led government in nearby Rathedaung township and charged them under Article 17(1) of the Unlawful Associations Act. Authorities have said they plan to charge the two men, and organizers of the anniversary eventwho did not obtain permission for the gatheringwith high treason under Section 122 of Myanmars Penal Code, which carries a maximum punishment of death. On Friday, after netizens posted comments on social media condemning Aye Maungs arrest, around 100 people gathered at Wingaba stadium in Sittwe in protest, but dispersed after police arrived and warned them to adhere to laws governing the right to demonstrate. Police colonel Aung Myat Moe of the Rakhine state police force told RFAs Myanmar Service that security personnel had been deployed to several areas of Sittwe to ensure calm. We made an announcement telling community leaders and the public to protest according to the lawthey can gather only after receiving permission, he said. We have deployed security guards at 10 places in Sittwe. The situation in town remains calm. Call for probe In a statement Friday, a group of 70 civil society organizations called for an independent probe into the killing of protesters in Mrauk U. While authorities have said police confronting protesters throwing bricks delivered warnings via loudspeaker, fired warning shots into the air, and fired rubber bullets into the crowd before switching to live ammunition, observers have questioned the account, suggesting the shots cam without sufficient alert. Soe Naing, a spokesperson or the committee representing the civil society organizations said that only an investigation independent of the government could be counted on to deliver a fair assessment of the incident and prevent a similar tragedy from occurring in the future. It is saddening to have this kind of incident take pace under a government elected by the people, Soe Naing said. The information released by the authorities is different from the situation on the ground and thats why the NLD (National League for Development) government needs to investigate who gave the order to shoot people, he said. If an independent inquiry group led by respected people works on this problem, we will have an answer about what really happened. Witness accounts Meanwhile, witnesses on Friday continued to deliver accounts of what occurred at Tuesdays protest that differed significantly from the official version, suggesting police had employed excessive force in response. A 31-year-old shooting victim and resident of Mrauk U who gave his name as Than said that police had initially fired into the air, causing the crowd to scatter. But when we ran, they shot at us, he said from his bed at Mrauk U hospital. I was shot and people sent me for treatment. Another Mrauk U resident recovering from a bullet wound at the hospital, named Kyaw Khine Win, told RFA that six police officers had fired about 60 rounds into the air and at the protesters. The police shot me when I was trying to assist those injured by the first volley, he said. Ei Phyu, the sister of 15-year-old Kyaw Thein Soe, who was killed in the incident, said that her brother wasnt killed by the shooting. We didnt see any bullet wounds on his bodyonly wounds from a knife and blunt objects, she said. The authorities came to the funeral and paid us 500,000 kyats (U.S. $370) for my brother. We dont know who paid it to us, but we returned it to the authorities. Is a life only worth 500,000 kyats? Other relatives of those killed in the incident reported being offered the same amount of money as compensation for their loved ones, but said they returned the money. Aung Thein, a local security officer who was tasked with offering the compensation, confirmed that the families of all seven victims had returned the cash. Methods questioned Local Rights groups questioned the police response to the protest and called for greater accountability. Yu Lwin Aung, a member of the Myanmar Human Rights Commission, said that without having witnessed the incident, he could not say whether police had violated the rights of the protesters. We dont know why police felt they had to use lethal force against the mob, he said. The relevant authorities must investigate whether the police addressed the incident according to the law or not. Aung Myo Min, the director of rights group Equality Myanmar, noted that the European Union had previously provided training to Myanmars police on how to address riots. We want to determine who gave the order to shoot because accountability is weak, he said. It is wrong to restrict people from gathering at an event, and the governments action can be seen as human rights violation. Reported by Min Thein Aung, Nay Rein Kyaw, Thinn Thiri and Khin Khin Ei for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. Former Vietnamese political prisoner Nguyen Dinh Ngoc, who blogs under the name Nguyen Ngoc Gia, was released from prison on December 27, 2017 from a sentence of three years in prison and three years of house arrest for allegedly spreading propaganda against the state under Article 88, a provision the government often uses to silence critics. He spoke to RFAs Vietnamese Service about his experience in jail. RFA: Why do you call yourself a human rights prisoner? Nguyen Ngoc Gia: I call myself a human rights prisoner because all I have done is exercise my human rights, but because of that, I was wrongfully sentenced to three years imprisonment and three years of house arrest. The concept of prisoner of conscience has been around for about 60 years. In my opinion, prisoners of conscience are of limited scope, not only including those arrested under Articles 88, 258 or 79, but also those who are arrested for exercising their human rights. I think all of those who have been exercising their human rights should be called human rights prisoners. Further, there are others who can claim to be fighting for human rights. Those who have been accused of tax evasion, acting against officers on duty, or those accused of causing public disorder, but who were in fact only exercising their human rights according to both international and domestic public opinion. Thats why I suggest you call us human rights prisoners. I want to assert once again that I am not acting against the State. I only exercise human rights in accordance with the Constitution, laws and all international conventions to which Vietnam is party. RFA: From your arrest to your release, there was no mention about you being allowed to leave detention. Can you share with us what you did during your time in detention? While being interrogated in the beginning of August 2015, a police officer suddenly asked me to think of my family and plead guilty. I said calmly to him that I have fully completed my fatherly responsibilities; that I live for democracy and I will never be an imposition on my children. Until August 25, 2015, the visitor log was brought in for me through the small hole on the wall. I was startled when I saw the writing and signature of my youngest son. I was so happy and anxious, I wept. It was the first and last time after eight months of imprisonment I saw his handwriting and signature. Then, my son died three days later. The next day, the guard informed me about his death. I will never forget that terrible day when I was told the heartbreaking news in such a cruel and emotionless way. Then, I offered to plead guilty, hoping to be allowed to go home to observe the 100th day after his death, but they did not allow me to go. When the investigation period was over, they still did not let me meet my family. RFA: Former prisoners of conscience have revealed the truth about Vietnamese prisons. What can you say from your own experience? I remember blogger Dieu Cay once said: Any prison in Vietnam is evil, but the one in Cai Tau, Ca Mau, is the "animal prison". For me, I have to say that each prison is different but the cruelty is equal. I saw with my own eyes the hard labor, I witnessed the miserable and dangerous tasks of prisoners who had to carry huge ice blocks up to the fourth floor every day. Sometimes the ice fell, causing bruises on their feet and nails which sometimes festered. They were also barbarically beaten by a number of guards. The police would drag them into a corner out of the camera coverage area to beat them. I remember on the afternoon of May 22, 2016, a group of five or six police used batons and took turns to beat a boy brutally. I clearly remember that day because it was parliamentary election day. From my cell, I witnessed many other brutal beatings when prisoners were caught smoking. The detention center where I was held looks like an extremely quiet cemetery. Sometimes we could hear the echo from far away when people were reading the bible for someone who had just died. This always frightened the prisoners. We dared not breathe loudly, laugh or make jokes with each other. Being depressed for years causes kidney, heart, and eye diseases, stomach pain, tooth loss, chronic headaches, arthritis, and more. I think what threatens the survival of this regime is not only corruptionas Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong acknowledgesbut also the human rights abuses of illegal arrest and inhumane execution, and the issue of the South China Sea. RFA: Since the congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam in early 2016 and the early months of 2017, Vietnamese authorities have conducted a strong crackdown on dissidents, voices of opposition, and activists for human rights and democracy. Some have been given lengthy sentences on charges of spreading propaganda against the State and acting with the intention to overthrow the people's government. What do you think about these measures? As many have said, the increased imprisonment reflects the words of Marx: "Where there is oppression, there is struggle." The more you fight, the more imprisonment you will get -- that is the rule. Naturally, no one wants to be imprisoned, but the Communist Party of Vietnam has few options other than imprisonment, harassment, and various means of oppression. The CPV is in a very difficult situation, like they are very sick but the illness cannot be treated with medicine. Therefore, I feel like they are in something of a "political deadlock" right now. RFA: It is 2018. A new year has just started. Do you have anything that you want to share with our audience? I write with my conscience based on three principles: truth, law and persistence. Perhaps that is why my readers love me. We can "trick" readers with a few writings, but we cannot lie to them with hundreds of them. I only write with these three principles in mind and never disseminate hatred, promote violence, or distort the truth. Translated by Emily Peyman. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. When Terry McAuliffe left the governorship, statehouse politics was supposed to be a lot quieter and not just because The Macker, as a human vuvuzela, is for now out of earshot, having returned to Northern Virginia, perhaps to plot a play for the presidency. In the eight days since fellow Democrat Ralph Northam was sworn in as McAuliffes successor, the political parties have been quarreling, laying waste to expectations that Virginia was entering an era of good feeling. It could still happen measured by something that resembles a Medicaid-financed expansion of Obamacare but only after the administration and legislature mark their territory much as wolves do: by leaving a distinct scent. The Democratic and Republican bases expect no less, never mind that such behavior calls attention to the parties respective weaknesses. The Democratic minority in the House of Delegates is fortified 49 members, up from 34 but thats about it. Many of its 15 new members will try to make up with enthusiasm what they lack in experience. That can only mean much of the legislation for which they care deeply and are articles of faith with the partys left-leaning grass roots could be deep-sixed. And quickly. That includes closing Virginia to payday lenders, a perennial fight since the state was opened to the high-cost, instant-loan industry under a law signed about 15 years ago by a Democratic governor, Mark Warner, now the states senior U.S. senator. Another measure, a response to the Las Vegas mass slaying, the nations worst in modern history, would ban so-called bump stocks like those used by the shooter in the October tragedy. They allow semi-automatic rifles to mimic fully automatic weapons. The bill, initially caught up in a perceived power play by House Speaker Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights, could be a goner even as it cleared one Senate committee only to be referred to another. A co-sponsor of both proposals is newbie Del. Karrie Delaney, D-Fairfax. She defeated Republican incumbent Jim LeMunyon, who spent most of the campaign running from President Donald Trump. For Delaney, perhaps more frustrating than seeing these bills go down the drain is having to attend two committee meetings at the same time. Delaney was appointed by Cox to the Transportation and Health committees, both of which convene at 8:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at opposite ends of the state Capitol complex. Transportation meets in the state Capitol; Health, at the foot of the hill, in the interim General Assembly Building. Youve got to think that Delaneys Republican opponent in the next election, assuming she has one, will tell voters about the committee votes she may have missed, without giving them the whole story: that she had to be in two places at once. Delaneys conflicting appointments rare but not unusual may, nonetheless, support a narrative advanced by some Republicans that several seats lost to Democrats in 2017 in the anti-Trump tidal wave could be taken back in 2019, when Democrats have to flip only two seats in the House and Virginia Senate to take back both. Given the continuing blue-ing of Northern Virginia, its unlikely that Delaneys is among them. Plus, the deeply depleted House Republican Caucus cut to 51 members from 66 and the slender GOP majority in the Senate mean that the party is forced to play defense, killing objectionable Democratic legislation in committee. Since the General Assembly convened Jan. 10, Republicans mostly on the Senate side have junked bills to strengthen abortion rights, restrict firearms, push the state minimum wage to $15 per hour, and give localities the authority to take down Confederate monuments. During the McAuliffe years, when House Republicans held two in three seats, they could ram through, with impunity, whatever they wanted. Senate Republicans would happily oblige, setting up a high-profile confrontation with the governor in which the GOP believed it would win by losing. When McAuliffe vetoed abortion restrictions or an expansion of gun rights vetoes that Republicans couldnt override because they were short the required votes GOP lawmakers could still tell their voters they tried and that conservatives would have to work that much harder to elect one of their own as governor. That prospect seems increasingly remote as Democrats tighten their grip on the metropolitan areas where vote totals overwhelm those in the Republican countryside. Now Republicans, who havent won an office decided by statewide vote in nearly a decade, are reduced to blocking and tackling, reacting rather than acting; their remaining strength somewhat magnified by hyper-partisan gerrymandering. Their diminished numbers most of the House seats still held by Republicans are in Trump-friendly territory are, however, offset by a knowledge advantage. Republicans have controlled the General Assembly for almost 20 years, with the Senate slipping back to the Democrats for seven, from 2007 to 2014. Republicans have had ample time to master the rules, massage the system to their advantage and do to Democrats what Democrats did to them for a century: stiff them. One of Coxs early moves this year is a reminder that Republicans have learned much since becoming the majority. Just ahead of Northams swearing-in, Cox because its among a speakers virtually unchallenged powers steered to the Rules Committee that he leads nearly a dozen prized Democratic bills, including the bump-stock ban, whose chief sponsor in the House is Alexandria Democrat Mark Levine. That bill was recently released by Cox to the committee that handles firearms legislation and whose members include ardent pro-gun Republicans. But in parking high-value Democratic legislation in the Rules Committee, ordinarily a traffic cop that handles procedural matters, Cox is arousing suspicions within the minority that hes taking hostages, attempting to string out the presumed defeat of opposition-party bills for dramatic effect with the Republican rank-and-file. Republicans were at their theatrical best, lamenting Northams message to the legislature 2 days into his term as a partisan screed that might have been delivered by McAuliffe. Among the Republicans complaints: that the understated Northam, when he wasnt in their face over abortion, guns and Medicaid, failed to give them credit for such initiatives as workforce development. Its been pushed by Republicans like Sen. Frank Ruff of Mecklenburg, a Southside county stung by the sudden contraction of one of the regions traditional industries, tobacco. But Northam was only doing what Republicans have done: marking his territory. A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has granted a request by the Dominion Energy-led Atlantic Coast Pipeline to begin cutting down trees along parts of the 600-mile pipeline route in West Virginia and Central Virginia, despite the fact that the project still lacks some regulatory approvals. In a letter Friday, Dave Swearingen, a FERC official, gave the green light to cutting down the trees using handheld equipment such as chainsaws. The approval is limited to spots where easements have been obtained for land access, where surveys have been completed and where no additional state or local permits are required for the activity. Contractors may only cross wetlands and water bodies on foot. Trees and vegetation may be felled at or above ground level and must use methods that will not rut soils or damage root systems and be felled in a way that avoids obstruction of flow, rutting, and sedimentation of wetlands and water bodies, the order says. Felled trees and woody and other vegetation debris shall be left in place until further authorization for any earth-disturbing activities is granted by the FERC. Workers will be required to inspect the construction area for raptor nests before cutting down trees between Jan. 1 and March 31 and must create a 100-foot no-activity buffer until the nest is no longer active if they find one. Dominion is also required to notify state agencies, including the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, before tree-cutting starts, and maintain a 50-foot buffer between water body and wetland areas and where the cutting will happen. Aaron Ruby, a Dominion spokesman, said the tree felling will take place only in spots where construction is expected this year. In Virginia, those include portions of the route in Bath, Augusta, Nelson, Buckingham, Cumberland, Prince Edward, Nottoway and Southampton counties and the cities of Suffolk and Chesapeake. In West Virginia, they include Lewis, Upshur, Randolph and Pocahontas counties. Activity in North Carolina will begin once we receive remaining state agency approvals, Ruby said, adding that tree-felling will continue until the end of March. More than a dozen state and federal agencies have thoroughly reviewed the project and left no stone unturned. We are now days away from beginning pre-construction work that will pave the way for full construction in the spring and completion of the project in late 2019. In Virginia and North Carolina, the project still lacks effective water quality certifications, state determinations under the federal Clean Water Act that ensure construction, including the attendant blasting, drilling, ridgetop leveling and tree clearing, wont hurt water quality by dislodging sediment and other potential pollution. In an email submitted with Dominions request to begin cutting down trees, James Golden, the Virginia DEQs director of operations, wrote that the felling of trees with chainsaws does not constitute a man-made change to the land surface and therefore does not meet the definition of land disturbance under Virginia law. And while Virginia has pushed what critics contend is a deficient approval process for the project, North Carolina has sent Atlantic Coast Pipeline, a venture that also includes Duke Energy, Southern Company Gas and Piedmont Natural Gas, numerous requests for more information on its stormwater, erosion and sediment control and plans. North Carolina is digging into the details of this permit in a way that we havent seen at other agencies, said Greg Buppert, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center in Charlottesville. In a controversial decision last month, the Virginia State Water Control Board voted 4-3 to approve a water quality certification for the project, though it delayed the effective date until the DEQ has approved outstanding erosion and sediment control plans and presents a report to the board, which may consider further action on the certification at that point. Legal challenges have been filed in federal court contesting the boards certification decision on both the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the Mountain Valley Pipeline, planned to carve through Western Virginia localities, including Giles, Montgomery, Roanoke, Franklin and Pittsylvania counties. Both projects have faced major opposition over the potential environmental damage construction could do, the use of eminent domain to seize land, the potential risks of living next to the high-pressure natural gas pipelines and the extra costs opponents contend the Atlantic Coast Pipeline will impose on captive ratepayers, among other objections. The Virginia DEQ has faced blistering criticism from environmental organizations for how it has handled the pipelines. Among the asserted shortcomings: deferring to a less rigorous U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit for the hundreds of places where the pipelines will actually cross waterways; pulling the review of crucial erosion, sediment and stormwater control plans out of the water quality evaluation; and letting what it later called a misunderstanding on how it would handle the water permitting for the projects linger in public for seven weeks before being forced by reporters to correct the record. The Virginia State Water Control Board had a clear duty to look at all potential impacts to state waters from the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and make sure our water quality standards are upheld. Instead, the board went along with the DEQs approach of arbitrarily segmenting its review and shirking its legal duties, said David Sligh, conservation director of Wild Virginia. This approach was clearly constructed by DEQ to avoid the conclusion that would come from a scientifically valid assessment that this project cannot be built as proposed in a way that protects our waters and our communities. Last week, environmental groups also asked new Gov. Ralph Northam to intervene. Northam said during the campaign that he wanted the pipelines held to strict, science-based environmental standards. The Department of Environmental Quality has taken or failed to take actions very recently that betray the principles youve espoused, the clearly-expressed intentions and expectations of the State Water Control Board and the rights and interests of the people of Virginia, says the letter from the Dominion Pipeline Monitoring Coalition that opposes the projects. We ask you to order responsible officials in your administration to correct these failures and improper actions immediately. Timing is vital. Degradation of our waters could be imminent if you fail to act and act quickly. The letter urges Northams administration to review water body crossings covered by the Army Corps permit, prohibit construction activities unless all requirements of the water quality certifications are met and provide for increased public review and comment before yet-to-be approved stormwater, sediment and erosion control plans are endorsed by the DEQ, among other actions. Asked Wednesday whether Northam might chart a different course than former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, an enthusiastic booster for the projects, Matt Strickler, Northams secretary of natural resources, said the new administration stands by the water boards decision on the projects. I know that DEQ is working through it right now. We havent gotten the recommendation from them yet or seen any outcome but when we do, well take a look, Strickler said. DEQ Director David Paylor said the agency is still receiving plans from both pipeline developers. Both of them are still ongoing. Our staff are still looking at them. If youre looking for a time-frame projection I dont have one, Paylor said. Buppert, the SELC attorney, said the Northam administration should tell Dominion and FERC that tree cutting cant begin until the pipelines water quality certification is effective. FERCs apparent belief that felling trees in a swath as wide as an interstate highway across steep mountains will not have any impact on water quality is, frankly, absurd, Buppert said. Thats why the state created a permit for the upland activities associated with pipeline construction. Scott Olson/Getty Images (WASHINGTON) -- One year after exchanging pleasantries with a newly inaugurated President Donald Trump and ascending onto Marine One for the final time, former President Barack Obama has remained a central figure across the United States and global political scene. As his successor has seemed to systematically target key components of his legacy, Obama has been strategic, according to current and former aides, in choosing when and how to speak out. He has watched the year's political developments closely from Chicago and his home in Washington, D.C., which sits just miles up the road from the White House. He has made global excursions to mentor young adults, delivered paid and unpaid speeches, and hunkered down to write his post-presidency book, while coordinating the operations of his foundation and presidential library. The Obamas have spent much time in Chicago where the foundation is located, spending time nurturing young politicians and teaching the importance of civic engagement. He has rolled up his sleeves and really worked hard to make sure [the foundation] reflects his values and his priorities, former White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett told ABC News. Civic engagement -- he thinks it's so incredibly important for young people to recognize their responsibilities as citizens and that that should begin at a young age because it should be a lifelong passion. And so anything he can do to mobilize that effort is important. Despite watching his signature achievements unravel, Obama has been described as upbeat and optimistic. But that positivity doesnt come without some anxiety. Of course it causes anxiety, just like it does for so many people, Jarrett told ABC News. Hes never looked at it from the perspective of him -- his legacy -- hes looked at it from the perspective of the people whose lives he tried to improve. So if he thinks that people will lose health care or that young DACA folks will be at risk and potentially lose their status, sure, thats extraordinarily and profoundly troubling to him. Just two days before the transfer of power was carried out on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, Obama outlined to reporters in his final news conference the actions a Trump administration could take that might spur him to break with the precedent of polite silence that previous presidents typically extended to their successors. Theres a difference between that normal functioning of politics and certain issues or certain moments where I think our core values may be at stake, Obama said. In a years span, Obama spoke out four separate times with vocal objection to a policy being pursued by President Trump and the GOP-led Congress, including twice regarding the Republicans failed effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, President Trumps announcement of U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement and the administrations rescission of legal protections for nearly 800,000 "DREAMers." But Obama was notably restrained in going after Trump directly regarding several other highly controversial moments in his first year, including the botched rollout of his first travel ban, his response to the white supremacist violence in Charlottesville and his accusation that Obama illegally wiretapped him during the election. I think you saw him kind of do that deftly and strategically this past year, one aide said. When it comes especially to the presidents political involvement but certainly all of this other stuff, hes keenly aware that theres nothing more that President Trump would like than to make Obama his foil. Matthew Dallek, a political historian and associate professor at George Washington Universitys Graduate School of Political Management, pointed out that Obama wasnt necessarily alone in breaking with the quiet deference that presidential successors typically extend to the acting president. In October, former President George W. Bush delivered a rare public speech in New York City in which he didnt call Trump out by name, but seemed to make multiple references to his effect on American political discourse. Bigotry seems emboldened. Our politics seems more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outright fabrication, Bush said. Weve seen nationalism distorted into nativism. Dallek said what Bush said then "may have been harsher than anything he said about Barack Obama during the eight years of his presidency." I think its a bit unusual, but I think the sense is among not just Barack Obama that it is incumbent upon them to speak out against Trump when they think its appropriate. Notably, Trump and Obama have not spoken since Inauguration Day, a sharp contrast from past presidents who have at times sought counsel from their predecessors. Given that Trump has worked to reverse many Obama-era policies, a person close to Obama said it wouldnt have seemed likely that Trump would have relied on his predecessor for any advice beyond their initial hour-and-a-half meeting together in the Oval Office in November 2016. Obama, however, is ready and willing to provide his counsel should Trump wish to reach out, the person said. Trump confidant and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich doesnt anticipate either side mending fences anytime soon. Trump can be friendly toward anyone, but I doubt if he thinks much about relating to Obama, Gingrich told ABC News. Why would Trump ask advice from someone he thinks is wrong on virtually every issue? That's a stark contrast to Vice President Mike Pence, who has been in regular communication with his predecessors. He's met in person many times with Dan Quayle and Dick Cheney, and spoke with Joe Biden by phone multiple times this past year, seeking counsel primarily before foreign trips and meetings with world leaders, according to a person familiar with the communications. Though its unlikely the political animosity between Trump and Obama will dampen with the 2018 midterms fast approaching. Following his involvement in multiple special elections during 2017, an aide to Obama said he plans to continue assisting Democrats up and down the ticket, akin to his involvement in the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races and his robo-call for Democrat Doug Jones in the Alabama special election. I do think its definitely fair to say that way you saw him approach 2017 will be similar in the way that he will do it strategically. He will try to stay above the fray, the aide said, adding that there is a "recognition that you wouldnt want to have him out there trying to rally the troops on our side, especially when hes been very clear he cant be the resistance leader anymore. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Yes, you can transfer your domain to any registrar or hosting company once you have purchased it. Since domain transfers are a manual process, it can take up to 5 days to transfer the domain. Domains purchased with payment plans are not eligible to transfer until all payments have been made. Please remember that our 30-day money back guarantee is void once a domain has been transferred. For transfer instructions to GoDaddy, please click here. Report: 9 Saudi military vehicles destroyed in ground attacks over Thursday SANAA, Jan 19 (San) The army and popular forces have launched ground attacks on Saudi soldiers and mercenaries' gatherings, destroying nine military vehicles, firing ballistic missile on Najran Air Defense Camp over the past 24 hours, military officials told Saba. A short-range ballistic missile was fired on Saudi air defense camp in border province of Najran, causing heavy losses at the air defense camp. Also in Najran, the army and committees numbers of Katyusha rockets on Saudi soldiers' gatherings behind Multaqa camp, pick-up vehicle loaded with Saudi-paid mercenaries was destroyed with guided rocket in front of Khadhra crossing, and artillery force fired Saudi soldiers' gatherings in Shurfa and Shabaka sites and in Nahuqa censorship. In border province of Jizan, artillery shelling targeted Saudi army's fortifications in Ghawia hill north of Maaen valley, and in Qewa village. The Saudi soldiers' artillery sites were fired in Mostahdath-Qazea camp, a pick-up vehicle was burned in Abidia site, while four Saudi soldiers were sniped behind and south of Hamedha village and in Qewa village. In Central province of Taiz, artillery shelling waged on mercenaries' gatherings in Haifan district, and in east of Hamili area of Moazea district, inflicted the enemy huge casualties. The mercenaries leader Hakam Khamis Abu-Okasha with two of his comrades were killed north of Yakhtel in Makha district, and two mercenaries were shot dead in Osaivera area. In Nehm district, some 50 km north of the capital Sanaa, two of mercenaries were gunned down in Manara area, while artillery shelling fired their gathering at the same area. In southeastern province of Bayda, the army and committees carried out an ambush in Zaher district, causing the deaths and injuries in their ranks. In northern province of Jawf, numbers of Katyusha rockets targeted mercenaries' gatherings in Utemah desert, while artillery shelling waged on others gatherings in Harab valley of Kub-washaaf district. In southern province of Dhalee, the army and committees fired numbers of Katyusha rockets on mercenaries' gatherings in Sadrain camp, causing heavy casualties. In Hajjah province, some 123 km northwest of the capital Sanaa. heroes of the army and popular forces foiled Saudi-paid aggression mercenaries attempt to infiltrate towards desert of Midi which lasted more than 5 hours, coincided with the more than 14 air strikes. And Seven military vehicles were smashed, and store weapons was burned during the infiltration attempt, inflicted the enemy huge casualties. Sameera H.-Zak Saba Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp Telegram Telegram Email Email Print Print [20/January/2018] President meets with Speaker of Parliament SANA'A, Jan. 20 (Saba) President of the Supreme Political Council Saleh al-Sammad met on Saturday with Parliaments Speaker Yahya al-Ra'ei. The meeting discussed the parliaments plans and programs during 2018 and its legislative functions in accordance with the regulations as well as the roles entrusted to the presidency of the parliament. The meeting reviewed the developments on the national, regional and international levels and the efforts exerted by the parliament to strengthen its parliamentary relations with fraternal and friendly parliaments and regional and international parliamentary associations. The meeting also dealt with the national roles of parliamentarians during the current stage and their efforts to strengthen cohesion, stand united against the aggression and provide fronts with men, money and gear to defend the country's sovereignty, unity, security and stability. The president emphasized the important roles of the parliaments presidency, committees and parliamentary blocs representatives in inspecting citizens conditions and needs in the constituencies. Al-Sammad stressed the need to develop policies aiming at creating a general opinion that interacts with the parliaments legislative and supervisory role, as well as, calling on its members to play their role entrusted to them in light of the difficult and extraordinary circumstances experienced by the country as a result of the continuing aggression and unjust blockade. BA Saba Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp Telegram Telegram Email Email Print Print [20/January/2018] The world faces the prospect of more tension with China over trade, security and human rights after Xi Jinping awarded himself another five-year term as leader of the ruling Communist Party and called for self-reliance in technology, a stronger military and protection of core interests abroad. At a party congress, Xi gave no sign of plans to change the "zero-COVID strategy that has frustrated Chinas public and disrupted business and trade. He called for faster military development and announced no change in policies that strain relations with Washington and Asian neighbors. Xi is tightening control at home and trying to use Chinas economic heft to increase its influence abroad. Report: Army, committee carry out ground attacks against Saudi soldiers, mercenaries over Friday SANAA, Jan 20 (Saba) The army and popular forces have carried out a series of ground operations on the Saudi-led aggression coalition forces over Friday, according to military reports combined by Saba on Saturday. In Najran border province, army artillery shelling targeted gatherings of Saudi-paid mercenaries off Khadhra crossing. Also in Najran, two Saudi soldiers were shot dead in Zur censorship, Saudi soldiers gathering were shelled by army artillery in Nahuqa site. Saudi-paid mercenaries were killed and injured in army missile and artillery shelling on their gatherings off Aleeb mountains, and east of Faras heights of Ajasher, and three Saudi soldiers were sniped in Sudais site in Najraan In Jizan border province, 11 Saudi soldiers were shot down behind Hamedhah and Shabaka site, and one on Faridhah site, while army artillery shelling targeted Saudi soldiers gatherings in villages of Sawdah and Bajl and in Laft-Abadiah, causing direct causalities. In Saudi border province of Asir, a Saudi soldier was gunned down in Majaza. In Hajjah province, some 123 northwest of the capital Sanaa, fresh Saudi-paid mercenaries infiltration attempt toward north desert of Medi was aborted, inflicted them huge causalities, most of the casualties were Sudanese mercenaries. In Central province of Taiz, Saudi- allied militant was killed in Hanjer of palace. While a pick-up vehicle loaded with Saudi- paid mercenaries was bombed by an explosive device east of Dhubab district, killing all its crew. Also in Taiz, Saudi-paid mercenaries were inflicted heavy causalities when the army attacks by artillery on their gatherings in Hareqa, Samin hill, and mountainous series east of Dhubab. An infiltration attempt of Saudi-paid mercenaries into north Yakhtel was foiled, destroying three armored vehicles and two pick-up vehicles, causing dozens of casualties in Taiz. In southern province of Lahj, artillery shelling fired on Saudi-paid mercenaries in Sawda hill east of Kahbub. In Marib province, three Saudi-paid mercenaries were sniped in Serwah district. In Bayda province, two infiltration attempts of Saudi-paid mercenaries were aborted in Nadea triangle and in Shab-Oshomah, then the army besieged the mercenaries during their infiltration attempts, causing number of dead and wounded in their ranks, including leaders as commander of Saudi mercenaris Saleh al-Dharibi. Also in Bayda, the army and popular forces attacked on Saudi-paid mercenaries's sites in Shab-Saheehain, causing heavy causalities. Sameera H-Zak Saba Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp Telegram Telegram Email Email Print Print [20/January/2018] MATTOON -- The total calls for service to the Mattoon Police Department last year dropped by 13.8 percent to 32,258 after increasing steadily in previous years. Records kept by the police department show that calls for service totaled 31,011 in 2014, 34,309 in 2015, and 37,426 in 2016. Police Chief Jason Taylor said he is not certain why the total calls for service decreased in 2017, but said the 32,258 total calls figure is still comparable to figures from previous years. "Activity seems to float up and down, but in general has remained between 30-35,000 calls for the last few years. A decade ago, I think we ran in the 25-30,000 range," Taylor said of total calls for service. Taylor, who joined the department in 1997, was promoted from deputy chief to chief late last year following the retirement of Jeff Branson from the chief's post. Taylor said fluctuations in other figures that the police department tracks each year remained relatively normal from 2016 to 2017. The number of recorded thefts decreased from 984 to 932, while the number of assault/batteries increased from 157 to 208 and the number of burglaries increased from 182 to 200. There was one homicide in 2016, and there were none in 2017. While total calls for service have mostly increased over time, Taylor said the number of officers in Mattoon's police force has decreased from 42 a decade ago to 38 now due to the city cutting costs to offset increasingly tight budgets. Taylor said Mattoon is still a peaceful community and the police department has adequate resources to complete its duties. However, he said the department in recent years occasionally has gotten close to the point that it needed to expand its number of officers. He noted that the police union asked the city last year to consider increasing the number of officers on the night shift from four to five to handle the call load. "I'm a strong advocate of lean government and I don't want to do it. I don't feel the need right now to expand, but I think there may be a time when we are going to have to add officers," Taylor said."We are now to the point that we can't reduce any more without cutting services." Mattoon is no different than other comparable communities in Central Illinois, Taylor said. Police academies in the region have been fully enrolled with new trainees as various law enforcement organizations increase their staffing levels to meet growing needs, he said. One area where the police department has added to its staff size recently is the appointment of a second school resource officer and the hiring of a new officer to take this officer's place on the regular patrol force. The school resource officers work on the Mattoon school district's campuses and are funded by the district. The district and the police department moved forward with the creation of a second school resource officer position following the Sept. 20 shooting in the Mattoon High School cafeteria. One student was wounded in the shooting and has since returned to school. The shooter, a high school student, was subdued by a teacher and a school resource officer, and was subsequently charged with aggravated battery with a firearm. Taylor said the new school resource officer, Shane West, recently started working part time in his new role and will be on school campuses full time later this semester. He will join veteran school resource officer Kasey Alexander in working in this role for the district. In other matters, the police department's patrol unit made 1,109 arrests and 3,803 traffic stops in 2017. These stops resulted in 1,527 citations and 2,456 warnings. The department's fleet logged 266,405 miles driven and 26,616 gallons of fuel used. The department's public nuisance program issues 954 notices to abate and reported that 858 properties were cleared of nuisances, such as litter and overgrown grass. The police department's detective unit handled 508 investigations in 2017, ranging from two death investigations to 181 felony property investigations that included burglaries and thefts. The death investigations involved a suicide in one case and a drug overdose in the other. The department conduced 293 forensic examinations of electronic devices, such as computers and smart phones. A Class 12 student allegedly shot dead the principal of his school in Haryana's Yamunanagar on Saturday, police said. The victim, Rita Chhabra, was sitting in her office when the alleged assailant came and opened fire on her from close range from his weapon. She was rushed to a nearby hospital where she died. The student, police sources said, was upset over being rusticated from the school. The accused, who was overpowered by school staff, was handed over to the police and was being questioned. Yamunanagar is around 100 km from here. A court here on Saturday send six men to the gallows in the honour killings of three Dalit youths in Ahmednagar district five years ago. On January 15, Nashik District and Sessions Court Judge Rajendrakumar R. Vaishnav pronounced six of the seven accused guilty for the brutal murder of Sachin S. Gharu and two others on January 1, 2013. Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said the convicts have also been ordered to pay a fine of Rs 20,000 each and directed the government to compensate the victims' families. Some of the compensation has already been paid. Those who have been awarded the capital punishment include: Popat V. Darandale, Ganesh P. Darandale, Prakash V. Darandale, Ramesh V. Darandale, Ashok S. Navgire and Sandeep M. Kurhe. Gharu, 24, had fallen in love with an upper caste Maratha girl of the Darandale family from Sonai village. The lovers planned to marry against her family's wishes. The convicts include the girl's father, Popat V. Darandale, her brother Ganesh, other relatives and friends of the family. All six would be hanged for various crimes including murder, criminal conspiracy, etc. One of the co-accused in the case Ashok R. Phalke was acquitted for lack of sufficient evidence, which was handed over to the state CID by the then state Home Minister, the late R.R. Patil. Besides Gharu, his friends Sandeep Thanvar, 25, and Rahul Kandhare, 20, were also killed and their bodies disposed off. Gharu, Thanvar and Kandhare, who belonged to the Mehtar caste, worked as conservancy staffers in Trimurti Pawan Pratisthan's High School and Junior College, in Newasa, around 30 km from Sonai, the investigation report said. On learning of the love-affair of the girl, who was a student, with a lower-caste boy, her family called the three Dalit youths to their home on New Year, ostensibly to clean their septic tank. First the girl's family eliminated Gharu. They chopped his head and limbs off the body with a sickle and dumped the pieces inside the septic tank. Then they attacked Thanvar and Kandhare with spades. They took their bodies outside the village where they were buried in a dry well. After the three suddenly "disappeared", on the basis of complaints registered by their families, the police launched a search and finally recovered Gharu's rotting body pieces from the septic tank after more than 24 hours, and the remains of the other two after 72 hours. A total of 54 witnesses were examined during the trial, lasting nearly five years in one of the most high-profile cases of honour killings in Maharashtra. While Nikam argued that it was "a rarest of rare cases as it was a very gory and gruesome crime and with larger ramifications for society", defence lawyer S.S. Adas pleaded for leniency on grounds that while one accused (Ganesh P. Darandale) was very young, the others were of advanced age. Pronouncing the verdict, Judge Vaishnav observed that the manner in which the convicts had killed the three victims, "they had forgotten to understand the feelings of others". "Such people have no right to live in society and hence hanging them till death is the only way to save the society," Judge Vaishnav ruled. Making a forceful argument for death sentence for all the convicts, Nikam said that the "girl's family, which opposed the inter-caste affair hatched a conspiracy and brutally killed the three Dalit youths". "The judgement by the court is very important. The prosecution argued the entire case based on circumstantial evidence since there were no eyewitnesses. Yet, we managed to link the sequence of events," said Nikam. The US government began shutting down on Saturday for the first time in more than four years after Senate Democrats blocked consideration of a stopgap spending measure to keep the government operating. The shutdown, which comes on the first anniversary of President Donald Trump's inauguration, set off a new round of partisan disagreements and posed risks for both parties, the New York Times reported. This is the first modern government shutdown with Congress and the White House controlled by the same party and it came after a fruitless last-minute negotiating session at the White House between Trump and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader. Trump's White House however immediately blamed Democrats for the shutdown. "Tonight, they put politics above our national security, military families, vulnerable children and our country's ability to serve all Americans," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement on Friday moments before midnight. Democrats are demanding a budget deal should include protections for young immigrants known as "Dreamers" brought to US as children, yet Republicans have shown no signs of including a "Dreamers" protection in the bill. "We will not negotiate the status of unlawful immigrants while Democrats hold our lawful citizens hostage over their reckless demands," Sanders said. Trump and his representatives had been labelling the event the "Schumer shutdown" after Schumer, but the New York Democrat was quick to call it "the Trump shutdown". "It's almost as if you were rooting for a shutdown," Schumer said from the Senate floor. "And now we will have one. And the blame should crash entirely on President Trump's shoulders," he added. Sixty votes were needed to advance the bill to fund the government until February 16. Republicans only control 51 seats, so GOP leaders needed Democratic votes to cross that threshold. It failed 50-49. The budget proposal presented by the Republicans on Friday night got more votes in favour (50) than against (48), but they were insufficient to approve funds. Four Republicans voted against the bill while five Democrats broke rank to support it. Earlier on Thursday night, the House of Representatives voted 230-197 to extend funding until February. Officials said that now over one million active-duty military personnel will serve with no lapse, but could not be paid until the shutdown ends. Agencies like the Energy Department that have funding that is not subject to annual appropriations can use that money to stay open, the officials said. Entitlements such as Social Security that are automatically funded can continue without disruption. Officials said Trump may travel on Air Force One to carry out his constitutional responsibilities, including a planned trip next week to Davos, Switzerland -- although it was unclear whether trips to Mar-a-Lago -- his exclusive club in Florida would fall into that category. Trump cancelled his plans to travel to his resort due to the crisis, a White House official said. On Saturday, the President wrote on Twitter: "Not looking good for our great military or safety and security on the very dangerous southern border. Dems want a shutdown in order to help diminish the great success of the tax cuts, and what they are doing for our booming economy." The last US shutdown was in 2013 during the Barrack Obama administration. It lasted for 16 days when many federal employees were forced to take leave of absence. SHELBYVILLE -- As Central Illinois temperatures rise above freezing, organizers are looking forward to a walk tonight at Lake Shelbyville. The weather hasnt been too encouraging, but now were hoping lots of people will come out and enjoy what is a very unique experience, said Jerry Yockey, one of the organizers of the General Dacey Trail Candlelight Walk. Now in its eighth year, the 6 to 8 p.m. walk features 2 miles of luminary lighted trails and a bonfire with hot chocolate and hot cider. Yockey said fellow organizer Bob Niestradt has made 150 luminaries that will hang in the trees along with more than 500 along the paths. More than 300 people, including walkers with canes and infants in strollers, are expected for this years event. Theres really nothing like it, Yockey said. The trails have a very different look at night -- theres a quiet you dont find during the day and theres a chance to see wildlife along with seeing the lake at night. Yockey said the bonfire gathering brings visitors from around Central Illinois together. We get walkers from the Decatur area, from Mattoon and even further away, he said. "People are friendly and seem to really enjoy getting to visit. Shelbyville nurse Rebecca Dove has been bringing her four children, ages 7 through 20, to the walk since the beginning. We do love the candlelight walk on the trails," she said. My kids love it best when there is snow. Its so pretty. The sense of community around the bonfire is a great benefit in a small town. It always seems like family. Its a chance to see many friends in the middle of winter when its more difficult to see them as often. Dove said the walk is always worth it, even when she had a stroller in the snow. Its something you dont want to miss, she said. Living without water is like a man walking into a battlefield without a weapon. So says Lafua Sa, 68, of Tanumapua. According to the father of five, having no water has become one of the biggest struggles he battles everyday. His children have to walk all the way to their aunts house at Tapatapao to fetch buckets of water for their family. Every single day. Having only one person who works, his wife, does not provide enough money for their family. My wife gets paid $170 every week from her job, but this money is not enough for the seven of us at home since we need to budget that money wisely until the next pay day, he said. Mr. Sa said the land they live on does not belong to them, its owned by his wifes boss and they look after it. We have been living here for 10 years now; we are the ones who look after the plantation and the land. Our water became disconnected a few years ago when the Government created the meter, but it was free before that. It is not just the lack of water that is troubling him. The looming school term is a headache. Thats another problem its the children going back to school, he said. Three of them attend Aleisa Primary School. My other daughter will be starting school and there is a registration fee, but when I look at that, it is no different from paying the school fees because we are still giving money to the school. And it doesnt stop there. There are so many school activities such as the parents bingo. They say its for a fundraising trying to pay off the school loan that they have, but Im not sure about this year because all these things happened last year. He even shared about the daily experiences that he undergoes due to the cost of living in Samoa today. Life nowadays in Samoa is costly because even a $100 isnt enough, you may have spent it all on doing the shopping for groceries, but you wouldnt be getting everything on your list because your money will be finished after buying three things. The Samoa Returnees Charitable Trust and Alternatives to Violence Program Whakatane / Bay of Plenty, will be conducting Training of Trainers at the Millennia Hotel conference room (second storey), from Monday 22 - Tuesday 30 January. The aim of the training will be to develop a pool of resource people (with priority placed on returnees) to become A.V.P. facilitators, who will then be able to train and raise awareness in local communities. Training will consist of delivering all three standard courses of the Alternatives to Violence Programme. The Alternatives to Violence Program began in Greenhaven Prison, New York in 1975. A group of prisoners invited Quakers (Religious Society of Friends) to assist them in developing a programme with the objective of showing young inmates a different direction than the one that led them to prison. The first workshops held at Greenhaven were an immediate success and the programme quickly spread to other prisons in the U.S.A. and out into their communities. Today, A.V.P. is running workshops in prisons, schools and communities in more than 50 countries including Canada, Ireland, England, Scotland, Sweden, Germany, Hungary, Russia, South Africa, Nigeria, Costa Rica, South America, Aotearoa, Tonga, Hong Kong, Israel and Jordan. A.V.P. has been active in the New Zealand for the last 19 years. Dr. Tafa Esther Cowley conducted the first A.V.P. programme in a NZ prison at Paremoremo High Security Prison about 30 years ago, and continues to conduct and train facilitators today in the Eastern Bay of Plenty. The workshops cover Self Esteem, Communication Skills, Co-operation, Conflict Resolution Skills, Community Building Trust. Workshops are open to anyone wanting to make positive changes around dealing with conflict in their lives. Philosophy How does A.V.P. work? A..VP is based on several insights. Within each of us, there is a power for good and a potential to transform conflict In any situation, there are non-violent alternatives to violent responses to conflict. Every culture has its own range of nonviolent alternatives to violence in response to conflict. Each of us has the option to choose our response to each experience of conflict. The key features of A.V.P. workshops are Voluntarism no one participates on a mandated basis, and the facilitators are unpaid volunteers Teamwork there is always a team of several facilitators of diverse background and life experience, with shared leadership and no guru Diversity the participants come from a range of ages, cultures, walks of life, and interests, and bring a wealth of life experience to the workshop. A safe learning environment is maintained by group agreement: - no put-downs - affirm oneself and others - listen and dont interrupt - respect confidentiality - volunteer oneself only, speak from the I - everyone has the right to pass if that is the right thing for them at that time - Reliance on Transforming Power - Experiential rather than conceptual focus - A holistic focus, recognising the spiritual dimension of the person, rather than a behavioristic or rigidly rule-governed focus - Building community is an integral part of the workshop process - Fun and laughter is an integral part of the workshop process - A varied pace, generally brisk, but with time for reflection - Feedback throughout the workshop, with session evaluation and activity debriefing. HAVING A.V.P. IN SAMOA After having listened to the testimonies of several returnees, the S.R.C.T. has recognised A.V.P as having played a crucial role in their individual paths to recovery and rehabilitation. For one such returnee, Ueni Fonoti, the A.V.P. has been attributed with completely transforming his life, to the extent that he became involved as an AVP facilitator while incarcerated. Upon his return to Samoa in mid-2017, Wayne has worked closely with the S.R.C.T. to explore possibility of establishing an A.V.P. branch in Samoa, to be implemented by the returnee community in partnership with the S.R.C.T. and stakeholders. Compatibility: There is much confidence in A.V.Ps ability to harness the unique capabilities and experiences of returnees, by giving them a venue for social interaction and skills development. Such a venue will help to instil within the returnees the sense of ownership and belonging that is presently void. The end result is the empowerment of the returnees. Empowerment will help them to overcome the negative effects of deportation, particularly the evasion of at risk situations. A platform to empower others. Familiarising returnees with the AVP program will enable them to empower others. To date the SRCT and returnees continue to implement violence prevention programs for school students and prisoners. However SRCT believes that the returnees are obligated to reach out to as many vulnerable populations as they can, especially those in domestic settings, those struggling with the same hardships, or who have come into contact with the law. The escalating level of violence in Samoa makes it all the more imperative that the returnees make a positive social contribution, by using their skills and experiences to deter socially harmful behaviour within others. Samoa Victim Support Group estimates that violence levels have increased by an average 43% since 2011. The Samoa Law Reform Commission notes that the role of alcohol and stress as contributing factors, continues to increase each year, accounting for 75% of all violence / assault cases reported in 2014. The main instigators of violence continue to be males. The returnees possess an edge that not only makes them appropriately positioned to deliver messages of violence prevention, social responsibility etc, but ensures that their outreach will have a resounding impact. This edge is derived from several factors: First-hand knowledge and experience borne out of direct exposure to violence, vice and addiction. A large portion of the message that returnees have delivered to the communities so far has been based on pure testimony. Most violence prevention services / counselling / awareness programs in Samoa are directed by females, or have predominantly female staff and training personnel. It follows that violence prevention has been for the most part from the perspective of the victim- also predominantly female and looking at how to provide better victim support. Whether the alignment between this set up and the traditional / cultural allocation of gender roles in Samoa (in which women were charged primarily with the welfare of women and children) is deliberate or coincidental, the fact remains that although men are the main perpetrators of violence, they are for the most part absent in the fight against violence prevention. As males themselves, whove been through crime, violence and dysfunction, rehabilitation and rebuilding, and who have a sound understanding of how males respond to and deal with all these areas, we believe that the returnees have tremendous leverage to mobilise men in Samoa, in the fight against violence and crime. Our vision is for AVP to be established in Samoa not only for the returnees, but to be managed by the returnees. We see the potential of AVP in bringing about positive and sustainable change for the returnee community, by helping to mitigate the challenges of social disconnectedness and isolation. These are challenges brought on by stigma, poor language / cultural bearings and lack of familiarity, and which often lead many returnees back to harmful habits. Through the assistance of the AVP, we hope that the returnees will be able to develop a stronger sense of ownership, by having a program that they can latch on to, and that will deflect them from the cycle of recidivism. Also, by inviting local stakeholders to work cooperatively with S.R.C.T. on realising A.V.P, S.R.C.T. will be more able to build A.V.P. as a venue for sectoral collaboration, to adapt A.V.P. where necessary to the local context, and to ensure that it builds off existing strengths and resources. These considerations will ensure that A.V.P. becomes both a unique program, as well as a supportive programme, that recognises the progress that has already been made by other providers at ground level, and is able to nurture and complement that progress. While life is not easy, complaining about it wont be able to help you out. This is the belief of a father of three, Iosefa Fonotoe. The 46-year-old hails from the village of Luatuanuu. Mr. Fonotoe said the only good way to tackle this hard life is through hard work. Life here in Samoa today is really expensive and our my son is the only one who works in my family, he said. My son is works at the hospital and he helps me support and provide for our family. The life these days is hard, if we dont work, we will suffer and not able to feed our children. Mr. Fonotoe was on his way to sell his pawpaw when the Village Voice team met up him yesterday afternoon. Mr. Fonotoe said selling pawpaw on their villages roadside is what he does for a living to help his family. I have been doing this for a year now and this is something that contributes to the income our family earns. I usually earn $80 per week and to me that is enough for sugar, salt, or even the bread for the kids. Life today is really hard and we have to make sure that we have something to work on to tackle lifes struggles. We should also know that we Samoans are known of the way we support our families in terms of family obligations, and that is where our money goes most of the time. We dont have to complain about these stuff because our parents came through it and they moved pass it. Mr. Fonotoe added life will not be a smooth ride until the end. There will always be hard times and that will test us on how hard can we work to provide for our kids and families. There will be times that we have to struggle so that we can learn from it. But then we dont have to complain about it instead we should start working and make something good you believe it can help you and your family. Re: Samoas $140m international gateway How many years or generations before we get a return in investment? If 3 planes still arrive a day at Faleolo Airport for the next 5 years then this new face-lift construction was a massive loss making operation. I am hoping that Samoa will receive 300 passengers per hour because at the moment it is less than 30 passengers per hour (30x24=720 a day) which is only 10% capacity. More planes arriving should be the goal at whatever cost. Telling Virgin Airlines that they are not welcome to land on Faleolo Airport is the stupidest thing to do. You cant pick and choose when you are at begging level. S.S. The decision to remove Pepe Christian Fruean as the Chairman of the Electric Power Corporation (E.P.C.) has not yet been finalised. This is according to Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi. Contrary to a letter sent by Minister of E.P.C, Papaliitele Niko Lee Hang, informing Pepe that he is no longer the Chairman of E.P.C. Board, Tuilaepa said the matter is still under consideration. Minister Papaliis letter was leaked to the Sunday Samoan. Dated 4 January 2018, it reads: I had been instructed by the Honourable Prime Minister today to inform you about a change to your role as Chairman for the E.P.C. Board. You will now be transferred to join the Samoa Airways Board of Director as a member, as the Honourable Prime Minister and I strongly believe that your vast expertise in management, finance and economics is more relevant to our new Samoa Airways Company than E.P.C. Asked to elaborate on the decision, Prime Minister Tuilaepa said Pepe is in New Zealand and when he returns, they will discuss the matter. I have a note for a meeting (with him) upon his return, he said. Several attempts to contact Pepe for a comment have not been successful. On 22 December 2017, a letter from Tuilaepa, also leaked to the Sunday Samoan, was critical of the way Pepe has been running the Board at E.P.C. You are so busy that you have micromanaged the E.P.C, reads a translation of the Prime Ministers letter. The government could be sued for liability worth millions of dollars as a result of projects that have been stopped by the Board. The Prime Ministers letter does not detail what the projects are. But he did not mince words in his instructions to the Chairman. This is a directive now, he wrote. Bring all the matters to Cabinet who will make the final decision. Asked about the tone of his letter, Tuilaepa said the issue is an ongoing discussion. The matter is premature (and the leaking of the letter) has ruined the civility because we have not made a final decision yet." We have to discuss the matter internally. What has happened is that the governments process has been destroyed by the person who leaked the letter prior to the final decision." That is why I am cautious with the leaking of documents when we have not yet finalized the decision. Tuilaepa added that these matters are sensitive. He told the reporter, Remember when you came to ask me about the decision on the Head of State and I told you that the decision has not been finalized?" I was technically correct. Despite the fact that we already made the decision, its not official unless the motion is approved. The Prime Minister added that there are sensitive matters in terms of the governments decision and that is why we are cautious with the leaked documents." The end result only humiliates people, he said. Last week, E.P.C.'s General Manager, Tologata Tile Tuimaleali'ifano said he wasnt aware about the proposed change. He said they have not received an official word from Cabinet that the Chairman of the E.P.C. Board has been replaced. Our Chairman is overseas and we have not received any official word about that, Tologata said. As far as I know, Pepe is still the Chairman for E.P.C." As for the letters you had mentioned from the Minister and the Prime Minister that is between them. We have not been officially informed about any changes. Queried about projects Tuilaepa was referring to in his letter, Tologata declined to comment. I cannot comment on that again until we receive an official word about what is going on. Tologata also wondered how the letters were leaked to the Sunday Samoan. And how did you get your hands on those letters? For now I cannot comment until we receive an official word. The government has assured Samoans their travel plans to the United States should not be interrupted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Securitys (D.H.S.) decision to remove Samoa from the list of countries whose citizens are eligible for temporary work visas to the United States. The assurance was issued by the Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Prime Minister and Cabinet, (M.P.M.C.), Agafili Tomaimano Shem Leo, in a statement issued by his office last night. Agafili, who is also the Chief Immigration Officer, referred to the comments made by the U.S. Charge DAffaires to Samoa, Antone Gruebel, about the issue, as further assurance that there is nothing to be alarmed about. When the news broke on Friday, Mr. Gruebel told the Samoa Observer the list is subject to an annual review. Samoa is currently listed as At Risk of Non-Compliance according to I.C.E's year-end assessment of foreign countries' cooperation in accepting back their nationals that have been ordered removed from the United States, he said. After an interagency review between the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State, it was determined that Samoa was at risk of non-compliance, which affected eligibility for this visa program." This decision is subject to annual review and may be modified in the future. We look forward to working with the government of Samoa to address the concerns that resulted in this decision. We remain strong partners of Samoa and friends of the Samoan people. According to Agafili, the Samoan government had been kept abreast from the start by Foreign Affairs and Diplomatic officials in the New York about the matter. And government has never waivered its standing policy to maintain the mutual cooperation to work with the United States Government in all facets, Agafili said. The government through our Embassy in New York has been in discussion with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on the status and progress of returning Samoans who have been convicted of felony in the U.S. And we have been advised regularly. Agafili said the issue of Samoa accepting back nationals ordered removed from the United States is complicated. It is crucial to highlight the fact that most if not all of these Samoans left the islands when they were infants and since have limited or no contacts with their relatives in Samoa, Agafili said. Government policy requires all convicted deportees to tender to the Ministry a full criminal history, complete medical report, conditions of their people if they have been released on parole, and that they should have family contacts in Samoa before they can be issued with travel documents." The most challenging task is locating of their families in Samoa. They had lived the best of their lives in the U.S. and many do not have family relatives in Samoa anymore." We are a small country and we have to make sure that when these people are returned to Samoa, they will have families to return to. And if they have medical and parole conditions the relevant authorities should be advised well in advance." We are well aware of Samoa's obligations under international conventions and we are determined to uphold our collaborative partnership with the U.S." That is why since June 2017 seven Samoans have been returned to Samoa after assiduous efforts to locate their families and submission of their required documents." Like the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, our ultimate goal is the security and wellbeing of our people and this country. The events of the recent past involving those who have been returned to Samoa have proven that meticulousness is to be exercised at all times. We will continue to work closely with U.S. authorities to facilitate the pending cases at hand. In being removed from the list, Samoa joins Haiti and Belize. Published in a Federal Register Notice (F.R.N), the list of countries eligible for H-2A and H-2B visas - temporary or seasonal non-immigrant work visas for agricultural and non-agricultural work, respectively is updated yearly. The most recent register was released by D.H.S. on Wednesday. The decision to remove Haiti, Belize and Samoa from the H-2A & H-2B lists was made as a result of interagency coordination between D.H.S. and the Department of State," D.H.S. Spokesperson Katie Waldman told V.O.A. Creole. The announcement comes as the Trump administration battles allegations the president asked lawmakers why they would want people from Haiti, Africa and other shole countries coming into the United States, according to multiple sources either briefed on or familiar with the discussion. Trump has repeatedly denied making the comment and he praised the people of Haiti in an interview with Reuters. I love the people. Theres a tremendous warmth, Trump said. And theyre very hard-working people. Sooalo Tootooalii Roger Stanley, a strong pillar in the Samoa Faafafine Association, his family and church, has passed away. So'oalo died at the Motootua Hospital. The son of Niutea and Stanley of Siusega, Sooalo is a well-known leader in Samoa and the Pacific. Sooalo, the Founder and President of the Samoa Faafafine Association, will be sorely missed by many. Speaking fondly of Sooalo, S.F.A's Legal Counsel, Alex Sua said Roger advocated not just for the old faafafine, but also the young ones. In 2005, when I returned home from law school, Roger approached me about drafting a Constitution to have S.F.A. as a legal body, Sua said. I embraced the idea and our first visit was to the Prime Minister, and Roger did all the talking and I just sat idle." I was actually nervous, you know a young lawyer and I am about to meet the Prime Minister, yet Roger was so calm as if hes meeting another ordinary person." Our meeting with the Prime Minister was quite humorous and he accepted our proposal to be our Patron that was in 2005." The next year, we officially launched S.F.A. and the Prime Minister attended." The S.F.A. was Rogers project and 11 years later it is one of the most active associations in the country, said Sua. The S.F.A. Legal Counsel told the Sunday Samoan that back in those days, there was an unspeakable cultures that young faafafine do not congregate with the older faafafines. But Roger was very different, he managed to remove those barriers, the mindset of many of the older faafafine and literally opened the door for the young faafafine to meet, greet and brainstorm on certain things." Roger connected with both the young and old. And that was her strength of being a leader, fast forward now, the Association is well respected in our country." Roger was never scared, a fighter and she used that as her strength to advocate for Faafafine in Samoa, said Sua while holding back tears. Roger will be sorely missed and her memory and legacy will live on in us who continue the work she started, said Sua. Kevin Schuster, a member of S.F.A, couldnt agree more saying they worked on planning and coordinating the Faafafine Week 2017. Roger was already scheduled to travel to New York during time of Faafafine Week so the pressure was on us to pre-plan before Roger left." Roger is a visionary and I was very surprised that we worked very well together." A real advocate who works hard and walks the talk and I was immensely admiring his leadership - hes simple and straight to the point most of the time but also we knew she played differently when shes lobbying in high level meetings." Its safe to say Rogers leadership made S.F.A. earn the reputation it has to date both nationally and regionally." I will remember Roger as the President for S.F.A. forever and it would be hard to picture someone else in that post, Roger was a real advocate who kept things real, said Schuster. Efforts to get direct comments from Sooalos family have been unsuccessful. In the meantime, many heartfelt messages have been posted on Facebook by people from all over the world who worked and knew Sooalo. Sooalo was one of Samoa Observers People of the Year for 2017. This is the fourth and final installment of this series, which previously addressed the director, the homeowner, and the manager As the associations service provider, I resolve to: NUMBER ONE: Advertisement 1. Follow the Golden Rule. (treating others how I want to be treated) PROPOSALS: 2. Give the board the best proposal I can. If I think the associations request for proposal is missing important elements of the work, I will add those elements to my proposal but will also disclose the extra costs of those items. 3. Tell them if they really dont need my services right now. 4. Explain my recommendations, and never tell them just to trust me. 5. Promise only what I know I can deliver. 6. Not seek a contract of more than one year in length, unless there is no way to complete the work in less than a year. KNOWLEDGE: 7. Pursue professional designations and attend seminars to keep me up to date. 8. Take the Educated Business Partner course from Community Associations Institute, to make sure I am familiar with the unique needs and characteristics of common interest communities. SERVICE: 9. Answer the boards or managers questions promptly. 10. Explain my companys charges, taking no offense. 11. Take instruction only from the manager or from the person designated in the contract. 12. If a homeowner, even a committee chair or director, interferes with the work, I will immediately alert management. 13. If work outside the contract is needed, will get written authorization for that work, for which I have quoted a price. 14. If I recognize work outside my expertise is needed, I will not attempt the work but will immediately advise the association. COMMUNITY RELATIONS 15. Always be courteous to every resident, aware that my work might be occasionally disruptive to those residents. 16. Regularly provide updates to the board and management on major projects. 17. Volunteer at no charge on major projects to attend occasional town hall meetings to update the membership on progress. 18. At the end of each work day, I will make sure the work areas are clean and safe for the residents. 19. Not start work each day too early, nor end it too late, to avoid disturbing residents. ETHICS: 20. Never offer commissions to managers, or incentives of any kind. If a manager or director asks for improper benefits, I will refuse and disclose that request to the board. 21. Not give expensive gifts to managers or directors. 22. Never give preferential treatment or free services to directors, but will treat all association members equally. 23. Not advise or assist any homeowners to keep or attain a position on the board. I as a vendor will be neutral at all times. 24. If my company has any business relationship with the management company, I will not assume the manager has disclosed it, but will disclose that relationship to the board. PERFORMANCE: 25. Always carry proof of workers compensation and liability insurance, and will provide that along with my proposal. 26. If there is work requested which my company is not licensed to perform, I will alert the association as early as possible. 27. Stand behind my companys work, and will promptly correct any mistakes. LAST: 28. Follow the Golden Rule. Kelly G. Richardson, Esq. is a Fellow of the College of Community Association Lawyers and Senior Partner of Richardson Ober PC, a California law firm known for community association expertise. Submit questions to Kelly@RichardsonOber.com. Past columns at www.HOAHomefront.com. A new robotic camera at Palomar Observatory is scanning the night sky to capture some of the most volatile and violent events in the universe, including stellar explosions and colliding neutron stars. The device is the linchpin of a program called the Zwicky Transient Facility, which updates one of the observatorys telescopes in order to shoot images of the cosmos in motion. It will scan the sky nightly, looking for changes in movement or brightness. Those could be passing objects such as asteroids or comets, or rarer phenomena, such as the momentary flare of a dying star. The Zwicky is celestial cinematography, which is an order of magnitude faster than anything before, said Mansi Kasliwal, assistant professor of astronomy at Caltech, who leads some of the science programs at the observatory. Its looking for very rare, very fast, very young events. Im excited. I think it will be a lot of fun. Advertisement In November, the camera shot its first images, a milestone astronomers call first light. The program, named for pioneering Caltech astrophysicist Fritz Zwicky, who discovered 120 supernovas over his lifetime, places Palomar at the center of a network of observatories across the globe. Its an $18 million investment, funded through a $9 million grant from the National Science Foundation, and matching funds from participating universities, said Shrinivas Kulkarni, the principal investigator of the facility and a professor of astronomy and planetary science at Caltech. Partners include Caltech and the University of Maryland; University of Wisconsin; University of Washington, Seattle; and institutions in Taiwan, Israel, Germany and Sweden; along with help from the Department of Energy laboratories at Los Alamos and Berkeley. This is very large, Kulkarni said. It is a global effort. And its based right here at Palomar. The new camera sits inside a 48-inch telescope, one of three at the observatory, along with 60-inch and 200-inch instruments. Last week, Caltech engineer Michael Feeney worked on the device with mechanics from the observatory. Clad in white suits and hair nets to minimize dust and debris in the sensitive apparatus, they installed black baffles to absorb stray light within the telescope and prevent reflections and ghosting. The 576-megapixel camera contains a mosaic of 16 sensors that work together to automatically record cosmic images. It illustrates the evolution in astronomical technology since Palomar Observatory was dedicated 70 years ago in 1948, Feeney said. When this was first built, they used photographic plates, and the image was burned into the chemicals in the plate, he said. When all is said and done, this will be a robotically driven instrument. You basically press go and wait for the data to come in. Were very happy with resolution, the quality. Its just incredible. The new camera will scan the sky over the course of three nights, and then repeat the survey to detect differences between the images that suggest movement or changes, Feeney said. It also scrutinizes specific portions of the sky in greater detail to search for those transient events, Kulkarni said. A suite of computers analyze those results in real time; if they reveal something of interest, within minutes the system will alert large telescopes around the world, said Roger Smith, the lead engineer for the camera. They need a discovery engine to tell them where to look, Smith said. We provide an all-sky surveillance to find anything that moves or changes in brightness. The stream of images will include binary star systems, in which two stars dance in orbit together and periodically eclipse each other. Those events can help astronomers study the geometry and mass of those systems, Kulkarni said. It will also search for supernovae, the catastrophic explosions of dying stars that blaze suddenly and then fade over days or weeks, allowing the camera to pick them out of the background light. Theyre very violent events, Kasliwal said. They can only sustain that luminosity, that brightness for a short amount of time. In the nuclear furnaces of those dying stars, heavier elements form as smaller atoms crash together. The stars are actually fusion reactors, Kulkarni said. By studying supernovae, astronomers are studying how the periodic table got put together. Astronomers will also look for changes in neutron stars extraordinarily dense, collapsed stars that produce the heaviest elements. The collision of two neutron stars, or a neutron star with a black hole, can give you a flash of light that is 100 million times the brightness of the sun, which the Zwicky project aims to detect, Kasliwal said. Neutron stars are the cosmic mines of heavy element production where the heavy elements are created - gold, platinum and uranium, silver, neodymium, she said. Understanding how rare metals are created helps explain the origins of matter in the universe, researchers said. People wear gold and platinum wedding rings, and they take it for granted that gold is present on Earth, but it had to be made some where, and its made in neutron stars, Kasliwal said. Its satiating the scientific curiosity, to know where the elements around us come from. Sorting through the vast troves of data also has immediate practical applications, Kulkarni said. Students who work on these systems become experts in handling large data sets, he said, and some move onto jobs with tech companies such as Google or Amazon, which rely on that type of real-time analysis. Although larger telescopes such as the Keck Observatory in Hawaii are in greater demand than those in San Diego, Kasliwal said Palomar Observatory allows researchers to log more time on long-term projects that can lead to ground-breaking discoveries. There have been entirely new frontiers in astronomy at Palomar that have opened up because people have asked bold questions and undertaken systematic campaigns to look at the universe in creative new ways, she said. I have used telescopes at many mountaintops in the world, but by far my favorite mountaintop is Palomar. deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan It was in 1901 when the Roper family first found a home in Lincoln. At the time, Charles Roper, who lived in Exeter, owned an impressive team of white horses. The horses caught the attention of a Lincoln funeral home the Castle Funeral Home near 13th and N streets that wanted the horses for funeral processions and ambulatory services. According to Charles' great-grandson, Tom Roper, a deal was struck: in exchange for the horses, Charles would get a partnership in the business, which ultimately evolved into Roper & Sons Funeral Home. Today, Roper & Sons is a mainstay in Lincoln. The business moved into its present-day central branch at 4300 O St. in 1962. In 2004, it purchased Metcalf Funeral Home at 245 N. 27th St. Now, 117 years after its start, Roper & Sons is widening its presence in the city. Earlier this month, the family-run business opened its third funeral home in Lincoln and fifth overall on the south side of town, near Yankee Hill Road and 40th Street. According to Tom Roper, now the companys president, the southern expansion reflects Roper & Sons hope to continue to take part in Lincolns growth. People really just wanted our presence down here on the south side, said Roper, a lifelong Lincoln resident. All you have to do is take a look at Lincoln and how the growth pattern has been over the last several years. When I was in junior high, there was hardly any houses that were south of Highway 2. Now look at it its just burgeoning. The new building, which was first envisioned about four years ago, emphasizes space and capacity. Upon entering, theres an open foyer that leads into a 200-seat chapel, which Roper claims is the largest funeral home chapel in Lincoln. A new reception room, with nature photography on the walls and rustic wooden chairs, can accommodate 150 double the capacity of Ropers O Street building. Nobody ever wants to walk into a funeral home ever, Roper said on a recent tour of the new building. When you walk in here, you see its an extremely inviting place. Its just a beautiful, inviting, open space, and when that happens, people are more comfortable. Chapel services can be live-streamed on television screens in the reception room and in each of the buildings visitation rooms, allowing these spaces to double as overflow seating for larger receptions. All told, Roper guesses, the facility could handle an event with up to 500 people, as well as bigger visitation gatherings because of larger visitation rooms. The building reflects changing funeral norms, where receptions and larger, longer visitations are more prominent parts of the grieving process. It used to be people would come in and sign the book and pay their respects and leave, said Dean Schneider, the companys vice president, who managed the new project. Now people are coming and families are greeting friends for an hour and a half or two hours. Additionally, grieving families can now sort through casket, urn or burial options digitally. That technology exists at Roper & Sons O Street location, but the new building is designed around the concept. The result, Roper argues, is a more family-friendly funeral home, where the physical caskets are kept out of sight. One of the things that we heard many times over the years was that the real intimidating part about making arrangements was walking into a big room of caskets, Roper said. The new building, like the O Street facility, will also host community breakfasts and continuing-education seminars for health professionals. While the building is awaiting some decorating and final touches, Roper says its fully operational its hosted six services so far, and will hold an official ribbon-cutting Tuesday. The new building sits isolated in the spacious countryside along 40th Street. Many expect that the city will expand southward into the region behind the planned South Beltway, which would connect Nebraska 2 and U.S. 77. Thats what Roper & Sons is betting on. The town is moving that way, frankly everybody seems to know that, said Charles Pooch Roper, Toms 88-year-old father and the business third-generation owner who is still deeply involved in the company. If youre going to invest in Lincoln, as weve done, youre going to have to follow the population. Additionally, community members frequently expressed a desire for services farther south, especially near Lincoln Memorial cemetery near 14th Street and Pine Lake Road. It seemed like there was some sort of civic duty or public service we kind of owe it to Lincoln to have a presence out here, Schneider said. Four months ago, a small house on Myers Street in Oceanside opened its doors as a center for Jewish culture and faith for the young adult community. But resident Miranda Kalman, 22, hopes that doesnt scare anyone away. We want people to know its really cool here, she said. Were the surfer Jews. Advertisement Kalman and her roommates Chelsea Bradford-Hall, 26, and Moses Wosk, 25, are residents of North Countys first Moishe House, a live-in project where young Jewish adults host three to five community-building events each month for their peers. Moishe House, which is headquartered at the Leichtag Foundation in Encinitas, has opened 107 such homes in 27 countries since its founding in 2006. The concept, according to co-founder and CEO David Cygielman, was to help young Jewish adults reconnect with their faith and culture during the in-between years after college and before career success and parenthood. As a millennial himself, Wosk said he understands the disconnect felt by many of his peers. People who grow up going to temple all their life, by the time they get to college, theyre over it. Most of the kids we talk to are not religious, he said. Bradford-Hall said she and her roommates dont typically go to temple on Saturdays and they try to combine faith-oriented programs with fun themes that appeal to the non-religious millennial set, like a shabbat dinner on Friday that had a murder-mystery-masquerade theme. For our generation, theres almost like a stigma about the idea of being really religious, she said. We want to bring people into our house and say were really cool. Its nice to break down that barrier. The living room in the Moishe House in Oceanside is large enough for a party and has a conga drum and karaoke machine for musical celebrations. (Eduardo Contreras / San Diego Union-Tribune ) A study conducted in 2003 found that just 35 percent of millennial-generation Jews feel its very important to be part of the Jewish community, while 31 percent said its unimportant. Cygielman said millennials have different priorities, careers and lifestyle choices than their parents or grandparents, who tended to marry after college, land a career job, join a temple, buy a home and start a family. The millennial trajectory is very different, he said. This time period of emerging adulthood between college and settling down is growing rapidly. Theyre moving from place to place and job to job and not wanting a lifetime career. Theyre also marrying and having children much later, if at all. Kalman, Bradford-Hall and Wosk all grew up in mixed-faith households, where their parents had both a menorah and a Christmas tree in the house every December. Each found their way back to their faith in high school or college and wanted to live in a Moishe House to meet others who shared their cultural history. Moishe House residents Chelsea Bradford-Hall, left, and Moses Wosk, right, chat with Rabbi Brad Greenstein, who is the senior director of Jewish learning for Moishe House. (Eduardo Contreras / San Diego Union-Tribune ) Kalman grew up in Rancho Bernardo where Judaism was never a big part of her life. While earning a communications degree at Cal State San Marcos, she started hanging out at the campus Hillel Center, a Jewish student organization. I was curious about the cultural customs Id missed out on when I was young, she said. When I joined Hillel, it felt great. I got to meet a community of people I wasnt familiar with before. After graduating she now does marketing for a small organic tea company she decided to re-create the community shed felt on campus and she looked into starting her own Moishe House. Rabbi Brad Greenstein, Moishes senior director of Jewish learning, said anyone can apply to start a house. Organizers look for a critical mass of young adults in a geographic area seeking community and three to five potential housemates committed to opening and managing a home/community center. The applicants go through extensive interviews and, if chosen, they look for a home. The residents split the rent with Moishe House and private donors. Moishe House resident Miranda Kalman fills out an events calendar at her home on Thursday in Oceanside. (Eduardo Contreras / San Diego Union-Tribune ) For potential roommates, Kalmans first choice was Wosk, who shed met at Cal State San Marcos, where he served for two years as president of the universitys Chabad Center, a Jewish religious organization. Wosks Jewish grandfather fled Poland in 1938 and settled in Nicaragua, where he raised his family in the Catholic church to keep a low profile. His son moved to the United States in 1983, married a fellow Nicaraguan, and they raised their children, including Moses, to celebrate both Christian and Jewish holidays. Moses embraced reform Judaism in college and wanted to expand on that tradition after he graduated with a kinesiology degree. Hes now driving for Uber and Lyft while he takes pre-med classes at MiraCosta College, with the goal of becoming a doctor. After college I wanted to be more reformed in my life and meet kids my age, make a difference and spread good vibes, Wosk said. When they asked Bradford-Hall if shed be interested in applying with them for a Moishe House she hesitated at first because she wasnt sure if she was religious enough. Cygielman said Moishe House doesnt monitor its residents level of faith because its such a personal thing. Whats more important is that the residents are learning the rituals of their faith, sharing them with others and learning to become leaders in their Jewish community. Bradford-Hall grew up in a nonreligious Oceanside home and started exploring her faith in high school when she began attending the local Chabad Center and volunteering at Hebrew school. After high school, she moved to Montana for five years. She returned a couple years ago to attend MiraCosta College, where shes taking prerequisites for a food microbiology degree at UC Davis. Because I moved away and came back, I didnt have any friends left from high school, Bradford-Hall said. This opportunity made me feel like part of a community and feel like were part of something bigger. The newly opened Moishe House on Myers Street in Oceanside is an older three-bedroom home between the beach and train tracks. It has an open-door policy for visitors. (Eduardo Contreras / San Diego Union-Tribune ) Cygielman was one of a group of recent college graduates who opened the first such house in Oakland 12 years ago. We found we were too old for Jewish life on campus but were a decade too young for what was promoted at the time as young adult Jewish life, he said. We thought, what if a group of us rented a home and it become more than just a place for eating and sleeping. What if it could be a place for activities, events and programs for our Jewish community? The first event the group planned was a community shabbat dinner. Afterward, the group got an email from some Jewish college grads who wanted to open a second house in San Francisco. Cygielman reached out to a philanthropist he knew, Morris Squire, and asked Squire if his foundation might help subsidize the rent on these houses. In his honor, they named the program Moishe House, in honor of Squires childhood nickname (Moishe is a Yiddish nickname for Morris or Moses). For the first 2- years, Squire underwrote all of the new Moishe House openings, but investment losses during the recession forced him to close his foundation in 2008. After that, the program was taken up by a number of Jewish charitable organizations, including the Leichtag Foundation, where the program is now based. Once a Moishe House is established (theres another in Pacific Beach that opened in 2010), Cygielman said there are only a few rules the residents must follow. Theres a maximum three-year stay, an open-door policy for visitors and the requirement of hosting frequent events in four areas: Jewish holidays and shabbat dinners, Jewish learning, social events and community service. The residents attend retreats to learn how to host social events and conduct Jewish rituals, but after that its entirely up to them. Cygielman said millennials like the feeling of ownership and entrepreneurship. People are looking for meaning in their lives and theres a big movement now from macro to micro, Cygielman said. What used to be compelling was joining a synagogue with 3,000 families. Now, people want a small place where they can have a seat at the table and make a difference. When youre in your 20s, thats not something you usually get the opportunity to do. Wosk, Kalman and Bradford-Hall have relished that creative freedom. Recent events theyve hosted include a yoga class, kayak trip, game night, a sushi shabbat, a donut-decorating/latke-making party and a friendsgiving with two kosher turkeys. They post all their events on the Facebook page Moishe House San Diego North County. All three say the events that have had the most meaning for them were the intimate candlelit shabbat dinners with a small, but growing circle of young Jewish friends. For me, being able to experience all the Jewish holidays has been the best part, Wosk said. Weve enjoyed learning the shabbat blessings for the challah bread and for the wine. I love the idea that were inviting the angels in and then sending them off. Its really kind of beautiful and meaningful. pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com A developer who has invested in numerous North County projects is negotiating with Palomar Health to redevelop the old Palomar hospital site as a mixed-use residential/retail complex. Escondido Mayor Sam Abed said Encinitas-based Integral Communities is in talks with the hospital district to purchase the 14-acre property on the east side of Escondidos downtown. It is an icon that really helped create a vibrant downtown, the mayor said of the medical facility that opened in 1950. Those thousands of people who were working there and visiting the hospital need to be replaced to support the downtown. We want to make sure we get a good fit that matches the vision we have. Advertisement The hospital district has been reluctant to talk about any deals that may or may not be under negotiation. In a statement released last week, Palomar Health said it is continuing negotiations with potential buyers of the downtown medical center property to bring the most value to the health district while providing the residents of Escondido with a signature development. Last year, the district thought it had a deal in place but it fell through, apparently over the costs associated with razing the old hospital. Abed said he did not know the details of the negotiations, but he said representatives of both Integral and the hospital district spoke at a public meeting last month to lobby against proposed hikes to developer fees. Gil Miltenberger, vice president of land acquisition for Integral Communities, asked the City Council to reconsider a dramatic increase in developer fees, especially in the downtown area, for multifamily housing. Elly Garner of Palomar Health made the same request of the council. She said the hospital district was afraid an increase in development fees might scare off some developers who might be interested in the old hospital. Two weeks later, the council voted to increase the fees, but made it so downtown multifamily projects fee increases would be phased in over a three-year period, thereby greatly lessening or eliminating impacts to projects that may soon be in the pipeline. Miltenberger did not respond to requests for an interview. Escondido City Manager Jeff Epp said phasing in the fees in the downtown area was done partly to encourage development of the Palomar site. He said the city has heard nothing official from Palomar Health about the status of any developer negotiations since last spring. Its really in the (hospital) districts court at this point, he said. The property was appraised at $25 million several years ago and the hospital district says it will realize an annual savings of $12 million once the property is sold. Most hospital operations were transferred in 2012 to the new $1 billion Palomar Medical Center on the west side of town off Citracado Parkway. Services still offered at the downtown site include Behavioral Health consisting of inpatient beds and a Crisis Stabilization Unit, Radiation Oncology, Acute Rehabilitation, Inpatient and Outpatient Lab, Infusion Therapy, Ultra Sounds, maternal fetal care unit, and an Inpatient pharmacy. The mental health operations are expected to be transferred to a new building next to the Citracado medical center later this year. Integral Communities is already building a large apartment community at the site of the old police headquarters on the west side of downtown. Integral Communities appears well-positioned financially to pursue a development at the site. The company is the 12th-largest home builder in the United States, according to its website, and has built numerous projects in North County, including Oceansides Mission Lane master-planned community, which includes 379 homes on 35.5 acres formerly owned by the Catholic diocese on Mission Avenue near the San Luis Rey Mission. Integral also built Palomar Station in San Marcos, where construction began in 2013 and is nearly finished on 370 apartments on 15 acres north of state Route 78 near Palomar College. It is also proposing a 725-home development in a rural corner of Oceanside straddling North River Road. Whatever replaces the old hospital will be a key to the future of the downtown area, Abed said. Under existing zoning, several hundred housing units could be built on the property. The city has big plans for housing in its core with the revised General Plan calling for nearly 5,000 new units in the downtown area. One of those projects in final negotiations is with Touchstone Communities, which is proposing to build a five- or six-story condominium complex where Parking Lot No. 1 is just north of the California Center for the Performing Arts and City Hall. The City Council has been meeting in closed session for many months ironing out that deal, which could also include construction of a parking garage nearby. Rorie Johnston, president of the Escondido Chamber of Commerce, said what happens at the Palomar site is crucial. Its right in our downtown area, she said. Its a huge anchor and we would like for it to be something thats viable instead of an empty vessel. jharry.jones@sduniontribune.com; 760/529-4931; Twitter: @jharryjones A large sea cave in the bluffs near the Terramar surf spot in Carlsbad has collapsed, removing a safety hazard that city and state officials had worried about for almost two years. There are no feet sticking out, and no reports of anyone injured or missing, said Robin Greene, superintendent of the San Diego office of the California Department of Parks and Recreation. High tides and storm waves created the cavity during the El Nino winter of 2015-16 by eating more than 15 feet deep into the sandstone base of the tall bluffs. Advertisement State parks workers erected a permanent fence in the summer of 2016 around the top of the 50-foot bluff above the cave, and posted warning signs on the beach below. The overhead hazard finally fell about a week ago, but the bluff, like many other areas of the San Diego County coastline, remains steep, unstable and potentially dangerous. A handful of people have been killed by sudden bluff collapses along the countys coast over the past decade. Lifeguards rescue people stuck or injured in falls on the steeper bluffs several times a year. For a time, state and city officials considered using fire hoses or dynamite to collapse the Carlsbad cave to prevent it from falling on anyone. The spot is near the end of Cerezo Drive along Carlsbad Boulevard, an open area popular with hikers and dog walkers. Eventually, everyone decided to leave the solution to Mother Nature. Coastal erosion has accelerated throughout California in recent years, in part because of climate change and rising sea levels, but also because of the extensive development that stops the flow of sand down rivers and onto beaches. Some sections of the San Diego County coast, such as the area along the seawall in Carlsbad, the beach south of the harbor in Oceanside, and a few others, are regularly replenished with sand dredged from the harbor, nearby lagoons or offshore deposits. Other beaches, such as those at the South Carlsbad campground and at the Torrey Pines reserve, are farther from accessible sand deposits and are starved for sediment. Almost six of Carlsbads seven miles of coastline are protected by state lifeguards. However, city Fire Department paramedics respond to all medical emergencies on the beaches. philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @phildiehl Under blustery skies, a crowd of 3,000 to 4,000 rallied Saturday at Palomar College in San Marcos for the 2018 Womens March North County San Diego. Among those toting handmade signs in the crowd was San Marcos retiree Doris Payne, who volunteers her time at a local elementary school where she said nearly 70 percent of the students she works with are Latino. Her sign read, Empathy is an American value. Protect the Dreamers. Advertisement Im out here today because enough already, she said. Its important that we not lose hope. San Marcos retiree Doris Payne, who volunteers at an elementary school, holds her DACA-themed sign at the Womens March North County at Palomar College on Saturday. (Pam Kragen/San Diego Union-Tribune ) Attendees from last years inaugural march said Saturdays crowd seemed about the same size, but with more men, a broader range of ages from tots in strollers to one sign-toting granny in a wheelchair and better organization. Where the 2017 march was a catch-all for myriad causes, this years North County march was most focused on the theme of empowering voters to make change, said organizer Sue Alderson. Numerous Democratic political candidates had informational booths set up on the college staging ground and volunteers working the crowd registered nearly three-dozen voters. Some were teens who were pre-registering, some were past voters registering at their new addresses and some were older voters switching political parties. We have seen a tremendous amount of momentum, said volunteer Nils Goins, who was overseeing the voter registration drive. Seven-year-old Balin Healy was waving a hand-made construction paper sign that read, Peace Between All People. He was looking forward to his first protest march with his 5-year-old sister, Freya, and their parents Emily and Justin Healy. I home-school the children and I think its important to teach them about issues of social justice, Emily Healy said. We just finished a video on the importance of gender equality and today our message is about people, planet and peace. Thousands march Saturday on Mission Road in San Marcos during the North County Womens March, in this view looking east, that began and ended at Palomar College. (Charlie Neuman / San Diego Union-Tribune ) The event began Saturday morning with a speech and blessing by members of local Native American tribes and a send-off drum ceremony by members of Vista Buddhist Temples drum ensemble. The orderly but ebullient crowd walked off campus and east on Mission Avenue toward Aberdeen Avenue before circling back to the campus for a post-march rally. At its full length, the slow-moving crowd stretched about a half-mile. Well over a third of the crowd at the North County march were men, including Vista resident Craig Thompson, whose sign read, Men of quality are for equality! He also attended last years event. Last year they expected 600 people to come and thousands showed up, Thompson said. I think its very impressive that so many people are willing to give up their Saturday for something they believe in. The signs in the crowd ranged from the angry and serious to the humorous and absurd. Most took aim at Trumps policies, personality, scandals and racially-charged statements. But there were also factions in the crowd calling for the rights of Latinos, blacks, Native Americans and the LGBTQ community and protection of the environment, dreamers and Planned Parenthood. The post-march rally was emceed by Sharon Elise, chair of the sociology department at Cal State San Marcos. Several women spoke on a variety of topics including media freedom, justice, environmental rights and voter registration. Among the speakers were Fredi Avalos of Media for Democracy at Cal State San Marcos; Maria Cerda, board member for LGBTQ Center in Oceanside; Deborah Kang of Cal State San Marcos; Isabel Solis, a DACA dreamer student; sociology professor Lori Walkington of Cal State San Marcos; environmentalist Olga Bryan; Dianna Finks of Indivisible Fallbrook; and a representative from the League of Women Voters. Cate Smullen of Escondido carries a sign referring to the next election as she marches with thousands Saturday on Mission Road in the North County Womens March that began and ended at Palomar College. (Charlie Neuman / San Diego Union-Tribune ) RELATED pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com It might be a surprise to learn that Henri Matisse, best-known today as a pioneering painter, actually considered a chapel to be his artistic masterpiece. It might be a bigger surprise to learn Matisse was a committed atheist. That paradox is at the heart of Jesse Kornbluths new, fact-based play The Color of Light, which explores the artists late-in-life bond with a nurse-turned-nun who helped inspire him to design the celebrated Chapelle du Rosaire in Vence on the French Riviera. Advertisement The play, now getting an attractively designed world premiere with Vantage Theatre (in association with Talent to aMuse) at downtowns Tenth Avenue Theatre, is a quiet, sometimes meditative work that unfolds at a languid pace over the course of two acts (with one intermission) and about two hours. As Matisse, O.P. Hadlock captures both the artists passion and his pain; the aging and ailing Matisse can no longer paint the way he used to, and has begun experimenting with paper cutouts fashioned into collages. When the young nurse Monique (Cecily Keppel, conveying an effective blend of sweetness and strength) drops into the lives of Matisse and his longtime live-in assistant, Lydia (Bobbie Helland), the newcomers devotion to her Christian religion sparks both debates and a certain kind of spiritual awakening in the artist. I dont believe in divine light; only natural light, Matisse tells Monique early on. But by plays end, he has thrown himself wholly into making the chapel a reality. While the story is a fascinating one, as drama the play is still a work in progress. The scene transitions are a little choppy, and the kinds of things that propel a play forward character development, a rich range of emotional dynamics, a sense of tension can feel in short supply at times. On top of that, the casts French accents are distractingly all over the map (and seem unnecessary besides). The production does boast solid supporting work from James Steinberg (as Matisses pal Picasso), Terence J. Burke (as the comically nervous friar Rayssiguier) and Jody Catlin (as a somewhat stereotypically overbearing Mother Superior). The shows most eye-catching aspect is director Robert Salernos series of projections, which do justice both to Matisses earlier paintings and the radiance of his work on the chapel and help drive home the artists creed that making art is something akin to prayer. The Color of Light When: 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 4 p.m. Sundays. Through Feb. 3. Where: Tenth Avenue Arts Center, 930 10th Ave., downtown. Tickets: $25-$30 Phone: (619) 940-6813 Online: vantagetheatre.com jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @jimhebert The Navys newest littoral combat ship, the Omaha, sailed into San Diego on Friday. Once written off as a $12.4 billion boondoggle, the LCS program today is in good shape, sailors say. Last year was still rough on the surface warfare fleet, with a spate of collisions in the Western Pacific that killed 17 sailors and triggered the early retirement of Naval Surface Forces commander Vice Adm. Tom Rowden. The Omaha is slated to be commissioned during a special ceremony in San Diego on Feb. 3. When the Omaha was christened in late 2015, the littoral combat ship program was in disarray amid mechanical glitches, cost overruns and questionable crew leadership that prodded Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Arizona, to term the troubled program a $12.4 billion boondoggle. Sailing into San Diego on Friday, the sleek high-tech Omaha joined an LCS fleet that had never been better, largely righted from its troubled past. The man who not only fixed it but armed the LCS with a 21st century battle plan to defeat Americas potential enemies distributed lethality was no longer there. Naval Surfaces Forces commander Vice Adm. Tom Rowden had been forced out of his post on Thursday because of a spate of warship crashes in the Western Pacific last year that killed 17 sailors. Advertisement Tom Rowden is a great American, said Capt. Matt McGonigle, deputy commodore of Littoral Combat Ship Squadron 1, as he ticked off his tours under Rowdens leadership. What he did in the transformation of the surface Navy is admirable. He did so much. Were looking at it. He held us to task to ensure that we applied the simple rules of sustainability, simplicity and ownership. Simplicity came with a streamlined training cycle and a pared down training manual. Its sustainable because of larger crews, helped by good engineering, a new high-tech training center and hard lessons learned at sea. And crews are fixed to each warship, which are tied to squadrons, not switched around as originally envisioned, so they feel like they own the vessel. LCS in 2017 is better than it was in 2016. And 2018 is going to be better than 2017, said McGonigle, former commander of the destroyer Pinckney. We went through some tough tough times and everyone admits that. But in 2016 we gave the ownership back to the crews. Last year was a terrible test for the rest of the surface warfare Navy, especially the Japan-based 7th Fleet. The cruiser Antietam on Jan. 31 ran aground on rocks along the Japanese coast. Less than five months later, sister cruiser Lake Champlain collided with a South Korean fishing boat. Then came the June 17 destroyer Fitzgeralds crash with a merchant vessel and, on Aug. 21, the wreck of a civilian oil tanker with the destroyer John S. McCain east of Singapore Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Victor Sibayan of Chula Vista and Yeoman 3rd Class Shingo Alexander Douglass of Oceanside were two of the seven sailors killed in the Fitzgerald disaster. Ten other sailors died aboard the McCain. On Tuesday, Rowden announced that he was retiring weeks earlier than he planned after Pentagon brass blamed him, in part, for the collisions. They also marked the skippers of the Fitzgerald and McCain for special hearings that will determine if they and several of their sailors face court-martial trials, including possible negligent homicide charges. Agency watchdogs such as the U.S. Government Accountability Office pointed to a range of deep problems that likely contributed to the maritime mishaps. They included doubling the number of warships staged overseas in order to boost a forward presence and rapidly respond to crises in troubled waters like the South China Sea while slashing the dedicated training periods for vessels operated out of Japan. There are too many ships with expired training certificates, GAO warned. Surveys continued to report low readiness levels and long waits in repair yards during an era of high operational tempo ordered by the Pentagon and White House. Crew sizes might have been slashed to save money but ran a higher risk of causing accidents, a problem compounded by some sailors toiling more than 100 hours per week at sea, GAO said. And the Navy listened, sailors told The San Diego Union-Tribune. Not only did shipmates aboard the Omaha receive constant refresher training on seamanship but they also said they got more sleep than during previous tours. They charged all the ships with implementing whats called the Circadian Rhythm Watch Program, said Cdr. Michael Toth, the skipper of the Omaha on its maiden voyage from Austal USAs Mobile, Alabama, shipyard to San Diego. What that means is that the sailors stand watch at the same time every day. They get either seven uninterrupted hours of sleep or they get five uninterrupted hours of sleep and then a two-hour nap. Thats gone a long way to improve the safety on the ship but it does require a big adjustment to shipboard routine. Deputy commodore McGonigle said that commanders like Toth get his blessing to lead crews because they teach and reteach shipboard drills, to the point that junior officers and their sailors can perform them well, even under pressure. A tug didnt poke the Omaha into its pier at Naval Base San Diego on Friday. It was gingerly steered into the tight spot by Lt. Dustin Crawford, the combat systems officer. The standard is the standard is the standard. I believe that wholeheartedly the strict compliance with the training that we have in place will get you where you need to be, said McGonigle, who has spent a quarter-century aboard tank landing ships, frigates and destroyers. I can tell you that here in San Diego, we follow the training manual to the letter. We provide the mentorship and the guidance from seasoned training teams to teach the younger sailors and their (junior officers). And we have technology. Weve cracked the nut to really training our crews. The technology is in the bases Littoral Combat Ship Training Facility, a mammoth complex that digitally pits sailors against the worlds roughest seas and busiest shipping channels, and the mentoring comes from salts like Toth, a prior enlisted submariner with 31 years in uniform. The Omaha is slated to be commissioned on Feb. 3 in a special ceremony in San Diego. Then it will undergo months of extensive outfitting and sea trials before it takes its place in the squadron as a surface warfare combatant. On Friday the Omahas crew mostly talked about how proud they were of their ship and how glad they were to get home to San Diego after eight months in Alabama and at sea. The last 48 hours have been bottling up all the emotions so I could concentrate on the tasks at hand, said Electronics Technician 1st Class Jacob Myers, shortly before he was reunited with his wife and two children. 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 San Diego city and police officials are hoping Mark Stroud is the future of the SDPD. Theyre not anticipating hell be chief one day, or even a top-ranking member of the department, though theres nothing saying he couldnt become either of those things. What they see in the return of the 31-year-old patrol officer is a glimmer of hope that their efforts to resolve a long-term staffing shortage are working. Advertisement Stroud joined SDPD two years ago, but left about a year later for the Escondido Police Department. The main reason was as simple as it is ubiquitous for workers everywhere: better pay and benefits. He and his wife were starting a family and Stroud figured that would be difficult to do on SDPD wages. The pay in San Diego had made it not impossible, but it delayed our plans to buy a house, he said, noting the high cost of living in San Diego. SDPD is some 200 officers short of its 2,040 budgeted positions. Surveys showed that department pay was comparatively low, even among some smaller departments in the region. The future looked even worse: applicants dropped 30 percent over the past two years and about 600 officers are eligible to retire by 2022. City officials were hamstrung by a pay freeze that was part of the 2012 Proposition B pension overhaul and tinkering around the edges such as boosting uniform allowances and promising smaller future pay raises didnt seem to work. Critics also contend the application and vetting process is more cumbersome than elsewhere and that controversial officer-involved shootings and misconduct have hurt the image of the department. Last year, a new contract was approved that will boost salaries up to 30 percent over a few years. The raises take effect July 1, when the pay freeze lifts. That was one of the reasons Stroud came back at the beginning of January. The pay helped but its a great department, he said, even adding its a fun department to work with. He acknowledged that Escondido wasnt a good fit for me, personally, but had nothing bad to say about his short time there and pointed to some things such as providing equipment that Escondido did particularly well. Stroud said SDPD offers more opportunity to move up and do different things because of its size. He said he had heard another former San Diego officer was coming back after working with the San Diego Unified School District police force. Like city officials, Stroud cautioned that it was too early to draw conclusions about whether the new contract will solve the staffing problems. But he said that when the raises were announced, a buzz went through the Escondido Police Department and he suspects other law enforcement agencies as well. It was definitely going around: Wow. San Diegos getting more competitive, he said. I can see more people talking about it and considering coming back. He mentioned a fellow Escondido officer, another SDPD alum, who talked about coming back, but Stroud added that a new, desirable assignment probably would keep that person there, at least for a while. The San Diego police pay raises, which the City Council approved Dec. 5, will provide all officers with an increase of at least 25.6 percent between in July and January 2020; veterans with more than 20 years on the job will get a 30.6 boost. But 6.6 percent of those raises 3.3 percent in July 2018 and July 2019 was already included in a previous labor pact with officers the city approved in spring 2015. So the amount of new money is between 19 percent and 24 percent. Lt. Scott Wahl, SDPD spokesman, said he believed the buzz around the contract would continue to build as the July 1 raises approach. This contract should immediately help us retain the sworn personnel we currently have, he said. I can say anecdotally, it has had a positive impact on morale. Despite the staffing issues, Wahl and others regularly note the low crime rate in San Diego. Our department may not be the only factor involved in achieving such low crime rates, however, without us rates this low wouldnt be possible, he said. In his State of the City address Jan. 11, Mayor Kevin Faulconer said San Diego is one of the safest big cities in the country. Overall crime is at its lowest point in half a century, he said. However, we can never take that for granted. He said filling those 200 or so police positions is a priority, and that there are signs the new contract may help the city get there. Although the ink on the deal is barely dry, applications are already up. Retirements have slowed. And some officers who had left our department have already returned, he said. He noted that San Diego is launching a national recruiting campaign for police officers. Meanwhile, the city would be more than happy to attract and bring back officers who essentially work next door. The mayor also made this pledge: ... when were done, for the first time in over a decade, we will have a fully staffed police force! A jury has convicted a southwest Nebraska deputy sheriff of kidnapping and molesting a 26-year-old woman he unlawfully detained, according to the Nebraska Attorney General's Office. The Dundy County District Court jury convicted Charles Thibedeau, 37, of kidnapping, which is a felony, and two misdemeanors: third-degree sexual assault and oppression under the color of office. Less than half a year into his tenure as a Dundy County deputy, Thibedeau contacted a woman online on March 22, 2017, and asked to meet her at a remote location to talk about a police matter, a news release said. He lied to her at the meeting spot, saying local investigators were going to search her home, the release said. He asked to see her breasts, then demanded to touch them, and when she refused, he threatened to jail her on a made-up warrant. Then he handcuffed her, put her into his patrol cruiser and touched her bare breasts, according to the release. He started to drive off to another place but stopped and released her. Thibedeau wasn't a certified officer at the time because he hadn't attended the state's law enforcement training center in Grand Island. Western Nebraska media reported he is no longer with the sheriff's office. Nebraska State Patrol investigators looked into the case, and the Nebraska Attorney General's Office was named special prosecutor in the case. Thibedeau faces as many as 51 years in prison at sentencing in March. He was in custody at the Dundy County jail in Benkelman on Friday. Benkelman is 60 miles west of McCook. It takes a hospital-issued keycard to enter the doctors lounge at Sharp Grossmont Hospital, but a recent unauthorized visitor seems to have discovered that there is another way to slip into an inner sanctum reserved for MDs. A second door, unprotected by a keycard-activated lock, provides access through an adjacent medical library, said Scott Evans, Grossmonts chief executive officer. Its likely, he said in an interview earlier this week, that the young man who started showing up in a fake Sharp lab coat and scrubs used this alternate entrance to insert himself into the midst of physicians he had already started chatting up on the business social network LinkedIn. Advertisement Or maybe he slipped in the main door behind others who had been granted access. Maybe it was a little bit of both. But why he did it is the real mystery. Why did a 27-year-old Swedish citizen born in Iraq, living in San Diego on an expired visa, keep showing up at the La Mesa hospital, claiming he was a Harvard-trained anesthesiologist when he wasnt? Why did he keep requesting access to Grossmonts electronic medical records system even though administrators kept denying his requests? Though these new details and more surfaced Friday during the arraignment of Zaid Bassam Jeorge, his motive remained unclear. He didnt, Evans said, seem too focused on patients per se. There is no evidence, the executive said, that he ever managed to have a direct interaction with anyone receiving care within Grossmonts walls. His focus seemed to be firmly on the medical staff. We dont think he was attempting to see patients or anything like that. It was more like he was trying to develop a camaraderie with the medical staff, Evans said. We are not sure where this was going to go, said deputy district attorney Paul Reizen. Maybe this is someone who is infatuated with being a doctor, or becoming a doctor, and maybe this is someone who has other intentions. The investigation is ongoing, and its unclear at this point. Jeorge, represented by a privately retained attorney, pleaded not guilty Friday to a single felony count of attempted doctor impersonation and El Cajon Superior Court Judge Robert Amador increased his bail amount from $25,000 to $100,000. His attorney, Freddy Garmo, did not return a request for comment Friday afternoon. Though he was out on bail shortly after being arrested at Grossmont on Jan. 11, Jeorge appeared in court direct from federal custody. Lauren Mack, a local spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said that her department placed a detainer on the man after he was first arrested, requesting that ICE be notified before Jeorge was released from custody. However, that request was not honored due to the states new sanctuary state law that limits cooperation of local law enforcement with federal agencies. Mack said that Jeorge was re-arrested Tuesday using federal resources. We reviewed Mr. Jeorges file and he has been determined to be a threat to public safety, which is why he was placed in our custody and into removal proceedings, Mack said. She said she could not say more about why Jeorge was considered a threat to public safety, but did confirm a statement from Reizen that he had overstayed his visa and also that he is a Swedish citizen born in Iraq. ICE only allowed Jeorge to appear in court Friday, she added, after a promise from a state judge that he would be returned to federal custody if he makes bail. The saga, according to an internal security memo obtained by The San Diego Union-Tribune, started with a LinkedIn profile that included pictures of Jeorge in an authentic-looking lab coat with an embroidered Sharp logo and another with him sitting at a computer inside what was later identified to be one of Grossmonts operating rooms. Grossmont doctors became suspicious about his credentials after he began showing up in the doctors lounge saying that he had received his education at Harvard. One physician, Evans said, went so far as to call the Harvard Alumni Association to try and verify these claims. No verification was forthcoming and the hospital got the police involved. Harvard University confirmed through its public relations office Friday that it has no record of Jeorge attending or graduating from Harvard Medical School. Sharps security memo indicates that information found in the mans rented Mercedes sedan indicates that he lived in El Cajon, but Reizen, the deputy district attorney, could not confirm that information Friday afternoon. Evans said that Jeorge was never a member of the hospitals medical staff and was never issued any kind of ID badge or keycard that would grant him access to the clinical areas of the hospital. The doctors lounge is in an adjacent building that has no direct access to patient rooms, operating rooms or other areas where care is provided. The photo on Jeorges LinkedIn page that showed him in a Grossmont operating room, he added, was taken during a tour conducted by a member of the medical staff. He was never, to our knowledge, in the hospital unattended, Evans said. It was unclear just how long Jeorge was able to access the doctors lounge without getting caught. Reizen said investigators have not yet been able to piece together a full timeline, but one doctor indicated he started seeing the man around the medical campus after Christmas. Evans said that hospital security is looking at security camera footage to learn more. As to that white lab coat with a pretty convincing Sharp logo and Jeorges name embroidered on the front, Evans said it was a well-executed fake. When we asked about it during our initial interview, he reported to us that he actually had it embroidered himself. It was professionally done. It looked pretty authentic, Evans said. Sharp provided investigators with recordings of Jeorge repeatedly requesting access to a hospital database which a health system spokesman confirmed by email Friday was the electronic medical records database used to store myriad patient information from test results and diagnoses to digital X-rays and medications prescribed. Sharp administration, he said, turned down all these requests. At one point, Reizen added, a Sharp doctor told investigators that he became suspicious of Jeorge and asked to see his hospital-issued photo ID card to which he allegedly replied, oh, I must have left it in my locker, I just finished up a case. State law grants prosecutors discretion, based on the totality of the evidence, in deciding whether to charge a case of medical impersonation, or practicing medicine without a license, as a misdemeanor or a felony. In this case, Reizen said, the pattern of behavior over time, and the potential damage of an untrained person trying to act as an anesthesiologist, led to the felony charge. The thought was, if he did actually get to the point of performing anesthesia, the results could have been disastrous, Reizen said. The way he conducted himself was not only disingenuous, but kind of heinous in some aspects. Evans said he is confident that Jeorge never would have made it that far. Sure, dressed as a doctor he could have theoretically slipped into a clinical part of the hospital on the coattails of a hospital employee or doctor who had a valid keycard, though security is watching for that sort of thing. But Evans said doing so wouldnt have gotten him too far. He said Grossmont contracts with between 30 and 40 anesthesiologists who all know each other and added that hes confident no one would have started a medical procedure unless his presence was explained and his identity was checked out. Surgeons have primary responsibility for patients, and they would be very cautious about working with anybody they hadnt worked with before, Evans said. The executive said the hospital notified the California Department of Public Health, which oversees safety at all inpatient facilities, of the impersonation incident on Jan. 11. The incident, the statement said, appears to be outside the departments jurisdiction. This incident is not considered an adverse event because the alleged impersonator never ordered or provided patient care, the statement said. Jeorge faces up to three years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine if convicted. Health Playlist On Now Video: Why aren't Americans getting flu shots? 0:37 On Now Video: Leaders urge public to help extinguish hepatitis outbreak On Now San Diego starts cleansing sidewalks, streets to combat hepatitis A On Now Video: Scripps to shutter its hospice service On Now Video: Scripps La Jolla hospitals nab top local spot in annual hospital rankings On Now Video: Does a parent's Alzheimer's doom their children? On Now Video: Vaccine can prevent human papillomavirus, which can cause cancer 0:31 On Now 23 local doctors have already faced state discipline in 2017 0:48 On Now EpiPen recall expands On Now Kids can add years to your life paul.sisson@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1850 Twitter: @paulsisson A woman seeking asylum from El Salvador said she miscarried her two-month pregnancy after being physically and mentally abused by immigration officials. Rubia Mabel Morales Alfaro, 28, said she was shoved to the ground and kicked in the back by a Border Patrol agent who arrested her for crossing the border illegally near Friendship Park. She said she told the agent of her pregnancy before the alleged assault. I kept telling her that I was pregnant, and she kept replying, That is your problem, not mine, Morales Alfaro said in a statement provided by her legal representative, Luis Guerra. Advertisement Morales Alfaro came to the border on the evening of Dec. 22, the statement says, with her husband, who was also caught by Border Patrol. Her statement says agents yelled at her and mocked her while she was in their custody. The San Diego Border Patrol Sector has no knowledge of this alleged incident, said Michael Scappechio, spokesman for Border Patrol. The Department of Homeland Security has a mechanism in place where any reported allegation of abuse or misconduct is documented and referred to DHS Office of Inspector General and/or U.S. Customs and Border Protections Office of Professional Responsibility. CBP promotes honor, integrity and professionalism in every aspect of our mission in order to keep our country safe. We do not tolerate abuse within our ranks, and we fully cooperate with any investigation of alleged misconduct by our personnel, on or off duty. Morales Alfaro started to feel abdominal pain, dizziness and nausea while in Border Patrol custody, her statement says. She couldnt eat the cold bean burritos that agents gave to detainees. On Christmas Eve, she was sent to Otay Mesa Detention Center. She went to the doctor there several times for abdominal pain. On Jan. 10, she began to bleed, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers took her to a hospital, according to her statement. After running several tests, the emergency room doctor told her that shed had a miscarriage. The doctor said that there were many reasons why the miscarriage happened but that it was likely due to the conditions that I was in, her statement says. Morales Alfaro blames the way U.S. officials treated her after she crossed the border for her miscarriage. Shes worried that she wont get appropriate follow-up care for the miscarriage while shes still in detention. I believe that the physiological, physical, verbal abuse and medical neglect that I suffered on behalf of all the immigration authorities that I encountered resulted in the loss of my baby, Morales Alfaros statement says. Guerra, her legal representative, has called for her release while her case is pending and for officials to be held accountable. According to the Mayo Clinic website, 10 to 20 percent of known pregnancies end in miscarriage. Lauren Mack, spokeswoman for ICE, said that all women in immigration detention are screened for pregnancy when they arrive. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is committed to ensuring the health, safety, and welfare of all those in our care, Mack said. Females in ICE custody receive routine, age-appropriate gynecological and obstetrical health care assessments and preventive womens health services as medically appropriate. In addition to pregnancy screenings at intake, ICE detention facilities provide onsite prenatal care and education, as well as remote access to specialists for pregnant women who remain in custody. Morales Alfaros husband is being held at a detention facility in Arizona, Guerra said. Immigration Videos On Now New developments in family separation case 9:53 On Now A San Diego woman volunteered as a medic in Texas helping migrant families 2:35 On Now Immigration policy protests in Carlsbad nearly cancelled after permit issue 1:38 On Now When children are separated from their parents at the border, here is where they go next On Now Prospects of a deal for 'Dreamers' may hinge on separating Trump from hard-liners on his staff On Now What is DACA? On Now Border wall prototype contractors selected On Now Video: Ukrainian boxer wins asylum in U.S. On Now 30 apprehended after Border Patrol agents discover tunnel On Now Video: Kurdish diaspora prepare to vote on independence Follow me on Facebook for live updates about immigration news kate.morrissey@sduniontribune.com, @bgirledukate on Twitter San Diegos annual pension payment will be $10.6 more than expected, worsening projected budget deficits Analysis of recent large raises for police officers shows they will eventually increase the pension payment more than $30 million a year The citys pension debt has increased from $2 billion to $2.76 billion in just two years San Diego must pay $10.6 million more than expected to its pension system this year, deepening a projected budget deficit that is expected to require significant cuts this spring. Things dont look any better the following year, when pay raises of more than 25 percent given this past fall to police officers begin to spike the citys pension payment. A new analysis estimates those hikes will eventually increase the annual payment more than $30 million a year. But pension system officials said last week they may decide to spread the impact more evenly over several years. Advertisement The city must pay $322.9 million to its pension system on July 1 this year, an increase of $10.6 million over the $312.3 million payment included in a five-year financial outlook presented to the City Council last month. The higher amount, which was presented Jan. 12 to the board of the citys pension system, is based on an annual analysis of the systems assets and liabilities that found employee salaries are increasing faster than expected. That analysis also showed an increase in assets of just over $100 million from investment earnings of 13.5 percent, primarily because the stock market had a historically strong year. City officials anticipated that windfall would drop the annual pension payment from $324.5 million last year down to $312.3 million. But the city must pay $322.9 million instead, primarily because of a $40 million increase in liabilities from salaries growing faster than expected. The average salary of a city worker increased to $70,271 in the budget year that ended last June 30, up nearly 2 percent from $68,924 one year earlier. The higher pension payment increases projected deficits in the citys general fund over the next three budget years of $10.1 million, $34.6 million and $19.8 million. But the impact will be less than $10.6 million because only about 73 percent of employees are paid by the general fund, with the rest paid by the citys sewer and water funds. Another factor in this years pension payment is a decision by the pension board in September to adopt the most conservative long-term investment return projections in the state. The board lowered the systems projected long-term investment returns from 7 percent to 6.5 percent, which will require higher contributions by taxpayers and city workers to make up for the lower anticipated returns. The effect of that change was softened this year by the boards decision to push much of the financial impact several years down the road through a process called smoothing. The board voted to artificially increase the citys pension payment during future years when it is projected to be relatively low, allowing the payment to be artificially reduced during future years when it is projected to be relatively high. Supporters say smoothing helps stabilize the city budget by making the annual payment more consistent. Critics say smoothing is irresponsible, invoking underfunding schemes more than a decade ago that earned San Diego the nickname Enron by the Sea. The boards actuary, Gene Kalwarski, said last week that the citys annual payment would be $345 million instead of $322.9 million this year without the smoothing of the lower projected investment returns. In 2016, the board decided against smoothing the impact of a study that found city employees are living significantly longer than expected, sharply increasing the citys pension liability. That change spiked the citys annual payment from $261 million in the budget year that ended in June 2017 up to $324.5 million in the budget year that ends this June. Lowering investment return projections and increasing longevity assumptions for workers have jointly increased the citys pension debt from $2 billion to $2.76 billion during the past two years. The pension board will face a similar decision next summer when debating whether to use smoothing to soften the impact of the police pay raises. The raises, which the City Council approved Dec. 5, would provide all officers hikes of at least 25.6 percent between next July and January 2020, and veterans with more than 20 years on the job would get 30.6 percent raises. An actuarial analysis estimates the increase in the citys pension payment from the hikes will start at $12.1 million in the 2020 budget year and then steadily climb up to $33.1 million in 2034. Board member George Kenney said hed like the board to be given several possible smoothing schedules of varying lengths, but that he prefers shorter periods of smoothing. The pension fund should not be viewed by the city as a bank account, Kenney said. The police raises have a big impact on the pension system because San Diego replaced pensions with 401(k)-like plans for all new hires except police officers when voters approved Proposition B in 2012. So while police officers account for only 1,800 of the citys 11,000 workers, they make up a larger percentage of the employees receiving city pensions. david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick A labor-backed political group is starting a signature drive that could lead to all county elections going to a November runoff. Even if a candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary, the race would still be decided in the general election between the top-two contenders. Proposal applies only to San Diego County offices, including the Board of Supervisors, district attorney, sheriff, and others. A labor-backed political committee has launched an effort to require all elections for county offices to go to a November runoff, a change that could help progressive candidates because Democratic turnout is usually higher in general elections than primaries. Current law declares candidates who receive more than 50 percent of the vote in a primary election the winner. The signature drive led by a labor union would put a measure on Novembers ballot to force races for all San Diego County offices to a runoff in the general election, regardless of the outcome in the primary. Turnout, particularly among progressives, is historically higher in general elections, and Democrats stand to gain an advantage if the ballot measure is successful. The amendment applies to races for the Board of Supervisors, district attorney, sheriff, assessor-recorder-clerk, treasurer-tax collector and members of the board of education. Races with just one or two candidates would be decided in the general election. Advertisement Candidates should be elected when the most people vote, said Jeff Marston, co-chairman of the Independent Voter Project, a group that is supporting the measure. We just believe that when were deciding on who runs our county government, that should be decided when the most people go to the polls, which is in November instead of June, Marston said by telephone. Service Employees International Union Local 221, a group that represents county government employees, is leading the effort. San Diegans for Full Voter Participation, the committee running the petition drive, includes officials from the Center for Policy Initiatives and the local chapter of Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, two labor-backed non-profit organizations. Michael Vu, the registrar of voters, said the signature drives organizers have 180 days to circulate and submit the petition after it is given a title and a summary. The signature drive follows state legislation by Assemblyman Todd Gloria, D-Mission Hills, special purpose legislation that authorized the proposed charter amendment in San Diego County . He argued that government would be more representative if elections are decided when voter turnout is highest. Gloria said hes pleased with the groups initiative and said he believes they will gather enough signatures to put the measure on the ballot. I authored AB 901 because more voters deserve to be heard in our county elections especially as we deal with important issues like homelessness, public health and strengthening our local social safety net. Its long past time to make these important changes and fully engage county voters, he said in a statement. Marston said that the amendment will make county elections identical to congressional, state, and San Diego City elections and extend the campaign season by several months, making challengers more competitive against incumbents. But a lobbyist working for San Diego County government all five supervisors are Republicans argued that the bill would increase the cost of elections. The bill passed the Legislature on Sept. 7 and was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Oct. 12. Marston said that the partisan impact is not something the Independent Voter Project considers. People jump up and down about what political party benefits from that, but we dont care. Our interest is the voter, he said. SEIU led the charge to bring term limits to the Board of Supervisors, an amendment that this year will force Supervisors Ron Roberts and Bill Horn out of office. The Independent Voter Project also advocated for Measure K, a ballot item that, like the one impacting county elections, required all races for San Diego City offices to be determined in the general election. Fifty-nine percent of city voters supported that measure. Twitter: @jptstewart joshua.stewart@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1841 Quick read Like the rest of the nation, San Diego will be affected by a federal shutdown. In 2013s shutdown, the region stood to lose $7 million in economic activity per week. There are about 35,000 federal employees in the San Diego area, but not all would be furloughed The military will report for duty, but might not get paid beyond Feb. 1. Full story Visitors hoping to catch the views from Cabrillo National Monument on Saturday got an early look at what a government shutdown could mean for San Diego. Advertisement U.S. Park Ranger Ralph Jones set up signs on Saturday morning to let visitors know that the monument was closed because of the shutdown, which went into effect at midnight the night before. Cars and cyclists turned around after finding out, though some drove all the way to the last set of signs just to be sure the monument was really closed. Ketsia Delinoir, who recently came to San Diego because of her work in the Navy, was hiking in to see the monument for the first time when Jones told her it was closed. Most local offices for federal agencies are closed on the weekend in general, so more San Diegans are likely to be impacted come Monday morning if Congress doesnt pass a spending bill before then. Many federal employees will either be furloughed when they report to work on Monday or will work without pay to keep critical parts of the government running. With about 35,000 federal employees living in the San Diego region, San Diegos economy stands to lose millions of dollars. If the 2013 shutdown is any precedent, for every week the feds are out of commission the San Diego region will miss about $7 million in economic activity, due in large part to furloughed government employees and ones who still have to show up to their job but dont get their regular paycheck. Cabrillo Credit Union, with many federal employees as members, is one organization that has contingency plans in the event of a government shutdown, including a program that gives loans at zero percent interest on what would have been pay-day to tide federal workers over until the government is funded again. The largest part of the local federal economy, the military, will at least temporarily keep working as usual. But if the shutdown lasts beyond Feb. 1, theyll still have to report for duty but wont get their regular paycheck, a problem that could mean less cash flowing through San Diego. The sting, however, could be shorter than the shutdown. In 2013 lawmakers passed the Pay Our Military Act, restoring payroll for service members and putting about 400,000 civilian defense employees back to work. Military families could see a strain on their household budgets since commissaries cheap grocery stores on base were shut down in 2013 after staying open an extra day to sell perishable food (overseas commissaries remained open, however). Exchanges department stores service members can use kept their doors open. Its unclear what will happen in this shutdown. A White House report on the 2013 shutdown found that defense contracts with small businesses were cut by nearly 33 percent and spending decreased by 40 percent compared to the previous two years. Some contractors had to temporarily lay off employees. A Defense Department memo issued Thursday said that fully-funded contracts awarded before the shutdown remain in effect. The regions biotechnology industry could also be hit. Some research laboratories rely on federal grants that might not arrive as timely as expected, and Food and Drug Administration approvals would hit a wall. While the county struggles with an unusually high number of flu cases, including 142 deaths as of the second week of this month, during the last furlough the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reduced its flu vaccination effort and put its weekly flu report on hiatus. The last furlough, however, was much earlier in the flu season. The Cleveland National Forest in San Diego County and national parks elsewhere may remain open to visitors, but might be unstaffed as ranger stations will be closed, and some trails might not be accessible if gates remain locked. Programs like e-verify, which allows employers to check a potential employees work authorization, will not function during the shutdown. Agencies like Customs and Border Protection and the Transportation Security Administration will likely keep on many of their staff to work mission critical positions on the border, at ports of entry and at airports. Joshua Wilson, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council Local 1613, said that administrative support or training positions would not be staffed during the shutdown. He anticipated agents in those positions would go to their stations to work the line until Congress votes to fund the government again. It really puts a kink in our operations, plus we have the added bonus that none of us get paid, Wilson said. He said agents are especially frustrated because of the reason for the shutdown. Its doubly insulting that its being done to promote the advocacy of a group of illegal aliens, Wilson said. You can imagine why that would be really insulting for a Border Patrol agent. Congress failed to pass a spending bill by Friday nights deadline because of a stalemate in negotiations over the fate of so called dreamers unauthorized immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. President Donald Trump ended an Obama-era program in September that protected those immigrants from deportation and allowed them to work. Dulce Garcia, an immigration attorney and a beneficiary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, said she felt a mix of emotions over the shutdown. Im sorry that it has had to come down to this, but I think our leaders in the White House could have prevented this months ago, Garcia said. Our lives as dreamers, theyre really at stake here. Deportation is a reality for us. The inability to work is a reality for us. This is the best chance weve gotten in decades to get it resolved. If we miss this opportunity, maybe we wont have another one until we have a different president, Garcia added. Im glad history was made yesterday. I know its bad for some, but I hope they can see past it and know in their hearts that this was the right thing to do. On Saturday, still hoping for a solution, local members of the House of Representatives, as did much of the rest of Congress, stayed in Washington instead of returning to their districts for the weekend. Democrats said that the budget problem is a symptom if dysfunctional leadership, while the Republican members were quiet on the matter. Republicans have shut down the government despite having control of the House, the Senate, and the White House, Rep. Juan Vargas, D-San Diego, said in a statement he posted on Twitter. He and other members of his party said its reasonable to pass a spending bill that funds a child health insurance program, community health centers, and provides protections for dreamers. And Rep. Susan Davis said the governments reliance on short-term spending bills rather than a long-term plan is bad governance. Running the government month by month causes long standing harm to people and our security, the San Diego Democrat said in a statement. Rep. Scott Peters, D-San Diego, said he would forego his usual pay during the shutdown, and placed blame on President Donald Trump and Republicans. This is no way to run the greatest country on earth. And this could all be resolved if Republican leadership would allow a vote on either one of the two bipartisan compromises to find a fix for Dreamers, Peters said in a statement. The two Republicans from the region, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, and Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, did not comment on the shutdown. Twitter: @jptstewart joshua.stewart@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1841 UPDATES: 12:35 p.m. Saturday: This article was updated with additional developments and comments from local congressional leaders. This article was originally published at 6 p.m. Friday. In a time when womens voices have perhaps never been heard so clearly, tens of thousands of energized San Diegans marched on Saturday to unleash a collective roar: See you at the ballot box. Galvanized by a historic series of events over the past year from the #MeToo movement to the election of a Democratic senator in the fiercely red state of Alabama crowds at Womens Marches in downtown San Diego and San Marcos expressed determination to turn their anger and outrage into action. Where the 2017 marches were a catch-all for myriad causes, this year participants united under the theme of Hear Our Vote and pledged to make the upcoming midterm elections a broad referendum for womens rights and against President Donald Trump. Advertisement Last year after the march, a friend said, Now what do we do? said state Sen. Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, one of several speakers to address the crowd at San Diegos Waterfront Park. This is what we do. Each and every day its up to us to make our voices heard. We do not stop. We march forward. In a crowd that San Diego officials estimated at 37,000 but pegged at over 100,000 by march organizers Stephanie Spence, of Coronado, held a sign in the shape of a frame surrounding her face. This is what a voter looks like, it said on the front. Your voice is your superpower, Spence wrote on the back. The writer and businesswoman said she had escaped an abusive husband who even tried to control whom she voted for. Hed say, Dont cancel my vote, but Id go into the voting booth and vote for whoever I wanted to anyway, Spence said. I was afraid. Now, though, I have reclaimed my voice and I am speaking for those who are afraid to speak their truth. 1 / 53 Donia Smith, Tierrasanta: Im here because Im really disappointed in your president. If he was ever to touch my parts, I think he should be out. Im marching for all those people out there who are afraid to speak up. Human rights are womens rights. Dont forget that. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 2 / 53 Roaa Alkhawaja, Mira Mesa: Im here because females are the future. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 3 / 53 Jennifer Moreno, San Diego: Im here for our future. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 4 / 53 Jennifer Mosby: Im here for the women of the future. Im here for my daughter, and my future granddaughters, and for the women of the past too, my grandmother and my mother. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 5 / 53 Ethan Kilgore, San Diego: Because my mother raised me right. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 6 / 53 Kim Cary, La Mesa: I'm here to support womens equal rights, equal pay for equal work. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 7 / 53 Debbie Boyd, Poway: I believe in the constitution, I believe in America, and Im a patriot, and Donald Trump is not a patriot. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 8 / 53 Izzah Kamran, Poway: Im here to fight and march for all the women who dont have the power. To show support for them, and for me, being a Muslim woman, wearing the hijab and my scarf, walking around showing who I am, and who I am proud to be. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 9 / 53 Renee Haas, Oceanside: Protest Trump. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 10 / 53 Steve Lack, Oceanside: Im here to stand for all the women in my life and all the women in this country. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 11 / 53 Mike Baldwin, Carmel Valley: Im here to tell everyone to get out and vote so your voice can be heard. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 12 / 53 Kitty Callaghan, Carmel Valley: This is what democracy looks like. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 13 / 53 Heidi Nielsen, Spring Valley: I have a 20-year-old daughter and this is a nightmare for her as well as myself. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 14 / 53 Phil Factor, Poway. Im here in support of the human race against Trump, and for all the world to live a better situation with peace and prosperity and humanity. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 15 / 53 Staci Joy, Little Italy: I am here because we all are waking up. We are in the in the big renaissance of wake up. We need to fix things. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 16 / 53 Jack Treahy, Allied Gardens: I lost my wife a few years ago and I have two beautiful daughters, that"s why Im here. They dont have a right to tell these women what they can and cannot do. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 17 / 53 Emily T. Griffiths: Its important not to become complacent, and being here reminds us that we are powerful and that we are all in this together. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 18 / 53 Andy Grubb, North Park: Im here because so much is going on, that we just have to keep showing up to let the administration know that we are paying attention. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 19 / 53 Cameron Tenyson, Sacramento: Im here because I know it pisses Donald Trump off. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 20 / 53 Ryan Maher, UC San Diego student: For my mother. My mother went to the women"s march last year and Id like to pay tribute to that type as much as I can. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 21 / 53 Cathryn Bolt, Del Mar: I am here to send a message to the White House that I and the rest of the people here do not want a racist in the White House. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 22 / 53 Ilona Canestrelli, Carmel Valley: Im here because Im a mother, and a daughter, and a biologist and I care about having a planet, and having it clean, and having it be a planet to live in that isnt polluted. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 23 / 53 Mike Pope, San Diego: Im here to support. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 24 / 53 Martina Pappas, Mira Mesa: Our president isnt the right person to up there, to put it nicely. I believe in womens rights. I believe that all people are human beings and they deserve to be treated as such. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 25 / 53 Stephanie Picado, San Diego: I dont want my 12-year-old niece to grow up feeling like a second-class citizen. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 26 / 53 Sarah Kadous, Poway: As a young Muslim American female, I am all about intersectionality and I think this march represents girl power over the power of the patriarchy. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 27 / 53 Jo Simon, Rancho Penasquitos: We cant take the bigotry anymore. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 28 / 53 Judy Swain, La Jolla: This isnt the America I grew up in and was born into. We have to have a moral compass. We dont have one. Leadership is corrupt, racist, misogynist, and things need to change. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 29 / 53 Najat Hachimi, Rancho Bernardo: I am here to stand for peace, justice, and equality for all. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 30 / 53 Eleaor Musick, Cardiff-by-the-Sea: I cant image the world thats going to be left to my grandchildren after Trump is done with it. Im so disgusted with what hes doing to the environment, to our national mental health, to our moral, and to all the people who make this country great. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 31 / 53 Dian Stewart, Encinitas: Every single person on this planet came from a woman. We matter, women matter. Its our turn, times up. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 32 / 53 Eric Hagen, San Diego: Im a social science teacher in high school, and I have students literally from all over the world. I just want to show my students that people in assemblies such as this are just one way that we can have our voices heard. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 33 / 53 Linda Perez, San Diego: " just want to say to all those men out there in power, anyone out there in power, its not the example of power, but the power of example. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 34 / 53 Ali Afshan, La Mesa: Im here for the rights of the woman, the choice of the woman, and freedom for every ethnicity and every people. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 35 / 53 Claire Bergstresser, Poway: Im here because the work is not done, so neither am I. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 36 / 53 Maya Carlin, Carmel Mountain Ranch: Im here today to support civil rights, equal rights for everyone, along with womens rights and all human rights and to give the message of Lady Liberty too. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning for freedom. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 37 / 53 Stephen Mapolitano, San Diego: Im here today to march for equal rights and to show my support for all Americans regardless of your gender, sexuality, background or religion. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 38 / 53 Paul Coogan, San Diego: Im here to fight against xenophobia which is undermining our democracy. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 39 / 53 Joyce Canestrelli, Mira Mesa: Im here because my husband was an immigrant. I want to support all those dreamers. They deserve to be here. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 40 / 53 Melina Rabin, Carmel Valley: Im here to support womens rights and fight for a better future for all women. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 41 / 53 Dina Dehaini, Scripps Ranch: Im here to support women in the stem field and to make sure they have equal opportunities. We makeup 48 percent of the workforce, and yet only 24 percent people working in the stem field currently are women. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 42 / 53 Mary Clifford, Chula Vista: Im here because we have to stand up for everyones rights, not only womens rights, and the dumpster has trampled on our rights, and we need a free press. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 43 / 53 Anne Clifford, Serra Mesa: I am here because we have to keep marching. Weve been marching for how many years, and things are still screwed-up, and I think its quite ironic that the government shutdown is on the one-year anniversary of the dumpsters inauguration. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 44 / 53 Mika OBrien, Talmadge: Im here because I believe in equality. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 45 / 53 Clare Hermanson, Allied Gardens: I march because I believe in the power of all women and girls. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 46 / 53 Paula Kasimatis, Allied Gardens: Im marching because our children are watching, and this administration represents values that I dont want to be a model for my daughter. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 47 / 53 Emma Andrade, Point Loma: Because girls are important. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 48 / 53 Melanie Nelsen, Carson City, Nevada: Im marching for her. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 49 / 53 Greg Williams, San Carlos: Im here to support all the women in my life. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 50 / 53 Mary Ellen Danforth, San Carlos: Im here today for my daughter so she wont have to say, Me Too. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 51 / 53 Stephanie Williams, La Mesa: Im here to give a voice for those who are too afraid to speak out. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 52 / 53 Pilar Placone Willey, La Mesa: We need to have a change in our country, and we are the change. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 53 / 53 Cindy Cambert, La Mesa: I want to encourage people to vote, because if people vote, I think this country will get what it needs. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) The orderly but ebullient local events were among several marches being held across the country this weekend, with most happening Saturday. The national march will be on Sunday, this time in Las Vegas rather than Washington, D.C., the site of last years record-setting turnout. The man occupying the White House there was very much a presence in San Diego Saturday. Signs in the crowds, ranging from the angry and serious to the humorous and absurd, took aim at Trumps policies, personality, scandals and racially-charged statements. Grab em by the midterms, one said, turning a phrase from Trumps notorious Access Hollywood tape into a election day rallying cry. We still believe in civil discourse, said Anita Dacey, of Ocean Beach. Were here because were strong, erudite and sick of being led by people with no compassion, no morals, no character, no intelligence. The pediatric nurse said she was marching with the support of four men behind her: her husband and three sons. I have three sons three sons who know better than to act like President Trump. Across the reaches of the county and amid the sea of pink shirts and knit p***y hats, there were also those calling for the rights of Latinos, blacks, Native Americans and the LGBTQ community and protection of the environment, dreamers and Planned Parenthood. Among the 3,000 to 4,000 marchers at Palomar College in San Marcos was retiree Doris Payne, who volunteers at a local elementary school. She said nearly 70 percent of the students there are Latino, and her sign read, Empathy is an American value. Protect the Dreamers. Im out here today because enough already, she said. Its important that we not lose hope. Numerous Democratic political candidates had informational booths set up at both marches. They and independent groups had volunteers registering scores of voters. We have seen a tremendous amount of momentum, said volunteer Nils Goins, who was overseeing the North County voter registration drive. Women outnumbered men by about 3 to 1 at both gatherings, but the men who attended enthusiastically wore their support on their sleeves, as well as signs and hats. Men of quality are for equality, read Vista resident Craig Thompsons handmade sign. Sporting a fuchsia shirt, farmers overalls and a white cowboy hat, Tom Lemmon, business manager for the countys Building and Construction Trades Council, was there with his wife Karen and 13-year-old daughter K.T. I see women coming into the workplace that are incredibly competent, that are incredibly skilled, but still have a hard time professionally, he said. Men need to change the culture, adding that there is more pay equity among unionized workers. 1 / 27 People walk north on Pacific Highway during the San Diego Womens March. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 2 / 27 Starla Rivers pumps her fist as she and others at the front of the crowd prepare to march south on Harbor Drive. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 3 / 27 People participating in the San Diego Womens March walk past the Star of India, background left, as they walk south on Harbor Drive just after the start of the march. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 4 / 27 People stand in front of the County Administration building as they listen to various people speak. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 5 / 27 People stand in front of the County Administration building as they listen to various people speak. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 6 / 27 Jermaine Rocacorba raises her fist as she and other people listen to speakers while in front of the County Administration Building. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 7 / 27 A woman, who calls herself The Pink Lady, holds a likeness of Trump with Putins puppet written on the back. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 8 / 27 People stand in front of the County Administration building as they listen to various people speak. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 9 / 27 A woman, who is a member of a group of Aztec dancers, listens to people speak while in front of the County Administration Building. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 10 / 27 Charese Perry, 16, from Santee, holds a sign in favor of congressional candidate Ammar Campa-Najjar while in front of the County Administration Building. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 11 / 27 A group of women listen to people speak while in front of the County Administration Building. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 12 / 27 People participating in the San Diego Womens March walk south on Harbor Drive. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 13 / 27 People participating in the San Diego Womens March walk south on Harbor Drive. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 14 / 27 One of the many signs carried by people during the San Diego Womens March. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 15 / 27 People participating in the San Diego Womens March walk past a cruise ship as they walk south on Harbor Drive. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 16 / 27 Francis is fitted with a sign by his owner Bebo Hoy. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 17 / 27 People walk north on Pacific Highway during the San Diego Womens March. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 18 / 27 Haly Lewis of Rancho Santa Fe holds American flags as people walk north on Pacific Highway. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 19 / 27 Robin Love holds a sign in reference to Trumps combed over hair. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 20 / 27 People walk down Pacific Highway during the San Diego Womens March. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 21 / 27 Participants in the San Diego Womens March carry signs as they walk north on Pacific Highway. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 22 / 27 Children cheer on the marchers from a balcony on Pacific Highway. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 23 / 27 Louise Blue, left, and Lisa Tansey drum on a light pole during the San Diego Womens March. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 24 / 27 Courtney Porter is dressed as a womans rights fairy. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 25 / 27 A likeness of Trump is carried as people walk north on Pacific Highway. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 26 / 27 Firefighter/paramedic Thomas Woods, right, and Capt. Matt Spicer, who are with the San Diego Fire Department, follow the crowd at the back of the march in case someone needs medical assistance. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 27 / 27 After participating in the San Diego Womens March, sisters Sydney Bromidis, bottom left, Margo Gebraski, right, and Jillian Bromidis relax by lying on the grass in front of the County Administration Building. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) Lemmon said he might not have been born a feminist but has evolved into one. Wisdom is experience gone wrong, he said. And about that hat? Hey, look up #GoodGuysWearWhiteHats, he said laughing. His wife turned more pensive. I have just been so, so distressed this year with whats going on in our country, she said. I just feel theyre sucking us down the drain, these divisive, racist, misogynist, hatemongers who are trying to make it us versus them, instead of we. I want to go back to where were hopeful again. Their daughter was looking forward. Im here because its making a difference not just for me, but for any kids I have in the future, the teen said. Listening intently to the line-up of diverse speakers from the County Administration Building, school nurse Sascha Lopez, of San Diego, held a sign with a Mexican proverb: Somos semillas or We are seeds. It continued: They tried to bury us, they didnt know we are the seeds. She wiped tears from her eyes after explaining why she was marching, alongside her husband, her pre-teen daughter and her daughters friend. I couldnt not be here. Im here for my students whose parents have been deported. The dreamers. Im here for my LGBT trans friends who are afraid. Im here for my husband who is a science teacher. Im here for them, Lopez said, pointing to the two girls with her. Its overwhelming how many reasons there are to be here. kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @kristinadavis On May 18 about four months before the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history unfolded on the Las Vegas Strip gunman Stephen Paddock was thinking about San Diego. On an HP laptop seized from one of his Mandalay Bay hotel rooms after the massacre, authorities found a web search from that Thursday in May for La Jolla Beach, as well as evidence that hed visited sandiego.org, the regions tourism website. The findings were released by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Friday as part of an exhaustive report on the shooting. Advertisement From his perch on the 32nd floor of the hotel, Paddock, a professional gambler, sprayed gunfire for more than 10 minutes down on concert-goers attending the Route 91 Harvest music festival on Oct. 1. Fifty-eight people were killed and more than 700 injured. The search through Paddocks computers reveal queries into several areas around the country, although it is not clear if he was considering those places as potential targets. On the same day as the San Diego searches he searched Google Maps for locales in Southern California, including hotels in Santa Monica and a Venice Beach gastropub, and places in Boston, including Fenway Park and Boston University Questrom School of Business. The Google search for La Jolla Beach was made alongside queries for biggest bear, grant park functions, open air concert venues, biggest open air concert venues in USA, summer concerts 2017 and how crowded does Santa Monica Beach get. Ticketmasters website and the site for the Grant Park Music Festival a summerlong classical music concert series in Chicago were visited through Internet Explorer about a half-hour before sandiego.org was accessed at 5:05 a.m. that same day in May. The search history grows much more focused on Las Vegas in September as he finalized his plans, the report shows. Several victims of the shooting were from San Diego County. kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @kristinadavis San Diego-based Scripps Health must pay $1.5 million to resolve allegations that it charged federal health programs for services rendered by physical therapists who did not have billing privileges under those programs, the Department of Justice announced Friday. The government alleged in a civil suit that the health care system had billed Medicare and TRICARE for services from therapists who were not enrolled in the program, and without the required supervision by a physician. The programs, Medicare and TRICARE, require that billing privileges are limited to providers enrolled with them, the Department of Justice said. Advertisement However, services from providers who are not part of the programs can be billed to them under certain conditions. Those services must be incidental to the services of a doctor who is part of the program, and that doctor must provide direct supervision, according to the Department of Justice Scripps issued a statement Friday that the settlement was related to a technical error in the processing of some Medicare bills for physical therapy treatments. Scripps provided all the services for which it billed Medicare and ensured patients received high-quality care, the statement read. Scripps has reached a settlement to avoid continuing legal costs and uncertainty. The alleged violations came under the False Claims Act, which allows people to sue for false claims on behalf of the government, and also to share in any recovery. The settlement resolved a lawsuit the government filed last year with Suzanne Forrest, a former Scripps employee who, according to the complaint, had once been the director of business operations. As part of the settlement, she will receive $225,000. According to the complaint, the government said that Forrest had warned Scripps it was out of compliance, but those warnings were not heeded. She resigned in 2015. Scripps said Friday that it had discovered the situation on its own and had self-reported the matter to its Medicare contractor, unaware that a civil suit had been filed, and that federal officials were unaware of that self-disclosure when the suit was filed. Therefore, Scripps diligently investigated the issue and attempted to resolve it through appropriate channels, Scripps said in an emailed statement to the newspaper. Scripps also said that there were and always are physicians on site during the provision of physical therapy services and available to assist with any patient needs that arose. The health care system also said that this was a civil investigation focused on the technical billing issues only; there were no allegations related to quality or medical necessity of care in this investigation. In a press release announcing the settlement, San Diego U.S. Attorney Adam L. Braverman said the settlement illustrates the United States Attorneys Offices continued commitment to protecting the integrity of the Medicare and TRICARE programs. Unlawfully obtained payment from taxpayer-funded programs harms the entire health care system, Braverman said. We will hold accountable all providers who defraud these programs. In announcing the settlement, the government said the claims it resolved were allegations only, and there was no determination of liability. teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com (760) 529-4945 Twitter: @TeriFigueroaUT A Walton man went to prison Thursday for pointing a shotgun at a 71-year-old worker in a Menards parking lot last April and threatening that he was a dead man if he called the cops. Eric R. Kurth got six to 10 years in prison for attempted use of a firearm to commit a felony and 60 day, plus a $500 fine, for an aggravated offense DUI. He had pleaded no contest. Just before 5 a.m. April 19, police went to the Menards at 8900 Andermatt Drive on an employee's report that someone had pulled up in a truck, got out, pointed a shotgun at him and threatened to kill him before driving off. After the employee called police, the man later identified as Kurth pulled up beside him again and told him he was a dead man if he reported the incident. The pickup didn't have license plates or in-transits, but Lancaster County sheriff's deputies found Kurth near his home in Walton later that morning after a pickup with no plates or in-transits crashed into a garage. They found a shotgun on the passenger seat. Kurth's blood-alcohol level was 0.185 percent, more than twice the legal limit to drive. An illegal marijuana dispensary was shut down in Spring Valley Friday morning, the second one this month, a sheriffs official said. Deputies and code enforcement officials served an abatement warrant at Bancroft Mega Wellness dispensary on Bancroft Drive about 8 a.m., Sgt. Matt Cook said. Marijuana, cannabis edibles, paraphernalia and cash were seized. Advertisement Deputies detained eight people for questioning about marijuana sales, but they were not arrested, Cook said. San Diego County authorities last year banned all medical and recreational marijuana dispensaries or other facilities in unincorporated areas. Individual cities have their own rules on pot sales. Deputies closed The Bakery on Birch Street on Jan. 11, seizing more than 300 pounds of marijuana and products and seizing nearly $4,000 in cash. pauline.repard@sduniontribune Twitter: @pdrepard From crystalline structures in shades of pink that seem lit from within, to the legends of vast salt flats kept pristine for millennia on remote mountain peaks; there is plenty about Himalayan rock salt to stir the imagination and the senses. Its no surprise this natural treasure both modest and deeply mystical has enjoyed growing popularity in health, healing and culinary circles. Salt therapy is said to offer a natural alternative to treating common ailments such as eczema, asthma, allergies and many other respiratory and skin disorders. This alternative approach has allowed some people to eliminate or significantly reduce the amount of medications used. (Of course, patients should consult their doctors before engaging in any therapy.) Advertisement Two local entrepreneurs have harnessed the mythos and health benefits of Himalayan rock salt with their new venture, Salt Essence Therapy. Offering both salt therapy (also known as halotherapy) and infrared sauna therapy in a relaxing ambiance with low lighting, soft music and an aesthetically-pleasing salt-themed decor, Salt Essence Therapy was launched last November by Diana Gatchalian and Flo Washizaki. Both are long-time residents of Temecula. Gatchalian and Washizaki recently answered our questions about Salt Essence Therapy, and their experience as entrepreneurs in southwest Riverside County. Q: What prompted you to open Salt Essence Therapy? A: After visiting a salt cave, we kept thinking of the advantages and benefits we could offer our community. It was exciting to bring an alternative therapy for everyday issues many people are experiencing. Q: How is Salt Essence Therapy unique? A: The salt used in our caves imported directly from Pakistan is mined from the Himalayan mountains. Dry, pure, 99.99% sodium chloride is crushed into tiny micro-particles and then dispersed [using halogenerators] into the room, where the micro-particles are inhaled. Without a halogenerator you have no therapeutic or wellness benefits. We also have an infrared sauna. Its benefits are detoxification, relaxation, pain relief, weight loss, improved circulation and skin purification. Q: Halotherapy seems to be enjoying a spike in popularity right now. A: Salt Therapy is relatively new in the United States and has only emerged here in the last 10 to 15 years. There are thousands of facilities throughout Europe and Russia offering salt therapy. Q: In forming your new business, did you take advantage of any local business resources? A: Yes, we belong to both the Temecula and the Murrieta/Wildomar Chambers of Commerce. Q: Do you have any advice for people who may want to open a small business in Murrieta or nearby? A: Yes, learn how to save, expect delays, be prepared to network, and take advantage of social media. Salt Essence Therapy Address: 40675 Murrieta Hot Springs Road, Suite B4, Murrieta Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays; closed Sundays and Mondays. Cost: $45 for a 45-minute salt therapy session ($30 for first-timers); discounts for seniors, children, groups, packages and memberships. Call: (951) 704-7420 Online: saltessencetherapy.com temecula@sduniontribune.com Vice President Mike Pence arrives in the Middle East on Saturday, launching a high-stakes tour that was delayed after President Trumps decision recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital sparked protests across the region. He will visit Egypt, Jordan and Israel over four days but wont meet with Palestinians, reflecting the impasse in the Trump administrations efforts to broker peace between them and Israel. Those ambitious efforts ground to a halt after Trumps decision Dec. 6 to eventually move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. The president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, canceled a planned meeting with Pence in the West Bank town of Bethlehem. Advertisement Tensions flared again in advance of Pences trip when the administration Tuesday announced it would hold back $65 million of a planned $125-million payment to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which for decades has paid for medical and educational assistance to Palestinian refugees. The White House decided Pence should depart for the trip as planned Friday night, though Congress continued to be deadlocked over funding the government. Pence was not expected to be needed to break a tie in the Republican-controlled Senate; if needed, he would make phone calls to lawmakers from the plane en route to Egypt, a White House official said. Pences meetings with the leaders of the three countries are integral to Americas national security and diplomatic objectives, his press secretary, Alyssa Farah, said in a statement. The vice president first will meet in Cairo with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi, the strongman Trump called my friend during an Oval Office meeting in April. In Amman, Jordan, Pence will confer with King Abdullah II, who had swiftly condemned Trumps action on Jerusalem. In Israel, his last and longest stop, Pence is to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Pence will also speak to Israeli lawmakers in the Knesset, where he is likely to receive an enthusiastic reception. In Cairo and Amman, Pence will discuss ways to continue countering Irans sponsorship of terrorism, address the refugee crisis in war-torn Syria, and protect Christians and other religious minorities in the region who are targeted by lawless mobs and Islamic radicals, White House officials said. The trip was initially billed as a way to calm jittery Arab allies who were unhappy with the Jerusalem decision and to find a way to restart peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians. Pence is unlikely to break that logjam. An evangelical Christian and former congressman with close ties to Israel, Pence has long pushed for cutting aid to Palestinians and for the U.S. to move its embassy to Jerusalem. He advocated for the changes inside the White House. Pence stood just behind Trump when the president made the televised announcement on Jerusalem, which ended the decades-long U.S. policy of leaving the citys status to be decided by a peace agreement between the Palestinians and Israel. Pence has been to Israel three times before, but he once said hes visited Jerusalem a million times in his heart. His decision to make the trip was met with some skepticism, especially given that he wont meet with Abbas or any other Palestinians. If one of the administrations goals is to jump-start Middle East peace talks, its kind of hard to do that if youre only talking to one side, said Derek Chollet, a former senior Pentagon official in the Obama administration. The greatest accomplishment could be avoiding disaster, Chollet added. Given that Pence is the most senior American official to travel to the region since the Jerusalem announcement, his visit could be a magnet for widespread discontent, Chollet said. Its pretty combustible. When Pence meets with Sisi and Abdullah, experts expect that the two leaders will express their dismay about Jerusalem and other matters in private, but be all smiles in public. Egyptian forces are confronting Islamic State forces in the Sinai Peninsula, while Jordan needs American military and intelligence assistance as the fight against Islamic State winds down next door in Syria and large numbers of Syrian refugees settle in Jordan. Sisi and Abdullah would love to express their dismay, said Wayne White, a policy expert at the Middle East Institute and a former State Department official. But in doing so, they are afraid of some abrupt decision that could be severely damaging economically and in terms of security cooperation with the U.S. Twitter: @ByBrianBennett brian.bennett@latimes.com UPDATES: 6:30 p.m.: This story was updated to show Pence is making his fourth trip to Israel. This story was published at 3:15 p.m. Not even the neighbors knew that 13 siblings, aged 2 to 29, were being kept in captivity, deprived of sleep and food, allowed only one shower a year and chained to beds inside their Perris home. Yet thats what Riverside County authorities accused David Turpin, 56, and his wife, Louise Turpin, 49, of doing to their children this week. The couples house was registered with the state of California as the private Sandcastle Day School, and David Turpin was listed as its principal. But thats about all any official in the state knew about this house of horrors. Officials with the Riverside County Sheriffs Department and Department of Public Social Services said they had never been called to the home to talk to the Turpins. All officials knew, thanks to paperwork called a private school affidavit, was that Turpin had run a K-12 school from his home since 2010, when the family lived in Murrieta. According to the Los Angeles Times, Turpin called it a full-time, religious school unaffiliated with any denomination, but recently wrote that it was nonreligious. Several of his children were enrolled last school year. The California Department of Education has said it is sickened by these details, but that under current state law, it does not approve, monitor, inspect, or oversee private schools. The only requirement for parents is that they register their home with the state as a private school to provide students an exemption from mandatory public school attendance. Advertisement That children could fall through a crack in society is unacceptable. The New York Times reported there are more than 3,000 private schools registered with the California Department of Education. Many of them operate out of peoples homes for just a few children. No doubt, many parents are great teachers. And no doubt, stories remotely like the Turpins are rare. But the state has a responsibility to protect its most vulnerable population. This abdication of even the most limited oversight is not unique to California. It is one of 15 states in which simple registration is enough to create a home school, and there are 11 other states in which parents dont have to submit any documentation at all. Reuters reported that about 1.7 million U.S. children are educated at home, a doubling since 1999. It also reported that more than 380 cases of severe or fatal child neglect have occurred since 2000 in families involved in home-schooling. Such statistics make the Massachusetts-based Coalition for Responsible Home Education call for annual assessments by trained professionals, among other things. Annual inspections make sense, as would, to a lesser extent, random inspections that cycle through each private school over several years. Private day care centers and assisted-living homes are regulated more than private schools. Its time to reconsider that. Regulation has a cost. So does abdication. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion Re Man ordered to give up gun, ammunition for one year (Jan. 9): Thanks to the San Diego Police Department, the city attorneys office and Judge Tamila Ipema for issuing San Diegos first gun violence restraining order (GVRO). Thanks also to the citizen who recognized a potentially deadly situation and requested the GVRO. This GVRO saved rats and raccoons from gun violence, but if someone is living with domestic abuse and there is a firearm in the house, the GVRO law might save a life. People owe it to their families to find out more. I wish I had had that chance. Dont wait until your loved one points a loaded gun at somebody; it will be too late. Dont wait until he or she pulls the trigger; it will be way too late. If people are living with someone who is armed and unstable, they should ask local law enforcement to request a GVRO. Advertisement Lashea Cretain San Diego 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. As political wrangling went on in Washington ahead of a possible government shutdown that could start at midnight on Friday, Americans wondered what it might mean for their states, jobs and daily lives even as Republicans, Democrats and President Donald Trump wrestled to control the narrative. Last-minute deals and blame were both being bandied about ahead of the deadline. Part of the back and forth included a spending bill that was passed by the House of Representatives but that ran into resistance in the Senate. The measure needs 60 votes to win approval in the Senate, so it requires some Democratic support. Amid debates over policy issues like defense spending, immigration and health care for poor children, President Donald Trump said a government shutdown would be devastating to our military while Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, warned that when the government goes dark, people die, accidents happen. Heres what you need to know about what a government shutdown would mean for Americans. Mick Mulvaney, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, said the office is preparing for the possibility of a shutdown. In a press briefing on Friday morning, he said to reporters that the military, border security, fire fighters and parks employees would still work but would not immediately be paid for it. All of these people will be working for nothing, which is simply not fair, Mulvaney said. Central government functions like the postal service, law enforcement, airport security checks and other services deemed essential, especially as they relate to safety, would continue. Social Security and other federal benefit programs and the military would continue operating, but many federal workers would be barred from work or not paid for their work during the shutdown. When the government shut down for 16 days in October 2013, employees were retroactively paid when a deal was made to fund the government. Here are some of the main ways jobs and services would be affected, according to the The Associated Press. 1. Nearly 45,500 employees of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) would be sent home ahead of tax season. 2. Civil lawsuits at the Department of Justice not related to public safety would be postponed and law enforcement training would also be canceled. 3. The workforce at U.S. intelligence agencies would be reduced and essential employees would work without pay. 4. National parks and public lands are expected to remain open, though staffing and maintenance would be limited or stopped. 5. Work not related to safety at Federal Aviation Administration would stop, including certification of new aircraft, processing of airport construction grants, registration of planes and issuance of new pilot licenses and medical certificates. 6. A shutdown could interrupt research conducted by the National Institutes of Health. Are you a federal worker in San Diego whose life would be affected by a government shutdown? We want to hear from you. Email abby.hamblin@sduniontribune.com with your story or share your opinion on the shutdown in 150 words or less with letters@sduniontribune.com. Email: abby.hamblin@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @abbyhamblin A Kearney woman said she saw "vindication and justice" in a jury's verdict this month finding a man liable for sexually assaulting her at a funeral home in 2015, and awarding her $10,000. Leola Ward said after she pays medical bills she plans to donate the rest of the proceeds of her lawsuit against Stephen O'Brien, a Kearney man she had known and worked with for years, to the Kearney S.A.F.E. Center "to protect other women like me who are victims of sexual assault at the hands of men that appear more powerful than their victims." "This jury verdict stands for the rule of law that sexual assault will not be tolerated in Buffalo County," she said in a statement. O'Brien never was charged criminally for what happened at a scheduled visitation while Ward was working at O'Brien Straatmann Redinger Funeral Home. Ward's attorney, Nathan Bruner, said she decided not to report it to police, worried about the emotional pain of a criminal trial. But after working with a psychologist, she decided to file a civil lawsuit against O'Brien. "This really wasn't about money for her. This was about confronting him and exposing him for what he did," Bruner said Friday. He said Ward was behind the counter at a visitation the evening of Dec. 2, 2015, when O'Brien started talking to her, then put his hand on her leg, up her thigh and between her legs. Bruner said she froze, not sure what to do, then quickly said "don't do that," and walked away and stood near a group of people gathered for the visitation. At trial, O'Brien said he had grabbed Ward's butt, but he disputed going further. His attorney, Tom Stewart, argued to the jury that, "Yes, (O'Brien) did this, but it really shouldn't be actionable or merit money damages." Stewart saw it as bad timing for the trial to come just a week after the Golden Globe Awards telecast celebrating the #MeToo movement protesting sexual abuse and misconduct. He was concerned enough about it to file a motion to keep Bruner from mentioning it to the jury. Bruner said he had no problem agreeing to that. "This was never about a movement," he said. "This was about Leola wanting accountability for what Stephen O'Brien did." On the other side, Stewart said if the case had been tried even two years ago, right after it happened, it could have gone differently for O'Brien, who is active in a number of civic organizations and at his church. And he pointed to a jury question, about whether touching the butt qualified as a sexual assault, as a hint that the jury of three men and three women may have believed O'Brien's version. "Given the atmosphere Tuesday in the world or the country we're actually satisfied in the verdict and the judgment," Stewart said. Ward said O'Brien had acted with callous disregard for her personal liberty when he sexually assaulted her in front of grieving family and friends during a somber event celebrating a person's life. "I am relieved that I may now have some closure in this matter and look forward to moving on with my life," she said. TIMMONSVILLE, S.C. Hunger is defined as a weakened condition brought about by prolonged lack of food. I am in my second year as the counselor at Brockington Elementary School in Timmonsville. I can truly say we have a significant population of students who battle hunger. We have a very resilient group of students who push through many obstacles to try to get the best education they can, but hunger should not be a challenge they have to face. There are many reasons I appreciate the partnership with the Help 4 Kids Florence organization. One obvious reason is because Help 4 Kids has championed an effort to prevent well over 100 students at our school from having to get through the weekend without food. The volunteers are truly special for the time and effort they put in to see that our students receive their bags every week. We have benefited greatly from our students being able to participate in such a wonderful program. Our teachers also have benefited from the program as evidenced from one 5K teacher, Mrs. Pemberton, who stated that she sees how the students are able to concentrate on their work because they are not hungry on Monday mornings. Being able to learn without thinking about food is very important to the success of the student and also the school. The benefits are endless of having students who are focused and able to grasp the foundational skills that will help them throughout their school years. Our 4K teachers, Mrs. Morrell and Ms. Strobel, mentioned how excited the little ones are when their bags arrive on Fridays and want to start looking through them to see what they have for the weekend. Our 5K assistant, Mrs. Lowery, said her kids are so happy and look forward to getting their bags on Friday. I know this to be true, because every time I deliver the bags to their classroom, the students faces light up and they all want to help me unload the bags from the cart. I just think back to my first interaction with the staff from Help 4 Kids who reached out to me when I first began. They were so passionate about the work they do for youth at our school and the many other schools they serve. We would like to thank them, and we look forward to continuing a strong relationship for the benefit of our students. Donald Trump saying something racist "isn't exactly news anymore," as "Saturday Night Live's" Michael Che observed. Yet Trump's former wife Ivanna Trump offers a kind word of support: He's not a racist, she says, he just says racist things. "I don't think Donald is racist at all," the president's first wife told "Good Morning Britain" on Monday. "Sometimes he says these things which are silly, or he doesn't really mean them ... but he's definitely not racist, I'm sure of that." Instead, she suggested, the president "has so many people telling him left and right what to say and what not to say" that "sometimes maybe it gets confusing," she said. "Confusing?" That's a good description of the president's latest flip-flop during negotiations on a proposed bipartisan immigration deal. During a Jan. 11 White House meeting, he reportedly claimed with very vulgar language that America needs more immigrants from places like Norway and fewer from Haiti, El Salvador and Africa. Throwing in Norway like that turned his vulgar plea for a higher-skilled immigration pool into a stark call for white supremacy, straight from a white nationalist playbook, in my view. And, by the way, immigrants from sub-Sahara Africa actually are better educated that most others, including most Americans, studies show. Of the 1.4 million immigrants from sub-Sahara Africa who are 25 and older, according to the Los Angeles Times, citing research from the Washington-based Migration Policy Institute, 41 percent have a bachelor's degree, compared with 30 percent of all immigrants and 32 percent of the U.S.-born population and 38 percent of the 19,000 U.S. immigrants from Norway. But many people find it so easy to stir up fears and rage against immigrants from certain countries that they don't have time to wait for facts. Now President Trump, who campaigned heavily on immigration fears, has to dance a delicate foxtrot between the demands of his hyper-conservative political base and his need to win enough Democratic votes to pass a bipartisan immigration deal. Sens. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, and Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, thought they had a deal before the White House meeting, according to news reports. But at the meeting Trump's reputation for following the advice of the last person to whom he has spoken showed itself. A fired-up Trump had swung over to the hardline conservatives such as Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican. Republican leaders found themselves growing mute or amnesiac amid the blowback from Trump's reportedly racist statements. The president denied making those remarks, and most of the Republican lawmakers in the room either said they didn't hear the reported words or didn't remember them. Republican Sen. Cotton and Sen. David Perdue of Georgia denied the reported remarks on Jan. 11, the day of the meeting, but the next day they shifted to saying they did not recall exactly what the president said. By Sunday, Perdue and Cotton were flatly denying that Trump used the vulgarities. But Durbin, the only Democrat in the room, stood by the reported quotes word-for-word, and Graham, who had confirmed the reported words to South Carolina GOP Sen. Tim Scott, told a South Carolina newspaper on Monday, "My memory hasn't evolved." Still, if President Trump was upset by the reports of his language, he took his time in responding to it enough time to call around to friends see how well the reports of his slurs were playing with his base. "It's weird that people in the room don't remember Trump using that word when Trump himself was calling friends to brag about it afterwards," conservative columnist Eric Erickson, who has in the past been critical of Trump, said in a tweet. "I spoke to one of those friends. The President thought it would play well with the base." If so, Trump probably was right about that. He has devoted his presidency, so far, to pandering to his most conservative minority of supporters while paying a more reasonable-sounding lip service to the rest of us. This drama would be more entertaining were it not for the 800,000 immigrants whose fate under the protections of President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program hangs in the balance. That's the serious side of politics. It affects real people's lives, regardless of their party or background. The nation's president, of all people, must never be confused about that. Since 1974, Societys Assets has challenged the community to look beyond a persons disability to see a fellow human being with gifts and talents that could be assets to the community. Societys Assets has three offices in Racine, Kenosha and Elkhorn and offers services that include independent living assessments and coordination, in-home care and skilled nursing. Agency caregivers honored Four caregivers from Societys Assets received awards last fall from the Wisconsin Long Term Care Workforce Alliance. The alliance is a coalition of public and private organizations who recognize the critical and indispensable role direct care workers play in meeting the daily living needs of older adults and people of all ages with disabilities. Minnie Clay, Antoinette (Toni) Kochevar, Julie Sittig and Susan Tran join 21 Societys Assets award-winners in its Aide Hall of Fame that dates back to 2005. Clay has been a caregiver for 28 years through the Societys Assets Kenosha office. Her consumers are her top priority, and they appreciate Clays compassion and excellent skills. Clay has worked with one consumer for eight years. The consumer remarked that Clay still works as hard as she did on her first visit. Kochevar, also from the Kenosha office, approaches caregiving assignments with a positive, respectful, can do attitude. She has the unique ability to be gracious in all situations. Her smile and quick wit endear her to every one of her consumers and their families, and to the office staff as well. Sittig is the primary caregiver for her husband through the Societys Assets Racine office. He suddenly fell ill nine years ago and his condition was critical, caused by a brain aneurysm and undiagnosed multiple sclerosis. His treatment and recovery were difficult at best. Sittig went to CNA (certified nursing assistant) classes to learn how to care for him. She also accessed resources to help their situation, often advocating for his rights to make his own decisions. Tran has worked at the Societys Assets Racine office since 2011. In addition to caring for her son every day, Tran also cares for some agency consumers, working with a widely diversified population of people with disabilities. Tran can be gentle as a lamb with a frail, elderly person or stand strong with someone who has dementia lashing out in confused anger, all the while being calm and confident. Advocate of the Year Award At the annual Societys Assets holiday banquet in December, the Dan Johnson Advocate of the Year Award was presented to Michelle LeBas-Bowen. She is the coordinator of the PAC House (Project Active Citizen) in the Burlington Area School District. LeBas-Bowen teaches her students the skills they will need to lead more independent lives as they reach adulthood. She encourages all of them to take a more active role in the educational process. LeBas-Bowen empowers her students to actively participate in the decision making that will impact their lives, routinely advocates on their behalf and teaches them to advocate for themselves. Also at the banquet, Stephanie Baker from our Racine office was presented with an Exemplary Service to Clients Award. Seventy-eight employees were recognized for milestone years or service: Five, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years. For more information about the Societys Assets resources for seniors and people with disabilities, call 262-637-9128 or visit the website, www.societysassets.org. STURTEVANT The Willkomm Companies eighth annual charity fundraiser benefiting two local homeless shelters concluded Dec. 1 at the companys Christmas party. Representatives from the Homeless Assistance Leadership Organization of Racine and Shalom Center of Kenosha were each presented with a $12,637 check for the shelters. Willkomm uses this event as the final piece of the fundraiser where employees took part in a raffle to help raise more money for the shelters, contributing $600 towards the total. For the month prior, employees at Willkomm's 12 locations asked customers for donations for the shelters. Exxon Mobil contributed also $1,000. Over the last eight years, Willkomm Companies has raised a total of $116,014 for these homeless shelters. Willkomm Companies is a family-owned business that has been serving southeastern Wisconsin for three generations. Welcome to A2Z Homeschooling! Homeschooling is more than just education at home. Homeschool parents, children, tutors, and anyone interested in learning online, a structured home classroom or unstructured unschooling will find A2Z Home's Cool an "cool" home school blog. Press Release January 20, 2018 GORDON BATS FOR TRANSPARENCY IN DOH-SANOFI DISCUSSIONS; To dispel further public suspicion that may arise, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee wants the apparently ongoing discussions between the Department of Health (DOH) and French manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur made transparent. Senator Richard J. Gordon, chair of the Senate Committee on Accountability of Public Officers & Investigations (Blue Ribbon), said Sanofi should not only meet with the DOH but also with various health experts. "People are already very anxious and enraged by the latest developments in this anomalous issue, what with forensic examination on the exhumed body of several children who received the Dengvaxia vaccine showing emerging patterns that led to their deaths. It may further fuel public suspicion if the meetings will not be made transparent," he explained. The Blue Ribbon Committee will conduct its fourth hearing on Monday, January 22, to tackle the issues on the undue haste of procuring the vaccines and the accountability of the Office of the President, the DOH, the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Budget and Management, and other agencies that may be involved. "While charges in courts may already have been filed by certain groups; the duty of Congress to propose recommendations in aid of legislation, particularly on the undue haste of procuring the vaccines, remains to be in place. It is Congress' duty to make people aware of these issues," Gordon stressed. Sanofi has asked for a meeting with the DOH to discuss the reimbursement and ways to give the public a "more balanced and evidence-based" perspective on the dengue vaccine and the national vaccination program in general. Health Secretary Francisco Duque said his is willing to sit down with Sanofi. The French pharmaceutical company has earlier agreed to reimburse the government for the P1.4 billion unused stock of dengue vaccine Dengvaxia stored at DOH warehouses. Press Release January 20, 2018 Speech of Senator Loren Legarda 26th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) January 20, 2018 | Hanoi, Vietnam I wish to deliver a manifestation on the Resolution Calling for Regional Cooperation on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation sponsored by the Philippines. Our theme for this year's meeting is "Parliamentary Partnership for Peace, Innovation, and Sustainable Development," which reflects our commitment to promote economic, cultural, and regional cooperation for peace, security, prosperity, inclusive, and sustainable development. I share the ideals and principles embodied in this commitment for our region. However, we can never truly achieve real lasting growth within our region until we address our prevailing disaster and climate risks. In the last century, the Asia-Pacific region continues to be the world's most disaster-prone region, accounting for 91 percent of the world's total deaths due to disasters.[1] Moreover, due to our climate and disaster risks, our region is expected to bear 40 percent of global economic losses from disasters from 2015-2030.[2] Our gathering today, the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF), should therefore have a more pronounced role in leading the discussion on reducing disaster and climate risks that continue to threaten the very future of our humanity. I speak before you as a legislator of the Philippines, a mega-biodiverse archipelagic country of more than 7,100 islands with rich natural resources of flora and fauna that provide for the more than 100 million Filipinos living in this climate-vulnerable country. We are an agricultural country, but in 2016, as a result of prolonged drought in North Cotabato, our very own farmers--6,000 of them--protested and begged for food from our government. Two farmers died and several others were wounded that day when the protest turned violent. Another memory that we remember as fresh as the day when it happened is the tragedy of 2013 when Typhoon Haiyan or Yolanda, as we call it, wreaked havoc in the Philippines, claiming 6,300 lives and displacing 3.4 million families. Haiyan made first landfall in Guiuan, a small town along the Eastern seaboard of the Philippines that was easily turned into a wasteland. Guiuan, however, is just one of the many communities continually ravaged by an average of 20 typhoons that visit the Philippines every year. This has been the norm for us. We have endured cycles of devastation and reconstruction, of destruction and rehabilitation, and we have always come out stronger than before. But we have learned that, as tenacious and resilient our Filipino spirit can be, it will not be enough to effectively address the impacts of disasters and climate change. Our prevailing climate and disaster risks are vulnerabilities that we share and you all experience back home. And we know very well that these vulnerabilities demand for timely, appropriate, and effective measures of legislation. Philippine legislators have the responsibility of recommending changes in our national budget. And this has allowed me, as Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, to enshrine climate change adaptation and mitigation and disaster risk reduction (CCAM-DRR) provisions and transform our national budget into a climate-smart and climate-resilient budget. Furthermore, during COP23, I was designated by the UNFCCC as the National Adaptation Plan Champion for the Philippines--a role that is consistent with my advocacy of mainstreaming CCAM-DRR into the systems and processes of our government agencies, especially for those dealing at the frontlines and involved in the critical sectors of our country. As the region that bears the brunt of disaster and climate impacts, we need to take greater and more ambitious climate action--such that inspires the rest of the world to do the same. We need to transform our region from being climate-vulnerable to being climate-smart and climate-resilient. We have to further integrate CCAM-DRR into our respective country's development agenda, plans, policies, programs, and investments at the national and local levels. We do this by allowing ourselves be constantly guided by science and academic research, to utilize the assessment of current and projected disaster and climate risks, as a means to inform our climate actions in the executive and legislative agenda of our governments. More importantly, we must build our resilience from within. We need to draw strength from each other, to intensify cooperation in the aspects of finance, technology, and capacity-building, with the view of mobilizing resources, leveraging knowledge, and exchanging best practices in CCAM-DRR. As one region, we need to work towards a long-term legislative framework for action on climate change in the Asia-Pacific region in line with the global blueprints for disaster risk reduction, climate change, and sustainable development--including the fulfillment of our commitments in our respective Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. We need to have one voice, to show our strength and resilience as a region, to inspire the rest of the world to protect and safeguard this one planet we call home. Thank you. _____________ [1] Global Environment Outlook 6 - Regional Assessment for Asia and the Pacific - http://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/7548/asia_and_the_pacific_fact_sheet.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y [2] Asia-Pacific Disaster Report 2017. https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Asia-Pacific%20Disaster%20Report%202017%20%28Full%29.pdf This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate When U.S. immigration officials said Jan. 13 they would honor a court order and accept renewal applications from the young people known as Dreamers whose fate is at the center of a congressional stalemate, Jose Perez was ready. But first, the 21-year-old East Bay college student and jewelry consultant had to get paid. The application price for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, is $495. Perez didnt have the cash, no matter how important it was. He got his paycheck Thursday. By Friday, he had met with his attorney, filled out his application and sent it off. Its like a wave of calm, he said. Still, Perez, like many others across the country, doesnt know for sure whether his application will be processed and result in a two-year extension of his protected status, which is now set to run out in May. He could only invest and hope. President Trump ordered the childhood arrivals program rescinded in September, while allowing those who had permits expiring before March 5 to apply for renewals. Months later, the uncertainty around DACA which protects nearly 700,000 people from deportation and provides them work permits has only grown, even as Democrats push for Congress to save it. On Jan. 9, U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered the government to allow renewal applications from DACA recipients. Alsup ruled that the Trump administration had offered no reasonable explanation for ending the program that former President Barack Obama created in 2012. The Department of Justice appealed Alsups ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, and on Friday the agency requested a hearing in February. The government said it did not ask the court to suspend the ruling until the appeal is heard because that would lead to another abrupt shift in immigration policy, rather than the orderly wind-down of the program that the administration prefers. Where that leaves Perez and others is unclear. When asked whether the government would accept the applications now coming in regardless of future court decisions or refund the $495 fee if it wont a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesperson said the agency does not comment on litigation, including potential outcomes. This hasnt stopped waves of applicants from filing into the offices of attorneys and advocates, seeking help with their renewals. To qualify for DACA, immigrants must have come to the United States without authorization before age 16, and have lived in the U.S. continuously since 2007. In Los Angeles, Marissa Montes, co-director of the Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic in Los Angeles, said a young man applied whose protection was set to expire March 7, meaning he could be one of the first subject to possible deportation if he is denied an extension. In the Bay Area, a mother eight months pregnant came to the Catholic Charities of the East Bay office in Concord for help with her 17-year-old sons renewal application. She brought money she had saved for baby supplies. His protections are set to run out in mid-March. The organization paid the fee, following its practice of helping those who cant afford it. As of Friday, the Catholic Charities office had seen or scheduled appointments with 90 DACA clients, said Ingrid Ovelar-Laterza, legal services supervisor. The whole legal department has prioritized the efforts to help clients renewals, as we do not know long this window will remain open, she said. Dreamers are anxious and feel in limbo while Washington is playing political games with their fate. Nearly 13,000 DACA recipients are scheduled to lose their status in March, and another 19,000 will hit their deadlines in April and May, according to the government. Officials said that if renewal applications are filed more than 150 days prior to expiration, they may be denied. Still, Montes said clients who do not fit this criteria are asking whether they should file anyway, while Judge Alsups ruling is in force. Leon Rodriguez, former head of the citizenship and immigration agency for 2 years beginning in mid-2014, said the agency should accept the applications regardless of what happens in the legal progress. It seems fair play, he said. If the applications are not accepted, he said, the fees should at least be returned. As all of this starting and stopping goes on, people are ending up stranded without work authorization, Rodriguez said. There is harm, has been harm, and will continue to be harm, some of which will be irretrievable if people have lost months of an ability to work because of the chaotic way in which it has all unfolded. Attorneys expect a bigger rush of clients if it becomes clear that Congress will not come up with a deal to protect Dreamers. We are determined to help as many individuals as we can, Montes said, even if it means working long hours and weekends. Hamed Aleaziz is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: haleaziz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @haleaziz RACINE Protesters angry over the Wednesday afternoon police shooting that killed a 26-year-old Racine man took their concerns to the streets and to City Hall Friday afternoon. At least 200 people took part in a march from the scene of the shooting of Donte D. Shannon a backyard in the 1400 block of Park Avenue to the police station on Center Street before moving across the street and occupying the second floor of City Hall, at one point pounding on the mayors office door. They remained there for about 40 minutes in an attempt to meet with Mayor Cory Mason. However, he was out of town in Madison for an Urban Alliance meeting with mayors from across the state. Then, at about 1:45 p.m., they reversed the route of their march, moving from Center Street to Grand Avenue, to 14th Street and then to Park Avenue in front of the house where two officers confronted Shannon after he had fled a traffic stop about a block away. Shannon died on the way to Ascension All Saints Hospital, family members say. Several said they were not notified that he had died until 4 to 5 hours later. Shannons father, Nakia Shannon, said that he viewed his sons body later Friday afternoon at the funeral home. He says his sons body has 15 bullet holes, although police have not verified how many bullets were fired. At least six bullet holes were visible in the fence at 1409 Park Ave., where many members of Shannons family and those who took part in the protest went to view the scene and pay their respects Friday. Although the level of chants escalated in front of the police station and inside City Hall, and a strong police presence was evident at City Hall and along the march route, police said after the march Friday that there were no problems other than a few brief traffic interruptions. Racine police received some help from the Racine County Sheriffs Office with march security and traffic control, but police said they were able to handle the march and provide regular service to the entire city without calling in further resources. Howell reaches out The Police Department has been limited in what it can say about Shannons killing since the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigations has taken over investigation of the incident. Racine Police Chief Art Howell did, however, send an email to The Journal Times on Friday. Regarding those who may have questions regarding the status of this investigation, please be advised that, shortly after this critical incident, Donte Shannons father contacted me directly via cellphone. He and I (and other family members) met shortly thereafter at the Racine Police Department, Howell wrote. The exchange was very respectful and orderly, and Mr. Shannon was introduced to the lead investigating agents from the DCI. Mr. Shannon was further advised that, per Assembly Bill 409, at least two members from an independent (outside) agency must lead officer-involved shootings where fatalities are involved. At my request, the DCI was called in to handle this investigation. Howell added: In addition to personally meeting with the Shannon family and a number of local pastors, I met with representatives of the local NAACP as well. Following the protest, Mason announced that a press briefing has been scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday at the Mayors Office at City Hall, 730 Washington Ave., and said more details would be forthcoming at that time. Lingering frustrations Participants in Fridays march expressed frustration with lack of information on the incident and why lethal force had to be used. Chanting phrases such as No justice, no peace, Whose streets? Our streets! and Black Lives Matter, the protesters decried what they see as a long pattern of harassment and oppression of black people by some local police personnel. Most protesters appeared to be from greater Racine, although a few had come from out of town, such as Clyde McLemore, founder of the Black Lives Matter chapter in Lake County, Ill. There were no counter-protesters, although a white woman standing in front of the Racine police station wondered aloud why Donte Shannon ran and said she doubted protesters would ever be satisfied. She declined to be interviewed on the record. Handwritten signs carried by protesters demanded that all Racine police start wearing body cameras. T-shirts and sweatshirts had photos of Donte Shannon; one read: Dont shoot me. I just wish we could get to some kind of understanding where we could sit down and talk to find out what we as a people need to do. Every life is important, you know what Im saying? We as a people are tired of being repressed, said Dorothy Massie, a resident of Racine for more than 20 years. Lifelong resident Sheri Price said that while there are definitely some good officers among Racines ranks, she said she knows first-hand that there are some who are overly aggressive toward people of color. She said that in October, her 13-year-old grandson had been stopped by police and had a flashlight shined in his face. When a friend of Prices went to investigate, police voices escalated. As a result, Prices friend held a follow-up meeting with police command staff earlier this week. He told them Monday If you guys dont do something, something bad is going to happen. And two days later, what do we have here? Price said. Family seeks answers The march kicked off at 12:15 p.m. Friday with an impassioned prayer led by Donte Shannons aunt, Norma Johnson. Theres no need for people to be slaughtered like animals. We dont want anyone else to die, Johnson said. God, no one deserves this. He was a human being, God. He was loved, God. He was respected, God. He may have had problems, but we all do. So God, we would ask that you give us the justice that we need and deserve today. Family members emotions Friday ranged from grief to anger. Dontes grandfather, John Shannon of Racine, put part of the blame on a local justice system, with juries not representative of the makeup of the community and also on the media because they never tell the whole truth. He also took a verbal poke at police for the attempted traffic stop that led to Donte Shannon fleeing Wednesday afternoon. They said it was a traffic stop: About what? A front license plate that a cop doesnt even see because hes in back of you? John Shannon said. Just the reason to stop him is a made-up reason. People need to know if they dont have a front plate on their car and there are millions in Wisconsin who dont they can be killed. Thats what they need to know. Tell the whole truth. Police have not confirmed any details regarding the circumstances that led to the stop. Among family members present was Donte Shannons 5-year-old daughter, Nakhia, his only child. Family members said the girl had been told partly about the situation but family members said that closure for her would come later when the family got answers about Dontes shooting so that Nakhia would know her daddy did not die in vain. Friday services planned Nakia Shannon said funeral services for his son would likely take place next Friday, Jan. 26. Draeger-Langendorf Funeral Home & Crematory in Mount Pleasant is handling arrangements. Family said that the service would be a time for smiles, to honor Donte Shannons million-dollar smile. He was an outgoing person. You can see from the turnout here and the people who have been here for the last couple of days for him, Nakia Shannon said. He let people move in with him if they came out of jail and had no place else to go, hed give the shirt off his back. For this to happen to him is unreasonable. I want him to rest in heaven and I want him to know that we wont forget about him and his family is going to live through him, Nakia Shannon said. The gathering had cleared the area of Park and 14th by about 2:30 p.m. Countless pink knit hats came out of storage as tens of thousands of protesters shouted and streamed through downtown San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and other communities in the second incarnation of the Womens March. In San Francisco, an enormous crowd jammed Civic Center Plaza for a rally, then marched down Market Street to the Embarcadero in a wave of people that stretched for blocks. In Oakland, the protesters crowded the shore of Lake Merritt, then made their way to City Hall. Other Northern California crowds gathered in Walnut Creek, Pacifica and even fired-up Chico in Butte County. The raucous and peaceful local events were part of dozens of marches around the U.S. and the world to protest President Trumps first year and to organize political opposition to it. Not Our President Illegitimate, read a giant banner being carried through Oakland to the shore of Lake Merritt. Grab them by the Mid-Terms, read a sign held by a Market Street marcher. This year Im all about the Resistance movement and flipping the House (of Representatives) in 2018, Berkeley attorney Ginny Roemer, 64, said as she stood outside the Oakland Museum of California, a few blocks from Lake Merritt. Isnt it interesting that the government shut down today? Were out here to blame it on Trump. Women and their supporters marched from the Lake Merritt BART Station to a large tent by the shore. After listening to speeches, the crowd headed west on 14th Street to City Hall. Oakland police said 40,000 to 50,000 people attended the march and rally and crowds were peaceful. While downtown Oakland continued to fill with pink, hats of a similar shade began assembling in downtown San Francisco. By noon, Civic Center Plaza was a sea of knit caps and protest signs many of them lambasting Trump. Sorry, Mom, your president is a pig, said one sign, and another read, Keep Your Laws Out of My Drawers. The procession down Market Street was led by a dozen police cars and motorcycles, a circling helicopter, a cluster of motorized cable cars and a blocks-long stream of pink, red, crimson, violet and fuchsia hats, many of them worn by men. There were kids, seniors, dogs, acrobats, drummers, musicians, screamers, chanters and somersaulters. The march has given me another burst of energy, because it has been a fatiguing year, said Debbie Wallace, who attended last years rally in her hometown of Santa Rosa. Its nice to know were not alone. Dozens of signs from the #MeToo movement, the abortion rights movement, the equal pay movement and a lot of other movements filled the plaza. Weve reached that tipping point, and people realized they cant be quiet anymore, said Sarah Gibson, who came to San Franciscos march from Petaluma wearing a crown of flowers and a Times Up pin. Im so proud of the women that are brave enough to speak up. More than a dozen activists, advocates, artists and politicians took the stage in front of City Hall to rail against Trump, denounce violence against women and urge voters to mobilize for the November midterm election. As I look out on this crowd, I am so thankful to see the power of women has finally awakened, said Brittany Packnett, who helped start the nonprofit Campaign Zero, which opposes police violence. I dont care how you got woke, I only care that you stay woke. Other signs in the plaza said Grab Back and Not My President. Among the most popular was one that said Im with her, with arrows pointing in every direction. In San Jose, another pink-hatted rally attracted 20,000 protesters, according to a San Jose police spokesman. In Walnut Creek, more than 10,000 people were at Womens March Contra Costa. In Pacifica, about 1,000 turned out, with an estimated 5,000 in Chico. On the shore of Lake Merritt, Lande Ajose, 51, of Oakland was at the march with her daughter, Alex Ajose-Nixon, 11, who said she gave up dance class to attend. Feminism and womens rights are really important to me, Alex said. I want to make sure that when Im an adult, everything is good and fair. Her mother carried a sign proclaiming, Orange is Not the New Black, referring to the president. She said she was incensed at Trump reportedly referring to some Third World countries as shitholes whose citizens are unwelcome in the U.S. To say that his comments were unfortunate would be to minimize them, Ajose said. They were patently racist. Its part of a system of denigration of people of color. Its infuriating. On the stage, speaker after speaker urged the crowd to get angry, get loud and get registered to vote. Today, we are literally marching for our future, Rosemary Jordan of Alameda for Impeachment told the crowd. There is strength in numbers, there is power in words, and there is influence in voting. A small group calling itself the Bay Area Suffragettes was dressed in Rosie the Riveter costumes as it listened to speakers at Lake Merritt. The crowd later marched from the lake to Oakland City Hall to the sound of loud drums. Dorene Giacopini, 57, of Richmond said she was representing her 101-year-old mother, Primetta of San Jose, who helped make ball bearings during World War II. Trump is a criminal, pure and simple, she said. He needs to be put in his place, which is very likely jail. Marchers turned up in Washington, Chicago, Philadelphia, Rome, Osaka, Japan, and even West Palm Beach, Fla., not far from Trumps golfing headquarters. He wasnt there. The president, in a Twitter message, encouraged women to celebrate historic milestones, but the only milestone most protesters seemed to want to celebrate was his disappearance. At the Bay Area rallies, police officers had little to do but direct traffic. There were no reports of arrests. Jenna Lyons, Joaquin Palomino and Steve Rubenstein are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com, jpalomino@sfchronicle.com, srubenstein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno, @JoaquinPalomino Womens marches are being held around the country this weekend, marking the first anniversary of the inauguration of President Trump and dozens of marches last January. Here is a roundup of womens marches and events being held in the Bay Area and beyond on Saturday: San Francisco: People will gather at 11:30 a.m. at Civic Center Plaza, 335 McAllister St. Rally starts at noon and will be followed by a march at 2 p.m. to the Embarcadero. For information: http://bit.ly/2EtDgBi. Oakland: Starting at 10 a.m. at Lake Merritt Amphitheater, between 12th Street and First Avenue, the march will go up to 14th Street and end at Frank Ogawa Plaza. A rally will follow the march. For information: http://bit.ly/2lNOWIc. San Jose: The march begins at 11 a.m. at San Jose City Hall, 200 E. Santa Clara St., and ends at Arena Green East, 340 W. St. John St. It will be followed by a rally. For information: http://bit.ly/2yZGo9y. Walnut Creek: A rally will start at 11 a.m. at Civic Park, 1375 Civic Dr., followed by a march 11:30 a.m. through downtown that will end back at the park. For information: http://bit.ly/2ETmR98. Pacifica: The event begins at 9 a.m. at Pacifica State Beach, 5000 Pacific Coast Highway. Details are still being confirmed. For information: http://bit.ly/2DgtzG0. Napa Valley: Participants to gather at 10 a.m. near Napa City Hall on School Street between First and Third streets. A march will be held at 10:30 a.m., ending at Napa Valley Expo, 575 Third St., where a rally will be held. For information: http://bit.ly/2mQ5qQf. Sonoma: The march will start at noon at Sonoma Plaza, 453 First St. East. Details on a route were not immediately available. For information: http://bit.ly/2rkIWvA. Santa Rosa: A sign-making event will be held from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. at Brew Coffee and Beer House, 555 Healdsburg Ave. There will be a gathering and rally from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Courthouse Square, near the intersection of Santa Rosa Avenue and Third Street. For information: http://bit.ly/2DqMDog. Sacramento: Participants to gather at 10 a.m. at Southside Park, between Sixth and Eighth streets, and march to the State Capitol. For information: http://bit.ly/2DfPAF3. Sarah Ravani, sravani@sfchronicle.com The previous Portals described how sex slavery was widely practiced in 19th century Chinatown. Starting in 1852, secretive associations called tongs began kidnapping or buying young girls and women from China and forcing them to work in Chinatown brothels. This abhorrent trade not only condemned most of the enslaved women to a miserable life and early death, but it was the leading factor behind the tong wars that racked Chinatown for decades. City officials realized early on that sex slavery was being practiced in the heart of the city, but made only halting and ineffective efforts to stop it. San Francisco had a notoriously lax attitude toward vice of all kinds, especially in the early days of the Gold Rush when most of the women in the instant city were prostitutes. After decent women began arriving and complaining about public prostitution, vice was driven from the main streets and into alleys. In 1859, Police Chief Martin Burke boasted that many prostitutes have been removed from Clay, Washington, Stockton, California, Bush, and other streets, where families reside. But there was no effort to actually end prostitution. As historian and former San Francisco police Officer Kevin Mullen points out in Chinatown Squad: Policing the Dragon from the Gold Rush to the 21st Century, the citys attitude reflected the Victorian compromise, which countenanced a certain amount of vice as long as it was kept away from family life. But civic leaders soon began to realize that Chinese prostitution was what Mullen calls a matter apart. This was partly because of the sheer number of women involved: In 1859, Burke reported that there were 520 Chinese prostitutes in the city and 631 women of other races, a wildly disproportionate number for the number of Chinese residents of the city. But it was also recognized that unlike other prostitutes, many of whom were independent agents, Chinese prostitutes were essentially slaves. Burke began to crack down on Chinese prostitution. In 1864, with the support of the Six Companies, a powerful association of Chinatown leaders, he directed police Capt. William Douglas to seize 19 slave girls and ship them back to China. The following year, Burke asked the Board of Health to come up with a plan to remove Chinese prostitutes from Jackson and Dupont streets the latter now Grant Avenue and move them to where they would not offend public decency. He also asked property owners to place barriers at the entrances to the alleys to hide the vice and degradations of those localities from the view of women and children who patronize the streetcars, and of the multitudes who daily pass through our public thoroughfares. But official commitment to ending Chinese prostitution, or even removing it from sight, proved half-hearted. The city took a hands-off attitude toward Chinatown, a passivity encouraged by the failure of the Six Companies and other community notables to do anything about sex slavery. When Mayor John Geary condemned Chinese prostitution, one of the presidents of the Six Companies chided him, saying, Yes, yes, Chinese prostitution is bad. But what do you think of German prostitution, French prostitution, American prostitution? Do you think them very good? It was, of course, a false argument, since white prostitutes were not slaves, but it was effective. White racism toward Chinese was partly responsible for the official tolerance: No one would have allowed white women to be treated like this. But payoffs and greed played a role, too. City attempts to close down the brothels were resisted by the white owners of the properties, who were making big profits. And when Chief Burke tried arresting the prostitutes, the Board of Supervisors intervened and gave control of prostitution to a panel of doctors. In 1867, Burke was replaced as chief by Patrick Crowley, whose laxer attitudes toward vice were more in tune with city sensibilities. The citys attitude toward Chinese prostitution was dramatically revealed on Feb. 23, 1869, when a Pacific Mail steamer arrived with 369 Chinese women aboard. Crowley sent police Capt. Douglas the same officer who had deported Chinese slave girls five years earlier with 18 officers and additional special officers to meet the women at the Brannan Street docks. After searching the women for contraband, the Examiner reported, the officers placed them in wagons and escorted them up Second Street to Chinatown, where they were delivered to the destination fixed by the (Six) Companies. A similar scene played out eight months later, when a steamer with 246 Chinese women arrived. Douglas again escorted them to a barracoon on St. Louis Alley in Chinatown, where they were distributed to the companies that had ordered them. The Examiner viewed these goings-on with suspicion. The paper pointed out that whenever a steamer arrived from China, there is a certain Captain of the Police always in attendance who made sure the human cargo was delivered to its destination. The newspaper called for an investigation. The Examiners rival, The Chronicle, was solidly in the camp of the police and, by extension, of official San Francisco, which had washed its hands of the blatant human trafficking. Mocking the Examiner for implying that something was amiss in a police captain escorting a load of sex slaves to their owners, The Chronicle editorialized, We shall unite with Captain Douglas in deliberately and boldly protesting against any such investigation as that called for by our termagant contemporary. Although these disgraceful episodes were the nadir of open official connivance with the tongs, payoffs and an its Chinatown attitude allowed sex slavery to continue for decades. The victims of the trade seemed doomed to their fate. Then a guardian angel appeared, in the form of an indomitable young Protestant missionary named Donaldina Cameron. Her long struggle to save the sex slaves of Chinatown will be the subject of the next Portals. Gary Kamiya is the author of the best-selling book Cool Gray City of Love: 49 Views of San Francisco, awarded the Northern California Book Award in creative nonfiction. All the material in Portals of the Past is original for The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: metro@sfchronicle.com Trivia time The most recent trivia question: What was the range of the 16-inch guns at Battery Davis in Fort Funston? Answer: 25 miles. This weeks trivia question: What is Hangtown Fry and how did it get its name? Editors note Every corner in San Francisco has an astonishing story to tell. Gary Kamiyas Portals of the Past tells those lost stories, using a specific location to illuminate San Franciscos extraordinary history from the days when giant mammoths wandered through what is now North Beach to the Gold Rush delirium, the dot-com madness and beyond. His column appears every other Saturday, alternating with Peter Hartlaubs OurSF. Doris Sperber, who is probably the oldest person in the Bay Area, turns 110 years old on Sunday. Or maybe a week from Sunday. Not being sure about your 110th birthday is part of having one. Sperber, an afghan across her knees, said she didnt care about birthdays. She would like to go outside now, where the purple flowers are. Three of her four sons David, Steve and Fred were on hand the other morning to oblige. Her sons are never far away. They are as devoted as sons can be, and they take turns holding their mothers small hand and kissing her forehead. Sperber, the oldest resident at the Jewish Home & Rehab Center in San Francisco, has a birth certificate that says her name is Dora and that she was born on Jan. 21, 1908. But her sons say thats not correct that her name is Doris and that she was born on Jan. 28, 1908. Something got fouled up, way back when, and its not likely to be fixed now. Nothing about turning 110 is simple, and everything is. When you are 110, your art project consists of watching the 100-year-olds do their art projects. Your fingers no longer make the piano do what it used to. Your food comes out of a blender, in bright colors. Have some more corn bread, Mom, said her son Steve, holding up a spoonful of yellow. I think thats chicken, said her son David. When three of your four sons show up at the same time, its a good day. Sperber smiled quite a bit the other morning, especially when all three sons bent over and held her hand at the same time. She listens attentively when people speak to her, but her answers do not always go with the questions. Sperbers sons, who are in their 70s and 80s, acknowledged that they are old enough themselves to qualify for residence at the Jewish Home & Rehab Center, the complex on Silver Avenue formerly called the Jewish Home for the Aged before someone decided home & rehab center sounded better. Sperber, her sons said, was born in 1908 either in Brooklyn, near Skilowitzs delicatessen, or Manhattan, near Katzs delicatessen. No one is sure which delicatessen. Roosevelt was president the first Roosevelt, not the second one. Her husband, Reuben, was an accountant. Doris Sperber ran the house, cooked brisket and rice pudding, played Chopin on the piano and volunteered at the hospital. She helped her husband crunch numbers at the office from time to time. Her idea of a vacation was dropping her four sons off at summer camp in the Catskills and picking them up weeks later. She was, her sons said, strong-willed. Seventy years ago, she persuaded her husband to switch synagogues. In an Orthodox synagogue, women were required to sit separately in the balcony during services while the menfolk were on the ground floor. My mom had enough of that, David said. She put her foot down. She was the muscle in the family. She was the silent boss. Doris Sperber, at 5 feet, could stare down the opposition. The Sperbers lived in Florida for many years before moving to San Francisco 15 years ago to be closer to their three sons here. Reuben Sperber died nine years ago, at the age of 100, in their 75th year of marriage. Doris Sperber moved into Room 1036 and kept going. Two years ago, she was reported to be the oldest person in San Francisco. Once you hold the lead in a race like that, you keep holding it. You cannot be overtaken from behind. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. No one knows exactly how many 110-year-old people there are. Statistics say that about 1 out of every 1,000 people who make it to 100 goes on to reach 110. Jeanne Calment of France, who died in 1997 at 122, would have regarded Sperber as something of a spring chicken. Sperbers fourth son, Joel, still lives in New York. Hell be in San Francisco this month for his mothers 110th birthday, the second one. The sons will take their mother to Congregation Sherith Israel for services, as they do every Saturday. Its the same synagogue where Sperber celebrated her bat mitzvah 10 years ago, at the age of 100. The bat mitzvah is a ceremony most often performed when a girl turns 13, but Sperbers parents didnt hold with bat mitzvahs only bar mitzvahs for boys. At 100, Steve said, she was still not finished making up for lost time. David Sperber said he doesnt really believe in God, but that it isnt a requirement for having faith. Being together is the requirement. In that department, the Sperbers qualify. Youre the best mom ever, said David, bending over. I love you, Mom, said Fred, giving her hand a squeeze. Im glad were all together, said Steve, adjusting the afghan. Sperber looked at each son and winked. The corners of her mouth went up. Then she closed her eyes and took a nap. Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate When she was a child, Melonee Wises father bought her a simple little robot building kit from an educational science catalog. Youd draw a line, and the little robot would follow the line, Wise said. Ive always been a tinkerer, and I liked to build things. Today, shes CEO of Fetch Robotics, a San Jose startup thats building complex, self-driving robots that could change how warehouses operate. Her career path hasnt always followed a straight line, and shes endured the ups and downs of two previous robot startups. But she has emerged as a thought leader in the robotics industry, as a fresh round of financing positions her company to take advantage of the e-commerce boom. Were at this tipping point with logistics and labor, Wise, 36, said during a recent interview. And its not just the United States where theres not enough people to do the jobs. And so many businesses need to turn toward automation as a way to stay competitive, as a way to grow their businesses and, in many respects, create new jobs. Fetch Robotics, founded in 2014, is building robots to autonomously carry materials from one point to another inside a warehouse or other distribution building. Unlike the kinds of robots typically shown in movies and other pop culture media, Fetchs robots dont try to look like humans. Rather, the basic Fetch looks like a large snare drum, or a round ottoman. Its the base to place shelves, bins or other containers that human workers fill with whatever needs to be transported. The robots know where to go, guided by cloud-based programing that can be changed depending on the need. They differ from other industrial robots that have been around for decades and are designed for specific, repetitive and stationary tasks. Last month, Fetch Robotics landed a $25 million round of funding, its second infusion of money, led by Sway Ventures of San Francisco. It has 72 employees and plans to consolidate its office and a testing facility into one building in San Jose next month and hire more workers. Its biggest customer so far is shipping and delivery giant DHL, which last year said it completed a successful pilot project testing the robots in the Netherlands. The market for mobile warehouse robots is still in its infancy, with under $50 million in annual revenue, said Clint Reiser, director of supply chain research for ARC Advisory Group. Amazon has used warehouse robots since buying Kiva Systems, now called Amazon Robotics, in 2012, which were brilliant for what they were doing at the time, but far from being autonomous, said Gerald Van Hoy, an independent robotics industry analyst. Fetch has gone much further. Paul Chinn/The Chronicle Cindy Traver, senior operations director for RK Logistics Group, said the only way her company could accommodate one major customers request last year to ramp up the volume of materials processed in its Livermore warehouse by about 40 percent over 90 days was to use three Fetch robots. Robots could traverse the warehouse without a break in about one minute, roughly half the time it takes for human workers, who were freed to pick up and load materials on each end. Moreover, Traver said, When a person is walking back and forth, theyre more likely to chitchat along the way. Wise delights in showing customers unfamiliar with robots what they can do. One of the most gratifying moments for me when we were first starting to work with customers was when I saw someone hit the button on the display of the robot and the robot started driving, she said. Just the smile and the delight on their faces, that Oh, its making my job easier that was a really super cool thing to see. The Chicago-area native learned how to solder while building that first childhood robot, and when she was 10, she attended day camps to learn to build programmable Lego projects. At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Wise earned a degree in physics engineering, then a masters in mechanical engineering, which was a dubious choice at best, because I thought mechanical engineers built robots. But I found out later that they built robots, but they dont do the cool stuff, which is to program the robots. While going for a doctorate, Wise was recruited in 2007 to become one of the first employees of Willow Garage, a now-defunct Palo Alto startup that during its brief history became one of the worlds leading robotics companies for its work on self-driving cars, an autonomous solar powered boat and a personal robot. It also developed the Robot Operating System, the open-source software framework being used for robots like Fetch. Wise, who eventually became manager of robot development, said she learned from the best in robotics at Willow, although we were doing a lot of crazy things that were not particularly directed at one specific, overarching goal. The work at Willow spawned more focused companies as each of us latched onto what we thought was going to be the next big thing, she said. What I latched onto was the logistics and manufacturing market. In February 2013, Wise and three fellow engineers co-founded Willow spin-off Unbounded Robotics of Santa Clara. After developing its first robot, the company became what ABI Research called an industry darling, but needed further financing to continue. Wise said Unbounded had an acquisition offer from an unnamed company, but the deal was scuttled by intellectual property problems in its really bad spin-off agreement with Willow. The terms scared away potential acquirers and investors, according to Wise. We couldnt take the acquisition offer, so we had to shut down the company in August 2014, she said. It was a valuable lesson in entrepreneurship. I like to joke that in an 18-month period, I experienced pretty much everything that a startup founder could go through, and I got it all out of the way, Wise said. I learned the difference between friendship and business, (about) getting it in writing, finding a good lawyer. Willow Garage founder Scott Hassan, now CEO of another spin-off, Suitable Technologies, did not respond to a request for comment. Wise is among a really rare breed of CEOs, said Andra Keay, managing director of the nonprofit industry group Silicon Valley Robotics. There are very few serial robotics entrepreneurs, Keay said. Thats something the robotics industry is missing. Were starting to see CEOs in robotics that have done another company. She said Wise has become a visionary in the industry by focusing on areas that robots can help now rather than potentially help in the future. There are a lot of robots that meet a public imagination rather than a pragmatic purpose, Keay said. Wise is also a rising star in an industry thats about 90 percent male, said Jeff Burnstein, president of the Association for Advancing Automation, an umbrella trade organization that includes the Robotic Industries Association. Shes been speaking out about the need for diversity, getting more women involved in an industry that has traditionally been male dominated, he said. Wise said the lack of diversity in robotics is more than a personal challenge. We need a diversity of opinions and perspectives in order to make the best business decisions and build the best robot companies. The lack of diversity in technology in general has to be fixed when kids are still in elementary school, she said. Thats where girls are getting the wrong messages about what they can and cannot do. For girls in particular, a lot of robotics comes down to math and programming. Pay attention to those subjects, and dont take no for an answer when someone says you cant do it. Benny Evangelista is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: bevangelista@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ChronicleBenny This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Google CEO Sundar Pichai said Friday he has no regrets over firing an engineer last year who wrote a memo that said men were more biologically suited for coding jobs over women. The engineer, James Damore, is suing the company for discrimination against people with conservative political beliefs and white males. Pichai said Damore was let go because it was important for Google to create an inclusive environment for its employees. We need to create a culture that is more supportive and inclusive for them, Pichai said, speaking at an event hosted by MSNBC and tech news site Recode at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco. This was what that was about, he said. Damores attorney, Harmeet Dhillon, said its important for Google to be supportive of all their employees, not just ones of a certain gender or race or those holding a particular perspective on life. Google systematically downgrades the feelings, expectations and career hopes, and the importance of many people in its workforce on the basis of gender, race and viewpoint, she said. Pichai and Susan Wojcicki, CEO of Google subsidiary YouTube, spoke about the companys efforts to recruit more women to Google, where only 20 percent of its technical staff are women. Wojcicki said part of the issue is that the number of female computer science graduates needs to increase and the tech industry needs to do a better job of fighting the stereotypes that its jobs are not interesting and not social. In addition to Damores complaint, Google faces a lawsuit filed by former female employees accusing the company of pay discrimination, interviewer Kara Swisher pointed out. Welcome to being a big company, Pichai said. Google has said it does not have a gender pay gap. When asked whether Google could allow women who had signed nondisclosure agreements to share stories for the #MeToo movement, the growing online discussion of harassment, Pichai said he personally has no issues with that. Google has previously said that its employment agreements do not prevent employees from discussing the issue of harassment. At the event, Pichai also addressed the controversy over artificial intelligence, or AI. His company and its parent, Alphabet, have made large investments in the technology, using computers to translate languages, sort through large numbers of photos and let cars drive themselves. Comparing it to early humans harnessing fire, Pichai said it makes sense for people to be concerned about the impact that artificial intelligence will have on society such as the elimination of jobs as more functions become automated. Pichai said artificial intelligence could help bring advances in health care and that government regulation will help keep the technology in check. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes Its fair to be worried about AI, Pichai said. We want to be thoughtful about it. Pichai also spoke about immigration, an issue critical to Bay Area tech companies that hire many engineers born overseas. Talented people are increasingly choosing to stay back, Pichai said. We need to be welcoming. The interview will air at 7 p.m. Friday on MSNBC. It is part of MSNBC and Recodes Revolution series, featuring interviews with people including tech industry executives on topics such as jobs and politics. Wendy Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: wlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thewendylee In the days leading up to the rollout of his Fake News Awards, President Trump tweeted, So much fake news is being reported. They dont even try to get it right, or correct it when they are wrong. Then the awards were announced, and the upshot undermined his own words: His examples showed that mainstream news organizations do try to get it right, and they do correct errors when they get it wrong. Professional journalists are imperfect, but they are not dishonest. Just look at Trumps list. His lowlight list included stories and tweets in which mistakes were acknowledged and corrected and a clearly labeled opinion column whose prediction proved way off the mark. I do not care to rationalize or minimize any of these errors. Any journalist worthy of the title embraces the mantra accuracy, accuracy, accuracy, and believes there is no such thing as a minor error. They all hurt. But another guiding tenet, which this president with a trail of false statements obviously does not accept, is a commitment to correct the record. Lets look at Trumps Fake News Awards. 1 The New York Times Paul Krugman claimed on the day of President Trumps historic, landslide victory that the economy would never recover. Krugman is an opinion columnist, and this was simply his prediction. Sometimes predictions are wrong. Right, Mr. President, or has Mexico sent you that check for the border wall? 2 ABC News Brian Ross CHOKES and sends markets in a downward spiral with false report. Ross wrongly reported that former national security adviser Michael Flynn was about to testify that Trump as a candidate instructed Flynn to contact Russian officials before the 2016 election. ABC later clarified that the directive came after election day, and Ross was suspended for the mistake. 3 CNN FALSELY reported that candidate Donald Trump and his son Donald J. Trump, Jr. had access to hacked documents from WikiLeaks. Actually, the email in question to Trump Jr. was flagging him to documents that already were in the public domain. Significantly, other news organizations quickly refuted CNNs account. So much for Trumps theyre-all-out-to-get-me paranoia. 4 TIME FALSELY reported that President Trump removed a bust of Martin Luther King, Jr. from the Oval Office. The report which never made it into a story was a reporters tweet that was corrected within the hour. 5 Washington Post FALSELY reported the Presidents massive sold-out rally in Pensacola, Florida was empty. Dishonest reporter showed picture of empty arena HOURS before crowd started pouring in. This Post reporters tweet was corrected within minutes and, again, never made it into an online or print story. Also, I have to ask: Does the president who tweets false and misleading statements on a regular basis and rarely if ever corrects them really want to go here? 6 CNN FALSELY edited a video to make it appear President Trump defiantly overfed fish during a visit with the Japanese prime minister. Japanese prime minister actually led the way with the feeding. True, the clip in question does not show Shinzo Abe also dumping out his box of fish food before Trump did. But, seriously folks, is this one of the presidents 11 best examples of an unfair media? 7 CNN FALSELY reported about Anthony Scaramuccis meeting with a Russian, but retracted it due to a significant breakdown in process. CNN retracted the story, and three employees were forced out. Remind me: Didnt Trump claim the news media never accounts for its mistakes? 8 Newsweek FALSELY reported that Polish First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda did not shake President Trumps hand. The story was based on a partial clip that showed her walking past Trump. Newsweek corrected the error. 9 CNN FALSELY reported that former FBI Director James Comey would dispute President Trumps claim that he was told he is not under investigation. CNN corrected the error. In fact, Comey did confirm that he had told the president he was not under investigation but the former FBI directors testimony had plenty of other potentially damning details about Trumps request for a loyalty oath and pleas to lift the cloud of the Russia investigation and to go easy on Flynn, who has since pleaded guilty to lying about the FBI about his contact with Russia. 10 The New York Times FALSELY claimed on the front page that the Trump administration had hidden a climate report. In fact, the report in question had been available on the Internet for months. Confronted with the error, the Times updated its story to acknowledge the fact, but added that the report received little attention until it was published by The New York Times. I think Trump and I agree that the Times sometimes has an insufferable level of self-regard. But its not alone, Mr. President. 11 And last, but not least: RUSSIA COLLUSION! Russian collusion is perhaps the greatest hoax perpetrated on the American people. THERE IS NO COLLUSION! Predictions can be precarious, Mr. President, as you noted with your award to Paul Krugman. Its a bit premature to claim victory, especially when special counsel Robert Mueller and House and Senate committees are not finished with their work and two of your campaign operatives have pleaded guilty to felonies for lying about their Russian contacts. John Diaz is The San Francisco Chronicles editorial page editor. Email: jdiaz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JohnDiazChron 2 Republican senators take a stand: Dont do this, Mr. President A major difference between politicians and the free press is that the press usually corrects itself when it gets something wrong. Politicians dont. No longer can we compound attacks on truth with our silent acquiescence. No longer can we turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to these assaults on our institutions. And Mr. President, an American president who cannot take criticism who must constantly deflect and distort and distract who must find someone else to blame is charting a very dangerous path. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., speaking on the Senate floor While administration officials often condemn violence against reporters abroad, Trump continues his unrelenting attacks on the integrity of American journalists and news outlets. This has provided cover for repressive regimes to follow suit. The phrase fake news granted legitimacy by an American president is being used by autocrats to silence reporters, undermine political opponents, stave off media scrutiny and mislead citizens. The Committee to Protect Journalists documented 21 cases in 2017 in which journalists were jailed on fake news charges. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., writing in the Washington Post For a man who thinks little of keeping promises, President Trump has been remarkably true to every reasonable expectation of Americas first reality-show administration. Year (season?) one of his presidency delivered a dubious and shifting cast of characters, manufactured drama and conflict, and a corrosive emptiness of substance or purpose. Here at the cliff-hanger, the porn star his lawyer reportedly paid off is a household name, Twitter insults and Oval Office epithets hurtle around the world, and even keeping the government open turns into a big showdown with the rival Democrats. Trump was sworn in a year ago before the largest audience ever to witness an inauguration, period. As delivered by long-gone fan favorite Sean Spicer, that statistic foreshadowed the tenor of the next 365 days: unapologetically trifling, obsessively backward-looking and ostentatiously false. The trouble of course is that this isnt just a bad television show; its bad government of the worlds wealthiest, mightiest and, until recently, most esteemed nation. Gallup reported this week that Germany has replaced the United States as the best-regarded global power for the first time since it began the survey in 2005. In just a year, our median global approval rating has fallen from 48 percent to 30 percent, near that of China and Russia, the lowest level recorded. Some of the most precipitous declines took place among neighbors in the Americas and allies in Europe, including drops of more than 40 percentage points in Canada and Norway. That helps answer Trumps infamous question about why there wont be more immigration from, say, Norway instead of shithole countries in Africa, which provided an apt epitaph for his first year. The president uttered it in the process of rejecting a compromise to restore protections for immigrants brought to the country illegally as children, a deal he had asked for to solve a problem he created. That pushed the government to the brink of a shutdown by upsetting concurrent spending talks. Trumps insult, and its consequences for young, blameless, largely Latino immigrants who in many cases hardly know another country, also exemplified the administrations constant appeals to racism and bigotry. Trump has advocated needless fortifications against dwindling border crossings, attacked legal immigration from nonwhite countries, attempted to purge transgender troops from the military, exaggerated urban crime, fomented anti-Muslim paranoia and apologized for white supremacists. His lone legislative accomplishment, a tax cut, divides us by other means, favoring the rich, punishing states that voted for his opponent and undermining health coverage for those of modest means. And his environmental policies have perpetuated divisions that should have faded, denying overwhelming evidence of climate change and pushing a boundless, backward faith in fossil fuels. Its no wonder this president already faces unprecedented unpopularity, portents of political backlash, and an investigation that has ensnared a former campaign chairman and his first national security adviser. Whats next? Unfortunately, with hundreds of channels but only one country, we have no choice but to stay tuned. 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. If I rated Eight Tables on the flash factor alone it would clearly garner four stars. A staff member greets diners outside a metal gate on Vallejo Street and leads them through an old alley to an elevator, where they travel up a flight. Then they enter an entirely different world. The interior, designed by AvroKO, the company responsible for the four-star Single Thread in Healdsburg, is uplifting and elegant, with light wood-paneled walls, round tables inlaid with brass, and partitions that make each of the eight tables (yes, thats how many there are in total) feel like a semiprivate room. Waiters move quietly around the room in beige three-piece Ralph Lauren suits and light blue Hermes ties. Each serving piece that holds the 10 courses on the fixed-price-only menu ($225) is gilded, embossed or otherwise refined. Eight Tables feels like no other Chinese restaurant Ive seen. John Storey/Special to the Chronicle I was also wowed by the cocktails. Anthony Keels, formerly of Saison, is like a mad scientist creating unique concoctions that artfully capture an Asian sensibility: The lily pond ($20) features Martin Miller gin and forest water made by pressing sour grasses, including sorrel and cress, into cucumber water and then clarifying the liquid. When hes finished combining these ingredients, Keels pours the chilled mixture into white bowls and floats tiny nasturtium leaves that resemble lily pads on top. The flavors are as subtle and complex as the best Cantonese food. In the milk punch ($20), red tea is blended with milk but milk that Keels has processed to remove the whey to create a clear liquid that retains a viscous texture. Its a truly amazing drink, where the eyes and mouth experience two completely different sensations. In the house martini ($20), Keels infuses the vodka with wok-charred rice, which produces a subtle, pleasant aftertaste. Then theres the food. You may have noticed how I buried writing about it until after covering the interior and cocktails, which exceed expectations. Its easy to be dazzled by the surroundings and details, but simply put, when I separate whats on the plate from whats around it, many combinations lack the complexity I expect from a $225 price tag. The wine pairings, which really do help to elevate the experience, add another $125 to the tab. Ive eaten the handiwork of Yu Bo, considered one of the best chefs in China, at a banquet here in San Francisco. His food displays complexity in flavor and in presentation thats missing at Eight Tables. For example, one of Bos small bites is a dumpling that he lightly cuts more than 100 times so the dough resembles a porcupine, and he braids long beans into a rope and cuts it into bite-size pieces. Bos banquet took the palate on a roller coaster, which is what I expect from an expensive tasting menu. The three dinners I had at Eight Tables were more like a pleasant drive through the country. John Storey/Special to the Chronicle George Chen, who has always been more of a front-of-the house guy at his other restaurants, which include the now-closed Betelnut and Shanghai 1930, is executive chef. To help, hes hired Robin Lin, a Taiwanese chef who was formerly executive chef of several restaurants in Taiwan and was director of the Taiwan Chefs Association. Some components came from China Live, the other, more casual restaurant on the ground floor of Chens $20 million complex, which includes a bar and retail outlet. It feels like the chefs are trying to dazzle by putting Osetra caviar on duck skin as part of one course, but it actually illustrates a simplistic and obvious approach to cooking. While much of the food is good, I would rather be eating downstairs at China Live, where I can get that crackling skin attached to the duck and eat more than one slice of barbecue pork (part of another course). At Eight Tables, Chen is trying to replicate the experience in the Qing Dynasty (from about 1644 to 1912), where the elite had private chefs and would invite friends to their homes for grand meals. Its known as si fang cai and today has become a popular way to dine in Hong Kong and other Chinese cities, according to Chen. John Storey/Special to the Chronicle The designers have captured the spirit of what Chen calls private estate dining in the interior, and even in some food presentations. Its the execution that seems too simple. However, I applaud the idea of a four-star Chinese restaurant, an idea that makes sense in San Francisco, which I would argue has more high-end fixed price Western menus than any other city in the country. The 10-course dinner starts with an impressive presentation of nine small dishes arranged on a square plate, each one holding an essential Chinese flavor: sweet (a stuffed date), sour (chicken roulade in rice wine), spicy (a tiny tart filled with meat and seafood), tingling (fried beef tendons dusted with Sichuan green peppercorns). I loved the idea, but none of the bites was distinctive beyond the character it represented, so each dish seemed one-dimensional. Next came a Four Seas shrimp dumpling: The top is divided into four compartments, each holding a different component that changes slightly each night. On one night, the dumpling included golden Osetra caviar, poached scallops, salmon roe, uni and pickled apples. The dumpling is too big to eat in one bite, so the staff sets a mother of pearl spoon and knife alongside to help. The process of separating the four compartments left more of an impression than the flavor of the doughy dumpling. The following course also had multiple elements, arranged in a V with a thin slice of barbecued Iberico pork at the top, a bite-size square of a pork belly sandwich on the left, and a diamond-shape piece of duck skin studded with caviar on the left, with two kinds of fruit in the middle of the V. This felt like a dish made from items that could easily have been cooked downstairs at China Live but was elevated to Eight Tables status through presentation. John Storey/Special to the Chronicle A course of consomme with pumpkin vermicelli needed a stronger base stock on two visits; on the third, the soup was what Chen called a deconstructed sizzling rice, with a square of fried rice topped with poached lobster and sea grapes, with the broth poured table side. This became the most memorable dish on all my visits because of its confident flavors and textures. Velvet chicken the meat is ensconced in a cloud of egg whites was a miss on all three visits. Instead of having a cloudlike texture it was more like poorly scrambled eggs with a strong hint of sulphur that overpowered even the white and black truffles. Over the course of three visits, the menu changed only slightly. One of the best dishes at all my meals was black cod set on a pad of lotus root and eggplant and wrapped in a banana leaf. It was one of the few dishes that was both subtle and complex. The meat course was red dongpo pork. The small square of pork belly was good but not much different from what you might find at less-expensive restaurants. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Eight Seas Dumplings: John Storey / Special to the Chronicle; smartphone: Getty Images; Instagram UI: Instagram; Next came a foie gras pot sticker, presented next to a sticky ball of black sesame and peanut mochi. Again, once you get past oohing and aahing over the idea of this delicacy in a dumpling, youre faced with a medicore pot sticker. To bridge the divide between savory and sweet, the next course was fermented rice sorbet, a refreshing intermezzo leading to a dessert that became a conversation piece because of the combination of flavors: A scoop of sorbet with passion fruit and Chinese seagrass was hidden below a thin wafer that looks like chicharrons flanked by clear bubbles that tasted like mesquite. While interesting, it was a confusing blend of sea, land and fire. On the last visit, the dessert was replaced by an even less satisfying sago pudding made from a starch of various palm stems. It tasted more like unsweetened squash with a little honey and candied chestnut powder. One element that stood out over the three visits was the lack of luxury or exotic ingredients that one expects in this price range. On the second and third visits they made up for it, but at a cost: Diners could get an abalone course for $30 extra or Wagyu beef at $60 extra. It seemed that these ingredients should be part of the regular menu; at that point it began to feel like we were being gouged. John Storey/Special to the Chronicle Or maybe I was just reacting to the fact that the food, while beautiful and interesting, was not that special once the bells and whistles of the stunning decor and good service were taken out of the equation. Still, I want Eight Tables to succeed. Theres a place for a Chinese restaurant that competes with the likes of Saison, Benu and Single Thread. But to be among that group, the menu needs to be as refined as its service and decor. Michael Bauer is The San Francisco Chronicle restaurant critic and editor at large. Email: mbauer@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @michaelbauer1 Instagram: @michaelbauer1 Eight Tables Food: Service: Atmosphere: Price: $$$$ Noise: One Bell 8 Kenneth Rexroth Place (off Vallejo), San Francisco; (415) 788-8788 or www.eighttables.com. Dinner 5:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Full bar. 20 percent service charge. Reservations and credit cards accepted. Difficult street parking. RACINE The Wisconsin Department of Transportation will host a public involvement meeting on Tuesday to discuss the proposed reconstruction of Highway 11 from Kearney Avenue to Highway 32, according to a WisDOT news release. The meeting is scheduled to be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at St. Lucy Catholic Church, 3035 Drexel Ave. Proposed improvements to the area of Highway 11 (Durand Avenue) will include reconstruction of 0.4 miles of roadway, improvement of the Durand Avenue and Memorial intersection with traffic signals, adding a sidewalk on the south side of Durand Avenue, repairing a storm sewer and providing on-street bicycle accommodations. The meeting, which the DOT says will have an informal, open house format, will have WisDOT representatives in attendance who will discuss the proposed project in detail. Attendees may stop in during the meeting and view exhibits, meet with project staff, ask questions and provide feedback. Property and business owners, interested residents and other stakeholders are encouraged to attend the meeting. For more information on the project and unable to attend the meeting, contact WisDOT Project Manager Robert Bellin at 262-521-4405 or Robert.Bellin@dot.wi.gov. Written comments may also be mailed to Bellin at: WisDOT, 141 NW Barstow St., P.O. Box 798, Waukesha, WI, 53187. Citizens requiring an interpreter may request one by contacting Bellin at least three working days prior to the meeting, via the Wisconsin Telecommunications Relay System by dialing 711. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BART rolled out its long-awaited new railcars Friday, surprising unsuspecting riders accustomed to the tired old ones, which the transit system now refers to as its legacy cars. The passengers pronounced the new cars a big improvement. They liked the new features: video information screens, electronic signs displaying the name of the next station, the automated announcements, the third door and the quieter ride. But what they noticed most was that the cars were squeaky clean. Its nice and clean and I hope it stays that way, said Teresa Johnson, a contracts and grants analyst who lives in Hayward and has ridden BART to Oakland daily for the past 20 years. I like the look of it. Its very cool. BARTs new railcars, strung into a 10-car train, made their public debut following a brief ribbon-cutting at Oaklands MacArthur Station. BART officials, politicians, the media, longtime BART employees and anyone who happened to be heading toward Richmond climbed aboard. It made all stops, picking up anyone who was waiting. Then the train reversed directions and picked up more riders as it headed to Warm Springs/South Fremont Station. Most of the passengers were pleasantly surprised by the experience. Luwam Michael, a 30-year-old customer-service worker from Oakland, smiled broadly as she stepped aboard in downtown Berkeley and looked around before taking a seat. Wow, she said. Everything is so nice. I took an old train to work this morning, and now Im on this new train. Wow. From the outside, the trains still have that BART look with the silvery aluminum skin broken up by panels of blue and white. Inside, though, they have a whole new look colorful blue and green seats that some have mocked as being in Seattle Seahawks colors, wider aisles, bike racks, poles in the center of the cars for hanging onto, and video screens. I love the way it looks, said Leonard Dugan, 34, of Oakland, an event manager who climbed aboard in El Cerrito. It looks like the old cars but futurized. Dugan was particularly impressed with the technology the mellow automated female voice that announces the next station over a public address system thats actually understandable, the video maps with a moving dot showing the trains location and provideing BART information, and the electronic displays at the end of each car that tell riders which station is coming up. Its impressive, Dugan said. He also liked the plastic molded seats that provide lumbar support and are covered with an inch-thick squishy plastic cushion. The seats are so comfortable, I might fall asleep, he said. There are fewer seats four or five per car than on the older cars, however, and several first-train riders said that could be a problem on crowded trains. BART sacrificed seats in the new cars to make room for the third door to speed passenger loading and unloading, for the poles in the center, and bike racks in some cars. The seats also take up less room, making for wider aisles, and sit higher off the floor, creating room for people to stash their stuff. Its going to feel roomier and more comfortable, and that will make all the difference for riders, said Grace Crunican, BARTs general manager. Although the new cars have three doors, trains will continue to pull up to the existing black markings on the yellow platform edge strips. BART will add a third black marking for the middle door as soon as the majority of its cars have three doors, something that will take years. For now, the new cars will be kept together in a 10-car train traveling on the Richmond-Warm Springs/South Fremont line during less-busy hours 9 a.m.-3 p.m. and 8 p.m.-midnight Monday through Friday, and on weekends. After theyre broken in, theyll run during commute hours and on all lines. The 10 cars pressed into service Friday had been tested for months without passengers and were certified for use by state safety regulators Wednesday night. Another 10 have been delivered and will be brought into service after they are tested with a ride through the system with state Public Utilities Commission inspectors. Future cars will undergo simpler testing. BART expects delivery of a new batch of cars quantity not announced in February. Over the next several years, manufacturer Bombardier is expected to start producing and delivering 16 to 20 cars per month to BART. Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan Elbert Flowers didn't seem worried about going away. Not on this case. The prosecutors had nothing, or at least nothing that would get him serious prison time. His girlfriend had no lasting scars from where he burned her with the clothes iron in August 2003. And she was refusing to testify or cooperate with prosecutors in any way. She even married him while he was in San Francisco County Jail. Flowers was 27 and cocky. He had dealt with the San Francisco district attorney's office before, so he had good reason to believe he would get off easy. Five years earlier, he had threatened to kill a different girlfriend and burn down her house. Then, he stabbed her 12 times in the legs with a two- pronged knife. The case never went to trial. The original six felony counts -- including torture and assault with a deadly weapon -- were plea-bargained down to one count of "assault by means of force." He was sentenced to just two years in state prison, but even that was waived. He served his time in county jail, most of it while awaiting trial. And the violent attack didn't even earn him a strike under California's "three strikes" law. More for you Legislators announce capital happenings But this week, in Department 27 of the San Francisco Hall of Justice, Flowers will become the poster boy for the changes in domestic violence prosecution Kamala Harris promised when she became D.A. a little more than a year ago. On Thursday, Flowers is scheduled to be sentenced to 14 years in state prison for the 2003 attack with the clothes iron. It took 18 months of dogged, frustrating work by prosecutors, victims' advocates, D.A. investigators and police officers to get the case to trial. As preliminary motions began earlier this month, Flowers finally blinked. Rather than risk the judgment of a jury, he pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted murder and infliction of great bodily harm. The charges earn him not only 14 years behind bars but a strike, meaning, among other consequences, he must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence. "He'll be going into the prison system, finally," said prosecutor Rani Singh. The case marks something of a turning point -- some might say an exclamation point -- for the D.A.'s office, which had been criticized in recent years for its low number of domestic violence convictions. The D.A.'s office had 101 convictions in 2004, Harris' first year in office, compared with 72 convictions in 2003. "The attention (to domestic violence cases) is unprecedented," said Beverly Upton, executive director of the Domestic Violence Consortium in San Francisco. The Flowers prosecution was challenging from the start, but it was made all the more so last March, when the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in a case that, on its face, had nothing to do with domestic violence. In Crawford vs. Washington, the court decided that judges can no longer admit into evidence statements by witnesses who do not testify in court. Defendants, the court ruled, have a right under the Sixth Amendment to cross-examine witnesses against them. But the court left it up to the lower courts to sort out what evidence falls under the ruling. "Before, if you could prove statements were trustworthy," said Singh, "you could get them in," a crucial prosecution tool in domestic violence cases because so many victims refuse to testify. In the Flowers case, prosecutors had a videotape of the victim giving a statement to police in the hospital. But without the victim in court, the videotape was out, as were any other statements she gave before deciding not to cooperate. As Singh and her colleagues prepared for the trial, new rulings from lower courts were coming out regularly on what Crawford does and does not allow, so the prosecutors immersed themselves in "learning every single nuance of Crawford," Singh said. In the end, she had horrific photographs of the victim's burns and a 911 call. And in the preliminary hearing, the judge allowed into evidence Flowers' knife attack five years ago. Not much, but enough to scare the defendant into agreeing to a hefty sentence. "It requires a lot of legal creativity," Harris said of prosecuting domestic violence cases without a cooperative victim and with the new restrictions of Crawford. "You have to be willing to put the resources into these difficult cases and not buckle under the pressure to plea bargain. ... Rani just went out there like a pit bull." Singh rejected an initial offer from Flowers' public defender of five years in a domestic violence diversion program. "This guy was young and dangerous," she said. She wouldn't settle for anything less than double digits. Thirty minutes before the jury was to enter the courtroom, Flowers offered 10 years. Singh went to Harris with the offer. "What do you think?" Harris asked Singh. The prosecutor shook her head. She wanted more. Harris gave her the green light, knowing there was a risk Flowers might opt to take his chances in front of a jury. Yet when the public defender countered with an offer of 12 years, Singh rejected that, too, with Harris' OK. The prosecutor pushed for and, finally got, 14. With the strike, Flowers will serve at least 12 1/2. After the plea agreement, Singh, the D.A.'s victim advocate and the investigator on the case went to lunch and shed a few tears. "Relief, satisfaction, sadness," Singh said. "I spent so many sleepless nights thinking about whether I could get this piece of evidence in and thinking about how we had to put so many people through so much (in prosecuting the case)." Singh expects the victim will come to court Thursday to plead for mercy. It doesn't matter. The victim's blindness to her attacker's brutality does not absolve us of holding him to account. Harris has made that clear. The tone has been set. The boundaries drawn. The Flowers case is one of so many that fill the filing cabinets in the D. A.'s office, files thick with bloody photos and horrible stories. Until the women in those files are ready to hold their attackers responsible, and many eventually will, prosecutors like Singh -- and investigators and police officers and advocates -- must do it, not only for the victims but for the women these batterers have yet to meet. What shuts down during a shutdown Congressional authorization for federal spending for many nonessential services expired at midnight EST Friday. Here is how a partial shutdown affects government services: National parks: Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Point Reyes National Seashore, Yosemite National Park and other parks would make site-by-site decisions as to what to close. While many open-air sites would remain open, most visitor services would cease. The Presidio in San Francisco would remain mostly open. Benefits: Social Security and Medicare would continue, though there could be delays in payments if a partial shutdown drags on. Help desks and phone support may be reduced. Food assistance: Aid programs are not expected to be immediately affected, though some could be curtailed in a prolonged shutdown. The programs include the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, food stamps, Meals on Wheels and school lunches. Housing assistance: The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development expects to continue as normal in the short run, though a long deadlock in Washington could mean delays in housing contracts and mortgage assistance. Worker safety: Federal occupational safety inspectors could scale back reviews. Federal courts: Northern California court offices would remain open and fully funded through at least Feb. 9. Military: The military services would continue operations, though many civilian Defense Department employees could be furloughed. Mail: Post offices would be open and the mail would be delivered. Airports: Security checkpoints would be staffed, and air traffic controllers would stay on the job. Congress: Members would continue to be paid. Kurtis Alexander 2002-01-26 04:00:00 PDT Pleasant Hill -- Harden your hearts now, folks. All that touching holiday charity seems to have dwindled faster than an Enron 401(k) portfolio, all the post-Sept. 11 compassion faded like a tattered American flag left on a car antenna too long. Time to resume the Season of Uncaring. Time, once more, to make our senior citizens feel expendable. Time to evict a 90-year-old woman from her modest Pleasant Hill apartment, where she has lived quietly and happily for 21 years, for no reason other than petty -- and possibly illegal -- rules and pure meanness. The case of Walnut Creek Manor Apartments vs. Thelma Flynn, filed last week in Contra Costa Superior Court, is an unsettling reminder of what might await us all in our dotage. It's chilling enough to make a guy repeat The Who's "Hope I die before I get old" lyric like a mantra. Thelma, for two decades, has been by all accounts a model tenant at the 418-unit complex by Interstate 680. She always paid rent on time; several neighbors vouch for her amiability. She never played her classical music too loud, never caused anyone a whit of trouble, always had a smile for residents on her daily constitutional around the grounds. But then, last summer, Thelma broke her left ankle in a traffic accident. Her son, Ashley, 55, had moved here because of his own medical condition, and then he moved in permanently with Thelma because her doctors say she will need a year to regain mobility. The Manor, though, had hard-and-fast rules -- no in- home caregivers allowed, and no relatives allowed to stay more than two weeks - - and gave the Flynns a 30-day notice. Never mind that the Manor has no legal right to ban in-home caregivers under the California Civil Code (section 51.3) and the Americans With Disabilities Act, Thelma's lawyers say. The complex's management tacked up an eviction notice to the front of Unit 31, sending Thelma into paroxysms of worry and prompting Ashley to call every senior agency he could find in Contra Costa for help or advice. "I'm just absolutely worn out by this," said Thelma, nervously patting the pouf of her white hair. "I just want it to go away. This has been my sweet home for two decades. How can they do this to me? And with my son sick, too?" Yes, this outrageous tenant-landlord dispute gets more disgusting. See, Ashley is on disability. He recently was found to suffer from toxic encephalopathy, a form of brain damage and nervous-system disorder that his doctor at UCLA says he may have contracted after prolonged exposure to pesticides in upstate New York. The complex's manager declined to comment, and the Manor's lawyer, Clifford B. Malone, did not return calls. But the Flynns found attorneys through the county's Senior Legal Services and vow to fight the eviction. Their case seems winnable, but East Bay senior advocates aren't so sure. They say some landlord tactics -- such as raising rents on whims and tossing longtime residents once they become infirm -- are common. "I've seen it a lot lately," said Merlin Wederpohl, executive director of Shelter Inc. in Concord. "Rents go up or a senior becomes a little more disabled and they're out. Complexes don't care because they all have waiting lists." Take notice, Baby Boomers. Housing for the elderly isn't only an issue for folks who vividly recall the Roosevelt-Willkie election. Demographers report that by 2035, 17 percent of Californians will be over 65. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have the means to retire to gated senior enclaves such as Rossmoor, where the biggest worry is the temperature of the four swimming pools. Most, in fact, wind up at independent-living complexes as is Thelma, paying her $900 monthly rent and hoping management doesn't look for loopholes to boot her to an assisted-care facility or, worst-case, a homeless shelter. "Until we found legal representation," Thelma's son, Ashley, said, "I thought that's where we were headed -- a shelter. Is this what people think of their elders?" In Contra Costa, it seems so. The county isn't exactly senior-friendly, despite its edict that every new housing development is required to provide a set amount of "affordable housing" for seniors and low-income people. Affordability is relative, though. The Board of Supervisors, for instance, allowed the developer of the Dougherty Valley subdivision in San Ramon to charge $1,575 a month for a one-bedroom apartment. That's affordable? Proposed senior-housing complexes have brought out the NIMBYs in well-off cities such as Alamo and Lafayette, too. Alamo residents have derailed senior condos because, in the words of one complainer, "It doesn't fit Alamo's character." A 1997 Lafayette study showed that by 2005, there will be a shortage of almost 700 senior units in central Contra Costa. But last spring, when a 73-unit senior development went before Lafayette's Planning Commission, hundreds of people showed up to complain. All Thelma wants, though, is to stay put and live out her days in peace. Instead, she's ready to do battle against Walnut Creek Manor, which apparently is used to legal wrangling. In 1999, lawyers for the state Department of Fair Employment and Housing sued the facility for allegedly refusing to allow two disabled tenants to install window air conditioners even though doctors warned that late-summer heat could jeopardize their health. The tenants reached a settlement with the complex and were able to keep the air conditioner. "Why are they doing this to me?" Thelma asked Ashley across the kitchen table. "Because they can, mother." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Russia is watching you. This is the basic message a Russian writer is currently trying to impart to Bay Area residents through a unique workshop series focused on Russia's controversial "cyber war" against the United States. Zarina Zabrisky, a 20-year Bay Area resident originally from Russia, is offering a "Russian Spetz Propaganda Workshop" on Jan. 25 at Alley Cat Books in San Francisco's Mission District, her sixh free class in the past few months. Zabrisky said her class provides basic education on the weaponizing of language as taught in Russian universities, offering a crash course on goals, strategies and methods used by the Kremlin on the U.S. population as well as practical defenses. Whether through "rotten herrings" or "neuro-linguistic programming," Russian propagandists are targeting Americans using sophisticated techniques force-fed in universities, she said. The term "spetz" roughly translates to specialized purpose, a form of information manipulation with acute targeting techniques. Zabrisky, a fiction writer and author of five books, said she was forced to take a military propaganda class when she attended Leningrad State University as a literature major. She said a host of methods are taught such as the "rotten herring," a smear technique where a politician's name and an unsavory event are conflated and repeated again and again to create a "neuro-linguistic programming" effect that makes someone feel queasy upon hearing the politician's name. "I want people to understand what's going on and come to their own conclusions," she said. "It is critical and it should be taught in universities here." Zabrisky has been already been invited to speak at Lowell High School as well as Mutiny Radio in San Francisco. She said she and her co-facilitator Human Rights Lawyer Olga Tomchin are now in talks with organizations in New York, Los Angeles, Seattle and Boston to expand the workshop. A mother of three, writer and part-time personal fitness trainer, Zabrisky admits that she is not an activist, and would rather be finishing her next novel. But she asserts that running the free classes for which she says she does not receive any donation or grant money is a practical way to give back. "I feel like it's my civic duty as a writer," she said. Click on the slideshow above for a list of unique classes offered around the Bay Area. Fifteen-year-old Jazzmin Davis' badly scarred, emaciated body was found nude, lying on the floor in a bedroom where she had been confined in her aunt's Antioch home, a coroner's report on her death said. The foster child died Sept. 2 of severe malnutrition, exacerbated by multiple blunt-force injuries and burns, according to a Contra Costa County coroner's report released this week. Jazzmin's aunt is facing murder charges in a case that has raised questions about why school officials and caseworkers with San Francisco's Human Services Agency - which placed the girl and her twin brother in the aunt's home - didn't spot any problems. The girl's body, weighing only 78 pounds, was laced with scars and wounds that stretched from her feet to her fingertips, the report said. She had multiple burns that appeared to be from a clothes iron on her chest and stomach, a tangle of scars on her neck that extended to her cheek and five broken teeth that "were probably struck by some type of hard object," the report said. Her aunt and foster caregiver, Shemeeka Davis, 38, is in jail awaiting trial on murder, torture and child abuse charges in Jazzmin's death, as well as torture and child abuse charges for allegedly abusing Jazzmin's twin brother. If convicted, Davis could be sentenced to life in prison. Prosecutors contend the abuse lasted for more than a year, prompting questions about how it could go unnoticed by her caseworker or others, including teachers and school administrators, who are required by law to report suspected problems. Authorities say Jazzmin and her twin brother, both placed in foster care with their aunt as infants after being born in San Francisco, had for more than a year been restricted to an upstairs room in their home on Killdeer Drive in Antioch. A San Francisco caseworker who checked on the girl every six months in recent years found no signs of abuse, said Trent Rhorer, executive director of San Francisco's Human Services Agency. Jazzmin appeared fine during the caseworker's visits, the most recent of which was in March, Rhorer said. He said the girl may have taken steps to conceal the abuse, pointing to a school photograph shot in late summer in which she was wearing a long-sleeved turtleneck. "When our caseworkers are visiting a family, and kids have been in what appears to be a stable placement for 15 years, they don't ask the kids to lift up their shirts to show their bare bodies," Rhorer said. "There has to be some sort of reasonable suspicions for us to typically do that." In the wake of Jazzmin's death, Rhorer said his department is looking at its procedures for six-month visits. But he also questioned why others with more regular contact hadn't sounded the alarm. "Certainly, it raises some concerns around our handling of the case, but what else has to be asked is, where was the school? Where were the teachers? Where was the principal?" Rhorer said. "Where were the people who saw Jazzmin every day? And they're all mandated reporters. Why didn't they make a single phone call to police or the child abuse hot line?" It's unclear how much of the abuse overlapped Jazzmin's time at school. Two former classmates have said she appeared with bruises, scars and a broken arm since the sixth grade but never told of abuse. Stephanie Anello, the principal at Antioch Middle School, where Jazzmin attended eighth grade, referred questions to an Antioch Unified School District spokeswoman. "Basically, they didn't see any evidence," district spokeswoman Deidra Powell-Williams said. "If there had been any evidence of abuse, they would have made a report." Jazzmin's aunt seemed genuinely interested in her niece's education and would routinely come to campus and confer with faculty about academic or behavioral issues, Powell-Williams said. At a memorial service after Jazzmin's death, Powell-Williams said, the girl's closest friends told her Jazzmin had begged them not to reveal anything about her treatment. Jazzmin was enrolled as a freshman at Antioch High School until October 2007. Police said, though, that she never set foot on campus. "In something like this, people want to point fingers," Powell-Williams said. "I think every agency involved should take some of that blame. Is there anything we could have done? That's the question that continues." In the scorched outposts of the Central Valley, they have a name for this blistering weather -- they call it summer. But around here we don't do hot. We are more used to fog and breezes and temperatures that might creep up into the 90s. So, when this happens, the usual conventions are thrown out the window. As the temperatures climbed into the triple digits day after day, the Bay Area wilted into grumpy disarray. The problem isn't the heat. It is that we don't know what to do with such a long, sauna-like stretch. "I am sitting here in my office in my bikini right now," said Moraga's Cynthia Brian. "With a dress nearby in case someone knocks." The worst of it was when the power outages hit San Jose and Contra Costa County. Most people soldiered through last week, but after they suffered through a hot, sleepless Friday night, enough was enough. Something had to be done for the weekend. "We had cases and cases of fans," said Toni Urquhart, assistant manager at Orchard Supply Hardware in Concord. "There were at least 900 of them. I put them out on Thursday, and they were gone by Saturday." Urquhart said they sold out of electric fans, portable air conditioners, misting units and "swamp coolers" (water-powered cooling devices). When she even ran out of fuses for air conditioners, she knew we were in uncharted territory. To be perfectly honest, some of us were not able to maintain our cheerful attitudes. And who could blame us? Bill LeVesque called in from Danville to say his power was off for 12 hours on Saturday, four hours on Sunday and another six hours on Monday. After losing all the food in their freezer and taking the whole family to sleep at a friend's house, LeVesque admits he got a little cranky with Pacific Gas and Electric Co. The company's explanation that its equipment was getting overtaxed by the heat left him, well, steamed. "Did you buy your equipment in Antarctica?" LeVesque asked. "I grew up in Arizona. We had our share of 110- and 115-degree days. But we never lost power." PG&E spokespeople like Brian Swanson maintained a Zen-like calm, explaining that, even though there was "a little dip in temperature" on Monday, record levels of demand were still being set. Swanson said that until a week ago, PG&E had never recorded demand greater than 46,000 megawatts. But that record was eclipsed on Monday with a push that went over 50,000 megawatts. None of which was of the slightest interest to those families who were just trying to get a good night's sleep. Hotels boomed. "I got a call about 4 o'clock Saturday night," said Kevin Cabral, sales and marketing director for the Renaissance Hotel in Concord. "They said, 'It is getting kind of crazy down here. You better come in.' " The Renaissance ended up selling out its 175 rooms Saturday and Sunday. After that, Cabral said, employees spent the weekend fielding calls and turning away customers. Finally, they just told families they could come and sit in the air-conditioned lobby. The pool, unfortunately, was not open to non-guests. But it wasn't because of hotel policy. "The pool was too hot to use," Cabral said. "The deck was too hot to step on." Somehow the word spread in San Jose that the San Jose Fairmont was the place to go. With over 800 rooms, it wasn't sold out, but the director of public relations, Lina Broydo, said the hotel booked 75 to 100 rooms more than its usual average. And the lobby turned into a party zone. "It started on Friday night," Broydo said. "They came in, they got cool, and they started dancing. It was packed on Friday, it was very packed on Saturday night, and it was packed again on Sunday night. I guess you can't ruin the party spirit." What can be done? Well, there are hopes of cooler temperatures as the week winds down. But in some ways, there isn't really a lot of hope in sight. Supplies are depleted not only at stores but at warehouses. Demand for power continues to mushroom. And even if the temperature drops 5 degrees, it is still way too hot for a good night's sleep. What to do? Brian said she's taken to sleeping outside at her Moraga home, and this weekend when she and her husband were looking for something to do, they invented their own outdoor movie theater. "We turned on our big screen, opened the French doors, and sat outside in lounge chairs on the patio," she said. "It was like a drive-in movie." It was still hot, but Brian said she enjoyed herself immensely. "Of course," she said, "I love to sweat." We'd all better learn to love that. HEAT WAVE BY THE BAY Jul 2006 high temperatures Location and record high: Livermore 115 1950 *Concord 110 2006 *San Jose 109 2000 Santa Rosa 110 1972 Oakland 107 1960 San Francisco 103 2000 Source: National Weather Service Average high temperatures from Jan. 1 to July 31 (for 2006, data ends July 24) . Source: WeatherUnderground.com / Joe Shoulak / The Chronicle Death comes for us all, we know that in theory. But Chloe Benjamins second novel, The Immortalists, imagines what happens when that truth moves from hazy inevitability to pressing reality. In 1969, the four Gold siblings, Varya, Klara, Simon and Daniel, steal away to Hester Street in New York, where a fortune teller tells each of them the day theyll die. Its a premise that carries the whiff of a thought experiment or a question on a personality quiz: Would you want to know the date of your death? So much of the books plot follows from that portentous set-up by necessity that its progress can feel dutiful, almost programmatic. (Indeed, The Immortalists TV rights have already been acquired by production studio the Jackal Group.) After the visit to the fortune-teller, the book breaks into four sections, each beginning with a sibling coping with another family members death and most ending with that sibling hurtling toward their own in exactly the order and time the woman on Hester Street predicted. Simon, the youngest, is the first to go at 20, dying of AIDS in 1982 after a few uninhibited years as a gay man in the Castro. Klara, a magician who works her way up to her own Vegas show, is next. Then theres Daniel, a military doctor who stayed close to their mother, Gertie, and Varya, the eldest, who conducts research on monkeys at an anti-aging institute. Naming the precise day of ones death does something funny to the characters, though: It actually magnifies their fear and uncertainty. (We learn Varyas prediction early on Jan. 21, 2044 and its starkness on the page sent a small shudder through this reader.) With an endpoint so clearly specified, its easy to slip into nihilism: Most adults claim not to believe in magic, but Klara knows better. Why else would anyone play at permanence fall in love, have children, buy a house in the face of all the evidence theres no such thing? The question then becomes how to best live ones life, and the lessons are a smidge too pat. The endless search for certainty, Benjamin tells us, is folly. Daniel, a hard-headed atheist, aggressively tries to control his own fate, Oedipus-like, and meets the bloodiest end. Varya lives an attenuated life, restricting her caloric intake because her research suggests that it could extend her life span. But Simon, though he succumbs young to a horrifying disease, takes the prophecy the right way: He lives for himself, takes risks and dies content. A life fretting about death is a life wasted, Benjamin concludes, and uncertainty isnt only something to be borne its freeing, if you can accept it. They dont want cages and food pellets, someone tells Varya, talking about her monkey test subjects. They want light, play, heat, texture danger! And the same is true, evidently, for humans. Benjamin is also interested in the ways human minds grapple with the unknown: The Golds father is devoutly Jewish, but his children discard his faith in favor of their own, in science or magic or themselves. Each is an invisible ordering principle that makes life understandable and bearable, that puts uncertainty into perspective just like fiction itself, Benjamin implies. But she equates ritual, magic, fiction and faith: Varya has had enough therapy to know that shes telling herself stories. She knows her faith that rituals have power, that thoughts can change outcomes or ward off misfortune is a magic trick: fiction, perhaps, but necessary for survival. The result is diffuse; by trying to tackle all these ideas at once, the books gestures are sweeping but shallow. The characters daily lives are more sharply observed, as the Golds cope with the corrosive guilt that a siblings death awakens, and grief that reverberates through multiple lives. But the book is shot through with memento mori, distracting reminders of Benjamins authorial presence. When Simon plays Icarus in his San Francisco ballet company, he is grateful when Robert removes [his wings], even though this means that they have melted, and that Simon, as Icarus, will die. When Varya brings her mother lilacs: The glass is too short. One flower keels dumbly over the side. They wont be alive much longer. And the books language feels studied and almost too proper (the dog promptly produced a pellet-sized turd of which Mrs. Blumenstein did not dispose), and can veer into awkwardness that yanks the reader away from the storys action: In 1969, though, they are still a unit, yoked as if it isnt possible to be anything but. The Golds end up coming off not as real people but as richly described case studies of how not to live. Its the most painful thorn in our side, this not-knowing, Benjamin has written, on lifes open-endedness. We forget that most questions in this world the ones that really matter are impossible to answer completely. But The Immortalists bears marks of obsessive manicuring. The novel self-consciously tries to deliver essential truths about life without outright saying them, but it doesnt quite let its readers do the open-ended work of piecing those truths together betraying, perhaps, a mind that hasnt fully embraced uncertainty itself. Chelsea Leu is a researcher and writer at Wired. Email: books@sfchronicle.com The Immortalists By Chloe Benjamin (Putnam; 346 pages; $26) ROCHESTER Newly retired Rochester Fire Chief Walter Wally Henning was honored this week with a reception at his firehouse Monday night celebrating his 40 consecutive years of service to the Rochester Fire Company. Firefighters and officers, both active and retired and from both sides of the Interstate attended the reception, despite snowy conditions that night. Henning served as chief of the fire company for the past six years. These days, you can find virtual assistants like Amazons Alexa or Googles Assistant in all sorts of things, from smart speakers and smartphones to washing machines and bathroom mirrors. The challenge isnt finding these digitized helpers, it is finding people who use them to do much more than they could with the old clock/radio in the bedroom. A management consulting firm recently looked at heavy users of virtual assistants, defined as people who use one more than three times a day. The firm, called Activate, found that the majority of these users turned to virtual assistants to play music, get the weather, set a timer or ask questions. Activate also found that the majority of Alexa users had never used more than the basic apps that come with the device, although Amazon said its data suggested that 4 out of 5 registered Alexa customers have used at least one of the more than 30,000 skills third-party apps that tap into Alexas voice controls to accomplish tasks it makes available. But while some hard-core fans are indeed tapping into advanced features of virtual assistants, like controlling the lights in their homes, for the most part, People are still using these speakers for very routine tasks, said Michael J. Wolf, founder of Activate. Its not clear that there is something thats going to drive people to use these. Apple popularized the virtual assistant concept in 2011 when it introduced Siri in its iPhones. About three years later, Amazon debuted the Echo, a speaker packed with microphones to capture and decipher what were saying to Alexa. Soon, various technology companies were betting that speaking to machines through virtual assistants would be an essential way for consumers to interact with devices and services in the future. There is a reason tech companies think virtual assistants are so important: They want to control an indispensable platform a crucial piece of technology other services or devices must rely upon. Some believe virtual assistant technology can be that sort of platform, and the company with the most useful assistant will gain an advantage for their other services like Internet search or online shopping. Lose that competition, however, and a company could be at the mercy of its rivals. With those stakes in mind, tech giants have been scrambling to make their assistants omnipresent. Since smart speakers are the main way for people to deal with virtual assistants, Amazon and Google stoked holiday sales with heavy discounts, dropping the price of their entry-level models to $30, from $50. At the same time, tech companies have been putting their assistants inside products of all shapes and sizes. Before this months International CES tech conference in Las Vegas, Amazon announced a string of new Alexa partnerships. Hisense will put the assistant into its television sets, while Kohler said a new bathroom mirror will have built-in microphones so people can use Alexa to dim the lights and fill a bathtub using voice commands. PC makers like HP, Asus and Acer said they were integrating Alexa into their computers, while Panasonic, Garmin and other electronics makers will do the same for devices that go into cars. Amazon also announced an agreement with Toyota to integrate Alexa into some Toyota and Lexus vehicles. Ditto for a new smoke alarm from First Alert. Google said LG Televisions, headphones from Sony and smart displays from Lenovo will tap into its Assistant. For now, consumers satisfaction with their smart speakers and by extension, the onboard assistants is helped in part by the fact they didnt pay a lot to get them into their homes. Justin Hosseininejad, an engineering consultant from Medina, Ohio, said he bought his first Amazon Echo Dot for $50 last year and got a second one free a few months ago with another Internet-connected device, the Nest thermostat. He uses them to listen to news in the morning and play music throughout the day. He recognizes that hes not asking Alexa to do a lot, but considering how little he paid, he is fine with that. Theres only certain things I use it for, but Im happy with it, he said. Im not doing my taxes with it. Paul Erickson, a senior analyst at the research firm IHS Markit, said the next step for these devices will be to become the hub of a connected home, controlling Internet-connected lights, thermostats and other basic home appliances. The more interesting functionality is yet to come, Erickson said. Part of that will come as more integration happens this year and next year. This is the first year were going to see real advances with the assistants because of competition in the marketplace. Competitors of Google and Amazon are also spreading their assistants far and wide. Apple now has Siri running across its universe of devices, along with an upcoming smart speaker called HomePod. Samsung has its own assistant, Bixby, available in its phones and televisions, and Microsoft has Cortana as a feature built into its Windows software. Amazon has turned its Echo family of products and the Alexa assistant that powers them into the unlikeliest of success stories although it is hard to say exactly how successful because it shrouds its disclosures about devices sales in fuzzy language. Amazon would say only that it sold tens of millions of Alexa devices during the recent holiday season, millions more than the same period last year. Analysts estimate that Echo accounts for more than 70 percent of sales in the smart speaker category, with Google a distant second. Google was also coy about revealing exact sales of Google Home. On Jan. 5, Google announced it has sold one Google Home smart speaker every second since it started offering a smaller version of the voice-controlled device on Oct. 19. That works out to roughly 7 million. In the 20 months since it started making the Google Assistant available as part of its Allo messaging app, Google said its Assistant is now accessible on more than 400 million devices including washing machines, dryers, air-conditioners, refrigerators and dishwashers from LG, headphones from Bose and a range of speakers from 15 companies. Google said the Assistant can now accomplish more than 1 million tasks, or actions, such as asking for photos from Halloween or adding events to a calendar. It created a directory searchable, of course to highlight these capabilities, hoping to remind users that the Assistant can do more than set a timer. There are signs that some consumers are starting to recognize the value of virtual assistants even if they arent interested in smart speakers. Hosseininejads friend Stephen Melik, also an engineer from Ohio, said he uses Siri on his Apple Watch and iPhone to control his lights and power switches. But the notion of a stand-alone smart speaker that remains in one place doesnt make sense to him. Ive always viewed these smart speakers as a solution searching for a problem, he said. But the voice assistants, potentially there are a lot of benefits to it. Daisuke Wakabayashi and Nick Wingfield are New York Times writers. In route news, United just launched a new route to Australia and changed its baggage policy to China; Qantas is now selling seats on SFO-Melbourne; Delta grows at Seattle and Boston; American expands premium economy seating on international routes and shakes up code-sharing pacts; two foreign carriers schedule new Airbus A350 wide-bodies for U.S. routes; LATAM drops one U.S. route and adds another; and Kenya Airways plans new U.S. service. >United Airlines is using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner for a new transpacific route from Houston Bush Intercontinental to Sydney, Australia, which just started service. The 8,596-mile flight which will take 17.5 hours is the second-longest in Uniteds network, exceeded only by the airlines Los Angeles-Singapore non-stops, which started a few months ago. The aircraft has 48 flat-bed seats in Polaris business class, 63 extra-legroom Economy Plus seats and 141 in regular economy. United also flies 787-9s to Sydney from Los Angeles and San Francisco. TravelSkills with Chris McGinnis sponsored by See More Collapse >In other news, United has changed its checked baggage policy on flights from North America to China and Hong Kong. Passengers traveling westbound on those routes will now be allowed two free checked bags instead of one. The two-bags-free policy had already been in effect for travel from China and Hong Kong to the U.S., United noted. Fees remain in place for overweight and oversized bags. >This week Qantas put its new SFO-Melbourne flights on sale. Qantas will use a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on the route which will operate four days per week (Weds, Thurs, Sat, Sun) starting September 1. Right now it's not cheap-- fares for September and October flights start at around $2,000 roundtrip. >Deltas growing presence at Seattle where it is locked in a market share battle with Alaska Airlines will increase even more in 2018. The airline said it will introduce new daily service from Seattle to three cities this year, including Washington Dulles and Kansas City beginning June 8, and Indianapolis starting June 18. The Indianapolis and Dulles routes will use an A319 and a 737-800 respectively while the Kansas City route will be flown with an Embraer 175. >Citing increased passenger demand, Delta said it will also start to deploy larger aircraft on its routes from Seattle to Los Angeles, Austin, Milwaukee, Nashville, Phoenix and San Diego; and it will schedule additional flights on its existing routes from Seattle to Las Vegas, New York JFK, Orlando and Medford, Oregon, this spring and summer. It will also extend its seasonal summer Seattle-Cincinnati flights to year-round service. >At Boston, meanwhile, Delta will add new daily service to Charleston, S.C. starting June 8, using a CRJ-900. On the same date, Delta will add a second daily flight from Boston to Jacksonville and to Kansas City; a third daily flight to Nashville; and a third daily roundtrip to Pittsburgh. >Last year, American Airlines introduced an international premium economy seating section on its new Boeing 787-9s as they were delivered. The airline is in the process of adding that seating option to other aircraft models in its international fleet, and premium economy will be available starting in the last week of June on AAs 777-300ERs operating from Los Angeles to London Heathrow and Hong Kong; from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Heathrow, Hong Kong and Sao Paulo; from New York JFK to Heathrow and Sao Paulo; and from Miami to Heathrow, Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires. >Meanwhile, American is making some changes to its international code-sharing partnerships. It has terminated its code-sharing on transborder flights of Canada's WestJet (which is entering into a joint venture partnership with Americans rival Delta), and will discontinue its frequent flyer program partnership with the Canadian carrier in July. But American has just started a new code-sharing partnership with China Southern, putting its AA code onto the Chinese carriers flights from Beijing to nine cities in China; China Southerns code is now on American flights from Los Angeles to five U.S. cities and from San Francisco to two cities. >Domestically, American's 2018 plans include a decision to convert its heavy schedule of Chicago OHare-New York LaGuardia flights into a dedicated Shuttle product starting April 4. That means its 15 daily ORD-LGA flights will feature regular hourly departure times, dedicated gates at both airports, and free beer and wine in the main cabin. (Delta also offers OHare-LaGuardia shuttle service.) The airline also announced more new routes starting June 7, including service from Philadelphia to Fort Wayne, Oklahoma City and Pensacola; Charlotte and Dallas/Ft. Worth to Panama City, Fla. and South Bend, Indiana; and OHare to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pa. >As Airbus continues to deliver next-generation A350-900 wide-bodies to its airline customers, more of them are scheduling the aircraft onto their U.S. routes. Korea's Asiana Airlines is due to put an A350 on its Seoul Incheon-Los Angeles route four times a week starting May 1 (replacing an A380), and on its Seoul-Seattle route once a day beginning July 31 (replacing a 777-200ER). And Lufthansa's 2018 schedule shows an A350 replacing the A340 on its Munich-Denver route, starting with five flights a week as of March 25 and increasing to daily by July 1. Lufthansa will also replace the A340s on its Newark-Munich and Chicago O'Hare-Munich routes with A350s as of March 25. Travelers headed to Africa will get a new option later this year: Kenya Airways said it plans to launch new non-stop service from New York JFK to Nairobi effective October 28 the first non-stops between the U.S. and East Africa. The airline will use a 234-passenger 787-8 Dreamliner for the 15-hour flight. In Latin America, meanwhile, LATAM Airlines Peru will discontinue its three weekly flights between Washington Dulles and Lima as of February 28, but LATAM Brasil plans to begin new twice-weekly 767 service on July 5 between Orlando and Fortaleza, Brazil. Get TravelSkills via email! Daily or weekly updates. 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. Sarah Ravani A suspect in an armed bank robbery in Oakland was quickly arrested less than half a mile away, police said. The robbery targeted a Chinatown bank at 900 Webster Street at 1:05 p.m., police said. The suspect fled the scene after taking a large amount of cash. A man who was wanted for a homicide in the Sunset District shot and killed himself late Friday, David Stevenson, a spokesman for the San Francisco Police Department, said in a statement Saturday. Police responded to reports of a shooting at 4:37 p.m. Friday on the 1800 block of 34th Avenue. A 65-year-old woman was found with gunshot wounds, police said. She later died from her injuries. The suspect was identified as 67-year-old Winston Hue. DALLAS Actress Dorothy Malone, who won hearts of 1960s television viewers as the long-suffering mother in the nighttime soap Peyton Place, died Friday in her hometown of Dallas at age 93. Malone died in an assisted living center from natural causes days before her 94th birthday, said her daughter, Mimi Vanderstraaten. After 11 years of mostly roles as loving sweethearts and wives, the brunette actress decided she needed to gamble on her career instead of playing it safe. She fired her agent, hired a publicist, dyed her hair blonde and sought a new image. I came up with a conviction that most of the winners in this business became stars overnight by playing shady dames with sex appeal, she recalled in 1967. She welcomed the offer for Written on the Wind, in which she played an alcoholic nymphomaniac who tries to steal Rock Hudson from his wife, Lauren Bacall. And Ive been unfaithful or drunk or oversexed almost ever since on the screen, of course, she added. When Jack Lemmon announced her as the winner of the 1956 Academy Award for best actress in a supporting role for the performance, she rushed to the stage of the Pantages Theatre and gave the longest speech of the evening. Malones career waned after she reached 40, but she achieved her widest popularity with Peyton Place, the 1964-69 ABC series based on Grace Metalious steamy novel which became a hit 1957 movie starring Lana Turner. Malone assumed the Turner role as Constance Mackenzie, the bookshop operator who harbored a dark secret about the birth of her daughter Allison, played by the 19-year-old Mia Farrow. ABC took a gamble on Peyton Place, scheduling what was essentially a soap opera in prime time three times a week. It proved to be a ratings winner, winning new prominence for Malone and making stars of Farrow, Ryan ONeal and Barbara Parkins. When Malone was born in Chicago on Jan. 30, 1925, her name was Dorothy Eloise Maloney (it was changed to Malone in Hollywood because it sounded too much like baloney, she said). In 1942, an RKO talent scout saw her in a play at Southern Methodist University and recommended her for a contract. In her first film at Warners, The Big Sleep, she was cast as a bookshop clerk who is questioned by Philip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart). She closes the shop, lets her hair down, takes off her glasses and seduces the private eye in a shelter from a thunderstorm. Free of her Warner Bros. contract, Malone was cast by Universal in Written on the Wind, Man of a Thousand Faces as the wife of Lon Chaney (James Cagney); Too Much, Too Soon as Diana Barrymore, the alcoholic daughter of John Barrymore (Errol Flynn), and The Last Sunset, a western with Kirk Douglas and Rock Hudson. Her final role was the 1992 film Basic Instinct with Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone. Terry Wallace is an Associated Press writer. WASHINGTON Although the government wont actually close if Congress fails to pass a spending bill by Friday at midnight, theres plenty that wont get done if hundreds of thousands of federal employees are barred from working until Washington agrees on a plan. In the event of a shutdown, U.S. troops will stay at their posts and mail will get delivered, but almost half of the 2 million civilian federal workers would be barred from doing their jobs. How key parts of the federal government would be affected by a shutdown: Internal Revenue Service A shutdown plan posted on the Treasury Departments website shows that nearly 44 percent of the IRS 80,565 employees would be exempt from being furloughed during a shutdown. That would mean nearly 45,500 IRS employees would be sent home just as the agency is preparing for the start of the tax filing season and ingesting the sweeping changes made by the new GOP tax law. The Republican architects of the tax law have promised that millions of working Americans will see heftier paychecks next month, with less money withheld by employers in anticipation of lower income taxes. The IRS recently issued new withholding tables for employers. But Marcus Owens, who for 10 years headed the IRS division dealing with charities and political organizations, said its a virtual certainty that the larger paychecks will be delayed if theres a lengthy government shutdown. Justice Department Many of the nearly 115,000 Justice Department employees have national security and public safety responsibilities that allow them to work during a shutdown. So will Special Counsel Robert Muellers team investigating allegations of Russian meddling in the presidential election. His office is paid for indefinitely. The more than 95,000 employees who are exempted, include most of the members of the national security division, U.S. attorneys, and most of the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Marshals Service and federal prison employees. Criminal cases will continue, but civil lawsuits will be postponed as long as doing so doesnt compromise public safety. Most law enforcement training will be canceled, per the departments contingency plan. State Department If no deal is reached to keep the government open, many State Department operations will continue. Passport and visa processing, which are largely self-funded by consumer fees, will not shut down. The agencys main headquarters in Washington, in consultation with the nearly 300 embassies, consulates and other diplomatic missions around the world, will draw up lists of nonessential employees who will be furloughed. Department operations will continue through the weekend and staffers will be instructed to report for work as usual on Monday to find out whether they have been furloughed. Intelligence agencies The workforce at the 17 U.S. intelligence agencies would be pared down significantly, according to a person familiar with contingency procedures. The official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity, said employees who are considered essential and have to work will do so with no expectation of a regular paycheck. While they can be kept on the job, federal workers cant be paid for days worked during a shutdown. In the past, however, they have been paid retroactively even if they were ordered to stay home. Homeland Security Department A department spokesman said nearly 90 percent of Homeland Security employees are considered essential and will continue to perform their duties in the event of a government shutdown. That means most Customs and Border Protection and Transportation Security Administration workers will stay on the job, according to the departments shutdown plan, dated Friday. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will be staffed at about 78 percent, meaning more than 15,000 of the agencys employees will keep working. The Secret Service, also part of Homeland Security, will retain more than 5,700 employees if theres a shutdown. Interior Department The Interior Department said that if there is a government shutdown, national parks and other public lands will remain as accessible as possible. That position is a change from previous shutdowns, when most parks were closed and became high-profile symbols of dysfunction. Spokeswoman Heather Swifts said the American public especially veterans who come to the nations capital should find war memorials and open-air parks available to visitors. Swift said many national parks and wildlife refuges nationwide will also be open with limited access when possible. She said public roads that already open are likely to remain open, although services that require staffing and maintenance such as campgrounds, full-service restrooms and concessions wont be operating. Backcountry lands and culturally sensitive sites are likely to be restricted or closed, she said. Transportation Department More than half 34,600 of the Department of Transportations 55,100 employees would continue working during a shutdown. The bulk of those staying on the job work for the Federal Aviation Administration, which operates the nations air traffic control system. Controllers and aviation, pipeline and railroad safety inspectors are among those who would continue to work. But certification of new aircraft would be limited, and processing of airport construction grants, training of new controllers, registration of planes, air traffic control modernization research and development, and issuance of new pilot licenses and medical certificates would stop. At the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, investigations on auto safety defects would be suspended, incoming information on possible defects from manufacturers and consumers would not be reviewed and compliance testing of vehicles and equipment would be delayed. The Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, whose operations are mostly paid for out of the Federal Highway Trust Fund, would continue most of their functions. The funds revenue comes from federal gas and diesel taxes, which would continue to be collected. But work on issuing new regulations would stop throughout the department and its nine agencies. National Institutes of Health Dr. Anthony Fauci, the agencys infectious disease chief, said a government shutdown would be disruptive to research and morale at the National Institutes of Health but would not adversely affect patients already in medical studies. We still take care of them, he said of current NIH patients. But other types of research would be seriously harmed, Fauci said. A shutdown could mean interrupting research thats been going on for years, Fauci said. The NIH is the governments primary agency responsible for biomedical and public health research across 27 institutes and centers. Its research ranges from cancer studies to the testing and creation of vaccines. You cant push the pause button on an experiment, he said. Richard Lardner is an Associated Press writer. A quiet rebel In a rare instance for Kathmandus theatre scene, a play almost entirely in Maithili, titled Kashidevi, is currently on stage at Sarwanam Theatre in Kalikasthan. Thousands of people from all over the Bay Area descended on San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose on Saturday, Jan. 20 for the Women's March protests against President Donald Trump and his administration. The pink hat-wearing activists brought hundreds of hand-made signs with messages for both President Trump and society as a whole. SAN JOSE (BCN) An elderly woman and her caretaker are safe after escaping from their burning home when they smelled smoke this morning, a San Jose fire captain said. The fire was reported at around 11:30 a.m. in the 2900 block of Mitton Drive. When firefighters arrived, the fire was burning in the attic, Capt. Daniel Vega said. The fire was knocked down by 12:30 p.m. Firefighters saved about three quarters of the 2,000-square-foot home, Vega said. The woman and her live-in nurse would likely not be displaced by the fire, according to Vega. There were no injuries to civilians or firefighters. The County of Santa Clara's Office of Immigrant Relations launched a coordinated media campaign this morning to emphasize the county's support and resources for immigrants living in the county. County officials gathered with the consuls general from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua in front of a Valley Transportation Authority bus with one of the campaign ads to make remarks on how and why the campaign was created. The campaign, advertised with posters that read, "One county, one future," is designed to focus on "the value of differences in the community," County Executive Jeffrey Smith said. The campaign will primarily highlight public health and social services, though the county offers many more resources available to the immigrant community, according to Smith. This campaign comes in the wake of recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in four Bay Area counties on Jan. 10, when 21 people were arrested and ordered to appear in immigration court. The event was a follow-up operation that stemmed from a 2013 investigation, according to a statement from ICE. County Office of Immigrant Relations Director Maria Love also said that the county works to make sure that immigrants arrested by ICE have access to legal defense, including through a $3.5 million investment in community organizations that offer free legal services. The Rapid Response Network of Santa Clara County and the County Office of Immigration Relations have been working together, Love said. The RRN has a 24/7 hotline with attorneys standing by in the event that someone wants to report a raid happening or has had a family member picked up by ICE during a raid. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office had two representatives present in solidarity. Smith said that they are "liberal" and honor the sanctuary county rules, meaning that they do not report undocumented immigrants to ICE and keep their information confidential. They will not be following federal threats or ICE threats in the effort to deport undocumented residents, Smith said. Smith described Love, an immigrant from El Salvador, as "the mastermind of the campaign." Love said that the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors tasked her department with creating the campaign. According to Smith, about 100 county employees worked on it. Love said that her department talked to immigrants that live in Santa Clara County to determine what messages were most important. Love said that the campaign's objective is for the community to know that no matter what happens at the federal level, the county will support both documented and undocumented immigrants by giving them the resources that they need. "Our immigrants are good people, the vast majority of them work hard, are documented and contribute significantly to our community," Smith said. "The people who are not documented are only undocumented because we have a very abhorrent and very ineffective immigration policy nationwide." Deputy county executive David Campos highlighted that several employees who worked on the campaign are "Dreamers themselves," individuals who entered the country as minors and were largely raised in the U.S. Santa Clara County Chief Operating Officer Miguel Marquez echoed Smith's statement, telling his own sibling's stories of success as "one of the true stories of immigrants." Marquez spoke of the two nationwide injunctions against President Trump's executive orders, one that protects sanctuary jurisdictions nationwide and one that allows "Dreamers" to renew their Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status that allowed them to reside in the United States. According to Marquez, county officials are doing all they can for each resident of the county, but especially for those foreign-born residents that make up more than 70 percent of the Silicon Valley workforce. All of the consul generals spoke in accord with county officials and the significance of the campaign in helping the immigrant community. "We are all people, no matter our color, no matter our race and no matter our immigration status," said Consul General of El Salvador Ana Valuenzuela. Consul General of Guatemala Patricia Lavagnino called the campaign "brave." "This is a campaign to say, 'You are not you, and we are not we. We are all. Immigrants are all,'" Lavagnino said. The campaign has a budget of about $40,000, and can be expanded as needed, according to Smith. "Our major issue is trying to get the message out to our clients," Smith said. "We are here to provide services for people who are typically underserved." The campaign ads will be posted at buses and bus stops with the reasoning that the targeted community needs those transportation services to get to the community resources the county can provide. They will also be in government buildings and advertised in a mail campaign, Smith said. A Hayward woman was charged Friday with assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer for an incident on Wednesday in which a Fremont police detective suffered a moderate injury while he was investigating a stolen vehicle in Hayward, police said. Brandi Vogil, 38, who is being held without bail at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, is also charged with a second count of assault with a deadly weapon for injuries suffered by a woman who was with her on Wednesday, felony reckless evading of a peace officer and auto theft, according to Hayward police. In addition, Vogil had an outstanding warrant for a reckless evading of an officer charge and was on probation for the same offense, police said. She's scheduled to be arraigned in Alameda County Superior Court in Dublin on Monday afternoon. Fremont police said that shortly after 2 p.m. on Wednesday the detective who ultimately was injured and other detectives were in the area of Broadmore Avenue and Larchmont Street in Hayward and attempted to stop a vehicle that had been stolen but the female suspect driver reversed her vehicle and collided with an unmarked Fremont police car, according to Fremont police. At the same time, a female passenger fled from the suspect vehicle and began running and a Fremont detective in a second police vehicle got out of his car and gave chase, police said. The driver of the suspect vehicle continued to hit the police vehicles and eventually maneuvered her way out of the area by hopping the curb and driving into a grassy area, according to police. As she drove into the grassy area, she collided with both the Fremont detective and the second female suspect (her passenger), who the detective was pursuing on foot, police said. The suspect vehicle then took off and left the scene. A short vehicle pursuit was initiated which ended in the area of Austin and Huntwood avenues in Hayward, according to police. The suspect driver collided with an unmarked Fremont police vehicle for the second time and officers stopped the vehicle and took the driver into custody, police said. The injured detective was transported to a hospital with a moderate injury and the injured female suspect was transported to a hospital in stable condition, according to police. Hayward police, who investigated the incident because it occurred in their city, said Friday that the Fremont detective who was injured has been treated and released. They said the female passenger is still being treated at a local hospital for injuries that aren't considered life-threatening. Hayward police said that at this time the female passenger is not facing any criminal charges. Murder charges were filed Friday in Contra Costa County Superior Court against a Pittsburg man who allegedly stole a truck that was involved in a collision that killed a 4-year-old girl, according to sheriff's officials. The charges were filed Friday afternoon against Noe Saucedo, 23, who is accused of colliding with a truck while driving a stolen Ford F-250 Wednesday afternoon on Somersville Road in Antioch. The collision killed 4-year-old Lenexy Cardoza. Her mother and 2-year-old sister remain in the hospital, sheriff's officials said. The events leading up to the collision unfolded at about 12:45 p.m. Wednesday when sheriff's officials received a call regarding a stolen Ford F-250 in Pittsburg. A short while later a sheriff's deputy spotted the stolen truck on Bailey Road and the deputy followed it as it went east on state Highway 4. The deputy initially did not turn on his emergency lights. Sheriff's officials said as Saucedo exited the highway at Somersville Road, he allegedly sped up, prompting the deputy to turn on his emergency lights. Saucedo then allegedly drove through a red light and collided with a Ford F-150 going south. Three occupants inside the Ford F-150, Lenexy, her sister and her mother, were taken to a hospital, where Lenexy died a short while later. According to sheriff's officials, Saucedo has also been charged with felony evading, possessing a stolen vehicle, possessing methamphetamine and possessing heroin. Saucedo is being held in the county jail on $1,130,000 bail. Sheriff's officials are still trying to determine why Saucedo stole the truck, sped away from the deputy and why he ran the red light and whether he was impaired at the time. "Clearly, suspect Saucedo took a series of actions that led to this tragedy," Contra Costa County Sheriff David Livingston said in a statement. "We are saddened by the loss of life and offer our deepest sympathies to the family." Anyone with any information about the collision or anyone who witnessed it is asked to get in touch with the sheriff's office at (925) 646-2441. To send a tip, people can email the sheriff's office at tips@so.cccounty.us or call (866) 846-3592 to leave an anonymous voicemail. An Alameda County sheriff's deputy was arraigned Friday on two counts of assault for allegedly encouraging six gang members to attack a fellow inmate at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin who the deputy had quarreled with. Joseph Bailey, a 28-year-old Tracy resident who's been with the sheriff's office for three years, was scheduled to be arraigned in Alameda County Superior Court at 2 p.m. Friday but when a large group of reporters arrived at that time a court clerk said he had been arraigned Friday morning, when no reporters were present, and pleaded not guilty. District Attorney spokeswoman Rebecca Richardson said the mix-up apparently occurred because arraignments for defendants such as Bailey who aren't in custody are held in the morning and arraignments for suspects who are in custody are held in the afternoon. She said she didn't know why Bailey's hearing was listed as being at 2 p.m. and apologized for the confusion. Bailey, who's free on $65,000 bail, is scheduled to return to court on Feb. 15 for a pretrial hearing. Tensions arose between Bailey and the inmate who's the alleged victim when the man was moved into a minimum-security unit at Santa Rita on Oct. 24 and refused to participate in a custodial strip search which is required by policy, sheriff's Sgt. Kevin Estep wrote in a probable cause statement. The inmate eventually cooperated with the strip search but before Bailey escorted him to his cell, he spoke to several inmates in that unit about the man's "behavior and demeanor," Estep said. About 90 minutes later, at about 11:40 p.m. on Oct. 24, a deputy who responded to the man's cell after he was alerted by another inmate noticed that the alleged victim "was bleeding and had several injuries consistent with being physically attacked," such as having a swollen eye, a fractured nose, lacerations to his bottom lip, above his left eye and forehead which required him to be transported to an area hospital for medical treatment, Estep wrote. Before he was hospitalized, the inmate identified several inmates as the people who "punched and kicked him repeatedly" and told the deputy who investigated the incident that he believed he was attacked because he has family members who are affiliated with a gang that's a rival of the gang that the other inmates are associated with, according to Estep. The deputy who investigated the incident said Bailey told him, "I told those six guys to take care of him (the inmate victim) and make it look like he fell in the shower" but said he did not want the victim to get beat up that badly, Estep wrote. Bailey made a voluntary statement in the presence of his lawyer on Nov. 22 in which he acknowledged that he spoke with other inmates before placing the alleged victim in their pod, Estep said. But Bailey denied telling the other inmates to physically attack the victim and said "his intention was to have the inmates assist the victim," Estep said. Bailey is represented by the Sacramento law firm Mastagni Holstedt. David Mastagni, the firm's founder, said Friday that he doesn't want to talk about the specifics of the case against Bailey, who's charged with assault by a public officer and assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury. Reading a prepared statement about law enforcement officers in general who are charged with wrongdoing, Mastagni said, "District attorneys are zealously overcharging officers up and down the state and charges are being filed hastily." Mastagni said, "We are prevailing in these cases - getting acquittals or dismissals throughout the state - and we are confident that we will prevail in his case." Last Sept. 5, in a separate and unrelated case, three current Alameda County sheriff's deputies and one former deputy were charged with mistreating inmates at Santa Rita by allowing an inmate to throw bodily fluids onto other inmates in a maximum security unit at the jail. Those four defendants, who are free on bail, appeared in Alameda County Superior Court in Oakland Friday for a pretrial hearing. Judge Yolanda Northridge ordered them to return to court for another pretrial hearing on March 2, at which time their preliminary hearing might be scheduled. An elder abuse law firm Thursday amended its complaint against a Santa Rosa senior living facility it claims abandoned elderly residents during the Tubbs Fire in Napa and Sonoma counties in October. In its initial complaint filed in November, San Francisco-based Stebner and Associates claimed Oakmont Senior Living, LLC and Oakmont Management Group, LLC failed to safely evacuate the elderly residents, some who were wheelchair-bound and others suffering from dementia, from Oakmont Villa Capri in the Fountaingrove area of Santa Rosa during the Oct. 8 Tubbs wildfire that killed 24 people in Sonoma County. The initial complaint names nine plaintiffs and the complaint filed Thursday in Sonoma County Superior Court added four more plaintiffs. Two of the plaintiffs in the complaint died after the initial suit was filed. The four new plaintiffs allege they suffered trauma and other injuries because they were abandoned in Villa Capri during the wildfires. The two deaths were hastened because the residents were abandoned by Oakmont Senior Living LLC, Oakmont Management Group LLC and Oakmont of Varenna LLC and their heirs joined the suit to add wrongful death claims, attorneys for Kathryn Stebner and Associates said in a news release. The suit claims some of the plaintiffs escaped the fire near Villa Capri only with the help of two of the plaintiffs' daughters. The amended complaint also alleges Oakmont abandoned at least 80 elders in another facility next door, Oakmont of Varenna, and those elders were evacuated only because one resident's grandchildren went room to room to get the elders out of the building. The new complaint also alleges Oakmont did not have evacuation plans for residents with disabilities, and those residents were the last ones left behind during "haphazard" evacuation efforts. In the initial complaint, the plaintiffs' attorneys said some residents were eventually evacuated by a police officer who was driving to evacuate a facility next door to Villa Capri. The claims in the complaint include elder abuse, false imprisonment, negligence and intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress. A spokeswoman for Oakmont Senior living did not return a call for comment late Friday afternoon. The County of Santa Clara's Office of Immigrant Relations launched a coordinated media campaign Friday morning to emphasize the county's support and resources for immigrants living in the county. County officials gathered with the consuls general from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua in front of a Valley Transportation Authority bus with one of the campaign ads to make remarks on how and why the campaign was created. The campaign, advertised with posters that read, "One county, one future," is designed to focus on "the value of differences in the community," County Executive Jeffrey Smith said. The campaign will primarily highlight public health and social services, though the county offers many more resources available to the immigrant community, according to Smith. This campaign comes in the wake of recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in four Bay Area counties on Jan. 10, when 21 people were arrested and ordered to appear in immigration court. The event was a follow-up operation that stemmed from a 2013 investigation, according to a statement from ICE. County Office of Immigrant Relations Director Maria Love also said that the county works to make sure that immigrants arrested by ICE have access to legal defense, including through a $3.5 million investment in community organizations that offer free legal services. The Rapid Response Network of Santa Clara County and the County Office of Immigration Relations have been working together, Love said. The RRN has a 24/7 hotline with attorneys standing by in the event that someone wants to report a raid happening or has had a family member picked up by ICE during a raid. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office had two representatives present in solidarity. Smith said that they are "liberal" and honor the sanctuary county rules, meaning that they do not report undocumented immigrants to ICE and keep their information confidential. They will not be following federal threats or ICE threats in the effort to deport undocumented residents, Smith said. Smith described Love, an immigrant from El Salvador, as "the mastermind of the campaign." Love said that the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors tasked her department with creating the campaign. According to Smith, about 100 county employees worked on it. Love said that her department talked to immigrants that live in Santa Clara County to determine what messages were most important. Love said that the campaign's objective is for the community to know that no matter what happens at the federal level, the county will support both documented and undocumented immigrants by giving them the resources that they need. "Our immigrants are good people, the vast majority of them work hard, are documented and contribute significantly to our community," Smith said. "The people who are not documented are only undocumented because we have a very abhorrent and very ineffective immigration policy nationwide." Deputy county executive David Campos highlighted that several employees who worked on the campaign are "Dreamers themselves," individuals who entered the country as minors and were largely raised in the U.S. Santa Clara County Chief Operating Officer Miguel Marquez echoed Smith's statement, telling his own sibling's stories of success as "one of the true stories of immigrants." Marquez spoke of the two nationwide injunctions against President Trump's executive orders, one that protects sanctuary jurisdictions nationwide and one that allows "Dreamers" to renew their Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status that allowed them to reside in the United States. According to Marquez, county officials are doing all they can for each resident of the county, but especially for those foreign-born residents that make up more than 70 percent of the Silicon Valley workforce. All of the consul generals spoke in accord with county officials and the significance of the campaign in helping the immigrant community. "We are all people, no matter our color, no matter our race and no matter our immigration status," said Consul General of El Salvador Ana Valuenzuela. Consul General of Guatemala Patricia Lavagnino called the campaign "brave." "This is a campaign to say, 'You are not you, and we are not we. We are all. Immigrants are all,'" Lavagnino said. The campaign has a budget of about $40,000, and can be expanded as needed, according to Smith. "Our major issue is trying to get the message out to our clients," Smith said. "We are here to provide services for people who are typically underserved." The campaign ads will be posted at buses and bus stops with the reasoning that the targeted community needs those transportation services to get to the community resources the county can provide. They will also be in government buildings and advertised in a mail campaign, Smith said. A pedestrian was struck and killed by a train in Pittsburg Friday morning in the vicinity of Railroad Avenue and Tenth Street, police said Friday. Officers responded to the area at about 9 a.m., according to police. Workers from the BNSF Railway Company are heading up an investigation into the incident and are currently at work on the scene, police said. DUBLIN (BCN) An Alameda County sheriff's deputy was arraigned today on two counts of assault for allegedly encouraging six gang members to attack a fellow inmate at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin who the deputy had quarreled with. Joseph Bailey, a 28-year-old Tracy resident who's been with the sheriff's office for three years, was scheduled to be arraigned in Alameda County Superior Court at 2 p.m. today but when a large group of reporters arrived at that time a court clerk said he had been arraigned this morning, when no reporters were present, and pleaded not guilty. District Attorney spokeswoman Rebecca Richardson said the mix-up apparently occurred because arraignments for defendants such as Bailey who aren't in custody are held in the morning and arraignments for suspects who are in custody are held in the afternoon. She said she didn't know why Bailey's hearing was listed as being at 2 p.m. and apologized for the confusion. Bailey, who's free on $65,000 bail, is scheduled to return to court on Feb. 15 for a pretrial hearing. Tensions arose between Bailey and the inmate who's the alleged victim when the man was moved into a minimum-security unit at Santa Rita on Oct. 24 and refused to participate in a custodial strip search which is required by policy, sheriff's Sgt. Kevin Estep wrote in a probable cause statement. The inmate eventually cooperated with the strip search but before Bailey escorted him to his cell, he spoke to several inmates in that unit about the man's "behavior and demeanor," Estep said. About 90 minutes later, at about 11:40 p.m. on Oct. 24, a deputy who responded to the man's cell after he was alerted by another inmate noticed that the alleged victim "was bleeding and had several injuries consistent with being physically attacked," such as having a swollen eye, a fractured nose, lacerations to his bottom lip, above his left eye and forehead which required him to be transported to an area hospital for medical treatment, Estep wrote. Before he was hospitalized, the inmate identified several inmates as the people who "punched and kicked him repeatedly" and told the deputy who investigated the incident that he believed he was attacked because he has family members who are affiliated with a gang that's a rival of the gang that the other inmates are associated with, according to Estep. The deputy who investigated the incident said Bailey told him, "I told those six guys to take care of him (the inmate victim) and make it look like he fell in the shower" but said he did not want the victim to get beat up that badly, Estep wrote. Bailey made a voluntary statement in the presence of his lawyer on Nov. 22 in which he acknowledged that he spoke with other inmates before placing the alleged victim in their pod, Estep said. But Bailey denied telling the other inmates to physically attack the victim and said "his intention was to have the inmates assist the victim," Estep said. Bailey is represented by the Sacramento law firm Mastagni Holstedt. David Mastagni, the firm's founder, said today that he doesn't want to talk about the specifics of the case against Bailey, who's charged with assault by a public officer and assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury. Reading a prepared statement about law enforcement officers in general who are charged with wrongdoing, Mastagni said, "District attorneys are zealously overcharging officers up and down the state and charges are being filed hastily." Mastagni said, "We are prevailing in these cases - getting acquittals or dismissals throughout the state - and we are confident that we will prevail in his case." Last Sept. 5, in a separate and unrelated case, three current Alameda County sheriff's deputies and one former deputy were charged with mistreating inmates at Santa Rita by allowing an inmate to throw bodily fluids onto other inmates in a maximum security unit at the jail. Those four defendants, who are free on bail, appeared in Alameda County Superior Court in Oakland today for a pretrial hearing. Judge Yolanda Northridge ordered them to return to court for another pretrial hearing on March 2, at which time their preliminary hearing might be scheduled. 272-6213 Alameda County sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Ray Kelly (510) 225-5936 Defense attorney David Mastagni (926) 446-4692 KMG reaches out to readers in East Following the countrys shift from the unitary to a federal system of government and successful completion of three tiers of elections, The Kathmandu Post organised its first reader outreach programme in Biratnagar on Friday. Tens of thousands of people - public officials, social justice organizations and private individuals - are gearing up for the Women's Marches held throughout the Bay Area and the world today. The Women's Marches began in January 2017 in the wake of the election of President Donald Trump, drawing huge crowds at events across the globe. The largest gathering this year will likely be in San Francisco, where an estimated 100,000 people marched last year. While electing female political leaders is a main focus of the events, female empowerment in general is the overriding theme. Many of the events will feature a so-called Call to Action Alley, in which demonstrators can speak with representatives of nonprofit community organizations. Marchers have been advised to take public transit. BART will be adding longer trains all day today, agency officials said. The agency noted that last year's march was its second highest weekend ridership day of all time, with 347,322 trips. A delay reported earlier this morning between the Pittsburg/Bay Point and Concord stations has resolved, and BART trains are on schedule, according to transit officials. The largest gathering this year will likely be in San Francisco, where an estimated 100,000 people marched last year. Demonstrators will gather at 11:30 a.m. at Civic Center Plaza for the rally, followed by a march down Market Street to the Embarcadero at 2 p.m. Bay Area Women's Marches are also taking place in locations including Walnut Creek, Oakland and San Jose. San Francisco Supervisors Hillary Ronen and Sandra Lee Fewer are among the speakers on the program at the San Francisco event. Dezie Woods-Jones, the California president of Black Women Organized for Political Action, this morning issued a statement encouraging African-American women to participate in the march. "Let us continue to provide that leadership by raising our voices during the Women's March," Woods-Jones said in a statement. California State Sen. Scott Wiener, one of many lawmakers taking part in the marches, said, "Today, I'm proud to once again follow the lead of women as we march in San Francisco and across the country." Less than a million! Our Emperor tells us that he spent less than a million Rupees to win the election from Chitwan and his opponent also managed to keep his expenses at the same range. WASHINGTON The federal government shut down early Saturday on the first anniversary of President Trumps inauguration. Republicans holding the White House and majorities of the House and Senate were unable to break a deadlock with Senate Democrats over a fourth stopgap spending bill since the fiscal year ran out last fall. The bill passed the House on Thursday but failed on a procedural vote in the Senate late Friday, 50-49, well short of the 60 votes needed to break a Democratic filibuster. At the heart of the standoff is a failure by Republicans to fund the government through the regular appropriations process, and a demand by Democrats to attach legal status for 690,000 young immigrants to an unrelated, must-pass spending bill. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 1 of 5 Win McNamee / Getty Images Show More Show Less 2 of 5 TOM BRENNER/NYT Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press Show More Show Less 5 of 5 The political fallout for both parties will escalate each day that the shutdown continues and the public experiences rising disruptions to government services. When the standoff will end is unclear, given the enormous gulf between the parties on immigration. The last government shutdown in 2013, with Republicans in control of Congress and a Democrat in the White House, lasted 16 days. Shortly after the vote, the two party leaders, Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., delivered scathing rebukes to each other on the Senate floor. McConnell proposed a new three-week deadline once Democrats come to their senses. He accused Schumer of making the ridiculous argument that it made sense somehow to shut down the government over an illegal immigration issue. Schumer said he had offered Trump in an Oval Office meeting to consider money for Trumps border wall and thought they were making progress, only to have the president back away within hours. The blame should crash entirely on President Trumps shoulders, Schumer said, blaming Republicans more generally for sowing chaos, disarray, division and discord. Five Democrats facing re-election this year in states Trump won broke party ranks to vote for the bill, fearing political repercussions from shutting down the government over an immigration issue. They included Sen. Doug Jones, whose victory last month in deep red Alabama became a cause celebre for national Democrats. But the defections remained well short of the 60 votes Republicans needed. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris of California, both Democrats, voted no. After a hastily arranged Oval Office meeting Friday afternoon, Trump and Schumer said they had made progress in negotiations but reached no resolution. Trump canceled plans to fly Friday to his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Fla., where he has a gala scheduled to celebrate his first year in office. Four Republicans Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Mike Lee of Utah, Jeff Flake of Arizona, and Rand Paul of Kentucky also broke party ranks and opposed the bill. With the absence of Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who is battling brain cancer, Republicans already slim 51-49 majority was narrowed and they needed more than a dozen Democratic votes to pass the stopgap measure. They fell far short of that. Jones was joined by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who had earlier declared he would not vote to close the government, and three other Democrats who swung to the GOP side Friday: Sens. Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota. Both sides spent the day trying to brand the other party with the shutdown, with White House officials calling it the Schumer shutdown and Democrats pushing the Trump shutdown. Both sides unearthed quotes and video clips from the last shutdown in 2013 to make their case, some showing Trump blaming former President Barack Obamas failure to lead, and others of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, blaming GOP legislative arsonists. Both sides said they abhorred a shutdown that would cost taxpayers an estimated $6 billion a week, furlough 850,000 government workers and force a million federal employees to work, albeit temporarily, without pay. The military will still go to work, said White House budget director Mick Mulvaney. They will not get paid. The border will still be patrolled. They will not get paid. Folks will still be fighting fires out West. They will not get paid. Schumer and Trump said their White House meeting, which both mens chiefs of staff attended, was productive. Trump tweeted about the Excellent preliminary meeting in Oval with @SenSchumer but, hours later, said things were Not looking good for our great Military or Safety & Security on the very dangerous Southern Border. Dems want a Shutdown in order to help diminish the great success of the Tax Cuts, and what they are doing for our booming economy. But even if the stopgap House bill had cleared the Senate, it would have kept the government open only a month. Congress could well have found itself at the same donnybrook on Feb. 16 when funding would have run out again. And a stopgap bill would have kept funding at last years levels, without any of the policy changes either party wanted. Steven Ellis, vice president of the budget watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense, blamed Republicans for neglecting their most basic duty of enacting regular appropriations bills while pushing their marquis campaign promises. You spend the first three-quarters of the year on repealing Obamacare and whiff, and then you spend the last quarter of the year on tax cuts, and all the while you should have been at least somehow doing appropriations, Ellis said. Its not like this crept up on anybody. Democrats, for their part, calculated that the must-pass bill would provide their best leverage to secure legal status for the 690,000 young immigrants who arrived in the country illegally as children and grew up as Americans. These immigrants currently are protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, which Trump canceled last fall and gave Congress until March 5 to replace. The program could continue longer under a court order now in effect. Months ago, Californias Harris, a potential presidential contender from a state where about a third of the DACA recipients reside, became one of the first Democrats to insist on tying the young immigrants to the spending bill. Her party gradually followed, under pressure from the Democratic base and the young immigrants, who shouted down Pelosi in her own district last summer for not being aggressive enough on the issue. Harris and Pelosi both addressed a crowd of young immigrants protesting at the Capitol on Friday night, Harris telling them, We are going to have to fight. California state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, a Democrat challenging Feinsteins re-election bid this year, relentlessly goaded Feinstein to get on board, which she ultimately did. But the strategy put 10 Senate Democrats running for re-election in states Trump won in a precarious spot. And it left Democrats in the position of killing a bill to fund the government, exposing them to blame for the shutdown. McConnell said Friday that Schumer had led his own troops into a box canyon. The White House, for its part, used Trumps cancellation of the DACA program to open a new effort to shrink legal immigration, an anathema to Democrats. The White House rallied Republicans around a four pillar plan to restrict extended family visas and cancel the diversity visa lottery, as well as funding for physical border barriers that would fulfill Trumps promise of a wall, in exchange for protecting DACA recipients. Democrats had bowed to tougher border security, but they said GOP efforts to restrict extended family visas and the visa lottery are unacceptable. A bipartisan effort by six senators that made minor tweaks to both visa categories was dismissed by the White House as a nonstarter. Although both sides refer vaguely to protecting the young immigrants, they frequently are speaking about widely varying numbers of people, from the 690,000 currently enrolled in the program to the 3.6 million who would qualify for protections under the Dream Act legislation Democrats have pushed. That bill, first introduced in 2001, would provide legal status for those who arrived in the U.S. before age 18 and maintained residence for four consecutive years and have a high school diploma or be enrolled in college, among other requirements. For weeks, Pelosi and other top Democrats have studiously insisted that the disagreement is not over just DACA but also other budget issues. These include parity for increases in both military and domestic spending, currently constrained by budget caps imposed in 2011, authorization for the Childrens Health Insurance Program that expired in September and a long list of other items. To entice Democratic votes, Republicans included a six-year authorization for the Childrens Health Insurance Program for low-income families in the spending bill. McConnell tweeted a chart framing the controversy as a choice between 8.9 million recipients of the childrens health program that expires today against protection for 690,000 DACA recipients that expires March 2018. Carolyn Lochhead is The San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: clochhead@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @carolynlochhead This article also appeared on TopTenRealEstateDeals.com. It never occurred to Tom Petty that gathering a group of friends to play music wouldn't make them big stars. After meeting Elvis at the age of 10 and later watching the Beatles, he knew he was meant to be a musician and approached it with laser focus. In the late 60s at age 17, Tom put his theory into practice gathering several buddies, took guitar lessons, added a few more instruments to the mix and was soon on his way to stardom. Nothing deterred him or slowed him down not even the disapproval of his father, who was disappointed that his son would take the artistic route, rather than what he considered to be a more masculine, sports-oriented road, into adulthood. Tom's first band, the Epics, started out in his hometown Gainesville, Florida playing locally between odd jobs to keep them financially afloat until they hit the big time, which he knew in his heart was just a matter of time. The Epics evolved into Mudcrutch, a popular band at the Gainesville University of Florida area bars, but failed to get outside attention. His next band, the Heartbreakers, quickly turned things around making it to the top in 1976 with their hit song Breakdown. Tom and the Heartbreakers never looked back producing classics such as American Girl, Free Falling, and I Won't Back Down. A career that lasted over 45 years. MORE PHOTOS: Live like a king in this fortress-esque Romanesque Revival mansion Music poured out of Tom Petty like a fast moving river producing hit after hit, many used for movie theme songs and sound tracks. Just as he imagined as a young boy, Tom and the Heartbreakers became one of the most popular American bands in history, garnering virtually every important award in the music industry and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Petty died in October at age 66 and now his much-loved Lake Sherwood getaway near Malibu and nine miles to the Pacific Ocean is for sale. Built in 1931 with walls of local fieldstone, Petty's retreat has mountain and water views across the natural lake from almost every room and 125-feet of shorefront. Deceptively large at 5,300 square feet, the house has three bedrooms and three baths and underwent an expansion in 2004. Its rustic feel from the fieldstone and natural wooded environment is complimented by its balcony fireplace, redwood-paneled bath with stone bathtub that overlooks the lake and vaulted-beamed ceilings and fireplace in the fieldstone living room. MORE PHOTOS: 'This American Life' host Ira Glass selling his fab Chelsea apartment It's a California house with a European mountain-lake chalet vibe geared to inspire creativity from its barrel-tiled roof to its enchanting terrace. It also has a private deep-water dock where one can sit and dream, launch a boat, fish or swim. Located high above the fog line, the property is guaranteed bright sunshine and cool breezes. Listing agents are Dana Sparks and Amy Alcini of Compass Realty in Malibu, California. Rock and Roll superstar Tom Petty's fabulous Lake Sherwood retreat near Malibu is listed at $5.895 million. SRINAGAR, India Indian and Pakistani troops traded fire Saturday along their volatile frontier in Kashmir, killing at least five civilians and a soldier in the latest escalation of violence in the disputed region. The deaths on both the sides of the border came as the nuclear-armed rivals exchanged blame for initiating the hostilities, which have involved the shelling of villages and border posts and are in violation of a 2003 cease-fire accord. Saturdays fighting is the fourth straight day of deadly confrontation between the neighbors, with six civilians and three soldiers killed in previous days. India and Pakistan have a long history of bitter relations over Kashmir, a Himalayan territory claimed by both in its entirety. They have fought two of their three wars over the region since they gained independence from British colonial rule in 1947. Indian police said Pakistani soldiers were targeting Indian border posts and villages with mortar shells and automatic gunfire on Saturday in Jammu region. Three civilians, one a teenage boy, were killed Saturday in Indian-controlled Kashmir and at least 16 civilians and two soldiers were wounded. An Indian army soldier was killed Saturday in Poonch sector along the de facto frontier where Indian and Pakistani soldiers were trading gunfire and mortar shells, said Col. Nitin Joshi, an Indian army spokesman. Pakistani officials blamed India for killing two civilians and wounding four others along the frontier. Both countries have accused the other of initiating past border skirmishes and causing civilian and military casualties. Pakistans foreign ministry on Saturday summoned the deputy Indian high commissioner to lodge a protest over what it called unprovoked cease-fire violations by Indian troops. A statement from the ministry said four civilians were killed and 20 others wounded by Indian firing Thursday and Friday. Schools in frontier villages have been closed on the Indian side and authorities advised residents to stay indoors as shells and bullets rained down. Indian authorities also have deployed bulletproof vehicles to evacuate people who were injured and sick. Bullets and shrapnel scarred homes and walls amid the intense firing and shelling. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, which Pakistan denies. Aijaz Hussain and Roshan Mughal are Associated Press writers. Mohan Guragain is a desk editor at The Kathmandu Post. He edited a provincial youth-oriented monthly paper for nearly two years before joining The Himalayan Times in 2008. Guragain also writes occasionally on politics and socio-economic issues. He joined the Post in 2010. MUMBAI, India Whats one of the best ways right now to crack into the Trump family inner circle? Buy a swanky condominium in India. Indian developers are promising to fly the first group of buyers in a new Trump Towers project to New York for an event with Donald Trump Jr., according to Indian news reports and a video on one of the developers websites. The glitzy project, which will rise high above Gurugram, a suburb of New Delhi, has become the latest matter to draw questions about the way the Trump family is handling its convergence of business and politics. Reports in the Indian press last week, followed by a Washington Post article Thursday, have brought new accusations of influence peddling. But the Indian developers arent shying away from their offer to get the first buyers of these condos in front of Trump Jr., President Donald Trumps oldest child, who helps run the familys real estate empire. According to an article by the Press Trust of India that appeared in The Hindustan Times on Jan. 10, Pankaj Bansal, the director of one of the Indian property developers, said: About an initial 100 buyers will fly to the U.S. where Donald Trump Jr. will host them. The apartment project consists of two glittering 600-foot towers, among the tallest in the area, featuring apartments that have 22-foot-high ceilings, infinity pools and floor-to-ceiling windows. Picture lots of marble and lots of glass. A video included on the website of Tribeca Developers, one of the other Indian partners, features a segment of a news broadcast on the project, reiterating the promise to meet a Trump. Buy a flat, meet Trump Jr.! the video says. According to Indian news reports, the developers sold 20 units in the first day of sales in January. Ethicists in the United States expressed concern about the conflict-of-interest issues raised by such inducements. Norman L. Eisen, who was the ethics counsel for President Barack Obama, said it was outrageous that access to the Trump family is once again being sold this time to foreign purchasers, no less. He added: This is a brazen violation of ethics best practices, but not alas a surprising one; it is of a piece with the access to the Trump family that members at domestic Trump properties get for their often steep fees. Richard W. Painter, who was the ethics counsel for President George W. Bush, said the India deal was inappropriate, but legal. He urged the Trump children to publicly declare that they will not discuss government policy with customers. They could dramatically reduce their risk if they categorically make it clear that they will not discuss U.S. government interests with anyone with whom they have an actual or prospective financial relationship, Painter said. The news release for the project, which does not mention the offer of access to Trump Jr., goes on about its various bells and whistles, making the project sound something like a cruise ship with a golf course attached. Jeffrey Gettleman and Suhasini Raj are reporters for the New York Times. PARIS Paul Bocuse, the master chef who defined French cuisine for more than a half century and put it on tables around the world, has died. He was 91. Often referred to as the pope of French cuisine, Bocuse was a tireless pioneer, the first chef to blend the art of cooking with savvy business tactics branding his cuisine and his image to create an empire of restaurants around the globe. Bocuse died Saturday at Collonges-au-Mont-dor, the community where he was born and had his restaurant. French gastronomy loses a mythical figure, French President Emmanuel Macron said. The chefs cry in their kitchens, at the Elysee (presidential palace) and everywhere in France. Bocuse, who underwent a triple heart bypass in 2005, had also been suffering from Parkinsons disease. Bocuses temple to French gastronomy, LAuberge du Pont de Collonges, outside the city of Lyon in southeastern France, has held three stars without interruption since 1965 in the Michelin guide, the bible of gastronomes. In 1982, Bocuse opened a restaurant in the France Pavilion in Walt Disney Worlds Epcot Center in Orlando, headed by his son Jerome. In recent years, Bocuse even dabbled in fast food with two outlets in his home base of Lyon. He has been a leader. He took the cook out of the kitchen, celebrity French chef Alain Ducasse said at a 2013 gathering to honor Bocuse. Monsieur Paul, as he was known, was placed right in the center of a 2013 cover of the newsweekly Le Point that exemplified The French Genius. Shown in his trademark pose arms folded over his crisp white apron, a tall chefs hat, or toque, atop his head he was winged by Marie Curie, Louis Pasteur and Coco Chanel, among other French luminaries. While excelling in the business of cooking, Bocuse never flagged in his devotion to his first love, creating a top class, quintessentially French meal. He eschewed the fads and experiments that captivated many other top chefs. Born on Feb. 11, 1926, Bocuse entered his first apprenticeship at 16. He worked at the famed La Mere Brazier in Lyon, then spent eight years with one of his culinary idols, Fernand Point, whose cooking was a precursor to Frances nouvelle cuisine movement, with lighter sauces and lightly cooked fresh vegetables. He is survived by his wife Raymonde, their daughter Francoise and a son, Jerome. Elaine Ganley is an Associated Press writer. CAIRO Vice President Mike Pence and Egyptian leader Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi pledged a united front against terrorism in the Mideast as Pence, the highest-level American official to visit the U.S. ally in nearly a decade, began a trip through the region after leaving behind a government shutdown in Washington. Pence told reporters he raised the issue of two Americans who have been imprisoned for several years in Egypt, and that el-Sissi said he would give personal attention to their cases. Wed like to see our people come home. I made that clear to him, Pence said before flying to Jordan. Pence and el-Sissi held 2 hours of talks at the presidential palace in Cairo, with acknowledgments of friendship and partnership between the two countries. Through a translator, Pence listened as el-Sissi cited the need to address urgent issues, including ways to eliminate this disease and cancer that has terrified the whole world. Pence pointed to President Trumps efforts to forge stronger ties with el-Sissi in his first year in office, after a time when our countries seemed to be drifting apart. Pence said we stand shoulder to shoulder with you and Egypt in fighting against terrorism, and that our hearts grieve for the loss of life in recent terrorist attacks against Egyptians. The vice president noted the deadly attack against Christians in late December, when a militant opened fire outside a suburban Cairo church, killing at least nine people. He also pointed to the killing of 311 worshipers inside a mosque in northern Sinai last November. Pence arrived in Cairo hours after the U.S. Congress and Trump failed to reach agreement on a plan to avert a partial federal closure. Pence went ahead with his four-day trip to the Middle East, citing national security and diplomatic reasons. Pences meetings with el-Sissi delved into security cooperation, economic ties and efforts to fight the Islamic State group. The vice president called it a very productive meeting, said he pressed el-Sissi to cut diplomatic ties with North Korea, urged him to respect religious diversity and said the U.S. was committed to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. His visit to the region came more than a month after Trump announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital, a step thats enraged Palestinians. El-Sissi identified the peace issue as one of the most important issues in their discussions, but the two leaders did not elaborate. Ken Thomas is an Associated Press writer. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate KOCABEYLI, Turkey Turkish jets bombed the Kurdish-controlled city of Afrin in northern Syria on Saturday, as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised to expand Turkeys military border operations against a Kurdish group that has been the U.S.s key Syria ally in the war on the Islamic State group. The raids came on the heels of a week of sharp threats by the Turkish government, promising to clear the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units, or YPG, from Afrin and its surrounding countryside, also called Afrin. Turkeys military is calling the campaign Operation Olive Branch. Turkey says the YPG a group it considers a terrorist organization is an extension of an outlawed Kurdish rebel group that it is fighting inside its own borders, and it has found common cause with Syrian opposition groups who view the YPG as a counter-revolutionary force in Syrias multi-sided civil war. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said a ground offensive could begin Sunday, but the state run Anadolu News Agency reported that Syrian forces backed by Ankara had already penetrated the Kurdish enclave. They crossed over from Turkey but were turned back by the YPG, according to Rojhat Roj, a Kurdish spokesman. Associated Press journalists at the Turkish border saw jets bombing positions in the direction of Afrin, as a convoy of armed pickup trucks and buses believed to be carrying Syrian opposition fighters traveled along the border. Roads out of the Afrin were closed and the YPG were not allowing anyone to leave the city, but morale was high, according to a resident who was reached by phone. So far the Peoples Protection Units have not called on the people to mobilize, said Ramzi Hamidi. Turkey, he said, will learn a lesson they have not learned before. Ten civilians were wounded in the air strikes, three seriously, according to Roj. Turkey has prepared around 10,000 Syrian fighters to storm Afrin, said Rami Abudrrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group. A rebel commander speaking to the AP by phone from northern Syria said there were thousands of fighters positioned in Azaz, at the frontier with the Kurdish enclave, awaiting orders. Another commander said hundreds more were stationed in Atmeh, south of Afrin. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity. Turkish leaders were infuriated by an announcement by the U.S. military six days ago that it was going to create a 30,000-strong border force with the Kurdish fighters to secure northern Syria. Days later, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced that the U.S. would maintain a military presence with the Kurds for the foreseeable future. Mehmet Guzel and Philip Issa are Associated Press writers. Oli, Dahal to endorse NA candidate names Two top leaders of the left alliance have decided to endorse the decision of the task force on the candidates for the National Assembly election with minor changes if necessary. Wait over as EC gives winners certificates Forty-three days after the second phase of provincial elections, candidates elected under the proportional representation quota of state assemblies got their certificates from the Election Commission on Friday. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Former Staten Islander Umberto "Bert" Bifulco Jr., known for his local family-run produce stand in the 60s, has died. Bifulco Jr. died suddenly in his sleep in Jan. 18 at his home in Pittsgrove, New Jersey. Born on Staten Island in New Springville to the late Umberto Bifulco Sr. and Rosa Annuniata, "Bert" took over the family business with his two brothers, Gennaro and Pasquale, until the 1960s when it was sold. He is survived by his wife, Charlotte; sons Umberto "Bert" Bifulco III, Gennaro George Bifulco, and Michael "Mickey" Bifulco; seven grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and his brother, Pasquale Bifulco. "He lived for and devoted his life to make sure that our lives were better," said Charlotte. She said there wasn't a soul who didn't like "Bert." "Everybody loved my husband. He was very generous, had many friends, and was just so kind and wise," she said. SIDE-BY-SIDE FOR 60 YEARS New Springville was more than the neighborhood where he was born and raised -- it was where he met the love of his life. Bifulco Jr. met Charlotte when she was 16-years-old and he 10 years her senior. The couple dated for four years before marrying at Our Lady of Pity Church in Bulls Head on Dec. 7, 1957. The reception was held at the Plaza Casino, formerly on Castleton Avenue in West Brighton. "It snowed on our wedding day and it was so cold, but it was such a wonderful day," Charlotte said. The Bifulco's celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in Dec. 2017. Charlotte said her late husband had the perfect smile and she'll always be able to imagine him smiling at her. "He always called me 'Sweetsie;' we always had a wonderful time together," she said. Although the couple had a busy work schedule, they would go to The Shoals, formerly on the Great Kills harbor, for dinner and dancing classics like the jitterbug on Friday and Saturday nights. "We worked together side-by-side for all of our 60 years," she said. RICHMOND AVENUE ROAD STAND Charlotte started working at the family produce business shortly after they got married. In 1960, the newlyweds opened and worked at a produce stand on Richmond Avenue. In 1979 they expanded the business with his brothers, becoming produce buyers and delivering their produce on trucks they'd purchased, in addition to founding U. Bifulc & Sons Farms in Pittsgrove. The next business venture came in 1990 with Bifulco's Four Seasons Cold Storage Inc. to make sure their produce was as fresh as possible. Charlotte said he was a very hard and devoted worker his whole life. "We met many wonderful people when we had our farm stand and through our businesses," she said. 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